Chapter 17: A Jinchuuriki's Fate
Itachi and Kisame casually approached the entrance to the surprisingly desolate Amegakure. The Uchiha looked around suspiciously before speaking up, "Something's wrong…"
Before Kisame could even answer, they heard a massive explosion come from the center of the village. They traded confused glances before taking off at high speed to investigate. Kisame, who had an unconscious Killer Bee slung over his shoulder, growled in irritation, "You don't suppose one of the villages attacked do you?"
The calm Itachi sighed as they leapt over rooftops, "I doubt it…this place is deserted. Something happened here while we were away."
"Do you think Pein attacked?!" Kisame asked slightly concerned. Before Itachi could answer, the two landed near the source of the explosion and were shocked to see three jinchuuriki loose. Gaara, Han, and Roshi were all three awake and currently fighting Sasori and Kakuzu.
Kisame looked at Itachi with a bewildered look, "What the hell happened here?"
"Looks like they weren't properly restrained…" Itachi noted calmly. Kakuzu and Sasori seemed to be struggling to hold the three jinchuuriki back. Gaara appeared to be in a bloodlust as he annihilated Sasori's puppets by the dozen.
Kakuzu on the other hand was desperately struggling to stay alive against Han and Roshi. Kisame shook his head and sighed as he placed Killer Bee's unconscious body on the ground, "I'll take care of this. Keep an eye on the eight tails, Itachi."
As the shark nin approached, Kakuzu was the first to notice and appeared completely relieved as Kisame drew Samehada and attacked Roshi. The four tail's jinchuuriki was blind sided by the massive blade much to everybody's surprise.
Roshi instantly fell back towards Han and looked concerned as he noticed Itachi as well. He desperately glanced around for Gaara. When he spotted the red head he started shouting, "Kazekage, get out of here! Han and I will cover you! Somebody has to warn the Kages!"
Gaara instantly relented his attacks for a moment as he caught Roshi's order. He thought hard for a moment what to do, but upon seeing Itachi and Kisame, he immediately considered his escape a priority. "Just go, Kazekage, before more arrive! My master and I are expendable, but you have political power! Get help!" Han added desperately as he tried to parry Kisame's massive attacks.
Seeing as he had no other choice, Gaara began to take off on a dune wave of sand. Kisame immediately felt his adrenaline go insane upon seeing the jinchuuriki escaping. "Sasori, stop being useless and catch him!" The shark nin roared furiously as both Han and Roshi activated chakra cloaks.
"Where is your back up?! Where the hell is Konan or Hidan? Where is Tobi?!" Kisame demanded furiously as he turned towards Kakuzu.
"Hidan is dead, Tobi isn't here, and Konan and Shizune both disappeared," Kakuzu answered as he sent his masks towards Han.
"Itachi, don't let the eight tails out of your sight!" Kisame shouted angrily. Itachi calmly glanced over in Gaara's direction as he picked Killer Bee up.
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Meanwhile, Gaara was riding a sand wave at high speed out of the village. He did not feel alright leaving his other two fellow captives behind, but he knew he had to reach Konoha. 'How did we even end up in this mess? Were those others all jinchuuriki as well? Last thing I remember was…chains and black fire.'
After Gaara made a considerable distance, he looked back and spotted Sasori tailing after him at high speed. Rage instantly returned as Gaara stopped in his tracks and turned around. Sasori landed in front of him and shook his head, "You do not honestly think that you are going to escape?"
The sand surrounding the Kazekage began to swirl around the two at high speed causing Sasori to look around anxiously. "You're going to die for attacking my village!" Gaara roared furiously as the encircling sandstorm grew more intense.
Sasori pulled a scroll off of his back and glared, "You really think so? I was winning our last battle before all of your little friends showed up."
"You would have died if your partner didn't intervene to stop me. Who is he?!" Gaara demanded coldly. The puppet master gave Gaara a careless shrug, "His name is Tobi. Beyond that, there is nothing else you really need to know."
Gaara cracked a fist as his eyes narrowed into a death glare, "He is your leader isn't he? Well he isn't going to save you this time! NOW YOU DIE!"
Sasori summoned the third Kazekage and began to create iron sand. Immediately recognizing this, Gaara unleashed a volley of sand waves towards the puppet master but was unsuccessful in hitting him as Sasori skillfully dodged.
The sandstorm surrounding Gaara began to pick up speed as more and more sand began to manifest from his chakra. The Kazekage held up his arms and roared, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"
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As Naruto walked down the hallway, he approached the large room where Yagura was being monitored. He glanced over at a random medic nin in the room, "What's his condition? Why has he not awakened yet?"
"Lord Pein, forgive me!" the medic nin bowed to Naruto's feet before speaking again, "The subject appears to be in some kind of coma. Physically, however, he will make a full recovery. We cannot be certain what the cause of his mental condition is, but his chakra has been radically shifting for the past several days."
Naruto nodded as he walked past the man and patted him on the head, "Take a break, I want to try something."
"Of course, Lord!" The man bowed low before leaving.
"These people are so skittish…though he is right to fear you," Kyuubi noted.
'What should I do with him, Kyuubi? Why is he in a coma you wonder?' Naruto asked confused as he examined the grey haired Mizukage more closely. Despite his stature, Yagura was definitely a formidable jinchuuriki from what Naruto heard. He knew that the man was probably injured back during his battle, but he figured Yagura would have awoken long before now.
Kyuubi sighed, "Hmm…it seems Sanbi is asleep right now. My best guess is the Mizukage's seal has placed some kind of restraint on their connection."
'I have never heard of anything like that…' Naruto trailed off. Kyuubi huffed, "Well, most jinchuuriki seals are similar, but they are all inherently different in some way. His appears to shut his mind down whenever he uses too much power. Perhaps it was a fail safe in case he ever lost control."
'Interesting…so what about my seal with you? I mean I am able to use your power, but a lot of these other jinchuuriki actually seem like they are able to transform.'
"Sadly, you have never been able to do that," Kyuubi noted. 'Would it ever be possible for me to fully acquire your power?' Naruto asked curiously.
The fox chuckled at his question, "Well I can't say for sure. Although, I've never really had as good of a relationship with my other containers as I do with you. Mito and Kushina's seals were designed to restrain me completely. Yours connects us. So to answer your question, it is most likely possible."
'Would you ever be okay with something like that?' Naruto continued fascinated.
"You have always had potential, and I am glad that I was able to get through to you before Konoha chained you to their pathetic, idealistic prison of lies. Honestly, as far as most mortals go, you are the only one that I have ever had any kind of respect for."
'You're not half bad fox…we may disagree at times, but I value your opinion. Although, you know the thing I don't understand is why you seem so content to stay with me now. Do you no longer desire freedom?' Naruto asked curiously.
"This may come as a surprise to you, but just as I have always protected your life, you have always protected mine. The Uchiha's Sharingan is rendered useless against me as long as we remain connected."
'So you're afraid of Madara? Why? Is he really that powerful, and for that matter what does he even want with you?' Naruto queried.
"I knew Madara was still alive…I even know the real reason why he wants jinchuuriki. He wants to fulfill that prophecy from your little book."
'WHAT?! Wait…why did that never cross my mind?! It makes sense. So he wants to recreate the Sage of Six Paths? So where do the bijou fit into this plan?'
"I thought it would be obvious by now…he wants the ten tails. Though, I doubt his ambitions behind something like this would be so simple. I cannot fully comprehend his plan's design yet…though if you do your job right, we won't even have to concern ourselves with it."
'So if I remember the book correctly…he wants to do what the Rikudo Sennin did and make himself Juubi's jinchuuriki? How would he do that though…he does not have the Rinnegan?' Naruto asked shocked.
"Now you see why I warned you away from him. You and I are both a means to an end for the Uchiha. Although, to be honest kit, I highly doubt things are as simple as they appear to be. You need your real power if you intend on defeating him. However, for the time being, the best thing you can do is keep the other jinchuuriki out of his reach. Madara is very powerful, even in comparison to you…and he wants your Rinnegan. One slip up and he could easily take everything from you."
'I don't understand, Kyuubi…what do I have to do?! I mean what is this real power you keep talking about?!' Naruto shouted in frustration. "Real power is not playing king and wasting time with your harem. Real power is not capturing villages or spreading fear to ignorant masses. No, real power is felt by all within your presence. Real power is bending the world around you without even thinking about it. Real power is accepting what you are and becoming who you were born to be."
'Well my birth is nothing more than a product of a mixed breeding experiment from Madara. I understand all of that, Kyuubi. I need to fully awaken the Rinnegan and master my powers. However, what I don't get is where do you fit into all of this, fox?'
Kyuubi sighed deeply, "You already know the answer to that. Clearly because it is in both of our best interests to remain together."
'No, I want real answers…I'm tired of you avoiding this subject.'
Why do I always have to spell things out for you, kit? Do you really not understand what my motive is in all of this yet?"
'Damn it Kyuubi, I am fucking sick of your cryptic, condescending bullshit! I want answers right now! What are you?!' Naruto shouted in his mindscape annoyed.
"Kit, I have something I need to tell you…"
'I have a bad feeling about this,' Naruto responded concerned.
"Your seal is broken!"
'What?!' Before he had a chance to do anything else, he was sucked into his own mindscape and found himself in an oddly familiar yet distant sewer.
"Kyuubi! What the hell is going on?!" Naruto shouted as he charged down the hallways towards the cage's location. Upon entering Kyuubi's prison, Naruto saw a massive amount of red chakra bubbling through the bars.
He ran close to the cage and met the familiar glowing red eyes. "Kyuubi why did you bring me here? What do you mean my seal is broken?!"
Before the fox even bothered answering, he head butted the cage as hard as possible causing the bars to crack. Naruto looked up in surprise to see the seal on the cage rip off. "How is this even possible?!"
Without a second thought, Kyuubi head butted the cage again and shattered through the bars.
"The seal has been weak for years. Our power constantly intermingles. It was only a matter of time before we broke it," Kyuubi answered calmly as he began to pace around Naruto. The man circled around watching the fox carefully unsure of what to do.
"So what happens now, Kyuubi…" Naruto spoke up carefully to break the awkward silence. The fox laughed as he shook his massive head, "You wanted answers? Fine, I will give you answers. We nine bijou were created when the sage of six paths split our true form before dying. Each of us is a part of the greater whole of the ten tails."
The man didn't respond as he continued to stare at Kyuubi. The fox waited a few moments before continuing, " I just so happen to be the aspect of Juubi's spirit. I contain the most of his power, but I am like a part of his will, so to speak."
"So…what does that make you?!" Naruto asked bewildered. Kyuubi sat down much to Naruto's surprise, "I am not the ten tails. Juubi is an empty shell whose mind is dormant. The same one you used to battle Akatsuki in the Valley of the End. Do you remember your battle? The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path resonated when you combined it with my chakra."
"So what you are saying is the statue is the ten tails?! So the reason it became incredibly powerful when it was channeling your chakra is because your power was originally from it?" Naruto questioned fascinated.
"Yes, now you understand."
"So what is your motive then, fox? You want to become whole with the other bijou?" Naruto asked.
The fox huffed, "No, in fact I want the opposite. Similar to us, Juubi has a mind of his own. I have no desire to give up my freedom to become that thing again. However, since you have control over the statue, you might be able to seal the three tails within it should Yagura prove troublesome."
"That seems like a bad idea, Kyuubi. I mean just how aware is the ten tails?" Naruto replied skeptically.
"The ten tails won't awaken unless all of us are sealed into the statue. So long as several other bijou reside within it out of Madara's reach, it will work perfectly."
"Why? What can Madara do to them?" the man wondered aloud. "He can make himself their jinchuuriki…"
"You've grown so much…my son." A desperate and emotional voice spoke up causing both Naruto and Kyuubi to look over towards the broken cage in disbelief.
Upon one glance, Kyuubi growled fiercely, "YOU! What are you doing here!?"
"I don't have much time son. With the seal gone, I will fade away soon," the figure continued.
Naruto felt a thousand emotions swirling through him as he spotted golden spiky hair and ice blue eyes. "Yondaime, what are you doing here?" Naruto spoke as he started to glare at the man.
"Naruto, what happened to you?" the fourth Hokage asked rather surprised as he examined his son's appearance.
The jinchuuriki was unsure of how to respond to his father. Naruto remained silent as the two stared at each other for a long moment.
Finally, Minato spoke up, "So, you've awakened the mythical Rinnegan? I always thought it was legend. What has happened since then? What does Konoha have you doing these days?"
"He left Konoha just so you know, fool. The kit agreed with me in that staying with Konoha would only hinder him," Kyuubi cut in annoyed.
Minato's eyes went wide, "You…left Konoha?"
Naruto couldn't find the words to respond and looked away somewhat shamefully.
Kyuubi snorted in disgust, "Don't act all surprised, Yondaime! Did you really think he was going to waste his life letting some bitch council keep him on a leash?!"
The blonde man looked extremely sad from the news, "Naruto, are you a missing nin now? What have you been doing all of these years?"
"Making a better world for myself," Naruto answered finally breaking his silence.
Minato sighed deeply, "This is all my fault…had I protected Kushina better during childbirth, Kyuubi never would have broken free."
"What?!" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I am so sorry that I forced this horrible fate upon you my son. I wish I could have been there to help you…to save you from this monster's dark and terrible influence. I can't even imagine what kinds of things Kyuubi has done to pervert your mind," The fourth Hokage continued.
"You're a fool if you still honestly believe that I am the one at fault here. I have done nothing but guide your son to a better future. You have no right to call yourself his father…" Kyuubi interrupted venomously.
Yondaime sent a glare towards the fox, before turning back to Naruto with a frown, "This must be difficult for you to deal with, Naruto. However, it's not too late for you to change your ways. Who is the Hokage right now? Perhaps you could get reinstated to the village if you returned."
"Don't listen to this fucking idiot…you have no idea what's even going on right now, Yondaime!" Kyuubi shouted. His tails smashed around violently.
Minato glanced over at Naruto again, "What is going on, Naruto?"
"To answer your question, the Hokage right now is Tsunade. I on the other hand am most notorious SS class criminal in the world. I go by the name of Pein. For the last several years I have been having encounters and battles with a group known as Akatsuki. Right now, I am dealing with them," Naruto answered callously.
The Hokage nodded his head in understanding, "I see, so you left the village on your own to hunt down dangerous criminals, but probably got tagged in the Bingo Book in other nations when they realized you have the Rinnegan. You're doing the village a service then. I know Tsunade-san very well. She is a kind and loving woman, and I have no doubts that she would accept you back, Naruto."
"Shut up!" Naruto shouted at the man causing him to hang his head dejectedly, "Do you honestly not understand what made me leave?! IT WAS THE GOD DAMNED VILLAGERS AND THAT FUCKING COUNCIL!"
Minato's eyes went wide with disbelief at his son's outburst. Kyuubi nodded his head in agreement, "Those corrupt, bureaucratic bitches were talking about exiling or executing him for almost killing an Uchiha kid who was trying to leave the village. Even though he brought the kid back, the pathetic little council decided to blame him for the whole ordeal. Do you honestly not remember Danzo?! He is at the heart of that festering village's council. Things are vastly different from the days that Kushina was a jinchuuriki!"
"Forget the council for a minute. What about the villagers? You mean to say that the village didn't like you? Why?! You're a hero for being Kyuubi's container," Minato spoke up in disbelief.
"You clearly don't understand, Yondaime. Those idiots actually believe that he is me," Kyuubi cut in annoyed.
Minato sighed, "I did not think it would be like this. Still, for you to abandon the will of fire…that is something I just can't fathom. Perhaps the villagers misunderstood due to the nature of your seal. Since you used Kyuubi's chakra, they might believe something wrong. Did you ever try to prove them wrong by being a great Shinobi? People will often overlook things like that if you prove your sincerity to them."
"I am sick and tired of hearing about all this pious, preachy crap about how I used to be such a 'nice' and 'caring' guy! Well that bit me in the ass, 'father!' I'm sure you probably have some speech saved up about how I have to continue your legacy and be Hokage too! Well fuck that! No matter what I ever did, they couldn't allow me to have any happiness! Why should I have to suffer and bleed everyday so that smug cowards like that can go on and enjoy their own worthless lives?! Why should I let people walk all over me and shit on my name?! I'm tired of the world trying to fuck me over. I decided it was time for me to fuck it back!"
Yondaime sighed, "Happiness is a choice, Naruto. You can't let yourself be consumed by hatred…how does that make you any different than Kyuubi? I know it was hard for you growing up…I couldn't be there to help you. I wish with all my heart that I could have been. My only son…forced to bear the curse of his clan. You were meant for so much more than this. You have this incredible power, a bloodline that only the legends speak of, and you are using it for you own selfish needs. You could have changed the world for the better…and been the greatest Hokage ever, but instead you chose to follow Kyuubi into damnation. Do you honestly think you can trust Kyuubi?"
"Don't talk about Kyuubi that way! Without him…" the jinchuuriki trailed off as he clenched his fists.
"You are his puppet, son! The fox does not even need to take over you in order to control you. Your mother told me all sorts of things about her experience as Kyuubi's container. I can't even imagine what you've been through son, but I beg you to please listen to me for one minute."
Naruto sighed, "Fine, I will hear you out, but don't expect me to do what you say."
Kyuubi decided to remain silent much to Naruto's surprise and simply watched.
"Kyuubi is like a poison, Naruto…everyone and everything this creature has ever come into contact with has ended up with nothing but misery and death. That fiend twisted her mind, Naruto. Kushina used to tell me crazy things. Her mental condition only seemed to worsen the longer she was holding Kyuubi at bay. Yet despite her hardships, Kushina conquered Kyuubi's hatred with love. You can conquer all of your inner demons with love. You just need to forgive Konoha and move on. Hatred is a self-destructive, double-edged sword."
Naruto glanced over at Kyuubi who had an amused expression on his face. It wasn't long before Kyuubi burst into uncontrollable laughter. Minato looked distraught, but remained silent.
"Hahahaha, is that what she told you, fool?! Is that what Mito told you? You did not truly know either one of them. You probably didn't even know that Kushina is an Uchiha as well…and that her father was the very same man who used me to try and destroy all of you! The only real victim in all of this is me," Kyuubi laughed.
Minato shook his head in disbelief, "Your lies won't affect me, fox. I know my wife and I trust her with all my heart. She would never lie about something like that!"
"Kushina wasn't going crazy because of me. She was trying to live a life that she could never have. It drove her to hysteria knowing that she could never escape from her heritage. Did you also know that Mito selected her to be my container because she possessed her father's special chakra?" Kyuubi added with a coy matter of fact voice. Minato simply shook his head at the demon before turning back to face his son.
There was a awkward silence between the two before Minato began to speak, "Your mother was a wonderful person Nar-" Minato started but was interrupted.
"You know…I used to dream of meeting you. When I was young, I would look at the Hokage Heads on the cliff and see your face. I didn't know that you were my father then, but I knew that I wanted to be just like you. It's ironic how much has changed for the better once I started doing things for myself for once," Naruto said distantly.
"Is this truly what you want, Naruto? Do you not want to be loved and respected by Konoha and your peers for achieving something great and helping the world? You have the power to do that! Sadly, you would instead prefer to take everything you want and crush anybody that gets in your way? That's not the kind of person I call a true Shinobi. That is unbefitting of a wielder of the legendary Rinnegan," the fourth hokage stated full of sorrow.
"Minato, your final words towards our son should not be so harsh…Naruto will find his own way in the world. All you can do now is help him to understand what truly happened to him," another voice spoke up.
"Oh, I was wondering when princess would wake up…she was probably too busy defeating me with her 'love,'" Kyuubi chuckled in amusement as Naruto's eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Is that…her?" Naruto asked.
The woman's long flowing red hair almost seemed to match the color of Kyuubi's chakra. Minato answered, "We sealed Kyuubi inside of you on the day of the attack, however we also sealed a part of ourselves so that you could one day see us again if the seal ever broke, which it did, unfortunately. I don't know how you ever got this entwined with his chakra, but by doing so, the seal could no longer restrain your power."
"Tell us Naruto, what was your first encounter with Kyuubi?" Kushina asked. Naruto continued staring at her in disbelief and didn't bother answering.
She waved her arm in front of him, "Naruto, how long has this been going on?"
"Scolding him already are you?! Haha, Kushina, you're still as obnoxious and preachy as I remember," Kyuubi scoffed at the woman. She sent the fox a fierce glare, "You're still as angry and pessimistic as I remember."
The fox's tails smashed against the walls causing everything to shake as he leapt up, "Ah, don't get mad, princess otherwise you'll give into hatred and won't be able to defeat me with love. HAHAHA! You know what I find the most ironic is how you all brought this upon yourselves. You fools are terrible parents. Although I suppose that runs in the family eh, Kushina?"
The woman's face literally lit up with rage as she clenched her fists. Kushina looked as if she was about to say something but bit her lip. She knew she couldn't win an argument with the fox, even after all of these years.
Minato sent her a small frown, "Kushina, is what Kyuubi said true? Why were you going crazy those last two years?"
She looked down shamefully, "Minato, it's complicated."
Kushina walked past him and started towards Naruto. Minato did the same and before long, the two were directly in front of their son. Kushina stared at Naruto's eyes for a long awkward moment and shook her head, "My father is a ruthless, evil man. When I first discovered from Mito that I was to be a jinchuuriki, she revealed my father's true identity and the secret behind my powers."
Minato glanced between her and Naruto and spoke up disbelievingly, "What? You mean Kyuubi was telling the truth? Madara Uchiha is your father?! Then that would mean…"
Much to everybody's surprise, Kushina's eyes turned red and a revealed a Sharingan. "Yes, Minato, I am an Uchiha as well as an Uzumaki. My father breed me for the sole purpose of creating the Rinnegan. He succeeded…"
The fourth Hokage looked at his son and back at Kushina, "So that is how Naruto awakened this bloodline?"
Kushina glanced over at him and shook her head, "I wasn't talking about him…"
Naruto felt as if his heart was about to explode as Kushina turned to face him again. Her eyes began to glow a radiant purple as nine tomoe outlined the edges of newly forming lines. Kyuubi shook his head at the sight, "What a waste you turned out to be,"
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. Kushina was standing before him with a fully awakened Rinnegan. Though hers appeared to possess attributes from the Sharingan as well. "I never wanted this power…I never wanted to live my life constantly fighting. I just wanted a family and a peaceful life to call my own. I just wanted my life to count for something more than this…"
The woman began to cry freely which caused Minato to hug her concerned, "Kushina, why didn't you ever tell me about this…we could have dealt with it together."
"I couldn't…I suppressed my power as much as I possibly could because I didn't want my father to find out. I didn't want to ruin all of our lives to fight him. In the end, I thought, it would be better to just die and let the Rinnegan fade away where it belonged. What a fool I was…because of my weakness and my fear, our son is now the one who suffers!" Kushina sobbed hysterically.
Minato looked completely empathetic and nodded his head in understanding, "You did what you thought was right."
"I'm sorry…" Naruto spoke up causing both of his parents to look at him in shock. Before Naruto could even comprehend the situation, he felt both of his parents embrace him in a hug. Minato pat him on the back and looked him directly in the eyes, "Never give into hatred and despair. Even if you never go back to Konoha, please use your powers for something good. No matter what else happens son, I'll always love you. I have to go now…"
Without another word Minato disappeared. Kushina continued to hug Naruto in a long embrace before finally speaking, "Your father means well, Naruto and he is right about a lot of things, but not in this. I understand how hard your life must have been and I will never judge any decision you have made. I love you, Naruto."
He stood there uncertain how to react to this display of affection from his parents. His own mother whom he had never seen until this moment just said the only thing he ever wished for as a child. Naruto almost felt as if he could cry from some deep painful feeling inside of him. What was this feeling he was experiencing? The man didn't like it. It was too painful.
Naruto looked away and shook his head, "I don't know what that is…"
Her tears continued to flow as a sad smile crossed her lips, "You will find it one day…just remember that no matter how dark the night gets, the sun will always rise."
"How beautiful…" Kyuubi cut in with a bored tone. Kushina sent a sad glance at the fox, "Please continue to take care of my son, Kurama."
Kyuubi's eyes lit up in shock from the woman's use of his actual name. Kushina's body began to glow as she turned back to face Naruto. "Goodbye for now, Naruto."
Without another word she vanished as well leaving Naruto and Kyuubi alone in his mindscape.
"She had the Sharingan and the Rinnegan?" Naruto asked aloud in disbelief.
"Now you have your answers, Naruto…"
The jinchuuriki's eyes went wide as he turned to face Kyuubi with a shocked expression, "What did you just say?!"
"Nothing, kit…anyways, now that your seal is broken, our power is fully combined. I guess you and I are in this for the long haul."
"Hmm, I guess so. So what's next on our to do list, Kurama? I never knew that you had a name." Naruto changed the subject. He was trying to ignore the emotions he was still feeling.
Kyuubi gave him a disapproving glare, "Names are pretty, but pointless…don't go around thinking we're pals now, kit."
"I wouldn't dare to dream of such a thing," he laughed causing the fox to chuckle in amusement.
"Take care of Yagura first, and then later we'll talk about the Sharingan's relation to the Rinnegan,"
Before Naruto could even nod his head in acknowledgement, he found himself returning to consciousness. He awoke to find himself lying on the floor beside Yagura's bed. He quickly gained his composure and stood up just in time to catch a blonde haired girl darting away from the door and down the hallway.
Naruto quickly realized that his entire body was glowing blood red from Kyuubi's chakra. 'So what does it mean now that the seal is broken?'
"It's not fully unsealed, but completely open now. Our chakra has combined. You can now transform into my physical self should you ever desire to hahaha!"
Naruto thought about it for a moment, 'This is definitely going to change things a little bit.'
"Bring Yagura outside, and summon the Statue. We need to take care of this bitch now."
'I don't know, Kyuubi. I mean should I kill him?' Naruto asked curiously. "Yeah, why not? Didn't one of your slaves say something about wanting revenge anyways? So you can go ahead and deal with two problems at once."
Naruto nodded his head, 'Well I doubt I could ever trust him…and as long as he's the Mizukage still, there's no way I can let him go. I guess that just makes the most sense.'
Without giving it another thought, he picked the Mizukage up and began to carry him outside. As he made his way through the building, a concerned looking Mei showed up. Naruto's chakra cloak caught her attention right away.
"Where have you been, Pein? What are you doing with Yagura?" she interrogated as the two walked past countless jounin towards the exit of the building. Naruto did not bother responding as he exited.
Mei sighed in annoyance but decided to remain silent as she followed behind Naruto. As the man made his way outside, he dropped Yagura's body in the middle of the open plaza. This caught the attention of many passing people who stopped to watch. His blood red chakra cloak attracted a large crowd of curious villagers. Naruto closed his eyes and began to channel even more chakra as he stood over the other jinchuuriki.
News apparently traveled fast because before long, half of Naruto's companions rushed out to see what was happening. "Lord Pein, what are you doing?" Guren asked urgently as she rushed behind him followed by Anko, Tayuya, Zabuza, Haku, and Kimimaro.
"I've decided what to do with him," The Rinnegan wielder spoke as he turned back and looked over his companions. It wasn't long before Zabuza, Haku, Kimimaro and Guren began to glow in Kyuubi's chakra as well. "Stand back," Naruto ordered sternly as the cloak began to glow more intensely around his hands. Without another word, Naruto flashed through a long series of hand seals, "Kuchiyose: Gedo Mazo!" (Summoning: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path).
Everybody began to freak out as a massive statue rose out of the ground. It only came up halfway, but it was enough for the arms and head to clear the ground. Naruto held one of his arms out towards Yagura and the other one towards the statue. He unleashed a colossal surge of chakra in both directions causing the statue's mouth to open wide.
As the statue began to glow intensely from the blood red chakra, Naruto turned to face Yagura and picked the Mizukage up by the throat. His Rinnegan flashed red with slits as his chakra continued to intensify. Mei looked concerned as Naruto's grip tightened over Yagura's throat. "WAKE UP, YAGURA!"
Almost half the village was gathered to see this scene. Just then, Sasuke, Fu, and a horrified looking Yugito showed up. Yagura's eyes shot open much to everybody's surprise. The Mizukage looked around worried as he tried to piece together what was happening.
The moment he noticed Naruto death gripping his throat he began to panic and flail. Unfortunately for him, Naruto's grip only tightened more from the motion. "Hello, Yagura…my name is Pein!" Naruto said as intimidating as possible.
As the man began to choke, Naruto released his grip causing him to drop to the ground and gasp for air. "So we finally meet," Yagura gasped between breaths before regaining his composure. He looked around and noticed all of the Oto nin and shook his head, "It figures you would take over the smaller villages…so you really do have the Rinnegan? Though I don't understand why is it red?"
"Shut up, fool. I've only kept you alive this long because I didn't know what to do about your bijou until now. Since you are beyond the point of redemption, I have no choice but to remove you from this game," Naruto stated cold and methodically.
Zabuza drew his sword and was practically beaming with approval upon seeing his leader's old bloodlust emerge, "I've been waiting for this day for a long time, Yagura…the betrayal, the lies, the self-pity! It all ends today!" The swordsman's grip tightened over his sword.
Naruto glanced over at the swordsman in approval. Zabuza raised his blade over his head and waited for Naruto to give him the signal. Yagura looked around desperately unsure of what to do. When his eyes met Mei's he shook his head in disdain.
"Do you know why you have to die?" Naruto asked with a stern tone. The man sighed heavily as he nodded, "Yes."
"You sent assassins after me for three and a half years, you ruined the lives of four of my followers, and you were part of the joint task force that wiped out Uzushiogakure," Naruto stated intensely.
"Any last words before we send you to hell?!" Zabuza demanded furiously as if he was hoping to get something more out of Yagura. The jinchuuriki turned towards Naruto and a small smile crossed his lips, "I'll save you a spot, Pein…"
Mei looked away painfully trying to cope with the situation as Haku nodded her head in approval. Many of the surrounding villagers were still in awe over the Gedo Mazo. "DIE!" Zabuza shouted with all his might as he brought the blade down and stabbed through Yagura's chest and impaled him on the ground.
Blood began to pool everywhere as the life slowly faded away from the Mizukage. Naruto found it bizarre that the man almost looked happy that he was dying. Just then, much to everybody's awe, the Gedo Mazo began to suck out all of Sanbi's chakra from him.
Due to Kyuubi's chakra amplifying it, the process did not take long until Sanbi was fully sealed into the statue. Content with his handiwork, Naruto dismissed the statue causing it to sink back underground and the earth to reform around the plaza.
Naruto didn't bother explaining anything to his bewildered, confused followers as he walked past Zabuza and pat him on the shoulder. The swordsman nodded respectfully and pulled his bloodied sword up from the now dead Mizukage.
Naruto walked towards Fu and Yugito and motioned for both of them to follow him. Fu readily did as commanded, but Yugito hesitated as the man came closer. She fearfully stood there trying to get over the scene she had just witnessed. She was completely terrified now. THAT was the Pein that she knew. When Yugito refused to move, Naruto picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She was too terrified to do anything and fearfully remained quiet as the three of them headed into Naruto's office.
Naruto placed Yugito down and pushed her into a chair before motioning for Fu to do the same. Both eyed him anxiously wondering what he wanted with them. "You two saw what I just did right?" Naruto asked.
Fu nodded her head, "Yeah…you killed another jinchuuriki."
The green haired girl seemed a bit upset about it, but kept her cool nonetheless. "Yagura had no intention of helping us…but there's another reason I sealed Sanbi away. You two remember Madara from the Valley of the End right?"
Both Fu and Yugito traded glances before nodding silently. "I know why he is after jinchuuriki…he wants to harvest us and recreate the ten tails."
Fu's eyes shot open in disbelief while Yugito simply shook her head hopelessly. "I just want you two to know that I would never do anything like that to either one of you…please don't misunderstand what I had to do today."
"I am scared, Naruto…you seemed like a different person out there. Do you want to talk? Is there anything I can do?" Fu pleaded much to Naruto's surprise. She seemed genuinely shaken up over the ordeal.
Yugito looked over at Naruto and back to Fu, "Can I talk to you in private, Naruto…"
Fu raised a brow with a disbelieving look, "You want me to leave?"
She looked over towards Naruto awaiting his input. The Rinnegan wielder nodded, "I would love to sit down and talk, Fu. I promise you that we will later."
Yugito nodded her head in approval and made a buzz off gesture much to Fu's annoyance. Fu ran over and hugged Naruto much to his surprise and whispered to him, "I love you…"
He awkwardly stood there unsure of how to respond. She continued to cling to him for an awkwardly long minute before they met eye contact. "Say it, Naruto…" she commanded.
"I…" the man began causing Fu's eyes to light up with anticipation, "love you too, Fu." Naruto felt that awkward feeling in his stomach again upon seeing the look on the girl's face. Though he was happy to see her cheerful mood return. Without another word, Fu left the office leaving Naruto and Yugito alone.
The blonde woman was still terrified from what she just witnessed earlier, but knew that she was going to have to ask him sooner or later.
"So, Yugito, what did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked concerned. He quickly noticed her trembling hands and felt almost guilty for it.
The woman found her courage and started, "What do you intend to do with me? My circumstance wasn't all that different from the Mizukage's."
"Why? What do you think I'm going to do to you?" Naruto countered causing Yugito to become slightly more distressed. She sent him fearful glance, "Probably rape and kill me…and then take the two tails away."
Naruto gave her a quizzical stare, "You honestly think I would do that?"
"Yes! You clearly have no morals or sense of remorse, and I have heard these wicked women that follow you refer to themselves as your harem on more than one occasion! What am I to you except another pair of tits?"
The man shrugged, "Look, I never asked for all of them to show up. It just sort of happened. I don't know what kind of person you or anybody else thinks I am, but to be quite honest I don't really care anymore. I spent too many years of my childhood trying to please everybody and follow the idealistic will of fire. You know where it got me? Nowhere. Also, for the record, you clearly don't understand what each of them means to me. They are my friends…but they are more than that."
"So…what are you going to do to me then?" She asked again. Naruto shrugged, "I don't know, what do you want me to do?"
"Let me go…" she suggested quietly.
There was a long awkward silence before she changed the subject, "Tell me about your childhood…I want to know more about you."
"Hmph…well I guess if it will make you feel better, then I will. I was born in Konoha as you probably already know. I grew up alone without my parents…" the mention of his parents caused Naruto to feel that painful feeling again.
Yugito seemed to relax a little bit as she examined Naruto's expression, 'He seems so sad…'
Naruto quickly pushed his feelings aside as he continued, "I remember as a kid I used to live by myself in this crappy apartment. The Sandaime Hokage paid for my living expenses there…he talked me into joining the ninja academy when I was really young."
The blonde woman seemed saddened by the look on Naruto's face, "You cared a lot about him…didn't you?"
"When I was younger, things just seemed so much simpler. The Hokages seemed like they could do no wrong…everybody loved them and respected them. As a jinchuuriki, I've always been an outcast…but even worse, I was kind of a lousy student as well. Nobody respected me…so one day when I was sitting on the Hokage heads, I decided that the only way I was ever going to be liked in the village would be to become Hokage myself. I made that my goal…" Naruto explained distantly.
"What happened that made you leave your village?" Yugito asked genuinely interested.
Naruto sighed, "I just got fed up with it…no matter how much I did or how hard I tried, things always just seemed to go wrong. I tried to be nice and helpful…but people ended up taking advantage of that. My bijou, Kyuubi, convinced me to leave though. He did not want Konoha to find out that I had the Rinnegan. I spent years on the run after that…honing my skills, and dodging hunter nin. Eventually I decided to go after Orochimaru since I needed a goal for myself. Though, that's another story."
Yugito looked down and shook her head, "Being a jinchuuriki is so damn miserable…I don't know how my uncle does it. He just doesn't let anything bother him. I'm the Raikage's daughter though…people treated me different just because of that alone, not even counting the fact that I am Nibi's jinchuuriki. I had no friends…all I did was train. The worst thing about it all though was the stares…"
"I still remember the way people would stare at me as a kid. My birthday also happened to be on the anniversary of Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. I couldn't show my face in public on my own birthday or they would form a mob. Although, I didn't even know I was a jinchuuriki until I was about twelve or thirteen," Naruto replied.
The blonde woman's eyes lit up in disbelief, "You didn't know? I can't even imagine people hating me and not being able to understand why…" Yugito seemed shocked by this revelation.
"Yeah, but in all my naïve ignorance…I could never see that no matter what I did, the people there would never fully accept me as one of them. That place was not my home," he stated.
"I can see why you left…to be able to live somewhere new and be somebody else. I wish I could have done that, but I could never turn against my village. I couldn't do that to my family," she responded sadly.
Naruto sighed as he leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head, "Well, I don't know what to do with you, Yugito. I promised you that I was not going to hurt you like I did with Yagura, but that leaves me with little choice but to keep you hostage. As long as Madara is out there, I can't let you out of my custody."
"I don't feel any safer with you than I would be if I was out on my own," she shot back.
"Listen, Yugito…this doesn't have to be anything you don't want it to be. I promise I won't lay a hand on you. I mean am I really that bad to you?" Naruto asked.
She shook her head, "Not really…I guess I'm kind of used to you by now." Naruto smiled at her comment and stood up to walk around his desk. He sat down on the desk right in front of her chair causing her to back away nervously.
"I'll let you go home once I deal with, Madara…I could never forgive myself if I let him hurt you. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to protect you," he replied sincerely.
Yugito blushed from his comment and looked away flustered, "Don't say foolish things like that."
"Why not?" he asked as he crossed his arms, "you think I would let a beautiful woman like you get hurt?"
The woman stood up flustered and annoyed, "Shut up! I know what you're trying to do! You think I'm that easy?!"
Naruto shook his head in amusement, "Wow, you really have a perverted mind, Yugito."
She growled at him, "Stop playing games with me already!"
This caused him to raise a brow surprised and Yugito to cover her face in complete embarrassment. She quickly ran for the door to get away from him.
As she reached the handle Naruto asked, "Just out of curiosity, have you been following me around?"
She stopped dead in her tracks and turned around horrified, "W-w-what?!"
"You're delusional!" she shouted.
Naruto nodded his head, "Yes, I am."
Yugito seemed more annoyed, "Don't agree with me! Just stop it okay!?"
Much to her surprise, Naruto got up and started walking towards her. She backed away until she was at the door. Yugito's face lit up in a rosy blush as Naruto's face got really close to her own. She could feel his hot breath and could almost taste it. The two stood there for a long awkward moment.
Yugito closed her eyes, 'Please kiss me. Please kiss me. Please kiss me.' she kept repeating in her head.
"I promised I wouldn't touch you…" he whispered quietly before reaching past her and opening the door. Yugito stood there completely red-faced unsure of what to do.
"Take care, Yugito," Naruto said as he walked out of the office leaving her standing at the doorway.
Yugito felt like her emotions were betraying her right now. She could not believe that she actually fell for the same trap that every other girl in Naruto's company did.
'Stop it, Yugito! You are not allowed to like him! He is Pein, the notorious criminal! Why am I getting all flustered over this anyways? I don't like him, I don't like him! He must be using some kind of genjutsu on me to make me act this way.'
"Yeah, because a genjutsu made you stay up and get yourself off to him having sex in the next room all night," Nibi chimed in.
'W-what?! I didn't do that! It's just…' Yugito couldn't finish her thought before Nibi started laughing.
"What about the time you peeped on him and ice girl at the sauna? Oh, and let's not forget how badly you wanted him to kiss you just now."
Yugito huffed, 'Okay okay I get it already! So I like him…but I sure as hell shouldn't. Father would never allow that…and I sure as hell have no desire to be just some other whore for him to fuck.'
"You know, I don't really see the problem with that. When was the last time you got laid, anyways kitten?"
'Shut up, Nibi!' Yugito shouted in frustration.
"Just think about it…what could your father do to him anyways?"
'It's just not right! What kind of person would I be if I abandoned my village on some impulsive desire to be his groupie?!' she countered.
Nibi yawned, "Whatever, kitten, just go ahead and pass up a good opportunity."
Deep in her own thoughts, Yugito didn't notice a green haired girl sneak up on her. "Hey, Yugito!" Fu shouted. This instantly caught her by surprise causing the blonde to spin around.
Before Yugito could even comprehend the situation, she found Fu on top of her holding her arms down.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded.
Fu didn't bother answering as she planted her lips against the blonde's. Yugito struggled at first, but it wasn't long before she started enjoying the kiss. Fu aggressively rolled her tongue around causing Yugito to moan.
After breaking the kiss, Fu got off of her and giggled, "That was just a taste of what you're missing…do you know where my lips have been?"
"What is that supposed to me-" Yugito stopped mid sentence and blushed furiously before looking away. Fu laughed before prancing down the hallway.
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Madara was calmly relaxing in a village hut which he tactically acquired from some unfortunate person. The Uchiha casually cooked his soup waiting on the blonde girl lying on the ground to wake up. Much to his long awaited anticipation, Ino stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes.
She looked around passively as if she didn't fully comprehend her surroundings until she made eye contact with Madara who sent her a smile, "Ah, I see you're finally awake."
Ino's memories instantly came rushing back to her as she jumped up worried, "Who are you?! Where am I?! Last thing I remember was Suna and…"
"You were quite the brave little bitch to invade my mind…" Madara noted with almost a hint of admiration. Ino gave him a shocked look, "T-that was you?! W-where are we?!" The blonde took a quick moment to examine Madara's appearance. She seemed shocked by how serene and radiant his face was.
He shrugged, "I don't really know…I seem to have forgotten. Maybe you can invade my mind and find out."
Ino looked extremely worried, "Why didn't you just kill me?"
"Here's what's going to happen…I have a little job for you to do girl. Do it right, and maybe I'll spare your life," the Uchiha said in a mocking, condescending tone.
The blonde girl bit her lip unsure of how to respond, "What do you want me to do, exactly?"
A sickening smile crossed Madara's lips, "Look into my eyes."
Ino finally recognized his Sharingan and gasped, "A-are you an Uchiha?!"
Before she could even get her answer, Ino's senses blacked out.
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A considerable distance away from Ame, a savagely devastated battlefield was littered with puppets and sand. In the middle of this, Gaara stood triumphantly over a the dead puppet body of Sasori. He could see explosions and columns of water rising in the distance.
'I need to get out of here before the others show up,' He thought desperately as he began to take off at high speed towards Konoha. As he made his escape, a calm Itachi stood there and watched. The Uchiha had Killer Bee's unconscious body slung over his back.
The Uchiha thought for a moment about what to do. After going over it in his head he made a rash decision. Itachi chased after Gaara and cut the Kazekage off much to his disbelief. Gaara looked slightly worried as he stopped but kept a straight face.
"Take him with you," Itachi said quietly as he walked closer towards Gaara and threw Killer Bee on the ground. The redhead had a visibly shocked expression, "Why?"
Itachi looked behind Gaara and sighed, "You don't have that much time left…"
Gaara couldn't believe what was happening. Without another word, Itachi vanished. Seeing as he had no other choice, Gaara picked Killer Bee up and continued onward with his escape.
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YAY! Hell yeah, another chapter already?! It's like I'm a real author who updates…well not really.
So without further ado, let us enjoy the chapter review! (I did not mean to rhyme that)
So we had a lot of shit happening this chapter with Naruto. Who would have thought that Kushina had a Sharinnegan (or whatever the hell you call it) all along? I hope you guys enjoyed the scene with his parents. I wanted it to be somewhat emotional, but not too unrealistic and sappy. Hopefully I got it right…but there's just no way for me to know for sure.
Naruto and Kyuubi seem to be developing a much stronger bond than before. They're even on a name basis?! Shit is getting real there! Especially now since the seal is broken, Naruto has full access to Kyuubi mode transformation! AH YEAH!
Yagura got killed, finally. I know some people might be disappointed/etc. but it's very important.
What's going on with Yugito now? How will she deal with her emerging feelings for the Rinnegan man-whore? Only time will tell. Well time and a lot of coffee. (It took a lot of coffee to make me update this fast.)
Of course who would have expected Itachi to do something like that?! Things are beginning to stir up again. Madara is not going to be happy when he gets back. I wonder what he'll do with Ino?! I wonder what he'll do with the remaining jinchuuriki when he gets back?! I wonder if this chapter review hype does anything...
Well thanks for reading loyal, beloved readers! Stay tuned until next time! *Cue outro song*