And we are back. ;)
This is it - the last official chapter of Team Itachi and the Search for Tsunade Arc.
I have people screaming at me not to make fillers. Trust me, my fillers will NOT be as crappy as the horrible anime ones. I've actually had these fillers planned since chapters of chapters ago, so I think I've seriously done enough planning to make some good chapters.
I've already got all the filler arcs planned. Each arc is going to be really short, like maybe 2-3 chapters long, but I suppose we can still call it an arc.
Team Itachi: Shippuden will kick off directly after the last filler chapter and the very last chapter of Team Itachi.
TeamNoFiller: Read the Author's Note above :)
Danish78: You have plenty of interesting predictions for Sasuke, but I'll say only about two of them are correct ;)
Hachibi8tails: While you enjoy my writing, likewise, I always enjoy a review from you. :) I agree that the appointment of Tsunade was horribly rushed and I'll have to work on not being rushed in future chapters. I hope my own filler chapters will appease you! :)
Darkrexbeta: What do you mean? In case you didn't notice I'm writing a story not directing an anime ;)
AlleyCAT19: I'm mighty glad I inspired someone. Good luck and I hope to see you with your own Fanfiction account soon with your own Fanfictions :D
FrozenFlamingFire: I think your opinion about the anime filler arcs are shared by many. ;)
The Lady Avaritia: It's a huge honor for anyone to finish your 57-chapter story in two days and I thank you for that. Thank you!
Thanks to CandyMari, TeamNoFiller, Danish78, Hachibi8tails, forever101, Darkrexbeta, AlleyCAT19, FrozenFlamingFire and The Lady Avaritia for the reviews!
"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!"
Tsunade smiled as she stood on top of the Third Hokage's stone face on the Hokage Monument. Shizune stood beside her with Tonton, while the entire village cheered below, chanting the name of their newest Hokage.
With her acute sense of sight honed from many years of being a shinobi, she saw Naruto within the crowd dancing away like a hyperactive child.
Naruto seemed to catch sight of the fact that Tsunade was staring at him, because he immediately started waving and mouthing something that looked like "Grandma, Grandma".
Tsunade frowned, and it broke into an annoyed smile. She would let this one pass... just this once.
She placed her hands in the Tiger seal.
"Voice Amplification Jutsu."
The Godaime addressed the citizens of Konoha, and after the five-minute speech she was forced to prepare, Tsunade retreated back into her new office. The villagers started cheering again, but eventually scattered back to their lives.
There was a knock on the office door.
"Well, my first official visitor as Hokage," she said brightly. "Come in."
A certain pinkette entered the room.
"Uh... good morning, Tsunade-sama. Itachi-sensei said I should come to see you...?"
"I thought I might find you here."
Naruto looked up from slurping his ramen. "Ah! Pervy Sage!"
Jiraiya grinned at him. So much like Minato... he's even inherited Minato's love for ramen! Yet, his personality is like Kushina's. A really good mix, if I do say so myself!
"Oh, it's Jiraiya-sama!"
Teuchi gave the old Sage a jolly old smile.
"Ramen for you?"
"I think I'll take whatever Naruto's slurping, thanks. It has to be good if he's eating it like that..."
Teuchi started laughing. "With Naruto, give him any kind of ramen and it'll taste good, probably even that diet ramen we have!"
The cook rushed off to prepare his latest order, while Naruto finished his third bowl.
Calling for a fourth, the blonde turned to face Jiraiya. "What's up, Pervy Sage?"
"Honestly, kid, you've gotta stop calling me that!"
Naruto smirked, and started to sing. "Pervy Sage! Pervy Sage~!"
Jiraiya covered his ears with an amused smile threatening to break out on his lips.
His ramen came, and he finished it, along with Naruto who finished his fourth bowl.
"Ah, my stomach is happy and filled!" The ramen-loving teen declared, patting his stomach happily.
Now... Jiraiya smiled, putting his chopsticks down.
"Naruto, I'm actually here to talk to you about something important."
"Something important? Hm." Naruto stared closely at Jiraiya. "I'm not doing my Sexy Jutsu for you again!"
Jiraiya grinned dirtily when reminded of his new favorite technique, but then grew serious again when he remembered what he was about to talk to Naruto about.
Teuchi came back, and Jiraiya nodded at him.
Getting the message, the owner of the ramen stall picked the bowls up and excused himself.
"You know... about those two guys that attacked you while we were searching for Tsunade-hime?"
"The people you call the Akatsuki?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"
"I paid attention when you were talking to them," Naruto said proudly.
"Oh... right. Anyway, the Akatsuki are an organization."
He paused, to make sure Naruto was following.
"They are an organization made of S-ranked criminals, originating from different villages. They have abandoned all loyalty to their village and are instead working with the Akatsuki mostly for their own personal gain."
Naruto frowned. "So..."
"Only a few people know about the Akatsuki," Jiraiya continued. "And no one knows more than a little of what the Akatsuki is all about."
"So you're telling me, this is all you know about them? A group of criminals?"
"... Yes," Jiraiya confirmed.
Naruto's frown deepened, as he detected something that wasn't right within the conversation. "But why are you telling me this, Pervy Sage? What do I have to do with them?"
Jiraiya hesitated.
But before he could say anything, Naruto clutched at his stomach.
"It's this... Fox, isn't it? They are after the Kyuubi."
The white-haired Sannin's jaw dropped. "Wha-? How did you..."
"I just figured," he shrugged, deciding to act like it was nothing, despite the fact he was starting to panic now that his fears were confirmed. The knowledge of having a group of dangerous criminals on your tail was not exactly knowledge that made him happy or excited. "What else could they want me for?"
"True, I suppose."
This little brat... he's smarter than I gave him credit for.
"Pervy Sage... what are you getting at here?"
Jiraiya looked up. "Hm?"
"You're telling me about these group of criminals wanting to hunt me down, but... why are you telling me this? Are you telling me to be careful, or...?"
Indeed... he catches on fast. Jiraiya mentally chuckled. "I'll get straight to the point then."
The Toad Sage locked his gaze with Naruto.
"I want to take you on a trip. A training trip."
"What...? How long...?"
"Approximately? Two and a half years."
Naruto gasped. "How can I be away from the village for that long?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "Why not? Tsunade-hime hasn't seen the insides of the village for years, and now she's the Fifth Hokage."
Upon mention of the title he had always dreamed of receiving, Naruto looked up towards the Hokage Monument, where a group of stone carvers were working on carving the face of Tsunade.
"Hey... Pervy Sage."
"Yes?"
Naruto looked at his tutor with hesitance, comfort not present in his eyes.
"If the Akatsuki gets me... what happens?"
"Most probably... they'll unseal it from your body... and seal it within another."
It was time to ask the question he dreaded. Naruto stared up at Jiraiya. "What happens... when the Kyuubi is unsealed... from my body?"
Jiraiya's face grew grim.
"You die."
"Well, your unlocking of the Cursed Seal stage two made us restart the steps to control the stage one of the Cursed Seal again," Itachi addressed his younger brother. "But it looks like you did it."
"Yep."
Sasuke, covered in black marks on one half of his body, performed a few hand seals.
A mass of Lightning chakra appeared in his right hand.
"Chidori!"
He slammed it into one of the Uchiha training dummies, demolishing it.
"That's your third Chidori," Itachi noted. "Now, try to activate the level two."
Sasuke stared at him. "You sure you can keep it under control this time, big brother?"
Itachi smiled wryly. The first time Sasuke had fully transformed into the winged beast, he had rampaged around the training field they were currently in, almost burning down one of the houses in the Uchiha Compound and giving Itachi some minor injuries.
"No worries."
"If you say so," Sasuke replied with reluctance, as he closed his eyes and focused.
The black marks gradually started spreading to the other half of his body. These black marks joined together, and as they fused, darkened Sasuke's skin.
His hair grew longer, and a black mark appeared on his nose.
He ripped off his shirt, as wings started protruding from his back.
"What now?" Sasuke asked, panting, desperately trying his best to push the evil, crazed personality emanating from the Cursed Seal to the back of his mind.
"Attack me with a Chidori."
"But-"
"Do it."
With more reluctance than before, Sasuke did the required hand seals, his wings instinctively flapping wildly as Lightning chakra appeared in his hand again. However, instead of blue Lightning, there was black-colored Lightning chakra that gave off an evil, uncomfortable feeling.
It's similar to the one he used against Naruto, Itachi thought, recalling the events at the Valley of the End.
"We need to think up a name for this technique," said the older Uchiha. "What about... Black Chidori?"
Even in his rising panic the longer he stayed in the Cursed Seal mode, Sasuke managed to roll his eyes. "Black Chidori? Really?"
The evil influence from the Seal took over for three seconds, and Sasuke found himself launching his own body towards his sibling.
"Sharingan!" Itachi called, as his eyes turned red. "Chidori!"
Itachi slammed his copied version of the Chidori into Sasuke's Black Chidori.
There was a great explosion, and when the smoke cleared, Sasuke felt a foot slam into his cheek, knocking him down. In his hands, he felt foreign blood, and started panicking.
The smoke had not cleared enough, and Itachi's form remained invisible from Sasuke. As his feelings of uncertainty rose, his wings disappeared, and his darkened skin returned to normal. The effects of the Cursed Seal faded, and so did the remaining amount of crackling Lightning chakra in his palm.
Itachi soon came into view, with a bloodied right arm.
However, he shot a smile at Sasuke. "That was pretty good, Sasuke."
"Brother! Your arm!"
Itachi grunted, chuckling softly. "Just be thankful you didn't hit it into my chest or something."
Applying a simple Healing Jutsu, the former ANBU man walked over to Sasuke.
"As expected, the Chidori influenced by the Cursed Seal is much, much, much stronger than a normal one..."
The green chakra on his left palm disappeared, and Itachi shook his right hand.
"Ah, feels better."
"I'll take you to the hospital later."
"Nonsense," Itachi said with a dismissive wave. "I'll just get down to a clinic."
Sasuke wanted to protest, but Itachi quickly continued.
"I've decided on something."
Sasuke cocked his head. "What would that be?"
"You've been training hard, but training without a target to reach... can make training quite dry, can't it?" Itachi didn't wait for his brother to answer, because he quickly took out a set of papers. "That's why I've decided... I'm going to enter you in the Jonin Exams in one and a half year's time."
The younger Uchiha gasped.
"The Jonin Exams?"
"That's right. We have one year and a half to control that Cursed Seal of yours and teach you some fancy new jutsu. Let's do it. Are you with me, Sasuke?"
Sasuke cast a questioning look towards Itachi. He had seldom seen his older brother this enthusiastic. But Itachi was actually grinning at him. Uchihas never grinned.
He took a deep breath.
"Let's do it."
Satisfied with his answer, Itachi handed Sasuke the papers.
"Why are they handing out information about it so soon if it happens in a year and a half?" Sasuke muttered, reading through the document, containing a brief summary of the Jonin Exams and some history of the shinobi world's best Jonin Exams.
Itachi shook his head. "No idea, but what matters is that one and a half year. By the way..."
"Yes?" Sasuke looked up.
Itachi turned away, before looking back at Sasuke.
"Under no circumstances... are you to use your Mangekyo Sharingan. Are we clear?"
"First time I've seen you in a month, and you're going to leave for another three years, huh?"
Naruto grinned at Sasuke. "Two and a half!" He corrected, and continued slurping at his ramen.
Sasuke sighed. "Honestly... I have no idea how you like those noodles so much."
"I have no idea how you like rice balls so much!"
"Hey, they're good," Sasuke defended. Then he stared into his unfinished bowl of pork ramen. "Eh... Naruto. About me almost killing you... no hard feelings... for real, right?"
Naruto pushed his empty bowl away. "How many times have we gone through this, Sasuke? You've been harping about it since we met! No hard feelings! Really!" He put an arm around Sasuke for emphasis, grinning broadly at his best friend. "I understand you didn't really mean to do it."
"What if I did?" Sasuke smirked.
Naruto smirked back. "You wouldn't dare!" He released his arm on Sasuke, and waved goodbye to Teuchi for the last time in two and a half years. "I'll miss your ramen, old man!"
The Team 7 duo continued their conversation from where they left off, as they left Ichiraku. Naruto had almost forgotten his backpack at the stall. Fortunately, it was a close almost.
"Besides, when I show you my new super cool jutsu, you'll be so jealous," Naruto remarked.
Sasuke was fairly interested. As he was harping about that Black Chidori he had delivered to Naruto's body back at the Valley of the End, Naruto had been talking all about his new technique, some jutsu called the Rasengan. But he knew he would have to wait until Naruto returned.
"Is Sakura meeting us at the gate?" The blonde one of the two questioned.
Looking up, Sasuke smiled. "Yeah... and a lot more."
Naruto looked up as well, and gasped.
Team 8, Team 10 and even Guy's team were present at the gates to see him off.
Kiba walked up to him, slapping him on the back. "Sakura told us all you were leaving, Naruto!" He paused to grunt. "I thought we were friends, at least! Why didn't you tell me, huh?"
"I was a bit caught up in my own time," Naruto replied sheepishly. He noticed Jiraiya standing at the back of the crowd, with his arms folded and a big smile on his face, and rushed over to join him.
"Jiraiya-sama! Please take care of Naruto-kun and ensure his Flames of Youth burn stronger than ever when he returns!" Lee shrieked, punching the air.
Neji walked up, sparing Naruto a smile. "Good luck, Naruto." He's going to be so much stronger when I see him again... destiny will ensure it.
"N-N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata poked her fingers together, willing herself not to faint. "G-Good l-luck..."
"I look forward to seeing you again," Shino nodded.
Tenten remained with Lee and Neji, thinking to herself. He's already quite the strong one... imagine when he comes back after training with one of the Legendary Sannin... wow.
Shikamaru, Choji and Ino stepped forward, and Shikamaru placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder with a smirk. "It's going to be troublesome, but don't get too caught up in your training and forget about us, Naruto."
"Yeah!" Choji agreed.
"No way I can forget any of you guys!" Naruto reassured his former classmates and friends with a bright grin.
Ino winced at Naruto's usual loudness, but smiled. He's going to get a bit more mature on the trip... I hope! And maybe he'll grow into a hunk too, so Billboard Brow will finally get noticing him and I can have Sasuke-kun all to myself! Muahaha!
The last to address him was Sasuke and Sakura.
"Hey, Naruto..."
Naruto looked at Sasuke, who had spoken.
"An Uchiha never says this..." He said awkwardly. "... but I'll miss having you around."
"Awww." Naruto smirked. Sasuke shot his teammate a glare, before wrapping him into a brotherly hug.
"Obviously, I'll miss you too, Sasuke! And all of you guys!" Naruto yelled, pointing at every Genin and Chunin who had assembled.
Sasuke gave Naruto a devilish smile. "Of course you'll miss me. I'd pummel you if you didn't."
Lastly, the spiky-haired boy turned to Sakura.
"And I'll miss you, of course... Sakura-chan."
Sakura blushed. For some reason, she couldn't help it. Only Sasuke noticed this.
Well... hopefully she'll stop trying to bug me for dates from now on.
Thinking of dates made him think of Kin. What was she doing now? How was she?
However, he decided that for now, he would be thinking of Naruto. Sasuke looked at his closest friend, as he attempted to hug Sakura, noticing how awkward it was compared to the brother-like hug with him and Naruto earlier.
Finally, Naruto mustered up his courage, tightening his hold on Sakura's back.
Hinata looked down, concealing her feelings of sadness and jealousy. Kiba and Shino both looked at her worriedly.
"And... I'll miss you, Naruto," Sakura smiled at him. It was an awkward smile, as awkward as the hug had been.
"Alright!"
Naruto was happy to get that done with. All his life, he'd dreamed about hugging Sakura, and he'd finally done it!
"See you all in three years!"
"Two and a half," Sasuke corrected.
Naruto glared at him.
Sasuke glared back.
The glares changed into smirks.
"Okay," Jiraiya patted Naruto's shoulder. "Let's go, kid."
The assembled Genin and Chunin watched on as Naruto and Jiraiya walked off, with each step furthering themselves away from Konoha.
Naruto stopped for a bit, and looked back, to get one last look at his village, and his friends. Giving them the greatest grin he could muster, he then continued on.
On a nearby tree overlooking the Konoha gates, Itachi and Kakashi watched as Naruto and Jiraiya slowly disappeared from sight.
"You think it's a good idea?" Kakashi started.
"Yeah," Itachi nodded. "It'll do Naruto some good. Although I'm a bit worried, because it's Jiraiya."
Kakashi couldn't resist, and started laughing softly. Not much could make him laugh, but Itachi certainly could.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Jiraiya walked down the path, a road leading to strength.
"Where are we heading first, Pervy Sage?"
Jiraiya stopped, and Naruto did as well. The younger of the two looked back and gasped. They had walked quite a bit.
"There."
Naruto's focus snapped back to the front, and he made out a tall house in the distance.
There were little trees in the surrounding area, so with squinting eyes, Naruto could make out the words on the giant sign at the front of the house.
"Namikaze," he read.
Jiraiya smiled.
"We are going to borrow a few scrolls from there."
And Naruto is off. That concludes our last chapter done. I didn't check the manga or anime for what Naruto's departure was like, I just went solo, so please tell me if there was anything important I missed out that I shouldn't have missed out.
The fillers start next chapter. I'll be laying out a quick summary of the filler arcs.
Sugoi Herbs Arc: Tsunade sends a three-man team of Kakashi, Sasuke and Lee down to a small island in the Land of Stone to collect a rare medicinal plant dubbed the Sugoi Herb. However, Iwagakure are also fairly interested in the plant. Kakashi, Sasuke and Lee must get to the Sugoi Herb before the Iwagakure shinobi, and on the island, Sasuke runs into a familiar face. Now who might that be?
Itachi's Date: Itachi Uchiha gets a date with the craziest woman in the Leaf village.
Sasuke's Jonin Exams Arc: Sasuke takes on the Jonin Exams in a two-man team with Neji Hyuga.
Itachi Gaiden: A back-story before the start of the series that depicts how Itachi managed to stop the Uchiha from their planned rebellion.
And that's it, I suppose.
Question of the Day: Which filler arc/chapter name/description sounds most interesting to you?
In the next chapter, the Sugoi Herbs Arc kicks off.
Sugoi sounds weird, but according to my Japanese friend, in Japanese it means something like 'awesome', so I did that on purpose ;)
See you all next chapter, and thank you for supporting Team Itachi until now :)