WOW. o3o This chapter is full of actual Naruto characters as well as OCs! WOO!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I also do not own any of the OCs introduced within this fan fiction, except the following:

Tsukuyomi Clan

Nero

Roku

Ikiteiru Kage

Uzumaki Kaede

Mushishokan Gatsuki

A/N: IMPORTANT AN FOR THIS CHAPTER AND POSSIBLY FUTURE ONES! This is going to cut off into a third person portion of the story! Just letting you all know before you read so you don't get confused. C:

Chapter Thirty-Two: Old Man Kaiga! Witness the Destruction!

Cree, cree, creee… Cree, cree, creee… Cree-CRASH! SPLOOSH!

The calm serenity of the swamp that took up most of the space in the valley was ruined as five pairs of ninja shoes hit the thick, murky surface. Uchiha Koyuki led the group at the head, Saki Kishi and Kamaya Mai on her sides as Ayaka and Honoka took up the rear of their group. Behind them, the loud crashing of rocks pierced the once peaceful swamp.

"That's the last time I ask someone for directions." Koyuki muttered under her breath, her long black ponytail whipping in the harsh winds of her speed.

"He seemed harmless, it's a common mistake." Mai pointed out, although, she was rather annoyed by said mistake as they had been chased for the past hour. Kishi averted her eyes, keeping her comment to herself as they raced on.

"I say we turn around and kick his ass! Old man should keep his nose out of our business!" Ayaka yelled up at them, slamming her feet down on the swamp before jumping back up at the same time as her twin. Honoka smiled a bit.

"He's just one of the victims… He'll get tired eventually." She tried, although, she had a feeling that this old man wasn't about to let up. Bringing up their chase was a man in his late fifties with grayish hair streaked with white and styled in a thick mane of hair and icy blue eyes to go with. His navy blue yakata whipped around him as he moved, sending earth style after earth style after the group.

"Ya little brats! Searching for criminals!" He was yelling at the top of his voice, oddly rolling his R's.

"Actually," Koyuki muttered, "I am so tempted to go with Ayaka's plan."

"Hell yea!" Ayaka proclaimed confidently.

"If we do that, we waste time," Mai countered, "We should keep running until he tires and stops."

"He's been chasing us for an hour." Kishi couldn't help, but point out. Mai sighed, knowing she had a point, but no one made a move to stop.

"Anyone got a plan then?" Honoka asked.

"Yea. Give me a second and back me up." Koyuki said suddenly, then whipped around, her legs flying as she went through the air, making hand signs. The old man smirked, revealing a missing canine tooth, but it faded as a huge cyclone of flames hurled at him. The old man pushed off the swamp's surface powerful and leapt right over it, making a hand sign with one hand seeing as his other was still in his sleeve all bandaged up.

"Shit," Koyuki cursed, "He's fast for an old guy."

"Plan B." Mai declared, glancing at the others. Kishi nodded and made hand signs of her own, causing a huge wave of hot air to rush forward, whipping around and tearing plants up as well as the dark water. The old man chuckled and seemed to use a body flicker technique to reappear just a few feet closer, avoiding the wind jutsu.

"Holy… Maybe he's not just some old man after all." Honoka managed, wincing as they all skidded to a stop on the water's surface. The old man stopped as well, dropping his free arm at his side.

"Now stand still and take what's comin' to ya!" He barked.

"Hold up," Mai commanded firmly, making the old man scowl, "Just exactly why are you attacking us in the first place? All we did was show you a picture of who we were looking for and you were on us in an instant." The old man scuffed.

"That girl. She's the one wif that Uchiha boy." He snorted. Koyuki's eyes glowed as she took a step forward.

"What do you mean Uchiha boy?" She asked immediately.

"Uchiha Sasuke," The old man sneered, "That arrogant little son of a bitch."

"Quite a mouth." Ayaka retorted. The old man ignored her and shook his head, his mane flipping before he spat some tobacco at the swamp, glancing up at them past his thick locks of hair.

"They're traveling here, I know they are. Why do you think I was wasting my life away sitting there? I know they're coming here to look for whatshisface!" He snarled.

"Whatshisface?" Kishi asked, confused. The old man chuckled and suddenly his expression took on an almost crazed look.

"Who the hell do ya think, girly? Hya! I'm talkin' 'bout that boy Itachi! The child prodigy murderer!" He roared.

"Why…?" Mai's voice drifted as she lowered her eyes to think the thought through. Ayaka and Honoka shared looks, frowning while Kishi gave her foot a little thoughtful stomp. Koyuki's eyes darkened.

"I know why Sasuke would be looking for Itachi… But why Ruriko? What do you know?" She demanded. The old man scowled.

"I just know what I know, girly. I just know that when I see 'em, I'mma take 'em all down. Sasuke, that Ruriko, Juugo, Suigetsu, Karin, and that little boy they have wif 'em…. Roku was 'is name." He murmured thoughtfully, scratching his head thoughtfully.

"Don't attack us," Koyuki tried again, standing up calmly now, "We just want information on how to find them. I want to know who you are and what you know, why you know it. We promise we won't hurt you and we'll leave as soon as you tell us. We're not criminals. We're friends." The old man crinkled his nose, then sighed in a raspy tone.

"My name is Kaiga… It's best ya not waste yer chakra on standin' on the water… Not to mention, this swamp's got some fish that love meat." He added at last, turning his back on them. The kunoichi all shared looks, then shot after the old man, who led them to a little cliff that sat on the edge of the swamp.

After starting a warm fire and silently fishing for food, Kaiga sat down with them, his legs folded and his other arm back in the baggy sleeve of his yakata.

"All right, girlies," Kaiga muttered, "Just ask away and ol' Kaiga might tell ya everythin' ya wanna know… Depends." Koyuki looked at her teammates, earning some nods before she looked at the old man.

"Let's start out simply… Who are you specifically? Give us a summary of who you are." She said.

"Yea, attacking random shinobi like that'll get you killed." Ayaka agreed with a huff. Kaiga chuckled, taking a skewer from a fish and sticking it in his mouth.

"Touché, girly… But I have no fear of shinobi. I am Kaiga of the Mountains. I'm a retired shinobi of Iwagakure, although, my mother was originally from that ruined village… What was it? Uzushiogakure… I'm probably old 'nough to be yer grandparents grandpa." He mused.

"Damn!" Ayaka whistled, her eyes widening. Mai blinked in surprise. She knew the old man was old, but not that old. Honoka, Kishi, and Koyuki simply stared, almost unbelieving. Kaiga grinned.

"Ah, but just cuz I'm old, doesn't mean I can't please anyone, so if you one of you girls-"

"NO!" They all yelled at once, glaring. Kaiga sighed, shrugging.

"Worth a shot," He shook his head, then grinned, "Anyway… I was locked up at one point, by that brat, Orochimaru… Little snot kept me in there for the longest time, ats how I know Lil' Roku and the gramps who took care of 'im. Was there when that girl, the one you're lookin' for, showed up. She came 'round, takin' care of lil' Roku. He seemed ta take a likin' to her, but I got this suspicious feelin' from her. 'Sepcially when I overheard her talkin' wif the Uchiha kid… Somethin' about plannin' an escape… Well, it worked eventually. They got out all right, but they let in someone a lot worse than the little snake."

"Kuromura Kotaro," Kaiga huffed after tossing his skewer over the edge of the cliff, shaking his head, "Kid's a glutton for punishment… Heh, that is, if anyone could touch 'im. He's gettin' bigger than Orochimaru ever could. Already conquered a few villages in the Land of Rivers. S'gettin' dangerous. Fan of torture, fan of power. Jus' like any ol' bad guy…"

"What's his connection to all this?" Mai asked for confirmation, frowning. Kaiga chuckled.

"Good question. He's tied into everythin' that goes on 'round here nowadays. Jus' gotta keep yer eyes peeled… Guessin' so far, he's destroyed a village on the Land of Snow shoreline… Heard Sasuke and his lil' friends were involved… The girl you're lookin' for is leading Sasuke all over the place, lookin' fer Akatsuki." He explained.

"Akatsuki?" Honoka asked, glancing at Mai, who was still frowning thoughtfully.

"Akatsuki's a pretty big criminal organization. For as to why Sasuke would want to find them…" Her voice drifted as she looked at Koyuki, who frowned, leaning on her knee as she swiped a skewer across the dirt.

"Itachi," Koyuki muttered, "Sasuke's looking for Itachi to kill him for wiping out our clan… You mentioned that before, right, Kaiga?" She glanced up at Kaiga nodded.

"Yup… Looks like everyone's plans 'r gettin' ruined, though… Things is changin' now… Peoples are goin' in different directions. Is only a matter of time before we break out into the next shinobi war… Hopefully by then, I'm dead. No way is ol' Kaiga stickin' 'round for another blood shower." He muttered.

"Great…" Ayaka said sarcastically.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Kishi asked. The sound of another shinobi war wasn't attractive at all. Kaiga pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Well, we could kill Kotaro, kill Sasuke, kill Akatsuki. No more criminals… Easier said than done, though." He added, using a skewer to pick at his teeth.

"He's right. If we tried killing all those people, it'd trigger a war anyway." Mai pointed out with a frown.

"If we involved the villages," Ayaka added, "Not if we did it ourselves!"

"How're we supposed to kill someone considered worse than Orochimaru, Sasuke, AND a huge criminal organization by ourselves?" Kishi challenged with a frown. Ayaka huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Not just us five, but the other guys on this mission! We're already out and about! We might as well do a little researching ourselves, then gang up one the snake, chop its head off so it's body doesn't know what to do." She informed confidently.

"Which snake goes first?" Honoka asked. Ayaka looked at the fire for a moment, her eyes narrowed before she snapped her fingers.

"The littlest… Sasuke. We'll go after him. Kill him. Save our best powers for the biggest snake. Kotaro. We'll all gang up on him and take him down, just like that." She tried.

"And Akatsuki? There's more than one person. And what if Kotaro has a big army?" Mai asked. Ayaka groaned, then rolled her eyes.

"I don't see you guys coming up with any good plans." She retorted. Koyuki frowned at her, then looked at Kaiga.

"You said you were waiting for Sasuke and his group to come through here and find Akatsuki, right?" She asked. Kaiga snorted, hacking a little and spitting over the edge of the cliff

"Indeedy, girly."

"Do you know where the Akatsuki base is?" Koyuki asked. Kaiga grinned widely.

"Course I do. I was hoverin' 'round it earlier… Big cavern, moist. Gots a huge statue in it… Dun know if anyone's there yet, but I can show ya if ya want." He offered.

"That would be very helpful." Koyuki sighed gratefully. Kaiga nodded and rose to his feet, waving his hand over the fire and covering it with a pile of dirt before nodding to the kunoichi. They all rose to their feet and shot from the cliff side, darting quickly over the swamp below.

The eerie, hand-like branches seemed to blanket the swamp in a thick, greenish brown layer, the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking. There was also an odd looking fish that was sitting half on the shore, half not with three eyes averting in different directions. A shoe splashed near it, causing it to squeak and leap into the water.

"Ugh, this is gross," Ayaka muttered, "Why the hell is there a swam here?" Kaiga laughed.

"This swamp is home to multiple prehistoric creatures that were here even long before I was born, long before there were even shinobi villages and when people thought chakra was magic… This swamp is one of the last prehistoric places on the planet." He explained.

"Why would Akatsuki have a base here?" Kishi wondered aloud.

"No one comes up here," Kaiga sighed, "It's got no human life on it… Most of 'em get eatin'! Hyahaha, the fish here love meat, particularly our kind of meat."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Honoka mumbled, glancing at the water nervously. As she did, a large gray fish swamped slowly beneath them, its long fins pushing it along the surface of the swamp. She yelped. Ayaka peered in and yelped as well.

"Holy shit, that thing is huge!" She yelled.

"How deep IS this swamp?" Koyuki demanded, her eyes watching the huge yellow ones that stared back at her from under the water before the fish darted downwards through the dirt. Kaiga shrugged.

"In some places it's 'bout as deep as the ocean, other parts is like a puddle." He replied, his eyes swiping over the swamp almost nostalgically.

"This place… Is actually kind of… Peaceful. Despite the huge fish." Mai murmured, pushing off the surface with a gentle splash.

"I guess so," Kaiga chuckled, "It's a nice place if ya've lived here fer quite a while… But it'd be nice to die here."

"You talk a lot about dying." Mai said quietly, glancing at Kaiga out the corner of her eye. Kaiga laughed.

"Old as me, you'd be wanting to die… Not everyone wants to live forever." He answered before he hit solid ground that stretched a few feet from the mountain side. A gaping hole was revealing in the side of the mountain, leading to a moist cavern inside. The kunoichi stepped in ahead of him, their eyes scanning the place in wonder.

Across the large cave sat a huge statue, its hands thrust upwards as if grasping for something and an odd thin covering where it's eyes should be. Or rather, it had eyes, but overtop the mask, however, they were closed.

"This place is creepy." Honoka murmured. Ayaka twitched a little, grimacing.

"I'll say…" She agreed.

"It smells like death." Koyuki muttered, brushing a hand by her nose to wave the scent away, but it was no use. Kishi felt a shiver race up her spine and bit her lip, her eyes sweeping the cavern. Mai narrowed her eyes at the statue, frowning.

"This is weird. I'm getting a really bad feeling about this place." She stated. Kaiga chuckled behind them, making them turn and look at him.

"I would be surprised if ya didn't feel weird… Them Akatsuki is supposed to be doin' some kind of special jutsu soon… This is where they're planning it." He replied, gesturing with a baggy sleeve. Mai opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes flashed and widened.

"Someone's coming." She hissed. Kaiga blinked, then started shoving them behind a column of stalagmites. They all ducked low, holding their breathes. There wasn't a sound… Except for a few rocks being knocked from somewhere in the roof of the cave. The kunoichi peeked over the rocks to see two figures fall in through the roof, both wearing black cloaks with red clouds.

"Ugh, unbelievable, hmm…" A voice muttered stubbornly.

"Quit complaining. It could've been worse." Another one scolded, sounding much older and a bit raspier.

"Worse? How much worse? I mean, really, hmm… If I ever see Itachi again, it'll be too soon!" The younger, first voice declared angrily and he moved out of the shadows, revealing himself as a familiar blondie with blue eyes.

"… I'll agree there, but still. You don't have to complain like a child, Deidara."

"Chya, you're one to talk, hmm, Sasori." Deidara taunted, scuffing his shoes along the bottom of the cavern, closing his eyes and smirking. Sasori moved from the shadows next, shuffling along in his real puppet body, his mop of red hair stained with a darker red that suspiciously looked like blood. The same color was smeared on Deidara's cheek as well as his lip.

"I don't complain." Sasori deadpanned, his eyes narrowed to almost comical slits. Deidara grinned, showing his teeth.

"Do to! You were complaining about how your puppet exploded, hmm! Sounded like a child to me!"

"Keep talking. I'll gladly stick my foot down your throat." Sasori dared, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Arguing again?" Another voice asked. Deidara and Sasori looked up as a figure hopped down from a stalagmite, landing in a crouch before standing. The figure stood up, rather tall, wearing a mask and hood on his head, a black cloak finishing off his uniform.

"And this time it's not about your fucking stupid art! Which isn't art!" Another obnoxious voice jumped in, making Deidara and Sasori glare upwards. The hooded Akatsuki member sighed irritably as his partner fell from a stalactite on the ceiling, doing a fancy little flip and landing on the floor beside his partner. His eyes were a bright, lively purple-pink, matching his silvery/white hair perfectly. His Akatsuki cloak was open to reveal his pale chest, a necklace hanging around his neck with his headband.

"You wouldn't know art if it bit you in the ass, hmm." Deidara challenged, sticking out his tongue.

"Bite me, fucker!" The silvery haired Akatsuki member retorted angrily, sticking his tongue out in return. Both were smacked by their older, and obviously more mature, partners.

"Shut up, Hidan." The hooded one snapped at his partner, shaking his head.

"What Kakuzu said." Sasori agreed with a huff.

"Assholes." Hidan seethed, holding the back of his head. Deidara muttered about killing his partner, before he blinked.

"Hey, I thought you two were supposed to be bringing that Jinchuuriki, Yugito Nii or something like that, hmm?" He demanded. Hidan glared at him.

"We did bring her! But Pein's the assfucker that took her from us for some fucking stupid retarded reason that I couldn't possibly care less about." He ranted.

"Shut up, Hidan," Kakuzu muttered, then looked at Sasori, "Might as well get into place. The others will be arriving soon."

"Agreed." The four members made hand signs and they disappeared, reappearing on a specific finger on the statue. As soon as they did, two other members appeared on the floor of the cavern. Koyuki immediately dug her nails into her arms, frowning as she bit her lip.

The first figure, Hoshigaki Kisame, was definitely taller than his partner with visibly blue skin and navy blue hair, his Akatsuki cloak hiding whatever he was wearing underneath. His partner was none other than Uchiha Itachi, dark hair in a ponytail and his expression pretty much blank. They then took their places on a finger of the statue, followed by another mysterious Akatsuki member, the only female.

Next came another figure, carrying someone in his arms as he touched the ground below the statue. Odd, piercing-like objects faintly shown in the dim light of the cavern on his face, his ringed eyes watching where he stepped as he placed a limp kunoichi on the ground, turning to face the others.

"The extraction of the Two-Tailed Jinchuuriki will begin in a moment. You all know how long this process takes, so be aware of your physical selves." He announced, his voice echoing the cavern.

Koyuki looked at her group, who stared back at her. All of them thinking the same thing before looking at Kaiga, who was holding his hand over his nose. Koyuki's eyes widened in horror at the gesture. Mai winced and held a finger to her lips. Kaiga grinned, still covering his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching. Kishi grimaced, peeking over the rocks for a split second before looking back at Kaiga, who's expression was contorting. Ayaka and Honoka glared at him, daring him to sneeze.

Behind them, the sound of a warm humming sound alerted everyone in the cavern.

"Let's fucking do this already! I have a date with some spare ribs, damn it!" Hidan yelled, stomping his foot.

"Hidan, I swear to gods…" Kakuzu started.

"What an ass, hmm." Deidara mused with a smirk, holding his hands in a hand sign. Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Obnoxious child." He muttered.

"I guess it's somewhat of a good thing to hear someone being loud." Kisame sighed, glancing toward Itachi, who averted his eyes.

"I'll trade you." Kakuzu deadpanned.

"Fuck off!" Hidan shouted, kicking a stone in Kakuzu's direction, only to have it sidestepped. There was a quiet snicker from above, causing a few heads to tilt upwards, some being the heads of our kunoichi. Dangling upside from the ceiling was a man in black attire, save for a green scarf.

"Haha, you're so mean to Hidan, Kakuzu!" He called down to them. Kakuzu scuffed, but said nothing while Hidan laughed out loud, sticking his tongue out at Kakuzu.

"Do that again and I'll rip your tongue out of your head." Kakuzu threatened.

"Ouch!" The man, or possibly boy, above cried, clasping a hand over his orange swirly mask before he tipped his head back a little more. Koyuki frowned, narrowing her eyes as she studied the man before her blood went icy cold.

Whoever was sticking to the ceiling over Akatsuki, was staring right at her through the hole in his mask.

Shit, we're caught!

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A/N: OKAY! I took someone's suggestion about the other teams and so far, I've got some great ideas again! See? Suggestions do help. lol. Anyway, I will try and bring in some of the OCs who haven't made large appearances yet. It also bothers me that I'm barely putting in the actual Naruto characters, so I am throwing them in there as well. I was glad to bring Tobi/Madara in. C: He's one of my favorite characters, ranking the same place as my other number one favorite character… Haha. So, thanks so much for reading and the help, and I really hope your OCs are in character! Your reviews are also very helpful and freaking awesome! Please and thanks!