A/N: This is my first try as an author so bear with me. English isn't my first language so don't hesitate to pm me with any fault you find, I am always eager to learn.
Previous chapter set a new record for this story in terms of review, thanks to everyone total count now crossed over the six hundred reviews. Some may say they don't write for the reviews but it still really provides a good feeling to know that a chapter has been well received by the readers.
There seems to be a slight misunderstanding about Sasuke's current situation, as some of you thought he would suddenly turn "good". I won't hide the fact that I'm not the greatest fan of that character so, I'll let you read the chapter but don't be too surprised when you see how it turns out.
The chapter will hopefully answer most of the questions reviewers had from the last few chapters. It may not be what you expected to see but try to have some patience, that's all I'm asking.
Anyway, welcome to the next chapter of Kaze No Kami.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other manga for that matter.
Chapter 46 : Time Trap
Sunagakure – Desert
As the flash disappeared, Konan could see only one man left standing, as she continued to run towards Pein and Naruto's last seen location. She couldn't understand why the Deva didn't react to her warnings when she yelled at him, telling him to look out for the incoming danger from his Chibaku Tensei that failed to contain the jinchuriki.
"Stop, please don't hurt him any more than that, I beg of you." Pleaded the only kunoichi of the Akatsuki, as she finally reached Naruto's position. The blond was about to take the Deva out by cutting off his head, but hold off his move when he heard her.
"It's alright, Konan. You need to escape, he shouldn't have enough chakra left to chase after you." Pein replied through the Deva. The last Path was laying on the ground, his body covered by cuts and completely out of chakra.
"Aren't those guys only puppets for you to move as you please ? Why the sudden attachment to this one in particular ?" Asked Naruto, surprised that Konan would come so close to him after what she had witnessed of their fight.
"This body comes from my former partner and best friend Yahiko, he died to protect the both of us and that's the reason why it is really precious to us." Pein told him.
"I see, I somehow knew those bodies were controlled like puppets. I wasn't sure if the one controlling them was among the six of them though. Fine, I'll leave it alone for now if you agree to meet with me, face to face." Naruto replied.
"Bring him to me Konan, I will explain everything when you get there." The Deva said as he finally ceased to move, as he had reached the limit of his chakra reserves.
Konan really didn't want to lose the Deva body, so with no other choice, she agreed to lead Naruto to the hideout that they chose before engaging Sunagakure.
Naruto let Konan take the Deva away, after he carefully removed all the chakra conducting devices it had all over the body. The kunoichi used a paper ability to completely recover the body and then they set out towards the hideout with Naruto right behind her, his katana out and ready to act if he detected any trap along the way.
The group soon reached a small cave, covered by a light genjutsu that hid its entrance. Naruto followed Konan as she went in first, letting the Deva outside.
"We finally meet face to face, Uzumaki Naruto." Pein said as Naruto entered the cave.
Naruto saw a man with red hair and purple eyes just like the pictures he saw from his mother, back inside his compound in Konoha. He was seated on a strange throne with numerous black poles coming out of his back. It reminded him of the devices the other bodies from the Paths, since they also had them all over their bodies.
"So that's how you were controlling those puppets of yours during our fight. Who are you really and why did you call me your cousin ?" Naruto asked, his guard still raised.
"My name is Uzumaki Nagato, my parents like your mother came from Uzushiogakure, home of the Uzumaki clan. After the war, my parents chose to flee towards Amegakure while your mother obviously chose Konoha instead." Nagato replied.
"Why are you with Akatsuki and also what do you seek the bijuu for ?" Naruto questioned his cousin, trying to understand his circumstances and how he became the leader of Akatsuki.
"Let me tell you how Akatsuki came to be and then you will give me an answer about how your ideal of peace compares to mine." Nagato announced.
The older Uzumaki then told Naruto the story of his life. Nagato had already spoken about the murder of his family by some Konoha shinobi, so he jumped right at the moment of Akatsuki's first days.
The group was exclusively first composed by war orphans, just like him, Konan and Yahiko. They completed several successful missions until they came across the Leaf again. Danzo and his Root were directly responsible for the death of Yahiko, and consequently Akatsuki's change of policies towards the way to reach peace.
Nagato then told Naruto about the burden of the Rinnegan on his frail body, and how it was used ever since to gather enough strength to force the world into an everlasting peace.
"So what do you think we should have done ? What would you have done, were you in my position, my dear cousin ?" Nagato said, carefully looking at Naruto's face.
"I understand where you're coming from, I can't even begin to imagine how you felt when you lost your parents to Konoha shinobi since I never knew mine. The death of your best friend is also a tragedy but even then, I'm sure Jiraya-sensei would have never wished for peace to happen this way." Naruto said.
"Even now, my hands are trembling as I long to take your life for what you did to our Sensei, but I also know that killing you won't bring him back ..." Naruto replied.
"You would spare the one who took your master's life ? Aren't you supposed to be the Shinobi Alliance's Leader ? What would those people think of you if they knew how you let someone like me escape ?" Nagato said, still expecting Naruto to turn against him.
"I would take responsibility for my actions, I'll explain your situation and if they can't agree with my reasoning, then it is safe to say that there was no room for an alliance to begin with. This is my shinobi way, you will have to give up on me giving up." Naruto answered him with a serious look in his eyes.
"The truth is that you won't have to take responsibility for anything else than continuing to protect your vision of Jiraya's dream, I was just testing your resolve. The last jutsu I used took a lot more of me that I really could afford, added to the fact that I wasn't in a good condition to begin with. I will die soon, and with my death you will remain as the last Uzumaki to walk this earth." Nagato finally told him.
"Nagato ! You can't be serious, you will live through this, we still have to bring peace to the world, you can't leave me alone." Konan pleaded as she came closer to her best friend, tears in her eyes.
"It's okay Konan, my time has already come. I've tried my best to achieve our dream of bringing peace to the world but in the end, I couldn't let go of my own hatred." Nagato replied before he turned to Naruto once more.
"What was the last jutsu that you used against me in our fight, Naruto ? I've never seen anything like that and I still can't understand what you did to the Deva." He asked the younger Uzumaki.
"The move you witnessed is my latest creation. I named it Hifujin no Jutsu, and basically, this technique allows me to become one with the wind. This is a space/time jutsu based on the Hiraishin no Jutsu that my father created, but contrary to him, I chose to focus on the Time component instead of Space." Naruto started to explain.
"In a predetermined area in space, thanks to my control over the wind element, I will be able to exist absolutely everywhere within that perimeter. It will create the feeling that Time itself has stopped for anyone that is trapped inside. Everything that is connected to the air element will fall under my absolute control, as the feeling of the wind, be it soft or sharp, or even the perception of the sounds created by its vibration." Naruto continued with his explanation.
"This is the Pinnacle of ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, kenjutsu and fuinjutsu all combined into a single jutsu. I'm not sure where it stands in terms of jutsu classification but I'm pretty certain that it's at least a SS-Rank and I'm without the shadow of a doubt the only one on earth that can perform it." Naruto finished.
"Impressive, our clan had always been known throughout the world for its creativity in jutsu creation. You are indeed an Uzumaki through and through. Before we part ways though, I need to warn you about one more thing, it's about the true goals behind Akatsuki ..."
Timeskip – Konohagakure, One Week Later
"And that's how I defeated Uzumaki Nagato, my distant relative from the Uzumaki clan and public figure head of the Akatsuki. I would have like for you to be there, to see me use that new jutsu that we came up with together, it really is a masterpiece. Nagato warned me about the true ambitions behind the Akatsuki organization, what they seek to achieve by gathering all the bijuu. How I wish you would tell me what to do in this situation ..." Naruto said.
It had been a week since he defeated Nagato in the second attempt to kidnap Gaara. The older Uzumaki died shortly after he had warned Naruto about Akatsuki and said his final words to Konan. The kunoichi decided to leave the organization after that and disappeared with the bodies of both Yahiko and Nagato.
Naruto had then returned to Sunagakure where he only stayed for one night after speaking to Gaara and then left again, finally going back to Konoha. He had again only spent the necessary time to explain the situation to Tsunade before he abruptly left and went back to his compound, taking an exemption of missions and clan duties thanks to his new status as the Alliance's Leader and having Kurenai as his representative for the council meetings.
No one had seen him since his return, as he never left his manor and Tsunade was the only one he allowed inside. When his friends interrogated the Hokage about it, she simply said that he had a personal issue to deal with and would meet with them again when he was done with it.
Naruto was currently in the master bedroom of the Namikaze compound, seated in a chair in a corner of he room. He was speaking in a soft voice with someone else in the room. The lights were off and it was already night time so it was quite hard to see who he was speaking to. When the moonlight finally illuminated the room, the figure of a woman could be seen laying on the bed. She was under the covers so only her face could be seen, it was the love of his life, Natsuki.
Naruto then stopped his tale for a moment, remembering how things turned out that way …
Flashback : Turtle Island - Day of the Unsealing
As Killer Bee and Yugito were pouring every bit of youki they could into the intricate seals that Naruto had painted on the floor, the Shiki Fuujin was slowly fading away from the young man's stomach.
A youki cloak was covering his entire body as he was crouching down, the pain was unbearable and he had to use every force he had left in his body to remain conscious until the the procedure was over.
Naruto had previously calculated that to contain the nine tails of youki within his body, an equivalent nine tails of youki would be needed. In order to not suffer from chakra exhaustion, Yugito would have to channel one tail and a half while Bee would need to supply the rest of it, seven tails and a half by himself.
To an external observer it only lasted nine seconds but to the three of them it seemed to last for hours. When those nine seconds finally passed a blinding light illuminated the whole area, and as it faded, the bodies of Naruto and Natsuki could finally be seen in the center of the containment field that was drawn on the ground.
Naruto slowly rose to his feet, only to see that his beloved wasn't moving from her spot. Yugito was immediately by Natsuki's side while Bee helped Naruto. The Kumo kunoichi told them that Natsuki was only unconscious.
End of Flashback
That was a week ago already, and Natsuki still didn't wake up. When Naruto had explained the situation to Tsunade, she was at first mad at him for trying something so reckless. She couldn't remain mad at him for too long though, seeing the state of desperation he was in made her feel sorry for the younger blond. She was the only one he had allowed to visit the compound where he had brought Natsuki to, thanks to the Hiraishin, and only after swearing secrecy.
Upon examining the red head, Tsunade had theorized that the loss of Natsuki's godly reserves of chakra or youki, as Naruto called it, was most likely the cause behind her current state. Tsunade had found nothing else out of the ordinary, Natsuki was in a perfect health. Naruto of course felt responsible, as the one who pushed for the unsealing while Natsuki wanted to take more time. Tsunade wanted to cheer him up, saying that it would only be a matter of days before his beloved would be up and running again when her chakra reserves fill up again.
The Hokage knew very well that neither Konoha nor the Alliance would be able to count on him until that time comes though. Naruto had only gone to Suna to save one of his closest friend, anything else would have to wait for now until further notice.
Kusagakure
The minor village of Kusagakure was currently in chaos, as Oto shinobi were invading their walls. They never had a great army to begin with, so facing the surprisingly numerous shinobi hailing from the Sound village turned out to be quite difficult for them.
Leading the charge was none other than the Nidaime Otokage himself, Uchiha Sasuke. The village's leader from Kusagakure fell against the might of his newly developed Mangekyo Sharingan as the black flames of the Amaterasu were burning everything in his path.
Controlling these new powers came to him surprisingly fast, as he already mastered the Amaterasu and the Tsukyomi. He was currently experimenting on a third jutsu, the Susanoo, ultimate protection jutsu given to him by reaching the Mangekyo. He still wondered why the masked man from the Akatsuki had provided him scrolls with all those techniques from the upgraded Sharingan or how they came into his possession to begin with.
He wasn't going to let this prevent him from enjoying his current victories though. This was indeed the continuation of a series of successes that Otogakure had recently achieved, first in taking total control over Ta no Kuni. Orochimaru had always acted in the shadows, hiding behind the Lord of that Nation to do his bidding. An Uchiha would not bow before anyone, thus Sasuke had decided to remove that obstacle in his ambitions. Then he set his sight towards the neighboring villages of Takigakure and then Kusagakure where his army was currently stationed.
As usual Kabuto was selected to lead Otogakure in his absence, with the strong backing of Guren. Sasuke still held her adoptive son or little brother captive, Yukimaru also known as subject Y, was strongly sedated and kept in a secret lab to ensure her loyalty to Sasuke.
Sakura was curiously chosen to remain in Takigakure when it was conquered, the medic kunoichi was in fact given the task to convert the mystical Hero Water into a substance that would serve Sasuke into creating an army of chakra powerhouses. Of course before that, she would need to analyze it, and then modify its structure into something less risky even if the power boost it gave was a little lower. To make sure his hold on the country was solid, Sasuke assigned Kimimaro, or formerly known as subject X, and Juugo to stay there as well. Kimimaro had become quite attached to his savior Sakura, almost to the point of worshiping her, while Juugo was the original source of Orochimaru's curse seal and only accepted to follow Kimimaro.
The ones currently traveling with Sasuke were Karin and Suigetsu. Karin had good knowledge of their target since she originally hailed from Kusagakure and Suigetsu just tagged along to annoy her as the red head had hopped to go on this little adventure with her beloved raven haired leader alone.
"Well that wasn't much of a challenge, those people were as weak as you are Karin." Suigetsu said with a smirk as they were seated in the office of the village's leader.
"So why did you come here in the first place ?" Karin replied.
"Will you two both shut the hell up, I'm a bit tired from using this new move so much. Give me some water Karin." Sasuke said, effectively shutting them up while Karin went to serve him her a glass of water.
As she handed him the glass, they were surprised to see him drop it. Sasuke was the most surprised and had troubles to understand what had just happened. One moment he was a bit tired and the next he momentarily lost his eyesight.
"Hey are you alright, Sasuke ?" Suigetsu asked.
"I'm fine, mind your own business." Sasuke replied.
"It seems using those eyes isn't as safe as I thought, I may need to give more thoughts to that man's proposal after all ..." Thought the Otokage as his eyesight slowly returned.
A/N : What do you think ?
The end of the Pein arc, with the same result as in canon storyline as Nagato dies and Konan leaves the organization. Naruto got some more info on Akatsuki though, what do you think Nagato told him about them ?
I'm still trying to come up with a cool name for the new jutsu family Naruto developed (mixing ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, kenjutsu and fuinjutsu in a single attack). Leave me suggestions if you have some. On a similar note, what did you think of his newest jutsu ?
Na-chan is asleep, will her prince charming wake her up with a kiss ?
Oto is on the move, Sasuke has played with his Mangekyo and experimented it on his neighbors. What do you think of the repartition of his staff among the different villages under his control ?
New Jutsu :
HiFujin no Jutsu : translates as the Flying Wind God. Naruto's wind adaptation of the Hiraishin no Jutsu. Only possible while in the ultimate form of his bloodline. Contrary to the Hiraishin where the user can be present at two positions in space at the same time, this technique allows its caster to be present everywhere inside a delimited perimeter for a definite amount of time and the victim who is trapped inside this field is under the impression that time has stopped. Naruto becomes one with the wind, suppressing his enemy's senses and doing as he pleases with them.