A/N: Author's Note:
Fayneir: I am glad that you enjoy this Fanfiction but I am not the author you should be thanking. The person you should be thanking is the Mastermind who originally developed this story; ChasingYesterday.
KonanOrigamiMaster: Thank you for your review Konan but I wouldn't worry about the character background it will be revealed in good time.
ChasingYesterday: I was honored when you chose me as the author to adopt your story. I will do my best to keep your legacy alive.
Justbin: Thank you for pointing that out for me.
RougeNya: Thank you for your review. I hope you can enjoy future chapters.
Icecoolgirl: Thank you for the kind words in your review.
Patamon32: I am glad that you enjoyed the chapter and hope you can enjoy future chapters as well.
Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything to Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto series.
Legend:
"A Human is talking."
'A Human is thinking.'
"A Demon or Summon is talking."
'A Demon or Summon is thinking.'
"A type of jutsu is being performed."
Chapter Two:
-An Unknown Location-
As the cold, bitter rain continued to strike against the two Jinchuriki's backs, their sodden clothing clung to their cold bodies like a second skin. Despite this the two Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto and Sabaku Gaara, continued to run. The pair continued to follow their demon's instructions and soon saw their destination.
In front of the two shinobi was a small, moss-covered hole in the mountainside that slowly widened into a 35-foot cave. When the pair had entered the cave, Naruto sank to the ground, ignoring her wet clothes, and fell into blissful slumber.
Gaara smiled softly as he watched his friend receive the sleep she so desperately needed. Since they had left Konohagakure no Sato, they hadn't stopped to rest for more than a few hours before they set off again. Although even with those pit stops, Naruto would occasionally collapse as her body gave out on her.
The first time she had collapsed, Gaara had to abandon his gourd in order to carry her so she could rest. When she had woken up, she had stubbornly assured him that "she was fine" and that "she could run instead of forcing him to carry her".
One time, after she had woken up, she had asked him if she was too heavy for him to carry around. Gaara had given her a slight smirk and told her that, compared to the weight of his gourd, she weighed as much as a feather did. His smirk had grown when he saw the blush that spread across her cheeks.
The red-haired Jinchuriki carefully stretched his cold, aching muscles and, as quiet as a mouse, walked over to Naruto and sat down next to her. He placed his arms behind his head and leaned against the wall of rock behind him, careful to keep an eye on his sleeping companion. He followed the pattern of Naruto's breathing and smiled as a fox-like grin spread across her face before she muttered something inaudible.
After a couple of minutes, Naruto groaned before she rolled onto Gaara's lap. The red-haired shinobi froze at this contact, blood rushing to his face in a blush that would rival a strawberry.
Gaara saw Naruto smile again as she wrapped her long, tanned arms around his stomach and then snuggled closer to her "pillow". It wasn't that long before he felt Ichibi's presence within his mind.
"Do you enjoy your current position Cub?" The Ichibi questioned with a mental smirk.
'S-Shaui! How could you think like that? Naruto is my friend!' Gaara responded with an indignant huff.
"Oh… I understand now Cub… Just don't get to friendly with her tonight." Shaui said.
It was then, before Gaara could react, that Shaui retreated from his consciousness and settled back into his seal. Before the red-haired boy could come up with a plan for revenge, his attention was drawn back to Naruto. The blonde-haired girl had let go of his stomach and, with another mumble, rolled off of him completely.
Another thirty minutes had passed before Gaara saw Naruto begin to wake up. The blonde-haired girl yawned deeply before she shifted her position until she became comfortable on the ground and continued to sleep.
Gaara sighed before he turned his head and looked out of the cave and into the pouring rain. He needed to calm himself a little more before Naruto woke up.
XXXXXXXXXX
-Mountainside Cave-
Gaara had lost track of time but when the rain finally stopped, he brought his attention back into the cave and noticed that Naruto was waking up. Like before, the blonde-haired Jinchuriki yawned before she began to stretch her aching muscles.
When she was finished, Naruto raised her head only to meet with Gaara's eyes. His polished jade met with her vibrant sapphire for what seemed to be an eternity before she smiled. She then picked up a sealing scroll from her supply pouch, unraveled it, and unsealed the contents.
Before the two of them laid a platter of rice, miso soup, broiled salted salmon, tamagoyaki*, and a kettle of tea.
"So do you want some breakfast?" Naruto questioned with a smirk.
All Gaara could do was nod in appreciation before he sat down and grabbed a plate of salmon and poured himself some Green Tea.
XXXXXXXXXX
-Mountainside Cave-
After their breakfast, Naruto resealed everything they hadn't eaten before they cleaned themselves up.
"Come on Gaara," The blonde-haired shinobi said, "You don't want to be left behind, do you?"
With a sigh Gaara rose to his feet and walked to catch up with Naruto. Once together they delved deeper into the cave and into the mountain.
XXXXXXXXXX
-Kawa no Kuni*: Akatsuki Hideout-
"What do you have to report Zetsu?" An orange-haired man questioned.
"From our Spores we have watching Five-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Three-Tails, we have been able to learn that the Jinchuriki are planning… to meet at Mount Sobou-Hana," Zetsu responded, "and while we don't know why the Jinchuriki are leaving the safety of their villages… we can capture them easier without interference from the Shinobi Godaikoku*. That is all we have to report Pein-sama."
"… Zetsu I need you to gather our forces at Mt. Sobou-Hana. If all goes well… Akatsuki's goal will be accomplished sooner than we have predicted." Pein ordered.
Feeling that he was being dismissed, Zetsu nodded and began to sink into the ground through the use of his Kagero* technique.
Five minutes had passed before Pein could no longer detect any trace of Zetsu's chakra. The orange-haired man then retrieved a kunai knife from his pouch and cut his thumb.
"Rimen Kuchiyose no Jutsu." Pein said.
In an instant Pein was enveloped inside of a large cloud of smoke. When the smoke dispersed, he was gone.
XXXXXXXXXX
-Amegakure no Sato: Pein's Tower-
When Pein reappeared, he found himself in a room that's light was provided by the torches hanging along the wall. In the center of the room were two people that were awaiting his arrival.
The first was a blue-haired woman with calm, amber-colored eyes. Underneath her Akatsuki cloak, she wore a long-sleeved, gray shirt with black pants and black sandals. Her lower lip was pierced and she had a large, blue flower that she had made with paper.
The second was a malnourished red-haired man with a pair of Rinnegan eyes that matched the eyes that Pein had. He was standing within a large chair-like machine that had six short legs attached to the bottom of the machine so that he could move if he wanted to. Along his arms, shoulders, and spines were a number of Chakra Rods that were embedded deep within his skin. It was almost painful to look at this man as he can visibly count all of the bones within this man's body.
Before Pein could do anything else, he felt a slight breeze form behind himself and felt a shiver run down his spine.
"So… you have finally completed you're Pain Rikudo*," An aged voice spoke behind Pein, "Which path is this Nagato?"
"This Path is my Chikushodo* Madara," The red-haired man answered, "But I didn't ask you to come to my tower to converse about my Pain Rikudo."
The presence behind Nagato's Chikushodo stepped from behind him and stared at Nagato like a curious child would look at something they didn't understand.
"Then why did you call me Nagato?" The black-haired man question, "You must know that I am very busy at the moment."
"I asked you to meet me here because you are more familiar with the Ten Biju than other man in the world. I was wondering if you had any idea why all of their Jinchuriki would be willing to leave the safety of their villages to meet in Yama no Kuni." Nagato responded.
"Even though I have learned much about the Biju through the Ancient Tablet and the Sage of Six Path's personal scrolls it is fairly easy to see why they are doing what you say they are," Madara answered, "It seems that the Biju are dying and are making their Jinchuriki travel to meet in a certain area before they pass on from this world… Time is starting to run out for our plan to succeed."
Soon after he had finished speaking, the black-haired man was informed all of that was going on within the Akatsuki. Madara took the information he was given in before he activated his Jikukan Ido, vanishing from Amegakure as his body was seemingly sucked into his right eye.
XXXXXXXXXX
-Hi no Kuni: Konohagakure no Sato-
In a dark, 30-foot room beneath the surface of the Hokage's Mansion the leader of Root frowned at the report lying on his desk. He had thought that his plants within the village council would have reacted to the situation better than they had. The one-eyed man sighed before he burned the report with a minor Fire Ninjutsu.
A second later, the man snapped his fingers and waited another for his underling to arrive. A green-haired shinobi with the mask of a Chameleon rose from the shadows and bowed at his leader.
"Chameleon you are to lead four squads to track down the Jinchuriki of the Ichibi and Kyubi. When your team located the target, you are to either capture or kill them… Those Jinchuriki are powerful weapons and if I cannot have them, no one can… Is this clear?" The one-eyed man ordered.
"Yes Danzo-sama." Chameleon said.
"You have your orders." Danzo said.
In an instant, Chameleon had vanished within the shadows that had brought him to his master's office. He immediately began gathering the members of Root that would form the four squads that his master required for his mission. He would not fail his master.
'Homura and Koharu may have changed the rules but they continually fail to realize that I have all the pieces I need to win…' Danzo thought with a smirk, 'They will be eliminated alongside Tsunade and without their influence I can easily take over as the Hokage.'
XXXXXXXXXX
-Hi no Kuni: Hokage Mansion-
If one was to look within the Fifth Hokage's office, they would find one Tsunade Senju drinking bottle after bottle of sake. She looked around her office with her sunken, red-rimmed eyes as she swirled the sake within her glass.
The once clean and highly organized room, influenced by Shizune, had been turned into a mess that would make a pig jealous. Broken shards of numerous sake bottles and pieces of what was once important paperwork littered the cracked floor. The furniture was broken and the ripped stuffing of her former couch covered everything. The windows were gone, broken when she had thrown her desk and chairs threw them in a fit of rage.
Tsunade, like her office, had been transformed since Naruto's "departure" from Konohagakure. Her luminous, blond-colored hair had lost its shine and was becoming increasingly greasy as the days went on. Her honey-colored eyes had dimmed and become swollen from many days of endless tears.
Her Genjutsu that made her appear to be in her twenties was slowly fading but what few visitors she had could already see the old woman behind it. They saw her sadness and ever-growing depression but couldn't figure out how to help her.
The Slug Princess continually remembered the look she had received from Naruto before she had left with Gaara. Naruto's eyes had changed then.
Orphan blue was the saddest shade of blue. It was a very pretty color but it had an overwhelmingly sad quality to it as well.
During that moment, when Naruto had looked at her, Naruto's sapphire eyes turned the color of orphan blue.
The saddest of all blues.
XXXXXXXXXX
-Yawa no Kuni: Mt. Sobou-Hana-
It seemed as if they had been traveling within the darkness for an eternity since the pair had seen any type of light. So, when Naruto saw a faint, white light in the distance, a smile spread across her face. Her eyes lit with unsuppressed joy and happiness. Before Gaara could move, Naruto was 10-feet in front of him, running towards the light.
"Light. Oh wonderful, glorious light!" The blonde-haired girl sand.
Gaara released a soft sigh at Naruto's childish antics before he began to increase his speed. If anyone had asked he would have told them that he needed to catch up with Naruto. On the inside however, Gaara was as glad as Naruto to finally see light.
'The light-stones embedded into the walls of that maze only provided so much light… They can never compare to true light.' The red-haired shinobi thought.
When the pair of Jinchuriki had reached the light source, they realized that it was a vertical wall of bright, white light. They couldn't see any through the wall of light, despite the urging of their demons, which made them nervous.
The pair looked at one another before they gave each other nods. They clasped hands and walked through the barrier of light, never letting go of the other.
When their eyes had adjusted to the light on the other side of the barrier, the pair of shinobi looked at the environment around them and gasped with awe.
XXXXXXXXXX
-Kaminari no Kuni:Unraikyo*-
Within the foggy, mountainous region within Kaminari no Kuni, the man known as Killer Bee had just learned of his demon's dilemma.
'Why couldn't you have told me about this sooner Harul?' Killer Bee shouted angrily, 'Not only did you wait the last minute to tell me that you're dying… I don't have enough Sealing Scrolls for all of my supplies and wonderful music!'
"Sorry Bee… I forgot…" Harul replied sheepishly, further angering his host.
'There was no way I would've told you earlier! This way I get to spend my last days without your horrible thoughts concerning your oh-so wonderful music bothering me…' Harul thought to himself, 'I will never hear his music again… THANK YOU KAMI-SAMA!'
A/N: Author's Note:
Name: Killer Bee
Rank: Elite Jonin
Classification: The Hachibi Jinchuriki.
Current Occupation(s): Guardian of Kumogakure no Sato. Composer of music.
Birthdate: April 6.
Age: 35 ½
Height: Five feet, eight inches.
Weight: 215 pounds.
Gender: Male.
Blood Type: AB positive.
Chakra Nature(s): Lightning.
Known Jutsu:
Body Flicker Technique
Body Replacement Technique
Clone jutsu
Head-Butt
Ink Creation
Lariat
Lightning Clone Technique
Lightning Release: Four Pillar Bind
Lightning Dragon Tornado
Seven Swords Dance
Transformation Technique
Weapon(s):
Super Vibrating Lightning Release Sword (7)
Important Information:
Tamagoyaki is a Japanese rolled omelet. It is often served in Japanese-style breakfast and lunch-boxes.
Kawa no Kuni (The Land of Rivers) is a country that holds the Katabami Kinzan goldmine, village, and processing center. Takumi village and Tanigakure no Sato (Village Hidden in Valleys) can also be found within this country.
The Shinobi Godaikoku is the term referring to the five superpowers of the ninja world. They are equal enough in power and military strength to create a fairly stable balance of power.
Kagero (Mayfly) is the infiltration technique signature of Zetsu. It allows him to merge his body with the ground and flora to travel at a very high speed.
Rimen Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Reverse Summoning Technique) is the counterpart to the Summoning Technique. It allows an animal to summon humans that they have a contract with.
Pain Rikudo (The Six Paths of Pain) was a jutsu used by Nagato, and served as his representation in Akatsuki. It allows him to control six separate bodies as though they were his own.
Chikushodo (Animal Path) is one of the Six Paths of Pain. Its abilities revolve around summoning various animals and/or creatures to aid it in battle.