Damn! Over 30K hits! This story is really picking up, and that's awesome guys. When I first started writing I never thought that something I wrote would be read, and (for the most part) enjoyed. I'm really glad the story seems to be making waves, as I've still got a ways to go before this one is finished. And on that note, we're already on the 20th Chapter! Just under a month of total writing and we're already getting close to 150K words! You guys are the best. Anyways, onto the 20th Installment!


Chapter 20

Float like a Butterfly


It had been just under a month since Team Naruto had returned from their mission to Sunagakure, and now they were out again, making a very similar run, but this time to a different village, this time their destination being Konoha's neighbors to the northeast, the military village hidden in the clouds themselves, Kumogakure. The nation was quite easily the most militarized, having never demilitarized from any of the numerous conflicts that they had been involved in, a process created and never changed by one of the village's older and past Raikage. This, involved with the storied and bloody past between the two villages, would make this an interesting endeavor, no doubt.

Kumogakure was founded after the Warring States Period by the Shodai Raikage. Shortly after the formation of their villages, the Shodai Hokage sold tailed beasts to Kumo as a sign of friendship and to ensure a balance of power amongst their new villages, though it would ultimately fail. The Niidaime Raikage and Niidaime Hokage had later tried to formally agree to peace between their villages, but the ceremony was interrupted by the Gold and Silver Brothers and the Hokage was nearly killed during the attack. Konoha and Kumo ended up on opposing sides during the First Shinobi World War because of this, with Kumo's Kinkaku Force cornering and killing the Niidaime Hokage. Decades later, during the Third Shinobi World War, Kumo and Konoha would fight again, often with 'A' on Kumo's side and Namikaze Minato mirroring him of Konoha's. Following the death of the Sandaime Raikage in a battle against ten-thousand opposing shinobi, 'A' succeeded him as the Yondaime.

Eventually, a peace treaty was formed between all of the hidden villages that required them to reduce the sizes of their forces during times of peace, a practice that Kumo not-so-secretly doesn't partake in. Kumo's efforts to amass power often entail stealing secrets and kidnapping shinobi from other villages, and they had tried many times to do just that against Konoha in particular. Several years before the Third Shinobi World War, Kumo shinobi kidnapped Uzumaki Kushina in order to study her unique chakra, but were foiled by Konoha' prodigal son, Minato, who had tracked her down using the strands of her hair.

A few years after the Third Shinobi World War, Kumo, in an apparent effort to establish peace, sent one of its head Ninja to Konoha to sign a peace treaty, though it was discovered that it was in reality a cover for an attempt to acquire the Byakugan Kekkai Genkai by kidnapping Hyuuga Hinata . When the negotiator was killed by Hyuuga Hiashi in the attempt, the reigning Raikage still tried to obtain the Byakugan by threatening war unless Hiashi's body was turned over to make up for the Ninja's death. In what would be called the Hyuuga Affair, Hiashi's twin was given to Kumo instead, his Byakugan sealed in his death. Yet, the village in the land of lightning still lusted for power.

There was one other method that the village used to secure power though, and that was the tailed beasts themselves. In the early days of the village, before buying the Nibi and Hachibi from Konoha, Kumo sent the famed and elite Gold and Silver Brothers to capture the Kyuubi, a task at which they ultimately failed. Later, with the two purchased Bijuu in its possession, the village struggled to harness the beasts' power in Jinchuriki, the men and women who held them were unable gain control of the beasts and would eventually lose control, causing a rampage through the village. However, recent intelligence from the land of lightning suggested that its two newest Jinchuriki for the Nibi and Hachibi were able to successfully control their beasts, leaving both highly valued and appreciated by the village and its denizens, especially the ninja themselves.

All of these thoughts screamed through Naruto's head as he and his team approached the village, having been moving for a few days now, the village hidden in the clouds finally in sight after their long journey. It had taken the modified Team Seven a short two days to reach the border that Fire Country shared with the Land of Hot Water, coming close to the border of what remained of Otogakure. After that, it had taken a single day to pass through the area and only one more day after that before they had passed completely through Frost Country, bringing them to the Land of Lightning, where a mere three days later the four-man cell arrived at the large and imposing gates of Kumogakure no Sato.

In all honesty, it wasn't that different from the large gates that fell around the border of Konoha, so the blonde shinobi wasn't all that surprised at the sight, nor was he particular intimidated by it, and if the members of his team were fazed by it, none of them showed it, all of them keeping the stone cold and uninhibited faces that they were ordered to, Kumo shinobi respected strength above all else, both mental and physical power equally important to the war-ready nation. This envoy was an important one for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which Akatsuki threat that was beginning to plague the Elemental Nations.

No, this trip would accomplish so much more than just a mere alliance against a common threat, if he was able to successfully pull it off, that is. Unfortunately, this mission would be relying almost solely on his skills as a diplomat, and while the blonde shinobi of Konoha was becoming famed for his ability to reason with and negotiate with people, he himself would rather have just fought the Raikage, preferring to rely on his wits and instincts, rather than dodge around the messy world of politics. But, it wasn't his choice, and orders were orders, so he would comply with them to the best of his ability, his orders for this mission being to secure this alliance, but reasonably.

This envoy to Kumo would mark the first time since the days of his father that a Konoha shinobi, or even a team of them, had come into contact with those from Cloud in a non-hostile environment. It would be the first time in nearly twenty years that a Leaf-Nin had even stepped foot inside the militarized city, and the presence of who the Leaf was sending wasn't to be forgotten, either. The team consisted of Uzumaki Naruto, who would do the main negotiating with the Raikage, having been given the full authority from his own Hokage. He was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, a fact which was quickly being thrown around the elemental nations, as was his heritage and relation to previous Hokage's, the blonde was a very powerful shinobi in his own right, and many people were pegging him as the next Hokage to take over the mantle, after Hatake Kakashi.

The next key player was the survivor, Uchiha Sasuke, the last loyal member of his clan, and wielder of a fully matured three tomoe Sharingan. The fair skinned man was quite the powerful shinobi in his own right, and given Kumo's history with trying to steal Doujutsu, his presence on the team was shown as a measure of trust and good faith to the differing nations, though the man could easily take care of himself on his own if a fight broke out. Next on the list was Haruno Sakura, apprentice to the legendary medic-nin Senju Tsunade herself, the woman possessing every ounce of monstrous strength her mentor possessed, she was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with as well, though only a Chunin.

The final member of the team rounded out was the stoic and emotionally impaired and pale skinned Sai, former member of Danzo's ROOT, and now a Tokubetsu Jounin of Konoha's regular ninja forces. The man specialized in recon and assassination, though his skills could easily be transferred to the support combat element role that he had filled when the team had been led by Kakashi. It always seemed to work out for the group of four, even after Naruto had filled the role of team leader; Sasuke would be the team's close to mid ranger fighter, his Ninjutsu arsenal and Sharingan giving him a combat advantage over most enemies, while Sai provided mid-range support, his ink Ninjutsu becoming invaluable in this aspect, while Sakura ran long range interference and medical support, the team leader of either Kakashi or Naruto falling in between all three roles and reacting accordingly to the situation.

All in all, the team itself was a message, one of faith that the current administration wouldn't attempt anything against them, and also one that portrayed the power of Konohagakure, one that showed the strength of the village, both individually and as a team. The modified Team Seven had trained together multiple times, and during the recent war that the Hidden Leaf had been in, the four had worked closely with each other, and in anyone's opinion they were a force to be reckoned with, both individually and especially when working in tandem. All of this thought went into the Godaime Hokage's mind when he chose this particular team to work with Naruto for this specific political envoy to the village hidden in the clouds.

The blonde shinobi was pulled from his thoughts as he and his team approached the gates of Kumogakure, and began making forced small talk with the two gate guards, once again noting that they bore a remarkable resemblance to Izumo and Kotetsu, had they been dressed in Konoha garb and not the standard attire of Kumo, consisting of a long, grey top which gathered just at the waist to give a sash-like appearance, with a matching colored bottom. Over this they wore white, one-strapped flak jackets and arm guards, as well as matching shin-guards. Both men were watching the Konoha-Nin with hard eyes and suspecting thoughts, though neither one said as much as they admitted the four to their village.

They were met by their escort as soon as they made it through the gates, they were to be monitored the entire time that the mission was going on, and especially while they were guests within the village. Though the team was there under the white flag of a truce and were there for no other reason to strengthen the ties between them, there was still a fair amount of bad blood spilt between the two villages, and the Raikage wasn't going to just let the ninja come and go as they pleased. The team was escorted to a hotel, where they were granted two separate rooms, Sakura nearly dragging Sasuke into a room while the blonde leader of the team laughed and egged it on, before he and Sai turned into their own.

Naruto chuckled lightly to himself as he got acquainted with the small room that he and Sai would be calling home for the next couple of days. The pinkette of the team had the stoic Uchiha wrapped around her finger, even if he didn't know it yet. The two had grown rather close during their time as ninja, and their bond had only strengthened during the war, especially when Sakura had trained under Tsunade and become strong on her own, prompting Sasuke to recognize her, not anymore as a fan girl, but as a ninja. The two had formed a close tie to each other, and it wasn't often that the last loyal Uchiha wasn't seen without his pink haired counterpart. The Last Uzumaki had even heard rumor that the two were secretly seeing each other, and he believed it, though the two had yet to make anything official yet.

The blonde sighed as he leaned back onto the somewhat comfortable bed that had been provided for him, watching as Sai did much the same to the other rack on the opposite side of the room. Yeah, the two were definitely a good fit for each other, Sakura helped to temper Sasuke's thirst for vengeance, which had notably lessened over the years as he matured, and he in turn pushed the girl to better herself in many ways, making her one of the top Chunin of Konoha, and she'd easily make Jounin if she kept it up. Naruto looked over to Sai, giving the man a quick goodnight, and choosing to ignore the several chakra signatures he could feel watching him and his team, they were just doing their jobs, as he closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep.

His meeting with the Yondaime Raikage, 'A', was the following day, and for some reason he felt he was going to need to be well rested for it.


The Raikage was a large man, even by the standards of large men. His skin was dark, with an enormously muscular build, his blindingly white hair combed back, a small moustache and goatee gracing his face. His pronounced cheekbones lined his face and tear troughs under ran under his eyes, and a prominent crease was formed permanently across his forehead. He had pointed canines and his top lip also had a darker hue than the bottom one; traits he inherited from his father. Over his bare chest 'A' wore a white haori without a, the traditional Raikage his sitting off to one side on his desk.

Upon each broad shoulder was a black Fuuma Shuriken tattoo and upon his wrists, going up to the top of his forearms he wore large, golden vambraces that were both used for offense and defense. Around his waist was an extremely large golden belt with a boar's face engraved in the center, black pants with torn ends, Kumo-nin shin guards, and shinobi sandals covering his lower body. All of these aspects combined give him the appearance of a professional wrestler, though the man was an expert in the art of Nintaijutsu, an aspect of the Ninja he had created and mastered on his own. This ability helped 'A' become known for his immense physical speed, being able to intercept an opponent before they realize he has approached them, however it was noted that using his Nintaijutsu enhanced his speed even further, enough to create after-images of his bulky frame.

'A' had repeatedly boasted to be the world's fastest shinobi since the death of the Yondaime Hokage, and since he had never faced the young Uzumaki that now stood before him in combat, to him the record still held true. 'A' was reported to have enormous physical strength, which was estimated is just below that of Tsunade herself. There were many feats to prove this, for example, using only a single hand he did numerous things such as: lifting a massive, two-handed barbell; smashing through walls, floors, and even a cliff; severing one of the Eight-Tails' horns and knocking it down to the ground. While possessing powerful and extremely fast punches, the Yondaime Raikage preferred to use wrestling-style moves rather than standard Taijutsu, such as power-bombs, backhanded chops, take-downs, and leg drops.

All of these thoughts passed through Naruto's mind as he stood in the presence of the man, each one staring down the other in thought for several moments before the Last Uzumaki finally broke the silence with a curt and tense, yet respectful 'Raikage-Sama', before he stated his name and purpose for coming to Kumo. The Raikage merely listened to him, and watched as the blonde apparently refused to back down, refusing to be intimidated by the large and powerful man before him. So far, the info that Naruto had been given on the man was spot-on. Everything about him had been accurate, and judging by the way the hulk of a man acted, it would surprise him if the white haired goliath's combat abilities were that of a brawler instead of the finesse associated with a ninja, like the reports told.

"…The most recent encounters happened within mere days of each other, so it has become apparent that the group is very capable of working in tandem with each other. The first encounter was in Sunagakure, with the assailants being the supposed immortal Hidan from Yugakure, and the equally dangerous Kakuzu of Taki, both are now deceased, slain by my hand." Naruto paused at this point in his briefing, having already given the same one he had given to the Kazekage some time ago, only now adding onto his report with the recent deaths of the two Akatsuki members, before he continued, watching the Raikage's reaction the entire time.

"The next contact with the group was in a small town outside of Konoha, Hezukle Dai. The contact was made by Jiraiya the Toad Sage, and the identities of the men were confirmed to be that of Hoshigaki Kisame of Kiri and former member of the Seven Swordsmen, and Uchiha Itachi of Konoha, one of the last two members of the Uchiha clan, both men unfortunately escaped, despite best efforts made on behalf of Leaf shinobi. The Raikage leaned back in his chair, this certainly did open up trains of thoughts for him. Despite his brutish appearance, he was in all actuality a very smart man and quite the critical thinker, and this revelation behind the organization cleared several things up for him, and the occurrences around Kumo of late.

He'd never admit it to the young man in front of him, but the intelligence network in Kumo was severely lacking. He as the Raikage had no idea what the organization that was apparently going by 'Akatsuki' even existed, though he had come to suspect it and was beginning to look into it with the death of the Nibi Jinchuriki, Yugito. He still didn't know how it had happened, but it had. One of the strongest kunoichi in his village had been slain, and not far from the village itself. There were signs of a struggle, of course, and the chakra signatures had been immense, but by the time he and a force of ninja had shown up after tracking the source of the chakra, the battle had been over, and the blonde woman was nowhere in sight. And from what the man in front of his large oak desk had just told him, it was certain that she was dead, the organization wanted the Bijuu, and they had no use for the host.

Instead of sobering up or anything else though, this enraged the man. There was a group of criminals that dared to attack one of his ninja? They would pay. They would pay dearly, and with their lives. The Yondaime Raikage was not a forgiving man, especially of people who killed his men without purpose, especially of the woman that housed the Nibi and bore the weight of the village's defense on her shoulders. The Raikage was fond of his two Jinchuriki, he respected and admired them both, having known them from the time they were all very young. While the container was the 'B' to his 'A' combo and brother in anything but blood, the now deceased Yugito had been something of a close friend, if not even like a little sister to him as they had grown.

'A's decision had already been made, but the blonde shinobi in front of him had no idea of this fact. No, the Raikage and his shinobi would be hunting down the ones responsible for the death of Yugito, the threats that were poised against his brother. But there were a few things he needed to know, before he agreed to an alliance with Konohagakure, and by proxy through their already previously existing alliance, Sunagakure. It would be the first time that the three villages had allied themselves together, and it would be the largest alliance made for a purpose other than war that had ever been made in the history of shinobi. To bury the hatchet that had been borne from the last few generations to this one was no easy task, and no small feat. He had to be sure that Konoha was invested in this, but before he had the chance to voice that particular concern, something hit him.

"Why were Akatsuki in Konoha? You have no Jinchuriki for them to chase after, no reason to be invested in this search? Why does the Leaf care about a matter that doesn't pertain to them?" The Raikage was being unusually calm as he spoke, his voice a low rumble as it escaped his lips, his eyes narrowed on the blonde shinobi in front of him that looked so familiar, so close to a realization that he just couldn't put his finger on, yet. The Last Uzumaki let out a small sigh, he had figured it would come to this, so he may as well let it out, the consequences be damned. It was time that this secret came out, and if it secured the alliance with Kumo, then it was worth it.

"Because I am the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." If the older and far more muscular man was surprised by the revelation, he didn't show it, though on the inside, the gears were turning absurdly fast. It explained so much about the whole endeavor. Konoha was involved because of the threat to one of their ninja! And the boy… he had put two and two together as well. During the Third Shinobi World War, 'A' had fought the soon to be Yondaime Hokage several times, and the man's visage was imprinted into his mind, and the Jounin in his office was more or less a carbon copy of the late Namikaze, who was known to have relations with Uzumaki Kushina. This man's surname was Uzumaki, and that particular clan were known worldwide for their vitality, making them perfect hosts to become Jinchuriki.

Before he was able to talk, Naruto continued in his revelations, he was going to do whatever it took to secure this alliance. "I am the son of Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, and Uzumaki Kushina. I am the Godson of the Toad Sage Jiraiya, and grandnephew of the Legendary Medic Senju Tsunade, and I am asking for your help in dealing with this threat, Raikage-Sama. With my request is the full backing of the Leaf. Can we not set aside our differences for such a short time as to deal with the organization that threatens us all?" The Uzumaki's voice was strong and authoritative, yet at the same time it was pleading for help from the man before him. 'A' stood, locking eyes with the young man in his office before uttering a small sentence, only two words as he made his decision, before launching himself out of the window in a loud crash

"Follow me." Naruto sighed briefly, shaking his head before he launched himself out the window after the man. Today was definitely turning out to be interesting.


It hadn't taken the two shinobi long to reach their destination, for even without using their respective techniques for enhancing their speed, they were both quite fast in their own right. Naruto had asked the man as they moved where they were headed to, and had only gotten a brief grunt, something that sounded like Unraikyo (Valley of Clouds and Lightning). He didn't know the significance of the area, but he could only assume that the Raikage was taking him there for a reason, the man didn't seem the type to mince words when there were other ways of communicating. Eventually though, they arrived at their destination, coming to an abrupt halt in a small valley between two of the largest summits that watched over Kumogakure itself.

In the valley itself were four people moving and training together, two men and two women, all of differing sizes and statures. As the two new arrivals of Naruto and the Raikage landed near them, the four stopped their training almost instantly, sheathing their weapons and approaching the men as they talked amongst themselves. All of them appeared to be around the blonde's own age, with a grace of a year or two in either direction, with the exception of the large man that was oddly reminiscent of the Raikage himself behind them. The Last Uzumaki quickly began sizing them all up, making the guess that the four were a team, or at least had been, with the older man who appeared to be in his early thirties as the sensei.

His eyes were first drawn to the woman that was leading the pack, and he briefly overheard her respond to the name 'Samui', absentmindedly thinking to himself that it was a very befitting name for someone like her, though he was only judging a book by its cover. She was a fair-skinned woman of tall stature and with a very curvaceous figure, an aloof expression on her face that made her seem disinterested, though he knew she was watching his every move like a falcon. Her eyes were a bright azure like his own and straight, blonde hair framed her face in an asymmetrical bob style, the front bangs reaching her shoulders, a cold yet cool smirk gracing her features for a moment. Hers was a very low-cut outfit which displayed her sizeable cleavage, with mesh armor underneath. A short skirt and red hand guards, high boots, and what appeared to be a modified Kumogakure flak jacket that covered only her stomach, similar to a girdle adorned the rest of her slim figure. She also had a tanto strapped horizontally to her lower back, within easy reach.

Naruto pulled his eyes from his fellow blonde, quickly moving them over to the other female of the group, and sizing her up as well, giving her a brief yet through once-over. She was a dark-skinned kunoichi with long spiky red hair and amber eyes. While the woman wasn't quite flat-chested, her partner Samui definitely had her beat in that department, and by a vast margin at that. The woman wore a long, short-sleeved dress with frilly edges complete with the Kumo flak jacket, with two simple yellow earrings sparkling in her ears. Fishnet stockings and thigh-high boots with white soles covered her slender legs, and with a Hitai-Ite which she wore as a bandanna, she managed to look both cute and fearsome, though the second attribute was more attributed to the long katana she wore on her back, and he heard the young man next to her briefly call her 'Karui'.

Speaking of the man, the Uzumaki heir turned his gaze upon him, briefly running over the man's body and taking it in, committing it to memory like the others. The man was called 'Omoi', he picked up in the same manner as the others as they moved towards him, a dark-skinned Nin with short, spiky, white hair and dark eyes accentuated with eyelashes that curved upwards from the corners. He was dressed in a dark outfit consisting of an overlong shirt with a hood that was thrown over his back, with red bandage hand guards, white shin guards, and a black Hitai-Ite along with the standard Kumo flak jacket. The young man had a thoughtful expression on his face, as though in deep contemplation. Between the katana he carried on his back and the lollipop he had in his mouth, Omoi looked like quite an interesting character to be sure.

The last member of the group needed no introduction, Naruto knew him from the bingo book and other intelligence that the Leaf had gathered over the years in an instant. The large man had dark skin, once more similar to all the people assembled in the valley apart from himself and Samui, and a very muscular build the same as his adoptive brother. His hair was a stark white, in contrast to his skin, with a matching goatee. On his right shoulder, the tattoo of the kanji for "iron" could easily be made out, its significance relating to the Iron Armor Seal that was used to seal the Hachibi into him, and on his left cheek, he had a tattoo of a bull's horn. His top lip was of a slightly darker hue than his bottom one, giving him a face that was close, but different to his pseudo-brothers.

The man wore oval shaped sunglasses and a white Hitai-Ite that covered his forehead like a bandanna. He also proudly wore his village's standard one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, with a long, red rope belt tied around his waist. The standard Kumo hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, with a white scarf around his neck covered up the rest of his body, giving him the muscular appearance that every cloud shinobi wanted to cultivate. Upon his back in the most oddly shaped scabbard the blonde had ever seen, were seven short swords that he'd know anywhere, most Cloud-Nin used them at some point or another- the 'Chō Biburāto Raitontō (Super Vibrato Lightning Blades)'. The man was the 'B' to his Raikage's 'A', the one and only Jinchuriki and true master of the Hachibi, Killer Bee.

The three younger people quickly stepped off to the side after a brief look from their leader, already feeling within themselves that something big was going to happen, and knowing that whatever it was, they would not want to be caught in the middle of it. Happenings with this Raikage and his 'Brother' usually seemed to get quite… explosive. It sure did keep things interesting, though. 'A' met Bee in a brief meeting, with Naruto off to the side and watched as the men fist bumped, a grin on each of their faces, before the Uzumaki heard the voice of the Hachibi Jinchuriki for the first time, the man seemingly picking up on something from his brother from the mere fist bump.

"You sure, Bro? All I know is that I'll jack up his Flow!" 'A' merely nodded, and everyone in the clearing watched in a mixture of awe, annoyance, and disbelief as the man raised one of his heavily muscled arms into the air, his index and pinky fingers raised while the rest remained in a fist, before he let out an obnoxious 'Wheeeee!' noise that culminated in a scream. After watching the odd spectacle, 'A' turned his head towards the only blonde man in the clearing, chuckling softly to himself at the young man's reaction to Bee's antics. As the scream died down, he spoke briefly and gruffly, giving the blonde the only instructions that he would get for the coming climax.

"Show me the mettle of Konohagakure. Prove to me you will be as invested in this as Kumo, and then we'll talk." And with that, the Raikage turned to walk back to the area that was populated by Omoi, Samui, and Karui, moving to stand adjacent to them, the group shielded by a small outcropping of rock that would be a marginal defense in the hardest fight that was to ever come to the valley. Back with Naruto, the Jounin of Konoha had watched the large hulk of a man turn his back on him, walking away. He briefly opened his mouth in protest, before he closed it again, the man wanted to test his mettle? Fine. He'd partake in this fight, but the Kami-forsaken Raikage better agree to this alliance. He wasn't in the business of fighting for others amusement, even if all they knew or respected was individual strength.

He didn't have time to lament on anything further before he was yanked from his musings by very man he was to fight, the sound of a pencil scratching against paper piercing the rough silence that had fallen on the valley, the distance between the two men being only that of a few yards, close enough for them to both to make out every detail of the other, while still maintaining a good distance. Cobalt eyes met covered and shaded ones, the goliath of a man appearing to be completely focused on writing his rhymes down, speaking in his bastardized rap the whole time. "Yo, don'tcha know, that's my flow!" He paused briefly, looking down at the page before frowning and scratching it out. "Shit man, that's amateur stuff; not worthee of the Killer Bee!"

The blonde shinobi raised an eyebrow at the man, before he decided that he'd had enough of this, the Raikage wanted a fight? He'd give him a fight. Forcing his chakra into his legs, using it to both grip the ground like cleats and to enhance his power to superhuman levels, the blonde shinobi shot off towards the writing man at an incredible speed, surprising all the people in the valley with the exception of the Raikage himself, and Kirabi. He had crossed the clearing so fast that his movements were a blur, the culminating event being Naruto forcing his chakra-enhanced blade against that of Kirabi's lightning infused and shimmering swords, the man holding one in each of his hands, their faces only a few inches from each other, both men's muscles tensed in a physical struggle of dominance.

Before the blonde shinobi had a second to attack with a second strike he was roughly kicked in the chest by the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi, being launched back across the area, flipping into a half twist as he moved, landing on his feet, one hand on the ground as he fell back dragging along the ground. "Yo my Man, you gotta come at me with a Plan! I'm the boss of the Hachibi, The one and only Killah Bee!" Naruto did his best to ignore the inane rapping of the man, launching himself forward once more, his tactical mind whirring into motion as he seemingly flew through the air towards the man.

Ninja from Kumogakure were known for three major things when it came to combat: Kenjutsu, Lightning Ninjutsu, and their immense physical strength that allowed them to quite literally live for combat. The first thing he needed to do was disarm the Bee, he knew that much. While Naruto himself was quite adept with a sword, he was no match for the man in Kenjutsu alone, the Jinchuriki was a legend in his own era when it came to that. After that, Kirabi would likely attempt to blitz him, pulling on the chakra of his tenant and attempting to attack him as a force of nature, and likely expecting the Uzumaki to respond in kind, but the thing was, Naruto was the only Jinchuriki that he knew of that didn't fight as one. The final part of his plan would be to wear the man down, his strength would take a lot of hits, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. He'd fought Jinchuriki before.

There was a brief exchange in Kenjutsu once more as Naruto finished formulating his plan, very aware of the eyes that were on him from the sidelines as he worked. He'd do his best to end this quickly, before it got too out of hand. The two men clashed once more, blades slicing against blades, before the duo parted once more in an explosive show of force, though this time the blonde shinobi was the victor of the bout, mirroring Kirabi's earlier move and kicking the large man in the chest with a chakra powered kick, dispersing it on impact throughout the man's body. As the Last Uzumaki launched himself off of the man, he forced himself into the air, dropping two smoke bombs on the ground below him. He was obscured in the gray smoke of his equipment before he had made it more than six feet in the air.

"Hey there Mister Nine, that move there was Pretty Fine! But seriously bro you need to Chill Out, I don't even know what this fights All About!" Kirabi's eyes rang out through the smoke, the blonde smirking as he listened to the seemingly crazy man, his plan already in motion to take down the man as he floated through the air, spinning as he threw kunai after kunai into the landscape below him, the set up being vital so he could match the man's speed. He never made it to the ground, never landed from his jump as his sword sprung to life in his arms, vanishing in a flash of blue as he began to move through the kunai. Before he had made three jumps though, there was a powerful burst of chakra that forced the smoke around the area to disperse immediately, revealing the revered Killer Bee in the middle of the area, a sword in each hand, unharmed.

Upon noticing the unique blade sticking out of the ground around him, Kirabi's eyes widened briefly behind his sunglasses, before he rapidly began dodging the attacks from the offending blonde shinobi, unsheathing the many swords on his back and throwing them into the air as he moved, only taking minor cuts from the Jounin as he did so, before jumping up and catching them all, falling back onto the ground in the dead center of the field, in the stance he so favored and had named the 'Akurobatto (Acrobat)' style, holding the blades in a very peculiar fashion the blonde had never seen before. The first two were held in the hinge joint of his right and left arm, another between his shoulder blade and neck, one in his mouth, another under his left armpit, yet another between the hip joint of his right, raised leg and the back leg of the same raised leg.

Naruto merely inclined his head slightly to the right, before he flashed towards the man once more, fiercely yet cautiously. The style the large man was using may have looked ridiculous, laughable even, but the Uzumaki was no fool, he knew that the man wouldn't employ the style in actual combat unless he was confident in it, so he would be taking no chances. The man would be getting disarmed shortly, whether he wanted it or not, those swords would be history before too long. This wasn't a fight he could afford to lose, not now, not ever. Konoha needed the support of the five villages, and it was his job to get it. He would not fail. That wasn't the type of man he was.

"Man oh man, the son of the big bad Flash, just wanting to fight and smash and crash! This fight is close to home fo' you I see, but it's time to show ya why they call me the Killer Bee, Wheee!" Short needle-like swords met a single lone katana again and again as the two met and bounced apart, before flying back into each other again, Kirabi bouncing around like a human buzz saw that created a hate-child with a porcupine, Naruto flashing around at such a rapid rate there was only small flashes of blue that denoted where he had once been, yet the Hachibi Jinchuriki was still able to deflect all of his blows, the same thing not being able to be said of the last Uzumaki, who had several visible and shallow cuts littering his arms and torso.

The two landed apart from one another once more, staring down each other and the Jounin of Konoha allowed a small and sly smile to grace his features, the man was right where he wanted him. Right as the white haired man began to mumble one of his raps through the hilt of the sword in his mouth, the blonde shot forward once more, disappearing from the front of the man and reappearing in a flash of cobalt as he brought his sword crashing down from the larger man's back right. There was a loud clang as once again, Naruto's blade was caught by three of Kirabi's, before the man himself was stabbed with the other four, the blades striking with pinpoint accuracy into the man's left shoulder, right hip, left knee, and directly under the blonde's left kidney.

The Jinchuriki of the Hachibi held the man above him for a moment, there laden in his blades, before he saw the sparkle in the blonde's eyes, his own widening in surprise as the man caught in his blades muttered a single word before the world went white. "Boom." 'Naruto' exploded, sending the four swords that had pierce his body flying to the ends of the training ground, the explosion so dense and powerful that there was no hope of them being repaired. The three that Kirabi had been using to deflect the Jounin's own blade had been scattered as well, the stealthy Jounin had hid his true attack well, using a Kage Bunshin that was so overloaded with chakra that it was nearly impossible to tell the difference between it and the original if you weren't a sensor-nin.

The Elite Jounin of Kumo bounded back from the blast, his clothes and armor singed and his hair slightly burnt from the blast. It had been one helluva blast, as well, powerful enough to launch him away from the position the two had been fighting at, and also breaking, cracking, or at least throwing his many swords away from him, the blonde was cunning, he had to admit. He was barely able to get his chakra cloak up in time to cover his escape. He landed briefly, and was prepared for a quick melee exchange, watching as Naruto screamed towards him in a frontal assault, two more appearing on either side of him, all wielding their blades, the somewhat famous 'Kaze no Karitoriki' singing in the morning air as it sliced through the wind, just as its name denoted.

But before the three could clash with the man, two hands shot out of the ground with a muffled cry of "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu! (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique!)" He was pulled into the ground, his mobility cut off as he did so. However, as Kirabi was falling, he managed to pull off a flawless substitution with one of the attacking clones, changing places, and nailing it with a kick to the head as it sunk down, dispelling it immediately, turning and punching on of the others in the solar plexus, before landing a spinning reverse kick on the other in a flurry of Taijutsu. He was given no respite though, as several different forms of the shinobi he was fighting appeared from around the surrounding area, each one flashing through seals as they moved.

Kirabi wasted no time, he was done playing around, the blonde was pulling out all the stops, so he would do the same. "Get ready Mister Nine, because once I'm done here your ass is Mine! Wheeeee!" In seconds, glowing red chakra had covered his entire body, before condensing into what looked like the consistency of blood, eight tails of chakra lazily floating around behind him, a visage of a bull covering the man's head as the chakra in the air became almost heavy. The man that had been there a moment before began growing in size as he started to take on the true form of the Hachibi, the subjugated beast he held within him powerless to fight back as he stole its power. But then, before he could finish the full transformation, the assault started.

There were ten copies of Naruto that surrounded the growing man, each one flashing out the seals for a hand sign and completing them in practiced unison. "Fūton: Reppūshō (Wind Release: Gale Palm!)", "Fūton: Shinkūgyoku! (Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets)", "Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku! (Fire Release: Majestic Destroying Flame!)", "Katon: Karyū Endan! (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Flame Bullet!)", "Doton: Doryūdan! (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!)", "Doton: Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu! (Earth Release: Mud Wave Jutsu!)", "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!)", "Suiton: Suigadan! (Water Release: Water Bullets!)", "Raiton: Jibashi! (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!)", "Raiton: Gian! (Lightning Release: False Darkness!)".

Ten separate techniques launched forth from the chakra powerhouse that was Naruto, each clone bursting out of existence as they finished. Lightning, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, two techniques of each element colliding into the mass of chakra that was the Hachibi Jinchuriki in his released form. Naruto's Tenketsu burned as his clones dispersed, he chakra coils scorching the inside of his body at the influx of the insane amount of chakra he had forced through his system. It had cost him, but it had worked, he noted as his flesh burned from the inside as he walked towards the fallen hulk of a man, now merely in his Version One form, Kirabi's body collapsed on the ground from the sheer magnitude of the blasts of chakra that he hadn't been able to avoid because of his massive size.

Naruto walked slowly towards the fallen man, watching as he struggled to sit up. He couldn't blame the man for trying, Bee certainly had heart, and had he known this was going to happen, he would have prepared a specific seal to contain the man without hurting him, but as it was, he had no choice but to use what he already had. In his left hand the last Uzumaki clutched a paper tag that when applied, would bind a person's mind within their body, in addition to sealing their chakra, demonic and otherwise, within themselves, though locked off from it. It had one major drawback though, and that was that the target had to be weakened to an immense point before it could be used, and while it was a viable option for use against a Jinchuriki, weakening one to such a state was no easy task, as he had demonstrated.

The heir to the Uzumaki clan knelt next to the man known as the Guardian of Kumo, who laid defeated at his feet, reaching forward and placing the seal onto the man's forehead, before he stood up, turning to face the rapidly approaching forms of the Raikage and Team Samui. Kirabi, though now unconscious and back in his base form, had a grin stretched across his face, it had been the best fight he had had in years, and even though he had lost, when he had clashed fists with Naruto he knew it was for a good cause, and as such, he didn't feel remorse for losing. There would always be time for a rematch anyways, he was sure that his brother would take whatever offer the blonde had given him.

Naruto wasn't on his feet when the four shinobi arrived, he had fallen to one knee, breathing heavily when the group made it to him. He looked up briefly, noticing they had arrived, and as he stood, he released the technique he'd been holding the entire time, and the Raikage didn't miss it as the orange pigmentation around his eyes faded, his chakra signature returning to normal as his sage mode slipped away and out of his system. The Last Uzumaki stood tall and proud, having bested the best Jinchuriki the world could through at him, not taking a single hit from the man's Bijuu as he fought. There were small cuts and bruises adorning his body, true, but buy in large he was unharmed from Kirabi. His chakra coils and tenketsu, while they were no doubt damaged in his final assault would no doubt heal in time, especially with his healing factor.

That had been the first time that he had forcefully chained that many different techniques together, and never of so many different chakra natures. It was absurd, really, considering he only had an affinity for three of them, but that didn't mean he could do it. It had killed his chakra reserves though, Sage Mode enhanced or not. He sighed briefly to himself as he moved closer to the Raikage, passing by the busty blonde Samui, stepping over the lollipop that Omoi had dropped, ignoring the vibrant red hair of Karui, before coming to stand face to face with the man that ran the village himself, drawing himself up to his full height and looking the man who had questioned his commitment in the eye before he spoke in a low and gruff tone, his voice not betraying how exhausted or in pain that last move had made him.

"Now… I believe we were discussing your acceptance of my offer…"


Author's Note:

Holy shit on a stick, two chapters in one day? I hope you guys feel pretty special, cause my fingers are killing me. Naruto finally reveals Sage Mode! Whhaaaattt! Cool shit, man. Too bad it was basically forgotten in Canon as soon as he got his chakra cloak. Kinda bullshit, but whatever. Kishi is a multimillionaire and I make shit money being in the military, different strokes for different folks I guess. Anyways, hope you guys liked the chapter, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

That's all I got. Out.