Bodyguard of Azula

by Deus Swiftblade

Naruto is banished from Konoha but gives them the slip and boards a ship. Soon after, he is shipwrecked on Ember island and is saved by Azula. Three years later, Naruto is Azula's bodyguard while she hunts for the Avatar, but did he see the last of Konoha?

40. Dueling and Leaving

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.

Bodyguard of Azula

Chapter 40: Dueling and Leaving

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijū/spirit talking"

"Bijū/spirit thinking"

(Location: Konoha)

As most of the crowd in the stands looked down at the field, those who knew the person Kabuto had summoned were in a rage. "How can he be that heartless?" Tsunade demanded.

"We knew he would use the Edo Tensei; we just didn't know who he would use," Jiraiya said. "We didn't know who he would summon."

"I must admit, it was a good move on Orochimaru's part," Ōnoki said with a smirk. "It was quite clever too."

Killer Bee turned a scowl on him. "That ain't right, old man. You say that again, I'll bust your head open like an egg going to the pan," he threatened.

"Raikage, restrain your brother. I am appalled as well, but I'm willing to admit the brilliance of what he did." The Tsuchikage spoke with an indifferent tone, which only made Bee even angrier.

"Bee, calm down," A ordered his brother.

"I can't calm down, brother," the man protested. "For doing something like that, I want to tear that snake another."

"You're not the only one, Bee. Now calm down."

"Just who the hell is that woman?" Kankurō asked, looking at everyone else there. "Why is she making you all so pissed off?"

"Be respectful!" the Raikage snapped. "That is Kushina Uzumaki!"

"Well, who is Kushina Uzumaki?! Somebody please, give me a straight answer!"

"She was the wife of the Yondaime Hokage," Baki answered his student's question. "She died with him on the tenth of October, the day Naruto Uzumaki was born."

When he heard that little tidbit of information, he connected the dots and realized what that meant. "Oh fuck." Those two words summed up the entire situation perfectly.

---

"That's his mother?!" Katara repeated, horrified as she looked down at the dead woman.

"That's what I just said, isn't it!?" Jiraiya replied, still glaring daggers at his former teammate.

"That bastard!" roared an outraged Kiba.

Azula sat in silence, looking down at the woman standing in front of the coffin. "She's the same woman I met in my dreams after we had gotten out of the swamp," she thought. "She really was his mother."

"How can he do something like that?" Hinata asked.

"Very easily, it appears," Shino told her. While he was just angry as the rest of them, he remained in control of himself.

"This is entirely unyouthful!" Lee declared.

"This is what Orochimaru does," Neji told his teammate, cold fury lacing his voice.

"Is there any way for us to down to the field?" Suki asked the shinobi beside her. They had to get down to the field and help their friends.

"If there was, I would already be down there," Jiraiya told her.

---

"Well, Naruto," Orochimaru said with gleeful cruelty. "How does it feel, knowing you'll have to fight your mother?"

"His mother!?" repeated both Zuko and Sokka in shock and horror when they heard those words. But once they took a closer look, they could see some of the resemblances between the two of them.

"Naruto, is that really you?" Kushina finally spoke, looking at her son.

"Yes, it is, Kushina, Orochimaru told her. "That's your son over there. I thought I give the two of you time to get to know each other."

She turned to cast an angry and furious look at him. "You bastard, you're going to have the two of us fight."

He wasn't fazed by it. "Well of course, why else would you be here if not to be forced to kill your own son?"

"You sick freak!" Sokka yelled when he heard that.

"You have no honor," Zuko said with a hard voice. The man was truly nothing but the lowest kind of scum there was. He had thought his father had been bad, but at least he had standards.

"There's no need to be rude, you two," Kabuto told them with a condescending smile. "But please don't interrupt; this is something that is none of your concern."

"The same goes for you, Kabuto," Naruto finally spoke out. "So shut up." The man looked like he had been smacked across the face at those words.

"You are as brash as ever, Naruto," Orochimaru noted. "I guess three years away has done little to cool your temper."

"Could he be any more wrong?" the Kyūbi asked.

Kushina thought something different. "Three years? What do you mean, Orochimaru?

"Oh, you didn't know?" he asked for the sake of cruelty. "Your dear son is home in Konoha for the first time in three years, after running away from it. He had gotten tired of how the village treated him and when they decided to banish him for doing what he was ordered, he left. He gave up on being a shinobi. Aren't you proud of him?"

"Shut up. You shut up. You're lying."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

She looked over at her son. "It's not true. Please tell me it's not true. Why would you leave the village, Naruto?" He didn't answer her. It was answer enough and everyone could see her despair.

She was about to speak when Orochimaru pulled out a kunai with a red talisman and inserted it into her head. "That's enough talking," he said. As he withdrew his hand, steam began to hiss and rise from her body. The cracks in her skin disappear and her skin returned to its original tone. When the steam had dissipated, she looked like she was alive again. Her clothes, a dark short sleeve shirt with tight pants stopping beneath her knees with a shuriken holster on her right leg and the Konoha flak jacket, looked like they were fresh cleaned. Her long, red hair had been tied into a ponytail. The only problem was that her eyes held no life in them, they were completely dead.

"Well, Naruto? Are you ready to fight against your mother?" Kabuto asked the blonde with a smug look. They knew he could not and would not refuse.

Naruto took one last drag of the cigarette he had in his mouth, which he had been working on since his fight with Jūgo. He blew the smoke, then took the cigarette out and looked at it. He was quiet as he slowly examined what remained of the cancer stick. He finally dropped it to the ground and snuffed it out with his foot.

"Sokka, Zuko, Akela," he said aloud. "You guys fight her."

It was safe to assume that almost everyone there was not expecting that response.

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked him. He knew this was something the blonde would say, but he wanted to be certain.

"Yes. I am."

"But this is your mother, Naruto," Sokka said.

He looked at him. "She might be my mother, Sokka. But I don't know her. Besides, you'll have a better chance of beating her." He walked past them over to the tree and sat down against the trunk. "Have fun."

---

"…That was unexpected," Ōnoki said. He would've thought that the blonde would leap directly into combat. But it had been quite the opposite.

"No, that went as expected," Gaara replied.

"Oh? Do you know something we don't, Lord Kazekage?"

"I stayed with Naruto during my vacation," the redhead told the old man. "Orochimaru still expected to him to be hot-headed and would charge into things headfirst. But he's changed. He's able to stay calm and make the right decision."

"So Orochimaru's plan just about blew up in his face?" Mei asked for clarification.

"Yes."

"Serves that smug snake bastard right," growled A.

---

"Huh, I didn't think he'd do that," Hidan said.

"He certainly is different, hm," Deidara stated. "I thought he'd charged right and start attacking."

"He would have, if it was three years ago," Kisame told him.

"Hey, Itachi, why were you so angry earlier?" Tobi asked the Uchiha, who looked like he had managed to calm down. "You looked like you were going to attack Orochimaru yourself."

"Does that woman mean something to you?" Kakuzu asked.

Itachi stayed silent for a couple of seconds before finally speaking. "There are few shinobi that have my respect. Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze were two of them. They always believed in the village and protected it from danger until their last breath. For Orochimaru to have her summoned from the dead to use her to kill her own son is insulting."

"Then it's a good thing he said no." Kisame remarked. "Although isn't it a little hypocritical for you to talk about respecting someone who defended the village?"

"Enough, Kisame," Konan said. "Who Itachi respects is his choice."

---

"I did not expect this," Orochimaru thought. "He will not fight her, nor will he try to attack me now. This might complicate things. But no matter, once Kushina kills his friends, he'll have no choice but to attack." He smirked as he looked at Kushina's opponents.

"Sending your friends to the slaughter, Naruto?" Kabuto asked, acting confidently once he saw the smirk on Orochimaru's face. "I didn't realize you'd become so heartless."

"It's only a slaughter if we die!" Sokka retorted as he drew his jian and unhooked his club. Akela stood ready at his side; teeth bared. Zuko drew his swords as well.

"Is that so? Then perhaps we should send you along more quickly." He pulled out a scroll and placed it on the ground. He opened it and folded his hands into a handseal. He muttered a "Kai." before slapping his hand down on the scroll. A cloud of smoke sprouted from the paper and when it dissipated, a katana laid there. He picked it up and held out for Kushina. She took it with no hesitation.

---

"This just got more difficult," Jiraiya said with a grimace once he saw the sword.

"What do you mean, Lord Jiraiya?" Tenten asked. "Is that katana special somehow?"

"No, but when Kushina wielded a blade when she was alive, she became much more difficult to beat." A sarcastic chuckle escaped his lips. "I guess it was to be expected from the niece of the Ken no Ryōshu (Lord of Swords)."

"Wait, Kenji Uzumaki was her uncle?" Katara asked him, completely surprised by his words.

"Yep, she was. She was almost as good as he was."

"…You're right," Toph said. "This did just get more complicated."

They were silent until Hinata noticed Kiba acting strange. "What's the matter, Kiba?" she asked him.

"How can he act like that? How can he act like she doesn't matter to him?" he asked in outrage. "She's his mother, Kami take it!" He was an Inuzuka. To him, your family was your pack. You never turn your back on your pack.

"It's because she's his mother that he's acting like this," Jiraiya told him.

"Well, isn't there anything to reverse whatever it is that's keeping her under the control of the Edo Tensei?" Neji asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "Not that I know of, although the only method that I remember Kakashi or Asuma explaining to me was when Konoha was invaded. The late Sandaime used the Shiki Fūjin on the reanimated corpses of the first two Hokages."

"I guess you have a point," Chōji said, understanding what Jiraiya was saying. "Still, I'd thought Naruto would completely angry right now. Instead, he's just calm."

Azula shook his head. "You're wrong; he's not calm at all. He's furious."

"How can you tell?" Shikamaru asked.

"Lesson Number 8: Your emotions do not control you; you control them," she recited. "He's forcing himself to be calm right now. But once he's done, whoever's going to be on the receiving end of his fury will probably deserve it."

---

They stood in silence as they face each other, three to one. Orochimaru and Kabuto kept back, giving the combatants more room. Naruto hadn't moved from where he sat.

Sokka made the first move. He charged straight at Kushina, swinging the sharp end of the club at the shoulder of her sword arm. "If I can dislocate her shoulder, she won't be able to use it as effectively," he thought.

As the club was about to hit, she moved. She swung the katana up, catching the club in its hook. She continued the swing and yanked the club of his hands, sending it flying. He plunged his jian into her stomach, but she caught it with her own sword. The swing had turned down so smoothly, no one had seen it turned.

That was when Zuko moved in. He charged and leapt high into the air. He swung his swords downwards, right at her head. With a quick glance upwards, she kicked Sokka away and brought her sword up in a defensive position. The blades clanged against each other as Zuko landed. Akela charged in and went for the legs.

She sidestepped and pushed his swords away. Not stopping, she slashed at Akela, forcing him to leap away. She took the opportunity to attack Zuko. The blades clashed again but this time, Zuko was pushed back. She took that opportunity to form a handseal. "Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu)!" she cried, spewing out a giant dragon head made of fire.

It flew at Zuko, intending to burn him to a crisp. However, neither Orochimaru nor Kabuto were aware of what Zuko could do. He stood his ground and sliced the head in two using his Dao swords. He then bent the halves into two streams of fire and sent them back at her, intertwining them as they went.

She rolled out of the way of the two streams. Akela saw an opportunity. He lunged forward and grabbed her leg, tearing it off just below the knee. He tossed the leg away and moved back. "Nice job, Akela." Sokka told him. "That should keep her down."

"Are you sure of that?" Orochimaru asked them with an amused smile. The torn leg broke apart, turning into dust and ash. The stuff flew over to the body. Sokka and Zuko watched in horror as the leg was literally remade in front of their eyes. Once the damage was fixed, she stood back up. "You've got to be kidding," Zuko said in disbelief.

Sokka couldn't answer due to the fact she suddenly charged them. "Shinkūken (Vacuum Sword)!" A gust of wind sprang from the slash she swung and flew towards them. They leapt to avoid it and came back together to attack her. Sokka swung high while Zuko swung low.

She blocked both strikes with ease. She pushed the sword up, bringing theirs up along with and then drew it back. She swung down, aiming for them both. Though they stepped back, she still managed to nick their sides. Rather than press her advantage, she lowered her sword and sheathed it.

Both Zuko and Sokka were confused. "What is she doing?" Zuko asked.

They got their answer when she rushed them at a blindingly fast pace. She drew her katana and slashed at them in the same motion. It was only due to the hellish month of training Jiraiya put them through that they were able to block the slash. Had they tried to stop her a second later, they would've been cut in half. All four swords held together in a deadlock. Zuko and Sokka pushed against with all their might, but she was unyielding.

Akela lunged for her. He leapt over the blades and slammed into her chest, sending both to the ground. He tried to tear out her throat out, but she wrapped her legs around him and twisted, slamming him to the ground. She let go, stood back up and then flashed though handseals. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu)!" She spewed several small fireballs at the wolf.

It never touched him. Zuko bent the fire towards himself and onto his swords. He then swung them back at her, bending the fire into arcs. She flipped over them, dodging effortlessly. When she landed, Sokka was there. He swung his jian at her head, but she blocked it effortlessly.

Knocking the jian aside, she tried to slice him from shoulder to hip. He blocked her and hooked his leg behind hers, tripping her. However, as she fell, she pulled herself into backflip. She landed back on her feet, only to duck as Sokka threw his boomerang at her head.

As it flew over her head, she stood back up and attacked him. She aimed a thrust at his stomach, but he parried and cut her side. He tried to slice off her legs, but she swatted the jian away. Before she could attack again, the boomerang came back and sliced through her left shoulder. Sokka caught the boomerang as her entire left arm just fell to the ground.

"Sokka, hit the ground!" ordered Zuko. He did so, giving the Fire Nation prince a clear shot of Kushina. While Sokka had been attacking, he had been preparing and now, he was ready. He opened his mouth and breathed lightning, which he directed straight at her heart. She didn't react in time and the lightning hit her in full force. She flew back a couple of feet and fell to the ground when the lightning stopped. There was a hole where her heart had been, it had been a through-and-through.

"Please tell me that was enough," Sokka said as he stood back up. But what he was asking for wouldn't happen. Ash and dust began to fill up the hole and also began to reattach the arm. When the hole was filled and the arm was back in place, she stood back up. "This is getting annoying."

"Will the two of you stop playing around?" Naruto asked from where he sat. "Just finish her off already."

"Oh? You're sure your friends can beat her?" Kabuto asked him before laughing. "How amusing that you think they have a chance. Your friends are weaklings. They couldn't even possibly compare to Kushina, who became famous during the Third Shinobi World War."

"Orochimaru, why is your donkey braying?" the blonde asked the Snake Sage, completely ignoring the man who spoke. "It's annoying everybody here."

"A donkey," Orochimaru repeated with a tone of curiosity.

"He sounds like an ass." The answer amused Orochimaru and offended Kabuto, not that he cared. He turned his attention back to his teammates. "Guys, finish it."

They nodded in agreement and turned to face Kushina. It was time to bring out what they learned.

(Flashback)

They all sat around the fire, eating their dinner. Three of them were battered but their bruises didn't sting so much. "Today was decent," Jiraiya told them, looking at them through the fire. "You did well in some places, but not as well in others."

"And that's why you're training us," Naruto replied as he wolfed down his meat.

"Indeed. That reminds me." He turned to the other two humans there. "Sokka, Zuko, did the two of you learn from the same teacher when it came to the sword?"

"What makes you say that?" Zuko asked back. "We wield different kinds of swords."

"Yes, but both of you take the same basic stance and some of your forms look similar too."

"Well, I don't know about Sokka, but I learned from Piandao."

"Wait, Piandao?" Sokka repeated. "I learned from him as well." That was surprising news to learn.

"That answers the question," Jiraiya said to himself before returning his attention to them. "May I see your swords?"

The two of them look at him like he was crazy. "You want to what?" Zuko asked.

"I wish to examine them."

"You're not going to do anything to them?" Sokka asked. He like his jian very much. He didn't want to see it destroyed.

"No."

"You're not gonna steal them and hide them from us?"

"Why would I do that?" the Toad Sage asked him, sounding completely mystified.

"I don't know." It felt like something someone would do to keep his sword away from him.

"I promise to do nothing but examine them."

They shared a look with each other before cautiously handing their swords over to him. He took them and drew them from their scabbards. He looked them over until his eyes settled the same inscription on the different swords. "What is it?" Naruto asked him.

"How does your master know this phrase?" he asked Sokka and Zuko, pointing to the inscription on Sokka's jian.

"He said that he learned it from his master," Zuko answered.

"Who was his master?"

"I don't know. I never asked."

"Um…I think it was a guy named Kenji Uzumaki," Sokka told him. That sounded like it was the right name to the Tribesman.

It must've been the correct name because it got Jiraiya's attention instantly. "What? Are you sure of that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. People called him the Ken no Ryōshu, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." He sheathed the swords and handed them back. "So, the rumors were true after all…" he mused to himself.

"What rumors?" Zuko asked him.

"There were rumors that Kenji Uzumaki had trained a student in both swordsmanship and in forging, teaching him the most kept secret of the Uzumaki," he explained. "Apparently, his clan raised a fuss over it due to the face he hadn't trained a clan member or even a shinobi."

"And how do you know all this?" Naruto asked him, curious about it all.

"Later in his life, he also trained his niece, Kushina Uzumaki."

"…My mother?" the blonde asked after a moment of stunned silence.

"…Yes," he answered. "The Kyūbi must have told him," he thought to himself.

"What does this have to do with our swords?" Zuko asked, looking down at his Dao swords.

"These aren't just swords, they're Zanpakutōs."

"A Zanpakutō?" repeated Sokka. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Kushina told me that the Uzumaki clan was the best in Fūinjutsu and Kenjutsu. But their true skill was in the art of forging."

"If that's true, why aren't there Zanpakutō's by the dozen?" the Tribesman asked. He would've thought that would be the case if what the old shinobi was saying was true.

"Firstly, the secret to creating them was closely guarded. Only one person in the clan knew the secret and they would only tell it to their student when they were ready," Jiraiya explained. "The second reason was that being the holder of the secret meant to you had to be a good judge of character. If you felt that person was worthy enough, you could forge a Zanpakutō. According to Kushina, no one in the history of the Uzumaki clan was worthy enough to have a Zanpakutō. The third reason was because Uzushiogakure was destroyed."

"Uzushiogakure?" repeated Naruto.

"It was the Shinobi village of the Uzumaki clan, in the Land of Whirlpools," he told the blonde quietly. "It's destruction sparked the Third Great Shinobi War."

For a couple of seconds, all they heard was the fire crackle. "…Who destroyed it?"

"We don't know," he answered. "No one ever came forward and announced it. That was partly why the war happened."

"What about the clan?" If there were still members of his clan grouped together, then maybe he could find them or something.

"Most of them were killed in the attack, the rest scattered to the four winds. I'm sorry."

Listening to those words made his small hope of finding fellow clansmen disappear. "Don't apologize, you didn't attack them," he told Jiraiya.

The Toad Sage turned his attention to Sokka. "How is it you know what a Zanpakutō is?"

"Sifu told me when I found the tomb," the Tribesman said in reply.

"Who is Sifu?" He didn't know this person and as a shinobi, it was in his best interests to know people.

"Don't worry, I know him. We can trust what he says," Naruto told him. "What do you mean tomb?" he asked Sokka.

"You know how Sifu was the last master of the first Paragons?" The blonde nodded. "Well, their master before him was the one who taught them how to make Zanpakutōs. According to Sifu, he only taught how to do it to five people, four of which were the first Paragons."

"Who was the fifth?" Zuko asked.

"He didn't know, only that it was someone he taught long before the first Paragons."

"So that's how they knew the secret," Jiraiya muttered to himself when he heard those words.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, looking at the Toad Sage.

"Do you know the legend of the Sage of the Six Paths?"

"Yeah, I actually paid attention that day in class." He always paid attention when it came time for a story. Whether it was history or not didn't matter.

"Do you remember the part about his sons?"

"Yeah, the eldest felt cheated and challenged the youngest to a fight. Their fight would continue through the generations as the descendants of the elder became the Uchiha and the descendants of the younger became the Senju," he recited.

"Did they also tell you that the Uzumaki are distantly related to the Senju?" Jiraiya asked him.

"…They left that part out. Where are you going with this?"

"If the Uzumaki are descended from the Sage of the Six Paths and they knew how to create a Zanpakutō…?"

"Oh, I get it," the blonde said, realizing where the old shinobi was going where this conversation and seeing the point.

"Do you mind telling us what in the name of Agni you are talking about?" Zuko asked the two of them. Both he and Sokka were completely confused by what they were saying.

"We know who the fifth person was, that's all," Naruto replied shortly.

"But the main question is how you learned their names?" Jiraiya asked both Sokka and Zuko, looking them straight in the eye.

"They have names?" Sokka asked in confusion. He just thought it was a sword. It didn't need a name, did it?

"From what Kushina told me and what I could research, each Zanpakutō has a spirit, and the spirit has a name."

Both Sokka and Zuko remembered the dreams they had. "That must've been the spirit," they thought to themselves. "So how do we find out their names?" Zuko asked aloud.

"They have to tell you themselves," Jiraiya told him.

"But how do we hear them?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Kushina told me that it had something to do with going to them."

"What? How are we supposed to go to them? They're right here!" Sokka protested as he gestured at his jian.

"Well, she also mentioned something called Jinzen (Blade Zen), but she never actually explained it." Mentally, he was kicking himself for not pumping Kushina for more information about it.

"Jinzen?" repeated Naruto. "You're going to have them meditate to reach the spirit inside their sword. Unless you have accelerant, Jiraiya, that process could take longer than a month."

"I know that, Naruto." He fell silent. As he tried to think of a solution, he noticed something. "Sokka, why are you sweating?"

"Huh? Sweating?" the Tribesman repeated.

"Yes, you're sweating. Why? It's a nice night and you're the only one who is sweating." They all looked at him. He was sweating.

He wiped his hand across his forehead and looked at the sweat. "I guess I'm still not use to this warm a climate."

"It's been half a year since you left the South Pole," Zuko pointed out. "You should've gotten use it by now."

"This is coming from the guy who was shivering as he stood in warm water today," he retorted.

"Wait," Naruto interrupted. "Say that again."

"This is coming from the guy who was shivering as he stood in warm water today?" he repeated, confused.

"Sokka's right, Zuko, that water was warm," the blonde told the Scarred Dragon. "You shouldn't have been shivering."

"It felt cold to me."

"And while the weather is warm, it's not warm enough to make you sweat, Sokka." He looked over at the Toad Sage. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Jiraiya smiled. "I'm thinking that we just found our accelerant."

---

The next day, as the sun set, Sokka and Zuko were preparing themselves to attempt Jinzen. Both had stripped down to their undergarments. Sokka sat in front of a blazing fire while Zuko sat beneath a waterfall. Both were affected by what was happening to them. Sokka looked like he was sweating buckets while Zuko looked like he was two steps away from turning blue.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Zuko asked, trying to make sure he didn't stutter from the cold.

"Yes, it is," Jiraiya told him. "Now, are the both of you ready?"

"I'm sweating out my existence here," Sokka said in reply. "Just tell us what to do already."

"Alright, I want you both to focus on your swords and only your swords. Sokka, I want you to let the fire fill of all of your senses, except for your focus. Zuko, I want you to the same thing with the water."

They nodded and then turned their attention to their swords. Sokka's jian was stabbed into the ground in front of him while Zuko's Dao swords rested on his lap. They focused solely on their swords, trying not to let anything else distract them. As they concentrated, their senses were slowly overcome by one thing. Soon, Sokka could only hear the crackle of the fire and feel the heat on his skin. Zuko could only hear the sound of rushing water and feel its weight pounding relentlessly on his back. Even though they could feel what the fire or water was doing to them, they kept their concentration on their swords.

Sokka blinked once, but when he opened his eyes again, he was sitting in front of the fire. He was back in the forest. "So, you've come," he heard the voice of the black wolf.

He turned around and saw him sitting on the same rock. "Yeah, I have," he answered, keeping his eyes on the wolf.

"Why?"

"So I can learn your name."

"Learn my name?" the wolf repeated. "Do you think it would be that easy? Do you think you can learn my name because I belong to you?"

"Weren't you the one who was trying to tell me it the last time we met?"

"Do not patronize me! Your fear hangs around you like a cloak. Had you been an animal, you would be dead. It is because of that fear you cannot hear my name."

"Then how do I hear your name?"

"You must decide." It stood up, lifted its head up and howled into the night. All around the clearing, from behind the trees, other wolves began to appear. They slowly came into view, padding down into the clearing. "These wolves will attack you. If you smell of fear, they will tear you, limb from limb. If you try to run, they will easily take you down, for there is no escape. So, what will you do? Will you flee? If you do, then you don't deserve me." It turned around and padded away, leaving him alone in the clearing.

The wolves crept in closer and closer. Soon, they surrounded him. Their eyes all looked at him like he was to be eaten. "How the hell am I going to get out of this one?" he asked himself. "I'm outnumbered here. Every instinct is telling me to run and hide. But I can't do that; they'll be on me in a second. What do I do?" He tried to think of a solution, all the while, the wolves moved closer. They bared their teeth and growls began to go off. The growling snapped him out of his thinking and made him look at the wolves. That was when he realized something. "Hang on. All the things I'm thinking of are because of fear. These wolves will try to attack me because I smell of fear. If I want to defeat them, I must be rid of fear."

He took a deep breath and stared out at the wolves. "So, who will be the first to try and kill me?" he asked them. A single wolf growled louder and lunged for his throat. The second it was airborne, he grabbed it by the neck, slamming it into the ground and snapped its neck. He turned back to the others. "Who's next!?" he demanded. "If you want to try and kill me, remember that I am not the prey here. You all are!"

The growls stopped. The wolves slowly backed away until they turned back around and ran back for the forest. "Well done," the black wolf told him as it reappeared, leaping down into the clearing. "You have proven yourself to be able to get rid of your fear. Now you'll be able to hear my name."

"That's what I was hoping for." He turned his gaze on the dead wolf. "I just wish I didn't have to kill him to earn that privilege."

The wolf grinned. "Who said you killed anyone here?" It walked over to the dead wolf and gave it a lick. The wolf opened its eyes again. It stood up, its neck clearly unbroken, and nodded its head to the black wolf. It took off for the forest. "In here, if you don't want it to be dead, it doesn't have to be."

"That…was really cool," he stated as he watched the wolf disappear into the forest.

"Are you ready to hear my voice, Sokka?" the black wolf asked.

He turned to face it. "Yes, I am."

"Then listen well. My name is…"

---

Zuko opened his eyes after blinking. He found himself on the same mountain ledge. "What are you doing here?" he heard the person from before ask. He turned around and saw him standing out on the air.

"I came here to find out your name," he replied.

"Are you serious? After all you did, you have the gall to want to know my name?" he all but shouted. "Of all the insufferable, egotistical, unbelievable…"

"Is this going to take a while?"

"Shut up! I'm ranting here!"

"I heard. But we need to move on. You can rant later."

"I CAN RANT LATER!? OH NO, I'M RANTING NOW!"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!" he yelled back. "I AM NOT GOING TO STAND AND LISTEN TO YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT EVERYTHING I DID WRONG! I CAME HERE SO I COULD KNOW THE NAME OF MY SWORDS!"

The echo of his shout rang out through the entire place. The spirit floated in the air, staying silent. "…If you want to know my name, then you'll prove yourself to me. It's the least you can do after everything I had to put up with you."

"What do I have to do?"

"Simple." He turned around and started to walk away. "You must follow me."

"What? There's nothing but air! If I try to follow you, I'll fall!"

He turned back to face him. "That's your fear talking. Have you already forgotten the first part of the creed?" He continued walking until he had disappeared. "Make your choice soon, there's a storm coming."

As he spoke, thunderclouds appeared overhead, and rain began to fall. The ledge soon became slick with water, if he made a wrong step, he could fall. "I can't stay here. I'll be forced over the edge by the rain and the wind," he thought. "But if I try to follow him; I'll fall off the edge anyway. And what in the name of Agni did he mean by the creed? What first part?" He tried to figure out what the spirit meant. That was when it came to him. "He meant the inscriptions! The inscriptions are the creed! The first part said to abandon my fear." He eyed the edge. "That's easier said than done. But if I want to live, I have to do it." He took a breath, lifted a foot and took a step over the edge.

As the foot came back down, a small cloudbank formed underneath it and held it. Looking down at it, he took another step and another cloudbank formed underneath that too. He took a few more hesitant, then grew more confident and started to run. The cloudbanks kept forming underneath his feet until they formed a road for him. He ran and ran, never stopping. He wasn't sure, but he knew that if he stopped, he would fall.

Within a few minutes, he saw the spirit again. He doubled his speed and charged straight at him. When he was within a few feet of the spirit, he stopped. "You wanted me to follow you. Here I am," he declared.

"I guess so," the spirit admitted. "Take a look around and tell me where we are."

They stood at the peak of a mountain. Even though the storm still lashed out around them, not a single drop of water or a gust of wind touched them. Above them was a hole in the storm clouds, showing blue skies and the sun shining down on them. "We're in the eye of the storm," he declared.

"This is also where you must be whenever you fight," the spirit told him. "You must be able to wield power, but also keep a calm mind whenever you do. If you keep this state of mind, my power is yours to wield. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do." He looked at the spirit. "Have I earned your trust?"

"Yes, you have. You may now learn my name."

"Then who are you?"

"I am…"

(End Flashback)

They stood firm with their blades drawn. Zuko held the Dao swords with the blades down and the tips touching. Sokka also held his sword in both hands, pointing downwards. "Do you remember what to do?" the spirits of their Zanpakutōs asked.

"Abandon our fear. Don't give an inch. Advance and never stop. If we retreat, we will age. Be afraid and we'll die."

"What are we to do?"

"Defend your kingdom of snow-covered forests!" Sokka chanted.

"Ride the storm and roar fire!" Zuko chanted.

"THEN CALL OUR NAMES!"

"Kuroga (Black Fang)!" cried out Sokka. The jian split into two and grew heavier in his hands. The blades were a little longer and thicker. He held them in a reverse grip, making them look like actual fangs.

"Sōryū (Twin Dragon)!" shouted Zuko. His swords retained their basic forms but underwent some changes. The cross-guards were replaced with dragon heads, their open mouths holding the blades. Glowing line also came from the mouths, like the dragon heads were breathing something. On the right sword, the color was red. On the left, it was blue. Chains were attached to the hilts and were embedded in his arms.

"What are those swords?" Kabuto asked himself. "They've changed shape and feel different somehow."

"How interesting," Orochimaru thought. But that was as far as his interest went for now. "Do you think just because your swords are different, you are safe?" He gave a sinister laugh. "Kushina, please disprove their theory," he ordered the silent dead corpse. As this was all going on, she had sheathed her sword again.

Resting her hand on the hilt, she rushed them in the fast pace as before. But before she was even halfway across, she was forced to draw her sword to protect herself from Sokka, who suddenly appeared in front of her. They stood there, in deadlock. Then, to the surprise of both Orochimaru and Kabuto, he began to push her back.

"What? How is this possible?!" Kabuto asked.

"When I release Kuroga, my speed and my strength are increased," Sokka explained. "You'll find it more difficult to kill me now." He pushed her back until he heard the crackle of lightning behind him. He broke the deadlock and stepped off to the side, giving her a clear view of Zuko.

He held the left sword by the chain, which somehow elongated itself, and was twirling it in the air like a flail. The blade was covered in lightning. It spun so fast that it looked an actual circle of lightning spun above his head. He swung the sword done and when it hit the ground, a wave of lightning shot at her. She rolled to the side and charged, her sword raised high.

He swung the right sword at her. It flew out of his grip, extending the chain, as it was covered in flames. She took a step back to avoid the sword cutting through her neck, but the arc of fire left behind in its wake caught her by surprise. She was pushed back, burns showing on her face, arms and through the holes burned in the shirt.

"When Sōryū is released, it gives me control over lightning and fire, which are imbued in these swords," he told them. "The chains allow me to fight at a distance and where the chains are, my fire and lightning can go."

"Impressive, boy, but you're forgetting that Kushina cannot be harmed. You've seen her regrow a leg and a heart. Mere burns will disappear in seconds," Orochimaru told him.

He smirked. "Are you sure about that?" He looked at Kushina and the others followed his gaze.

The burns were still there and showed no signs of healing. "What? The burns should have been gone by now!" Kabuto protested.

"Hey, Orochimaru," Naruto spoke out. "Your teammate had a particular theory about these swords. He believed that any damage they cause to a person brought back to life by the Edo Tensei would be permanent. I guess he was right." He laughed when he saw the surprised expression on the traitor's face. "No need to have that look on your face, you should've realized that Jiraiya knew you would use the Edo Tensei. Regardless of who you summoned, they would've faced Sokka and Zuko. Finish this fight, guys," he ordered his teammates.

Sokka charged straight at her with both swords at the ready. She raised her sword in ready to defend, but he was too fast for her. He charged passed her, his Zanpakutō appearing in a blur. When he stopped, both of her arms simply fell off. Before anything else could happen, Zuko threw both swords at her. The left became a bolt of lightning and plunged through her heart. The right became a ball of fire and hit her head, setting it afire.

He pulled them out of her. As they flew back to his hands, the corpse fell to the ground. The fire spread to the rest of the body. They all watched as the corpse burned. When the fire finally died, all that was left was the charred and blacken remains.

"How?" asked Kabuto. "How is this possible? How could she lose to a bunch of weaklings?"

"Just because you don't know them, doesn't mean they're weaklings," Naruto told him as he stood up. "And who said you could talk? You still sound like an ass. Just shut up and save us the earache."

"Who are you to tell me what to do, Naruto? You are nothing. You are still the same pathetic shinobi three years! You couldn't—!" Whatever he was going to say next couldn't come out; due to the fact Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him and rammed his knee into his face, breaking his nose and his glasses.

"I believe I told you to shut up," the blonde told him, quickly and methodically broke his legs, ignoring his screams of pain. He then pulled out a syringe from his back pouch and injected it into his neck. The screams died as Kabuto fell asleep.

"A knockout drug," Orochimaru noted as he looked on. "Weren't you supposed to use that before you broke his legs, Naruto?"

"It'll keep him out cold for about five days," he replied without looking at the Snake Sage.

"Such a long time, are you that worried he might somehow come to my defense?"

"Something along those lines, yes."

He chuckled. "I believe earlier you said you were offered the chance to kill me."

"Yeah, I plan on doing it real soon."

"Then why wait?" His neck elongated and his head flew at him, his mouth opened and ready to bite. Naruto reacted by swinging his legs into a kick, knocking his head away. Using his heads to push off from the ground, he sprang into a kick and aimed for his opponent's midsection. He hit home and Orochimaru went flying, crashing into the coffin, and shattering it.

"Sokka, Zuko, Akela, back off," Naruto told them. "This is personal." They nodded and walked over to the tree, their Zanpakutōs returning to their sealed state.

"Personal, is it? I'm honored," Orochimaru remarked as he stood back up and his neck returned to normal. "Sen'ei Tajashu (Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!" he cried, making the same punching motion as before. But instead of a few snakes coming out of his sleeve, many came out and they all flew at Naruto.

He reached into his holster and pulled out multiple shuriken. He threw them and then quickly folded his hands through a series of handseals. "Fūton: Shinkūjin (Wind Style: Vacuum Blade)!" He spewed wind onto the shurikens, coating them and sharping them. They tore through the snakes and flew at his opponent.

"Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)!" A huge gust of wind flew out of his mouth. It hit the shurikens and turned them around, sending them back at Naruto, who ducked down to avoid them. "Mandara no Jin (Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes)!" Snakes fell from his mouth and slithered over to Naruto; their mouths open ready to attack.

He leapt backwards into the air, his hands already going through the motions. "Fūton: Renkūdan (Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet)!" He fired off multiple air bullets at the snakes, destroying them.

"Impressive, Naruto, very impressive. You've grown," Orochimaru praised him as he landed back on the ground.

"Fighting in a war will do that. You should know." He had to improve, otherwise he would be dead or worse, people under his command would be dead.

"Indeed, I should." He put his hands on his stomach and pressed upwards. His mouth bugled out and as he opened it, the head of a snake appeared. It opened its mouth and a sword handle appeared. He grabbed it and pulled the rest of the sword out, revealing it to be a katana.

"Why can't you just have that in a scabbard like the rest of us?" the blonde asked him as he eyed the Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Grass-Mowing Sword). "I swear you get a kick out of being disgusting."

He chuckled. "Why don't you draw your jian, Naruto?"

"I'll draw it when I feel like it. It's not like you can make me do it any sooner."

"Why don't we put that suggestion to the test?" He lunged forward, his sword in a thrusting position. He aimed for the stomach, but his opponent bent backwards so the sword would just pass over him. He brought himself into a handstand and then swung his legs into a rotating kick.

The first kick hit his opponent's midsection, but Orochimaru caught the second kick with his free hand. "You'll have to do better than that," he remarked. He grabbed the leg and yanked it, sending him crashing down to the ground. He swung the Kusanagi at his head, but he caught it with his hands.

"I know," Naruto replied. He folded his legs back and then shot them at his opponent's stomach. The force and power of the kick forced the traitor to step back, pulling the sword with him. It sliced opened Naruto's hands, letting blood spill out as he stood back up.

"Why don't you use the Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere), Naruto? I'm surprised you haven't used it yet," he remarked as the cuts on the blonde's hands heal themselves.

His opponent's answer was to reach into his holster and throw shuriken at him. He lifted his sword and swatted them aside with casual ease. But that was what Naruto was counting on. As soon as Orochimaru had raised the Kusanagi up to swat the shuriken aside, he charged forward, already concentrating his chakra into his hand. "Rasengan!" he yelled as he rammed the completed jutsu into his chest.

It expanded and sent Orochimaru flying away. As he crashed into the ground, there was a big hole in his shirt along with blood seeping from a large wound in his chest. As both Sokka and Zuko began to think he was dead, his mouth opened and two hands emerged from it, followed by the arms and the rest of a slime covered Orochimaru.

"Shedding your skin, I guess you are a snake after all," Naruto remarked as the previous skin of Orochimaru rapidly decompose before breaking apart and drifting away on the wind.

"I see you've gotten better at using the Rasengan," Orochimaru praised him. "But I am disappointed you did not try to add your element to it."

"Who says I didn't?" he asked.

"Then please, by all means, try it on me."

"…Nah, it'd be a waste of chakra. Besides, I'm winning."

"And how do you figure that?"

"Your reactions are getting slower, your attacks are getting stiffer, and you're supposed to be fast enough to shed your skin while flying backwards from a jutsu. Instead, you shed it after landing." His face sprouted a smirk. "The body you have is rejecting you, isn't it? You figure this'd be quick and easy, so you didn't bother switching bodies, how lucky for me."

"Jiraiya told you all of this, didn't he?" Orochimaru asked him. If he was a lesser person, he would've frowned.

"I was training with him for a month and we both knew you'd be coming. Late night discussions did come around."

"And to think, he tried to convince me to come back to the village once."

"Yeah well, he stopped trying a long time ago."

"Indeed, he has. Now he tries to have me killed."

"You brought it on yourself when you crossed the line," the blonde said with a dangerous scowl.

"And which line would that be?"

The scowl turned into a glare. "You know damn well which one."

He chuckled. "How ironic that you, who acted once much like my old teammate, chose to leave the village while Sasuke, who is almost identical to myself, chose to stay. Tell me, Naruto, if Sasuke had been successful in coming to me, would you have stayed in Konoha?"

"…I guess it'd depend on whether the Civilian council would have me killed or not."

"Fair enough of an answer. Shall we finish this fight?"

"No. I'm ending it."

"And do you plan to do that?" he asked Naruto. "Although you might have experience in war, I do as well and mine far outstrips yours. I am quite capable of beating you, even in this weaken state."

"It's not the amount. It's what you learn with it. Weren't you the one who wanted to master all the jutsu out there? You've must learn all the names of the jutsu created. If that's true, then you must know this one." He drew his jian, brought it into a salute, then brought back down to his side and flipped it into a reverse-grip. As he did that, his chakra flared up and took visible form. The blue energy raced upwards and covered him completely, making it look like he was standing admist a blue inferno. And out of the inferno, creatures made of chakra tried to claw into existence. They succeeded and had taken the form of nine dragons, floating in the air behind him.

When he saw that, Orochimaru's eyes went wide. "How is this possible?" he demanded. He never thought that his opponent of all people would have this ability.

"It's my birthright."

"But it was lost! It was lost when Uzushiogakure was destroyed! Both Konoha and I searched for it!" He had spent hours hunting through the ruins, looking for it. Day and night he had searched, only to find nothing.

"It left Uzushio long before its destruction," the blonde said in reply.

---

"What is that, hm?" Deidara asked.

"I don't know, but it looks scary." Tobi replied.

"Hey, Kakuzu, have you seen this before?" Hidan asked his partner.

"No, my bounties have never used this kind of jutsu," he answered.

"Kisame, why are you crying?" Konan asked, getting everyone's attention.

He was indeed crying, but he was smiling as well. "It actually exists," he whispered reverently.

---

"It's been a long time since I've seen that jutsu," Ōnoki remarked quietly as he looked on. "I was never sure if I wanted to see it again."

"What on earth are you talking about, old man?" Kurotsuchi asked him.

"Never mind him, what kind of jutsu is Naruto using?" Kankurō demanded. He had never seen anything like this before.

"You think I know?" Temari asked back.

"Why are you crying, Chōjūrō?" demanded Ao. "What happened to that confidence you had earlier!?"

"The-these are tears of happiness, sir," he explained. "I never thought I would get the honor of seeing this jutsu."

"Chōjūrō, what is this jutsu?" Mei asked her bodyguard.

"Just watch, Lady Mizukage," Jiraiya told her.

"Now you're crying, Bee. What is going on?" the Raikage asked his brother, who had tears in his eyes as well.

"Brother, if you were a swordsman, you would know what this jutsu is. And you too would weep with joy at the honor of seeing it," Bee told him. The way he said made everyone in the box look at him. He had spoken without rapping. The shinobi from Kumo knew if Killer Bee had spoken without rapping, what came out of his mouth was to be treated seriously.

---

"What kind of jutsu is that?" Ino asked as they watched the dragons appear.

Both Neji and Hinata activated their Byakugan to see if that was really chakra. They immediately deactivated it and cried out in pain. "Hinata!" cried Kiba as he and Shino checked their teammate.

"What's the matter, Neji?" Tenten asked as she and Lee did the same.

"That's really his charka," he answered, covering his eyes. That had really been a dumb move now that he thought about it. Hinata was covering her eyes as well, but also nodded in agreement.

"Would someone tell me what's going on?" Toph demanded. All she knew was that Naruto and the creepy snake guy were standing opposite of one another. That was it.

"Naruto called up some sort of blue energy and it transformed into nine dragons," Katara told her.

"That 'blue energy' is his chakra," Jiraiya explained.

"Lord Jiraiya, what is that jutsu?" Lee asked.

"And why is every person carrying a sword crying?" Shikamaru also asked. There were many people in the stands with tears in their eyes.

They all looked at the crowds and saw what Shikamaru was talking about. "They're crying because for them, this is an honor that they never thought of having. They are also crying because this will probably be the only time, they will see it," the Toad Sage told them.

"Why does this jutsu mean so much to them?" Suki asked. It had to be something for people to cry like that.

"It's a legendary jutsu, having been used only by a few. It is called the Uzumaki Kenjutsu: Kuzu Ryū no Danmaku (Uzumaki Sword Technique: Barrage of the Nine Dragons)."

"I can see where one part of that comes from," Azula remarked as she looked at the blue dragons. "So how does it work?"

"It's a simple barrage of punches, kicks and sword strikes," he told her and, by extension, everyone else there. "Each dragon is nine sword strikes, nine kicks and nine punches. All-in-all, the total amount of hits is two hundred and forty-three."

"Doesn't it sound a little…much?" Ino asked.

"Kid, this is the jutsu that ended the First Shinobi World War," Jiraiya told her.

Everyone stared at him. "You serious?" asked Kiba.

"You guys know that the Land of Water is a collection of islands, right?" he asked the shinobi. They nodded while the others looked both interested and curious. "Before the First World War, it used to be one big island."

The implication struck home fast. "You're kidding!" Chōji said in protest.

"No, I am not. This jutsu was used when the head of the Uzumaki clan at that time and the Shodaime Mizukage fought each other. The last attack of the jutsu, the Tenryūtei no Hōkō (Roar of the Heavenly Dragon Emperor) killed the Mizukage and caused the outermost parts of the island to break off. Some drifted away little bit, others fell beneath the ocean. The Land of Water was in a hectic time after that."

"And now, Naruto knows how to use this jutsu," Shikamaru stated. "What a drag."

---

As Naruto stood across from his enemy, the nine dragons staring at the Snake Sage with hate in their eyes, he remembered how it was he came to know this jutsu.

(Flashback)

They were taking a small break for lunch while Jiraiya told them of how they were doing. "You are all doing a little better, but I can still read you like an open book. Even though the two of you have been practicing with your Zanpakutōs, it's still easy to beat you," he told Zuko and Sokka.

"Well, you are a Sannin. It'd probably take us more than a month of hellish training to beat you," Naruto remarked from where he sat on the ground. He was taking every opportunity to do so.

"I wouldn't put that on a scroll yet."

"Oh! That reminds me!" Sokka said before reaching over for his bag. He dug through it before pulling out what he was looking for. "Here it is," he exclaimed as he held a scroll in his hands.

"What is that?" Zuko asked.

"It's a scroll Master Piandao gave me after training me. It's supposed to only be opened and read by an Uzumaki." He offered the scroll to Naruto. "So,it's yours."

The blonde took the scroll and looked it over. "What's with the complicated knot?" he asked aloud, looking at said knot.

"I don't know. I guess it's there to ensure only an Uzumaki can untie it."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I know how to untie it." He pulled out a kunai and cut through just below the knot.

"You are definitely an Uzumaki," Jiraiya stated drily as the remains of the knot fell to the ground.

"Thanks for telling me something I already know." He opened the scroll and looked at it. "Hey, do the words Kuzu Ryū no Danmaku mean anything to you guys?"

"…Say that again," the Toad Sage told him, sounding like he could not believe what he had just heard.

The blonde was mystified but complied. "Do the words Kuzu Ryū no Danmaku mean anything to you guys?"

He quickly walked over and took the scroll out of his hands. His eyes quickly roamed over its contents. "Merciful Kami, it survived."

(End Flashback)

He looked directly at Orochimaru. "So, shall we get this over with?" he asked rhetorically.

The first dragon roared and lunged for the traitor. He tried to avoid it, but the dragon caught him easily and held him in place with his claws. Naruto charged him and began the barrage. When he stopped, the dragon tossed him away like a rag doll. He tried to stand and move, but the second dragon pinned him to the ground. The assault continued. After twenty-seven strikes were given, Orochimaru was released from the grip of a dragon. But within a few seconds, the next dragon would barrel into him and take hold of him, starting the process again.

But when the eighth round was done, the dragon threw him up into the air. The final dragon flew upwards. But when it reached him, it didn't take hold of him. Instead, it just encircled him. The reason was soon made clear when Naruto ran up the wall and leapt for him. He used the dragon as a steppingstone as he pummeled Orochimaru. He would take a step, strike his enemy, leap for the wall, jump back and repeat the process (nobody bothered to ask how he could step on the dragon, considering it was made from chakra, because they were too busy watching him give someone a well-deserved ass-whooping).

After he gave the twenty-sixth hit, he did something different. Instead of leaping for the wall, he leapt upwards. He flew up into the air, going higher and higher, until he reached his zenith. He hung there, in the air. As the dragon encircling Orochimaru disappeared, he closed his hand into a fist and drew it back. That was when gravity took control of him again.

As he fell, he angled himself to fall faster and towards his target. He began to channel chakra into his arm. As he reached Orochimaru, he slammed his fist into his stomach. "Tenryūtei no Hōkō!" he roared. The chakra in his arm surged forward and into Orochimaru, taking the form of a dragon larger than the others and much more majestic and regaler. It took the Snake Sannin in its jaws and flew towards the ground. It slammed into the earth, causing a shockwave that everyone could feel and a large cloud of dust.

When the dust cleared, Naruto had landed on the ground and there was a fifteen-inch crater where Orochimaru had crashed. If one was to look at him, they would see that he was a mess. Multiple bruises and cuts littered his body. It looked like it would be painful for him to move, let alone stand up. But he did stand up, only to fall to his knees. His mouth bulged and opened, revealing another Orochimaru covered in slime. But even the new Orochimaru looked like he had just come out of a beating. Granted, he didn't any cuts or bruises, he was the way he held himself. He collapsed to the ground after fully shedding his skin. When he heard footsteps getting closer, he struggled to raise his head.

He looked up and saw Naruto standing over him. "How…how is this possible? How can you beat me?" he demanded with a weak voice.

"I told you already, you crossed the line," the blonde told him coldly. "I've hated you for the past three years and now, I can finally get satisfaction."

"Please…have mercy on me," he asked, trying to get away by any means.

Naruto's eyes flashed red when he heard those words. "HAVE MERCY!?" he roared as he grabbed his shirt and yanked him up, so they looked each other directly in the face. "YOU WISH TO HAVE MERCY AFTER ALL YOU"VE DONE!?" Turning around, he hurled him out of the crater. He sailed through the air and slammed into the wall.

He fell to the ground and struggled to sit up. When he did, he saw Naruto slowly walking towards him, his eyes back to their normal blue. But he didn't just see him, he saw the Shinigami hovering behind him, with a grin both malicious and sadistic. For the first time for a long while, his arrogance had disappeared and was replaced with fear. He was afraid that death would finally claim him. "I don't want to die," he thought in a panic. "Please, don't kill me," he begged. "I'll give you anything you want."

Naruto stopped in front of him and placed his jian on his throat.

---

"No! Don't do it!" Aang cried out as he stood up from his seat. He tried to leap down over the railing but was held back by Suki and Katara.

"Aang, what are you doing?" Katara asked as she struggled to hold him down.

"I have to stop him from doing this. I can't let Naruto kill him!" he said as he tried to get loose. "He asked for mercy!"

"There's nothing you can do, Twinkle Toes. That guy is going to do die," Toph told him in a somber voice. She knew it was going to happen and there was nothing they could about.

"Not if I can help it. He doesn't need to be killed!"

Azula suddenly reached out, grabbed him, and pulled him back into the seat. "Aang, you are going to sit down, and you are going to shut up," she ordered the Air Nomad. "That man is going to be killed, whether you like it or not."

---

"Anything I want, huh?" Naruto asked, still holding the jian at the Snake Sage's throat. "You would offer me money?"

"Yes!" Orochimaru said.

"Power beyond my wildest imagination?"

"Of course!"

"All the jutsus you ever had or found at my command?"

"I would give them to you myself!" he promised.

"You give me anything and everything I asked for?"

"YES! PLEASE, LET ME LIVE!"

The blonde stared at him for what seemed to be a very long time. Finally, he scoffed, withdrew his jian, turned around and walked away. Orochimaru stood up on shaky legs. As he watched him walk away, his fear turned into anger, anger at being beaten easily and being humiliated by begging for his life. With a snarl of anger, he lunged for Naruto, intent on killing him with his bare hands.

Before anyone could shout out a warning to him, he turned around to face him and threw his jian at him. The sword spun through the air and struck the Snake Sage in the throat, pinning him to the wall. He walked over to the dying man and took hold of the handle.

He leaned into his ear and whispered one simple sentence. "I want my Jiji back, you son of a bitch."

He pulled the jian out and beheaded the traitor with one swing.

Everyone just watched in silence as the head of the traitor of Konoha flew the air before landing on the ground.

---

"I don't believe it," Mei said with surprise, staring down at the field.

"Neither do I, but he's done it," A told her.

"I guess the kid will want a medal for this," Ōnoki remarked.

Tsunade and Jiraiya shared a quiet look. She nodded once and touched the wireless radio. "Take it down," she ordered.

---

"He did it. He actually did it," Chōji said in shock.

"We know he did it. We saw it too," Ino told him.

"Yeah, but still…"

"Yeah, go Naruto!" Kiba whooped loudly.

"Our friend is so very youthful!" Lee declared with tears falling down his face. "He has proven himself to be a hero to Konoha!"

"Keep it down, Lee," Tenten told him. "We might agree with you, but you don't need to tell to everyone here that."

"He can tell it to Naruto himself," Neji said. "The seal has been deactivated."

They all looked up and saw that the seal was visibly coming down. When it had disappeared, they were going to leap down and congratulate him when smoke began to sprout up in the stands, the Kage Box, the booths and on the field. "What the hell? Who threw the smoke bombs?!" Kiba demanded.

"Are we under attack?" Hinata asked.

"Who would be attacking us?" Ino asked.

"Maybe this isn't an attack," Shikamaru said, concentrating. "This could be a…" His eyes went wide at the realization.

"This could be a what?" Chōji asked him.

"…It could be a distraction," he finished. As he said that, the smoke in the arena began to clear. When it was all gone, the body and head of Orochimaru were still there. But Sokka, Akela, Zuko, and Naruto were not.

"They're gone!" Lee cried out. "Where did they go?"

"They are not the only ones who are missing." Shino told him. The seats holding Aang, Toph, Suki, Katara, and Azula were empty. Jiraiya was gone too.

---

Team Avatar raced down an empty street away from the arena. "Is everything ready?" Naruto asked Jiraiya as they ran. Time was of the essence now.

"Of course, they're waiting for us outside the Avery," He answered. "I have a clone watching them."

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked, trying to make sure she didn't fall behind. "Who are they?"

"No time to answer, just run!" Naruto ordered her. They kept on running until they hit the Avery. Standing outside of the building was Momo, Fǎn Yìng, and Appa. They were being watched by another Jiraiya who, when he saw the original, disappeared in a plume of smoke.

"Is everyone here?" Jiraiya asked as they gathered around the animals.

"Looks like it," Sokka answered as he and Zuko counted heads. Everyone was there.

"Let's move it along, Jiraiya," Naruto told him. "Not unless we want company." He kept looking back at where they had come from. He was certain he was already a faint outline of Lee coming straight at them.

"I'm already done," He replied, finishing the handseals. He slammed his hand onto the ground and a seal array appeared around them. The array glowed white, and they were engulfed in smoke. They all felt a moment of being squeezed tightly together. But when the feeling disappeared and the smoke cleared, they saw that they were not in Konoha.

They were in the beach house back on Ember Island. "Wha…How can we be…?" Aang tried to ask, but he was too stunned.

"Thanks for doing this, Gerotora," Jiraiya thanked a nearby toad, who was standing over a used seal tag.

"Not a problem. I'll see you later," he replied before disappearing in a plume of smoke.

"Are we really back?" Katara asked. She almost couldn't believe it, but everything around her seemed to say otherwise.

"Yeah, we're back. I recognize this ground," Toph told her.

"Ah, finally, we're out of Konoha," Naruto declared with a sigh of relief as he took out a cigarette and lit it. "That took way too long." He placed it on his lips and took a drag.

"What are you talking about?" Suki asked him.

"It's time for you to spill, Naruto," Sokka told him. "Both you and Jiraiya have secretive the entire month we were training, and you knew things even before then. What was going on?"

Both Naruto and Jiraiya shared a look with each other. "Alright," Naruto said, shrugging and blowing out smoke. "I guess you all can know what had happened now. Even though the trip to Konoha was not intentional, the month-long stay was."

"It was?" Katara repeated.

He gave her a look. "Come on, Katara. Do you really think I'd stayed there for a month with no plans of escaping? I would've been able to break us out of there within a week, easy."

"Then why didn't you?" Zuko asked him.

"It actually goes back a couple of months," Jiraiya told them. "It started when Tsunade had just sent Team Guy and Team Asuma to help you guys."

(Flashback)

The thought of Naruto being a shinobi that hasn't been seen since the Clan Wars chilled them. But that was a momentary thought. "You didn't come back here just to discuss Naruto," Tsunade said. "What else did you bring?"

"My contacts have been telling me disturbing news," he told her. "It seems that Orochimaru has been sending shinobi to track Sasuke every time he leaves the village."

"Kami take it," she swore. "Have there been attempts to take him?"

"No, right now they just seem to be observing him. But if this keeps up, Orochimaru might make a move to take him."

"I'll put an ANBU squad on standby. Whenever Team Kakashi leaves the village, they'll follow and make sure Sasuke isn't kidnapped."

"…Tsunade, sooner or later, we will have to take care of Orochimaru."

That was a subject they tended to avoid, but they couldn't anymore. "I know that, Jiraiya. But would you be able to kill him?"

"To be honest, I don't know," he admitted. After all, the man they were talking about had been their teammate and friend once.

"Neither do I. Besides, it's not exactly easy to find him. Besides a few lucky times when you've found where he was, Orochimaru is practically invisible."

"Well, what if we didn't go after him, but make him come to us?" he suggested.

"And how are we going to do that?"

He smiled. "I've got an idea."

(End Flashback)

"Originally, the plan was to have Sasuke be a proctor for the Exams. We figured Orochimaru wouldn't have been able to resist the idea of kidnapping him and humiliating Konoha in the process. It was shaky at best, but it was all we had to go with," he told them.

"So, what happened to change the plan so much?" Zuko asked.

"What happened was the gaki here took control of Ba Sing Se." He pointed a thumb at Naruto.

(Flashback)

Tsunade sat in the chair, watching Teams Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai leave the room. "Jiraiya, get in here," she ordered.

He appeared on the windowsill. "I'm right here, Princess," he said, stepping into the room.

"Well, there goes our attempt to bring him back," she grumbled.

"Actually, it gives me the perfect opportunity to go after him," he replied as he came around the desk. "And it could possibly help us with our snake problem."

"How will you be able to get him when the others couldn't?"

He gave her a look. "Okay, number one: it's me, remember? Number two: since he had effectively kicked the others out of there, he'll think he's safe from us. I'll be able to use that to my advantage."

She was silent for a few minutes. "…Wait until they write the reports. After you read all of them, you can go after him."

"Thank you, Tsunade. I remember how this works," he replied sarcastically as he left the room.

(End Flashback)

"After that, I came to the Bending Countries and spied on Naruto," he told them. "A few days before I kidnapped you guys, I had sent word to Tsunade. She started leaking information that Naruto would be in the upcoming Chūnin Exams."

"And that's when I came into this," Naruto took over the explanation. "When I first awoke in the prison, Jiraiya was there."

(Flashback)

He came awake, but he did not show it. The last thing he remembered was inhaling knockout gas and hearing a voice he hadn't heard in three years. "I have to figure out where I am, where the others are and how we're going to get out," he thought to himself.

"Kid, if you're going to pretend to still be asleep, do it on some other person," that same familiar voice told him.

He opened his eyes and saw that it was Jiraiya standing on the other side of the bars. "Oh great, it's you. I guess that means I'm in Konoha, huh?" he grumbled.

"It's nice to see you too, kid," the Toad Sage replied.

He tried to stand up from where he lay and took notice of where he was. The reason there were bars between him and Jiraiya became painfully obvious suddenly. "Why am I in a prison cell? And what's with the chains?" he asked.

"Well, you are a fugitive from Konoha and a former shinobi."

"Fair enough." He sighed and sitting down on the bed. "How long were you watching me?" Since the Toad Sage had been the one to capture them, it made sense that he had been the one to be keeping a watchful eye.

"Since you came back to the Fire Nation."

"Let me guess, she wants me back?"

"That is one part of it, but it's a secondary issue. The main reason we brought you back was to make you an offer."

"Like what?"

"How would you like the chance to kill Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked him.

He lifted his head up and looked him straight in the eye. "Keep talking."

(End Flashback)

"He then told me everything that they would be planning. To fool any spies that would be watching, I still had to act somewhat hostile and unwillingly to be in the village," the blonde explained.

"So, the whole thing was an act?" Suki asked for clarification.

"Well…not everything. But that just made the whole thing more believable. Even Tsunade and Jiraiya were acting, even if they were alone."

"Why would they do that?" Toph asked.

"They were never sure if there were spies watching them, so they had to go with it."

"That would explain the conversation I had with Tsunade," Azula remarked shortly.

"She told you, huh?" She didn't reply. "I guess she knew you would keep them in line the best."

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked, confused by where the conversation was going.

"As a part of the acting, Tsunade had given orders to the Konoha Eleven," Naruto told her and the others. "They were to accompany us when we came so they could keep an eye on me. Once the Royal Flaming Asshole was taken care of, I would've come back to Konoha. If I refused and tried to resist, they would've knocked me unconscious, brought me back and wiped away the past three years."

"WHAT?" everyone (except Azula) shouted. Their voices echoed all around them and probably would've alerted any guards, if there were any nearby.

"Those orders would never be carried out. They were to fool both the spies and the Konoha Eleven. Tsunade told Azula this to make sure you guys didn't know."

"Why?" Sokka asked.

"Because there are a few members of this team that have moments of stupidity that are of epic proportions," he answered as he looked pointedly at both Katara and Aang. "She told Azula so that she could stop the conversation before you started to ask about what the Konoha Eleven were talking about. Each team has a blabber, so there was a good chance you might've heard of the orders."

Katara, Aang, Toph, and Suki remembered that during the past month, Azula had changed the conversation or told the shinobi that they had to go quite often. They didn't think anything of it. They just thought it was her being a little impatient. "How do you know all of this, Naruto?" Suki asked.

He pointed at Jiraiya. "He told me when we were in the Meat Bar."

"But what were you doing in there before that?"

"Personal business," he answered shortly.

"Again with the secrets?" asked Azula coldly.

He looked at her, but she turned her gaze. Sighing, he turned his attention to the others. "Fine, I was apologizing to somebody."

(Flashback)

He walked into the place and when the people who worked there turned to see who it was, they froze. "Is she up in her room?" he asked Ai. She nodded. He walked over to the steps but was cut off by a young woman. "May I go up the stairs, Akiha?" he asked her.

She responded by slapping him across the face. "Why are you here?!" she demanded.

"Akiha, please, you're going to make a scene," aa nearby man told her.

"How're you doing, Aito?" Naruto asked. All he got was a glare in response.

"He's not going up until I know what he's doing here," Akiha stated.

"I'm here to apologize."

"Apologize to whom, exactly? There are quite a few people here who deserve an apology from you."

"He's going to apologize to Mama," Ai told her quietly.

She looked at her and then at him. "Is that true?" He nodded. "Then get up there." She stepped out of his way, and he started to climb the stairs. He climbed up and up, until the noise downstairs became nothing but a dull sound.

Finally, he stopped at a door. Reaching out, he knocked on it. "Mama, are you in there?" he called out. "…It's Naruto."

There was silence for a few seconds before he got an answer. "Come in," a woman's voice ordered. He opened the door and started to walk in, only to get a hard fist in his stomach.

"Kami, I think I preferred it when you smack the back of my head," he wheezed out, trying not to fall to the ground.

"After what you did, you deserved that," a middle-aged woman with streaks of grey in her black hair told him curtly. She removed her fist from his stomach and walked back into the room.

"Yeah, I know." He followed her into the room. It was a little spacious, but that was to be expected. It was her room after all.

"So why are you here?" she asked him, turning back around to face him once he was in the room proper.

"To say I'm sorry."

Her gaze turned hard at those words. "Sorry for what?"

"…I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye," he finished after a moment of silence. "I know I should've, but I just…couldn't."

"And why is that?"

"If I said goodbye, everyone would've tried to convince me to stay," he told her. "They probably would've told me that everything would've turned out alright. I didn't want to face that, not after what I had just gone through."

"This entire place has thought of you as family," she told him with fury in her voice. "We gave you food and shelter. When someone tried to hurt you, we protected you. You were always welcomed here, and you spat on that by not even giving us the decency of saying goodbye when you left the village for places unknown."

"I know. How many times will I have to apologize?"

She marched right up to him and looked him in the eye. He readied himself for another punch or a slap. Instead, she pulled him into a tight hug. "You've apologized enough already," she told him. He returned the hug with equal measure.

When they broke the hug, they both noticed Jiraiya was at the door. "Hey," he said.

"How long were you there?" she asked hm.

"I walked in as you were hugging."

"What do you need, Jiraiya?" Naruto asked him.

"You, kid." He looked over at her, who simply nodded. "Come on." He turned around and walked down the stairs. Naruto followed him. They walked down the stairs and out of the building.

"Where are we going?" he asked as they walked through the streets. The farther they went, the fewer people they would pass. Which the blonde felt was good, as he didn't have to put up with their looks.

"You'll see," the Toad Sage answered shortly. They kept on walking down the streets and through the nights until they stopped before a gate. "We're here."

"Why are we at the cemetery?" Naruto asked him, instantly recognizing where they were.

"I figured you wanted to pay your respects to someone." They walked through the cemetery until they stopped in front of a statue of a flame. On the base that held the statue were the kanjis for Hokage. "Do you want some time alone?"

"…No," he answered after a few seconds of silence. "Do you miss him?"

"I miss everyone I've lost," Jiraiya told him. "But yeah, I miss him. What about you?"

"Every single day, there are times when I've missed the smell of his pipe." He heard hands digging through pockets. He looked over and saw Jiraiya holding out a pack of cigarettes to him. "What are those for?"

"It's the brand he used to smoke before he switched to the pipe. I always carried a pack around for…sentimental reasons. If you miss the smell, this might help a bit."

He took one, placed it in his mouth, and lit with the help of lighter Jiraiya held. He took a drag and began to cough. "How do you people do this?" he demanded as he wheezed.

The old shinobi just laughed at that and smiled at him. "It takes a little practice. Try going slower on the next drag."

They stood in silence as Naruto figured out how to properly smoke. Once he had figured it out, he looked over at the Toad Sage. "So, what's going to happen?" he asked, becoming all business.

"Tsunade will give the Konoha Eleven orders," Jiraiya said to him, being all business as well. "They are going to think that after the Exams, they will follow you back to the Bending Countries to help with the Fire Lord. Once he is taken care, they will return to the village, and you are supposed to come with. If you refused, they would take you back by force and wiped your memories of the past three years."

"That's harsh. I'm glad that's not happening. Is it all the members of the Konoha Eleven?"

"Asuma, Guy, and Kurenai will know the truth, but will have orders not to tell their students."

"Good to know. Is there anyone else in on the game?"

"Only a few people the Hokage has told herself. We must keep things as genuine as possible. Not even Shizune knows what we're doing."

"And why is that?"

"We don't know if the spies will track her as well. Just keep in mind that at least one person in each Exam will know what we're doing."

"And what are the Exams?" That was the key. He and his team had to pass the first two Exams for him to kill Orochimaru.

"Exactly the same as the last one you took. That way, you know what to do."

"Nothing will be changed?" he asked for clarification.

"Not a thing."

(End Flashback)

"So that's how you got your information," Sokka said, realizing what that meant.

"Pretty much, yeah," he agreed. "But the information wasn't all. The Exams themselves were rigged."

"Really?" asked Zuko. They didn't seem like that to him.

The blonde nodded. "In the first Exam, the Chūnins failed Genin who hadn't been caught cheating five times. In the second Exam, there were ANBU squads waiting in the Forest of Death to ambush any remaining Genin squads."

"What for?" asked Suki.

"So that only my team and Orochimaru's team got to the final Exam. It was my job in the first Exam to target them and let the proctors know who they were. That way, they wouldn't be touched until the final Exam. That was when we would so thoroughly embarrass them that Orochimaru would have no choice but to show himself."

"So you could kill him," Aang stated in an almost accusatory tone.

"That was the deal. I kill him and the old hag lets us come back with some backup." He pointed at Jiraiya when he said backup.

"Him?" asked Katara, looking at the old shinobi. "He's our backup? The Hokage couldn't have sent more?"

"Katara, we've trained under him," Sokka told her. "If his training methods are anything to go by, he's enough."

"Well, we're back. Now what are we going to do?" Toph asked.

"Let's go make sure our things are all still here. Then we get some food," Zuko suggested. Everyone agreed and they all walked away. Jiraiya followed in order to find a room he could use.

In the end, all who were left in the courtyard were Naruto and Azula. Neither of them said a word to each other. Finally, Naruto was the first to speak. "Azula…" he began to say, only to stop when she gave him a cold glare.

"I have to go make sure all my things are still here," she told him curtly before walking away and leaving him in the courtyard.

He stared at her as she walked away. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh, kit?" the Kyūbi commented as she disappeared into the house.

"You shut up," he ordered as he walked into the house too. "You were the one who caused this fire."

"So were you, kit. So were you."

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you have sent me.

No doubt there are a few of you who are going to be mad at what I wrote and how I wrote it. Let me ask you this: where exactly in the rules of Fanfiction does it say that Naruto has to fight whoever's been resurrected by the Edo Tensei? You show me that rule and I might rewrite that bit. Otherwise, you can take your complaints and shove them where the sun doesn't shine. This is my story, not yours.

Yes, the Zanpakutōs are finally here. If you're going to ask where Naruto's Zanpakutō is, that's later in the story. If you have trouble imagining what they look like, for Sokka, just think two black Roman gladiuses and for Zuko, think Kratos's swords from the God of War series without the hooks in the blades.

I would like to thank Aragon Potter for his help with the Japanese names and titles. He has taken the time to answer each of my questions and without him; I think I wouldn't be as far as I am today. I can only hope that he will continue to help me in chapters to come.

For those of you who are going to throw a fit about the fact that Team Kakashi wasn't there, I'll just say this: we're not done with Konoha.

I have read the latest chapters of Naruto, so I do know what Orochimaru is doing. But I've planned this long before that came around. Let's face it, everybody pretty much wants to see that bastard dead.

I know that what Naruto whispered in Orochimaru's ear just before he killed him pretty much came from The Princess Bride. That's the reason I took it. That line is one of the most badass lines I have ever heard. It's right up there with "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

I'll see you all next chapter! And a late Happy Anniversary to me! Forty chapters in one year (what can I say except…whoa).