Let's hope this one is a bit longer…

Naruto

Naruto noticed Itachi creating himself a clone. The genius just had to move one of his hands slightly from under him and out popped two shadow clones that scattered into the wilderness around them. Neither acknowledged that Itachi had duplicated himself to one another, but Naruto let himself fear the worst. Here he was, physically exhausted and letting Itachi, the one who pursued him for years, fight his battle.

Or, he supposed, he could be taking him into the enemy's hands and using the clones to make Naruto otherwise…or, to fight him comrades. Going back – far back – that is what he would believe. After all, the Uchiha was a fantastic undercover operative. Naruto hadn't dared entertain the idea that Itachi may be a 'good guy' until he had all that time to himself to contemplate.

"Which way, Naruto?"

Lowering his head, closing his eyes and making the smallest of smiles, the blond Jinchuriki pointed, "That way."

Itachi didn't need to ask how he knew. The former Nukenin was well aware of Pein's abilities. How the chakra of Negato travelled through the black rods like receivers. There were things Itachi didn't know, of course, but there was a reason why he, Kakashi and Shikamaru were called geniuses. They had the innate ability to figure anything out through observation and deduction. And sometimes, it pissed Naruto off.

"How far?"

"About another half mile. In a tree."

"Naruto, are you sure about this?"

"I have to see him, Itachi; to talk to him; to see how he could believe the things he's doing are right."

"You would be surprised how easily people can be manipulated. It's not everyone who has a will as strong as yours."

"Heh, stubborn, you mean?"

A smirk graced the older man's face, which gave Naruto all the answer he needed; prompting the blond to stick out his tongue with a mumbled 'Bastard'.

It wasn't long before Naruto was telling Itachi to stop. Wordlessly, Itachi put the younger Shinobi down and with greater effort than usual, the pregnant boy manipulated his chakra into a Rasengan sphere, forcing it upon the enemy's hiding place. As a hole was blasted, paper blew out, swirling around the pair and racing toward them in an attacking manner. Naruto felt the warning cut on his cheek as the paper sliced through his skin.

Bringing out his Kunai, he sliced through the paper onslaught, which was rapidly increasing. However, he was still weak from earlier and was losing the never ending battle. Fire flew by him as he was pulled into the warm chest of the Uchiha prodigy behind him, letting the Jinchuriki see as the paper fell to the ground aflame with the giant fireball.

"Konan, step aside." The vibration shot through Naruto as the smooth, commanding baritone came out of his entourage.

A girl's face appeared in the paper barrage, even so far as to be made of paper, itself. She was as pale as Itachi, her hair blue and her eyes with a deep, resigned sadness that was framed by makeup. It was almost as if she was screaming for someone to look at them and daring them to say something. Naruto was pretty sure most that did would meet a painful death.

"You have betrayed us, Itachi."

"I was never in your ranks to start with, therefore, I have not."

"A double agent? Who are you working for? Konoha? You know as much as the rest of us that the cursed Konoha is not our salvation."

"I believe in Naruto, just as I did with his father and the Sandaime before him. I feel Negato would do best to listen to what he has to say."

"Itachi…" It was a dull and tired voice that spoke though the darkness of the tree's crevice. "Konan, let them through."

"But Negato!" Konan started, but stopped herself, looking down and stepping aside with resignation, clearing thinking the mysterious Pein was making a mistake, but unwilling to speak it aloud. "If you are sure."

Looking up at Itachi, who spared him no glance, Naruto followed his lead into the darkened den. He had to stop, inhaling as he saw the mess of the man who called himself his enemy. He was strapped inside a machine, wires coming out in all directions and withering away to where all he was consisted of skin and bone. It looked like he wouldn't even be able to move if Naruto decided to attack.

"So you are the infamous Konoha Jinchuriki." Pein acknowledged rather than asked. "Are you here to kill me?"

"I want to know why." Naruto answered without missing a beat. "Why do you insist the only way to bring peace is to kill everybody?"

"Of course you want to kill me. I've killed your precious people. That is how war will never end; because of revenge. It will continue until there is no one left to kill or be killed. That is the continuous cycle of pain."

"I need to understand you…" Naruto started looking down at his open hand, his brows furrowed, before he looked up with determination and a clenched fist. "So I do not turn out like you!"

"You're already half way there. Your precious Sensei was not there when we needed him; too involved in his own selfishness to aid the pupils he had long forgotten. The only reason he took us in as children was to appease his guilt of ravaging and destroying our country during the war. When he easily killed our parents and friends."

"No, Ero-Senin would not do that!"

"He left traps for us under the guise of his help during our troubles. Mine and Konan's good friend died that day. Stripped of his life by an ambush from your precious Konohagakure!"

"I don't know what Ero-Senin has done to you – nor that which you claim my country has done. All I know is what those people are now, and that all the good Jiriaya has done must outweigh all the bad. He entrusted his will to me and even if I don't know how to do it just yet, I will protect everybody. Just like the character he wrote about in his book; the one who shares my namesake."

"There's no denying that your country banded with the others to eliminate us. We were too much of a threat to them. And all we ever aimed for was somewhere safe to call home."

"You can hate me all you want, but I won't kill you. Ero-Senin wouldn't have wanted that. But as of the claim against my village; if I find any truth to it, I will give you my word that those responsible will be brought to justice."

"You would turn on your own village?"

"My goal is not only to protect the village, but to leave something behind that they will be proud of. What use is it to despise your own home? I don't believe the Hokage would have done such a thing, but I know now, more than ever, the corrupt roots that hide in the village. One day, I will see those roots destroyed, no matter the consequences."

"Even if it means your own destruction?"

"Believe it! That's how I will honour my friends!"

Accompanying the words was a resolute crash with an accompanying laugh. Naruto looked up at the foreboding silhouette and froze, his eyes widening momentarily, before he sprung into action at the slight movement of the newcomers feet.

"Sasuke! How did you find this place?" Naruto growled as his Kunai clashed with the Uchiha's sword, mere inches from its target of Negato.

Sasuke met his words with a deranged smile. Quickly, Naruto kicked him to the side as he recognised the action to travel Chakra through the blade and kill the man behind him. However Sasuke caught the foot and began to laugh, redoubling his efforts. In a flash, Itachi yanked his arm away and through his little brother clear of the confrontation, putting himself between his brother and his enemy.

"Itachi!" Sasuke called, staring into the eyes of the elder Uchiha, Sharingan fully active and pulsing.

Although not long had passed; barely seconds, it felt like an eternity for the three people who knew the Uchiha and their optical abilities. The two were fighting each other with their eyes alone. Konan stepped forward, but before Naruto could stop her, Negato's cold, warning voice rang out in a crisp 'No' that stopped her dead in her tracks. This was a fight neither could interfere with; just as Naruto himself could not.

Before, however, he could even contemplate doing such a thing, Sasuke swung in and Itachi jumped to the side, bringing with him the attention of his furious little bother. He was foolish if he thought he could best the master of optical illusion. Naruto jumped back to Konan's side, slightly in front of Negato and taking up a defensive position.

"Negato is mine to protect." Konan growled.

Naruto merely grunted in reply before he looked at her with deadly seriousness in his eyes. "I told you, you'll be brought to justice, but you won't be murdered here." He mumbled, before turning back around and upping the volume with anger. "Itachi! Sasuke! Stop it, the both of you!"

"What's wrong, Naruto? Are you scared I'll kill your precious Itachi?!"

Sasuke laughed manically before he was stopped by a cut on his cheek and his eyes narrowed. Maybe he couldn't afford to waste time on the Dobe whilst fighting this traitor after all. With much reluctance, he pulled all his attention back to the fight, before he remembered with sickening glee, before he would finally be able to kill his sorry excuse for a brother.

He swung his sword out, enhancing his chakra into it and made a beeline for Itachi's throat – oh how he was going to enjoy this! His sword made contact and blood spurted all over his face as his eyes lit with insanity…until crows started to sprout from his brother's dead body. He cursed under his breath.

"You are not going to defeat me, Otouto, if you keep succumbing to this madness that has betrothed you."

"Shut up, Itachi!" Sasuke screamed as he activated his cursed seal. "Now it's time for you to die!"

As the fight drew on, sometimes with words and actions, other times with eyes and silence, Naruto had begun to plan with his back foolishly to his enemy and his eyes firmly watching the two brothers at war. Sparing a few glances behind him, Naruto was well aware of the secretive, communicative glances his two enemies sent to each other.

He was also acutely aware that Negato had no intention of running away like a coward and was here to see the fight through. Maybe they were not as different as Naruto had initially assumed them to be. This Negato, in his own way, was sure he was doing the right thing. Who had twisted him this way was most definitely something at the back of the Jinchuriki's mind.

That could wait, but his two ever lovers could not. But every time he spoke, it was on deaf ears.

With a quick flick of his wrist, he cast a Kunai between the fighting pair. The two that had only been fighting for ten minutes. Itachi stepped back, but Sasuke was so lost in his insanity that he carried on forward. The kunai barely made a scratch on his wing, but he didn't seem to feel it, taking advantage of the elder's off balance footing.

Itachi had to twist to extremes to avoid the blade headed at him. He didn't even acknowledge Naruto and neither did Sasuke. What the fuck was he supposed to do?! What he wouldn't do to be Kakashi or Shikamaru right now! Pulling at his hair roughly, he sat down. He was still sore, and ever so tired.

He forced himself to relax. Forced himself to forget all that was around him. Forced himself to forget all of his enemies and his allies, instead concentrating only on the nature surrounding him. If he was going to stop this, he needed energy. With how shitty he felt, all he could really rely on was his sage mode. He had to strengthen himself and stop those two.

It was his biggest mistake. His eyes flew open as he felt a warm wetness on his face. The force, the smell, the texture…it brought tears to his eyes. He saw the back of a person, sword penetrating them. He could see the shining silver colour, glistening and slick with red. A dark red. A dark red the colour of blood.

Konan gasped. He didn't know if he felt or heard it over the pounding in his ears. The sword removed itself. The body fell to it's knees. Itachi's body. His Itachi's body. He felt his heart and the earth as one. The earth moved with his heart and drummed against his fingers that were suddenly upon it.

Naruto wasn't sure what happened, but forcefully, Sasuke had stopped moving. There was a sheen preventing him from moving. The earth has risen to just above his ankles with the roots the soil encompassed wound about his legs. The sheen was a dull red; showing the Kyuubi's chakra working with natural chakra, working together to force his will.

Had he done that?

There was no time to contemplate as he rushed to Itachi and let his hands glow blue. But he was too injured and Naruto was too tired. Sasuke was still screaming, though Naruto didn't hear what was being said, the blood pumping in his ears to loud and the hopelessness of the task too great.

"Shut up, Sasuke!" Naruto cried through tears. "He's your brother! He loved you! How could you do this?!"

The lost look in Naruto's eyes, the familiar broken blues that he had seen once before in a similar situation silenced him. They silenced the voice in his head that was encouraging him. The same one that told him to attack the blond and play on the clan murderer's weakness. A flash of the bridge and Zabuza shot through his head before he roared at the image, denying it's sentimentality.

Before he could scream much more, Naruto forced the Uchiha to pass out with a Kunai smashed into the back of his head.

"You are not going to kill him?" Came Negato's confused voice.

"No. He'll get what's coming to him. Eventually, anyway. The council – no, I will not explain myself." Naruto's demeanour hardened through his agony. "Itachi was a missing nin after all. Sasuke did his duty." The words sounded hollow.

"And yet, you and I know differently."

"I…I refuse to take matters into my own hands. As you said, revenge breeds hate. Something I knew already. Are you going to come with my willingly?"

"I believe you. It seems I am going to have to leave you to find the answer to bringing peace to this world of death without me."

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"It's time to undo some of the mistakes I have made. I trust this journey to you Naruto, just like my Sensei has. You speak as Yahiko would have done. I just wish I could be there to see it. A world without hate…"

With his words, Negato began to glow and a powerful energy came from him. Naruto shielded himself with his forearms as Konan shouted in fear. The power was magnificent and incomprehensible to Naruto

"I will give my life to bring back all those I have killed here today. You better not break your promise, Naruto!"

As the body in front of him withered away, even more so than it already was, Naruto became aware of the life returning to Konoha. Negato's hair became shockingly white, his face old and wrinkled; as if the life was being sucked out of him and he was aging a hundred years…which Naruto supposed he was… One by one, he felt chakra signature popping back up. This broken man was sacrificing himself for everyone.

Everyone that was dead. But Itachi was not, not yet, and he was still losing blood. Naruto rushed to his side, putting pressure on the wound. In a situation like this, what was he supposed to do? How many other people were in this situation? Who would have thought the best option at this point was to be dead?

But Naruto didn't have time to contemplate as the dull ache he had been experiencing progressed to a shooting, blinding pain. And it was blinding, because in the lair with so many enemies, he felt the world go black.

Naruto

TIMELINE

October - (Late) SasuNaru begins.

November - (Early) Pregnant, (Around 10th) Party, (Mid) Day mission, SasuIno (Late) Mission starts.

December - (Early) Mission ends, Sakura Pregnant, (Week later) SasuSaku marriage told, Naruto moves teams, (Late) Failed visits, Observe NejiHina, KakaNaru talk.

January - (Early) Kakashi makes a lie, NejiHina told to be false. (Mid) Sakura tries visiting. (Week later) last failed visit.

February - (Early) Questions of father stop, (Mid) Sakura's baby's sex, Sasu rapes Naru, Naru moves. (Late) Meets Sakura, Stops training.

March - (Mid) Finds Itachi, Saves Itachi, finds Itachi's curse seal, InoSaku talk, Stag do (interrogation), SasuSaku wedding, ItaNaru consummated, Naruto taken out of Konoha, the aftermath (Late) In world of summons

April - (Mid) Found answer to Kyuubi's seal

May - (Early-Mid) Shizune, Tsunade and Ino in the world of summons. (Mid) NejiHina

June - (Early) Attack on Konoha.

July -

August - (Early) Naru's due date.

September - (Early) Sakura's due date.

In order of occurrences (bold is this chapter), tell me if I've missed anything and I'll add more as it's revealed.