Well here is the next chapter, I apologize for taking so long. I had personal affairs to deal with and I just couldn't find the time. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Masashi Kishimoto does.
Ino, who watched Elder Chiyo on the building, was surprised when she jumped off the building and landed harmlessly on her feet.
"Are you sure? It could be dangerous for someone as elderly as you," Naruto said to her.
"Don't take me for a helpless old woman, boy! I still have enough strength left in me to fight. Besides, one of the Akatsuski members is my grandson; you'll need my help with him." Elder Chiyo retorted.
"Well, it's best if we get going when Pakkun arrives; we need any intel we can get about the two who have abducted Gaara," Kakashi added.
While they waited for Pakkun, elsewhere in a forest area, the Akatsuki are preparing for the extraction of Shukaku inside a cave, blocked with a boulder with a seal for a barrier.
Inside, the members of the Akatsuski are on the fingers of a statue with nine eyes that are closed. The two members who had kidnapped Gaara were on two of the fingers of the statue along with other members who were not there physically but through a type of jutsu.
"It was a lot of trouble getting this Jinchuriki here, hm," Deidara had complained.
"Just shut up and prepare yourself, we have to help extract Ichibi from him," Sasori hissed.
"Now, everyone prepare yourselves, it will take three days to seal the Ichibi," a mysterious voice called out.
Then they started the ritual, a glowing sphere surrounded the unconscious Kazekage and a misty red substance had started to seep out from his eyes and mouth, making him moan in pain. As the substance seeped out of him, it was being absorbed by the statue, making the statue slowly open one of its eyes.
As they carried on with the sealing process, Pakkun had followed the scent to their location and said to himself, "They're there huh? I better relay this back to Kakashi, quickly."
So he ran off back to Suna, but unbeknownst to him, there was a figure on a tree branch watching as he ran off, slipping into the tree disappearing from sight.
Meanwhile, in Suna
Pakkun had just arrived before them and they set off. They had traveled non-stop for at least most of the day. Naruto, unsurprisingly to everyone, except to Elder Chiyo was willing to keep going but Kakashi noticed that Ino and Sakura were tired.
"We'll rest here for now, and then we'll keep going," Kakashi announced.
Naruto instantly stopped to turn around and practically yelled, "Kakashi –Sensei! We have to keep going, Gaara is in trouble and we…"
"I know what you are feeling Naruto, but we have replenish our energy so that we can be in top form when we face an organization like the Akatsuki. Besides, not all of us have stamina like yours Naruto," Kakashi explained.
Naruto was upset but he understood, so he complied and rested with everyone else. Ino smiled at him apologetically and thought to herself, "Naruto, don't be too upset, we will rescue Gaara." But on her part she wondered if it was only wishful thinking, as she laid down on the ground to rest, the sun setting on the horizon.
Meanwhile in Konoha,
Tsunade was just before the gates of Konoha briefing a team for a mission.
"I'm sending you as back-up for Team Kakashi to rescue the Kazekage, proceed with the mission swiftly but cautiously. Do you all understand the mission's purpose?"
"We all understand, now let us go and help Team Kakashi out with the power of our youth!" Guy had exclaimed with his protégé at his side saying something similar.
Tenten and Neji had bemused looks on their faces but they were used to the two of them for years so it didn't bother them much. So with that, they set out for Suna at an extremely impossible rate. At least Guy and Lee were anyway, Tenten and Neji were following at an equally fast pace anyway.
Back in Suna,
Team Kakashi had rested for a few hours but then continued on their way to reach Gaara. But unfortunately the element of surprise was not on their side as they ran into trouble on the way.
"Itachi Uchiha," Kakashi said as they got into a clearing in the forest.
In front of them, was the missing nin, the infamous Itachi Uchiha, former ANBU captain and murderer of his clan. He stared them down, with just an intimidating glare.
Ino thought to herself, "I thought he was Sasuke at first but this is his brother," She had a determined glare as she looked over at Sakura next to her with equal determination thinking the same thing but Sakura's resolve seemed stronger.
"Are you here for Naruto, Itachi? It was your mission to capture him two and a half years ago," Kakashi questioned the stoic Uchiha.
"Yes, that is still my mission, but I am merely here to stall your progress to rescue the Kazekage," Itachi answered, his Sharingan changing into a different pattern, swirling into effect.
Meanwhile with Team Guy, they had to face another Akatsuki member, Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi's partner.
"Well, it has been a long time," Kisame said to Guy.
Guy just stared at him blankly and replied, "Do I know you?"
Kisame stared back at him and his team thinking to himself, "He doesn't remember me? How dense is he?"
He spoke out loud, "I suppose it doesn't matter, I'm here to prevent you to get to your comrades' aid."
He held his sword out towards them in a battle stance, smiling to show off his pointed teeth.
"Guy- Sensei, we have to get past him so we can reach Naruto-kun and the others," Lee silently murmured to him.
"Yes, my young ward, we shall use the power of our youth to push through this enemy. Prepare yourselves for anything!" Guy shouted to his team.
They all moved into their battle stances, ready to face against Kisame. Guy and Lee started out with their taijutsu to try to find out his weak points but he only blocked them with his sword. Then Neji came in to try to gain the upper hand but he had no better luck getting an opening. Then Tenten used her weapons scrolls to surround Kisame but he simply used a shot of water to block them.
"This is getting harder than we thought, Guy-Sensei," Tenten shouted to her teacher.
"But this is the only way to reach the others, we'll just have to keep fighting," Guy replied.
Kisame then smiled and shouted, "I won't let you go any further until you remember me."
Then he formed some hand seals and then shouted, "Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!"
A big wave of water came gushing out of his mouth and it came crashing down on Team Guy, filling the wasteland with water. Then he created water clones and took on each one of Guy's students, overwhelming them.
Then he shouted, "Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu!"
Then the three water clones surrounded the three younger ninjas, each in their own sphere of water, trapping them.
Guy was distracted momentarily distracted but Kisame snapped him out of his daze and then Guy went back to fighting the Kiri ninja but then Kisame overwhelmed Guy by making him swim underwater and sent a shiver of sharks after him.
"This is not good; if I can't get out of this my students will run out of breath. I guess I have no choice but to use that," Guy thought as he swam away from the sharks.
Meanwhile with Team Kakashi, they didn't take too much time to start fighting. At least in Naruto's mind, there were three Itachis taunting him but he was snapped out of the Genjutsu by Kurama.
"Naruto, snap out of it, something is not right," Kurama said in his mind.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
Kurama replied, "This guy looks like Itachi and acts like him but don't you think something is off with him?"
Naruto tried to see what he meant, but he couldn't really tell until he suddenly gasped.
"You're right; there is a different chakra signature within him," Naruto said out loud to everyone.
"What are you talking about Naruto?" Ino asked confused.
"What Kurama is telling me is that is not Itachi, it's an imposter made to look like Itachi along with the same chakra signature." Naruto answered.
"But isn't that impossible, no one can copy the same chakra signature from someone else," Ino replied.
"Maybe who we are dealing with in the Akatsuki has that ability and we have no knowledge of it," Kakashi inserted his own suspicion.
He added, "Imposter or not, he is still using Itachi's jutsus, so we have to get by him. Naruto make a few shadow clones, I have an idea."
Naruto nodded and listened to the plan he was conspiring with Kakashi. Kakashi then ran forward to attack "Itachi" head-on with his own sharingan eye visible.
Itachi pushed himself back and did hand seals rapidly shouting, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
He shot out some big fireballs towards Kakashi as he dodged them as well as he could and he got close enough to attack at him with a kunai. But Itachi slashed through him but Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Then before "Itachi" could react he saw Naruto above him with a big Rasengan, shouting, "Ōdama Rasengan!"
He crashed it into Itachi and he fell to the ground, making an indent in the ground, defeating him.
With Guy's team, Guy was still putting up a fight, but the enemy didn't know what was up Guy's sleeve as he yelled, "Keimon: Kai!"
He opened six of the eight gates and the water swirled around him, forming a type of whirlpool and he was speeding towards Kisame and got him out of the water.
Since he got Kisame out of the water, he proceeded to shout out, "Asa Kujaku!"
This attack hit Kisame square in the chest and fireballs had shot all around them, making the water evaporate. Also, since he defeated Kisame, the water clones dissolved and the water prisons were gone, setting the others free.
Pakkun, who was watching came up to them and said, "I'm glad that you are alright Guy, but we have to catch up to Kakashi and the others.
"Yes, but first maybe we can send this body to Konoha for information," Guy said as he and his team made their way over to where Kisame landed on the ground.
But as they got there, Guy and his team looked shocked, because the man who was on the ground was not the one they had been fighting but an unknown ninja, dead.
With Kakashi and the others, it was the same thing; a different man who wasn't Itachi had been killed.
"I knew something was off but I didn't think it would be this," Naruto remarked.
Chiyo interrupted, "I know this man, he was part of the Suna Council but why is he here?"
"Probably, he was a sleeper agent for years and that was how the patrol around Suna was defeated so quickly," Kakashi supplied.
"But why would they send this man to pose as Itachi?" Ino asked.
"For time, I believe that they will extract the Biju from the Kazekage. They want the tailed beast itself, but to do that they need time to extract it," Chiyo answered.
She began writing a message to send to Suna but she continued, "By stalling us, they would use that time to extract the biju from the jinchūriki and once they are finished, it would be too late."
Ino was afraid to ask but she had to know why for Naruto's sake, "Why is that?"
She finished writing the message and paused to look at her, she simply said, "If the biju is extracted from the Kazekage before we get there, Gaara will die."
Ino and Sakura gasped together as they both looked towards Naruto as he had this somber look on his face but he turned away from them and said, "You know, our priority is Gaara right now not me right? I can't have you two worry about me."
"But Naruto, they are after you too, if we show up with you they might try to capture you as well," Ino retorted with tears in her eyes but haven't been shed.
"Right now Gaara is the one who needs our help so we can't waste time by just standing here debating whether or not I should step foot in their lair if they are after me too. So, I'm going no matter what, I will not let Gaara die," Naruto made his decision final.
Kakashi smiled under his mask, and thought to himself, "Sensei, he has grown up just like you wanted him to."
"Well, let's get going now," Kakashi said to everyone and they took off once again.
Back at the cave, the Akatsuki had just finished extracting the Ichibi from Gaara, the red chakra stopped flowing from Gaara's eyes and mouth, then the sphere surrounding him dissipated and he fell to the ground, lifeless.
Then Zetsu interrupted with, "The rescue team had defeated the body-doubles of Itachi and Kisame; they are just outside the entrance."
He added, "I believe that the jinchūriki of the Kyuubi is with them."
The leader then responded with, "Deidara, I want you and Sasori to capture him and bring him at our next hideout, tell them about him, Itachi." Then he disappeared.
"Itachi, can you describe what this jinchūriki is like?" Sasori questioned.
Itachi was silent for a moment but then answered, "He is one who screams and charges first."
This left both Sasori and Deidara confused but Itachi disappeared without explaining further; leaving them to deal with the teams outside.
After both teams had finished with the imposters they kept up their trek to get to Gaara until they reached the front of the cave where Pakkun found them.
"It seems that this is a five way barrier that won't let us through unless we take all five barrier insignias at the same time," Kakashi said as they came to Team Guy.
'Kakashi you're late," Guy said.
"Sakura-san, Ino-san, and Naruto-kun, it's nice to see you all!" Lee said to them.
"Hey!" Naruto said.
"Naruto," Neji said to himself as he took in Naruto's appearance.
Kakashi then said, "Anyway, we need to find the other four barrier seals. Neji-kun."
"Right. Byakugan!" Neji said as the veins around his eyes had become more detailed. He looked around for the other seals, searching for all of them.
Then he said, "I found them! One is on top of a boulder, about 500 meters northeast of here. The second one is on a tree trunk in a gorge, 350 meters south-southeast. The third one is on a cliffside, 600 meters to the northwest. And the last one is in a forest almost 800 meters southwest of here."
After they got the directions, Team Guy had set up wireless radios so they would set out for the other seals, while Kakashi would pull off the main one at the entrance. After they took off, Sakura ran a good distance away from the boulder blocking the exit and got into a stance as if to punch something.
"Ino, what is Sakura-chan doing?" Naruto asked.
"Just watch and you'll see why you should never cross her," Ino told him while laughing.
Kakashi had just pulled off the seal as he heard the signal and yelled, "Sakura!"
"Right!" she shouted as she began sprinting towards the boulder. She yelled out and pulled her arm back and punched the boulder, causing it to crumble and break apart.
Ino laughed at the flabbergasted expression on Naruto's face and unknown to her, Kurama inside him shuddered.
But she focused on what their goal is and went in with her team, Sakura and Elder Chiyo. They all went in through the cave entryway and stopped in their tracks. They saw two Akatsuki members in there alone and saw that Deidara was sitting on Gaara, not breathing, lying perfectly still.
"So then, I wonder which one is the jinchūriki," Deidara said to himself and to Sasori.
All of this did not go well with Naruto, he was shaking, and his eyes turned red, his pupils turned to slits, his whisker marks became more defined.
His teeth had grown into fangs, as he shouted, "You bastards! I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
Sasori said eerily, "The one who screams and charges first, is that him?"
Deidara answered, "That's what it looks like, hm."
This is the next chapter and I hope you liked it. Please feel free to review.