I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Akatsuki
Naruto landed in a field and stopped. Kakashi landed beside him and released his Ninja hound as the others landed around him, Temari's place having been taken by one of the two Suna Elders, Lady Chiyo, a famous puppeteer who had created an animation jutsu that had once been used on all puppets to make them more effective.
The reason for their abrupt halt was the man standing before them.
"Danzo," Naruto growled drawing his Double-Edged Swords. "I think you'll find that I'm much stronger than the last time we met."
"I think you'll find I don't care," Danzo stated uncovering his right eye and pulling out his right arm, removing the bandages and revealing the Sharingan implanted along it.
Ten, not counting Shisui's, which rested in his right eye socket.
"You've fought against the Akatsuki before?" Chiyo questioned.
"He's in the Akatsuki?" Naruto questioned.
"The two that took Gaara wore the same robes," Chiyo stated.
"I'm taking those eyes back," Naruto stated turning back to Danzo. "That, I swear."
"You can't touch me," Danzo stated as Kakashi appeared behind him.
Danzo caught Kakashi's wrist, throwing him sideways before Kakashi could use his Chidori. Sakura and Chiyo both crouched preparing for anything while Hinata reached for her sword.
"No," Naruto said stopping her kneeling and placing his hand on the ground, spreading seals across the clearing. Danzo looked around then at Naruto as Naruto drew his Double-Edged Sword and separated it into two. "Danzo's mine."
"Do it," Sakura ordered. "Kill him so that Sasuke can come home."
Naruto grinned and swung his swords, launching a massive blast of wind at Danzo. He exhaled a sphere of wind almost the same size and the two cancelled out. Naruto exhaled a dozen Vacuum Spheres at Danzo and Danzo copied him, Danzo's smashing through Naruto's as his jutsu had the last time they had fought. Danzo sprinted forward, drawing his own Sword and Naruto drove his Double-Edged Swords into the ground sending a stream of super-charged wind at him through the ground launching massive pieces of rubble at him. Danzo slashed the rubble aside then leapt into the air as the wind exploded out of the ground at him. Naruto instantly swung again sending another blast of wind at him, this time hitting him and slamming Danzo into the ground. Just as he began to stand, Naruto teleported to him and drove both swords through his back. Then, he wrenched them out and teleported to Hinata putting his swords together and putting them away before drawing Temujin's sword.
"Let's test this new one out shall we?" Naruto grinned and Hinata nodded.
Danzo stood, holding a hand over the higher of the two wounds before eating a soldier pill and charging forward, channeling chakra into the blade of his sword. Naruto did the same, extending his sword's blade before the green chakra began to shoot off of it. Sakura gasped as it did, recognizing it. Naruto darted forward, ducking under Danzo's blade and thrusting his own forward.
"Raging Thunder!" Naruto shouted.
When the blade hit, it buried itself in his chest then exploded, blowing Danzo's chest wide open and launching his body away. The moment he hit the ground, they all sprinted forward to make sure he was dead only to find that the corpse had changed. It was a man with black hair and beard that had been from Sunagakure. When Deidara and Sasori had arrived, this guy had killed the guards at the gate for them.
"Damn," Naruto growled. "Come on. We need to find Gaara."
With that, he took off again and the others followed. After a few more hours, they reached a river with a massive boulder against the opposite cliff wall with a sealing tag reading "Forbidden" on it. Naruto could sense Gaara's seal on the far side and knew that he had to hurry.
"We can't get through the seal," Hinata stated as Team Guy arrived. "The seal tags have to be removed all at once. There are four, including this one. Then there will be a five second window when the seal will be disabled and we can break in."
"She's right," Neji nodded grinning.
"I'll head inside and keep them focused on me while you guys deal with the seal," Naruto stated.
"You're not going alone," Hinata stated holding her hand out. "Take me with you."
Naruto took her hand and teleported both of them to Gaara's seal and instantly leapt at the massive statue that was drawing the One-tails out of Gaara with the Akatsuki's help. As Naruto flew through the air, he drew Temujin's sword and channeled his chakra into it. One of the glowing silhouettes' eyes began to pulse, it seemed, and Naruto's body lit up with pain.
"Stop him!" the silhouette ordered.
One of the two, who was crouched over shot a stark white tail at Naruto. Hinata appeared in front of Naruto deflecting Sasori's tail with her sword and barely avoiding being poisoned.
"Raging Thunder!" Naruto shouted thrusting Temujin's sword forward.
It hit the statue and exploded violently, throwing him and Hinata away as well as obliterating the arms and making the silhouettes disappear. The other two were also thrown. Naruto teleported to Gaara and caught him, setting him down as boiling red chakra returned to him from the ruins of the statue. A moment later, his body, except his feet was covered with sand and he stood.
"Naruto right?" Shukaku questioned, eyes glowing. "I have to thank you for stopping them. I'll even refrain from going on a murdering spree while Gaara's out."
Just then the stone blocking the entrance exploded and Sakura, Chiyo, and Kakashi rushed through the doorway, freezing when they saw Gaara.
"He's not the enemy," Naruto stated. "Shukaku is healing him, right?"
"I am," Shukaku nodded. "Naruto saved him."
"Damn!" Deidara groaned standing. "Tell me the blonde kid isn't who I think it is."
"It is," Sasori confirmed. "Two-"
Naruto appeared beside his tail and smashed his fist into Sasori's face, launching him away before he could blow Naruto's secret.
"I'll handle the blonde and Hatake," Deidara volunteered. "You take the chicks. Leave the Hyuga though. I like her."
"Shall we Shukaku?" Naruto questioned.
"Let's," Shukaku nodded. "Blondie's first. I have to thank him for trying to kill me."
"After you," Naruto said motioning with his arm.
"Sand Shrapnel!" Shukaku stated swinging his arms and launching sand bolts at Deidara.
"Wind Style, Great Breakthrough!" Naruto shouted swinging his Double-Edged Sword and sending a massive wall of wind at Deidara catching the sand bullets and giving them a massive speed boost.
The sand tore through Deidara, not scoring any fatal hits but after they finished flying, he lowered his arms and suddenly he stopped moving.
"What the..." Deidara struggled to say. "What the Hell?"
"They're holding you immobile with the sand," Sasori stated. "You fool. You should have seen this coming."
"How?" Deidara demanded.
"Does it matter?" Naruto questioned. "Shall we Shukaku?"
Shukaku nodded and both inhaled and grinned.
Wind Style, Drilling Air Bullet! Shukaku thought smashing his arm into his stomach and launching a single blast of air at Deidara.
Wind Style, Air Bullet! Naruto thought firing a single blast the same size as Shukaku's at Deidara.
He screamed as the two blasts hit but they tore straight through him and launched him into the wall. Then, he fell away as clay.
"I thought it was too easy," Naruto sighed before wheeling around and swinging his sword toward Sasori, obliterating his body, which proved to be a puppet, his real body leaping out and to safety. "All yours girls. Hinata, you're with me and Kakashi. We're going to get Deidara."
She nodded and ran outside with him and Kakashi and looked around to see Deidara flying away and shouting about not having enough time to get away. The three chased him while Shukaku stayed to help Chiyo and Sakura. After about fifteen minutes, they caught up with Deidara in a massive open field where Deidara landed after Naruto managed to hit his clay bird with a Vacuum Sphere. Within seconds he was surrounded and sighed.
"No choice then," Deidara sighed. "Let's see what you can do."
He held his hand out and they all saw a mouth in his palm. It instantly began coughing up white clay until the clay formed into two massively deformed figures with two arms and legs, two black eyes, and a thin clay cord running back into the mouth on Deidara's hand.
"Shall we begin?" Deidara grinned.
The two darted forward in a blur, attacking Naruto first and he easily bisected both then severed the cords and darting toward Deidara.
"Naruto!" Hinata shouted.
Naruto instantly leapt into the air as four creatures shot under him, a new cord having attached two the two halves without a cord and the other two having repaired their cords. As Naruto landed, he created three clones and they all separated their Double-Edged, Swords and swung them, launching the clay creatures away. Deidara grinned as they all landed and darted toward a Naruto.
"Die," Naruto growled slashing at them again, this time the wind blasting them each into several pieces.
Then, the pieces all grew a chord and Naruto growled in frustration. Kakashi pulled his forehead protector up and looked at the pieces then turned to watch Deidara.
"Naruto, they're Earth Style," Kakashi stated. "My Chidori will work."
"Don't count on it," Deidara grinned as all of the pieces grew until they were miniature humanoids, more or less, and all darted at Naruto in a blur. Then, they leapt onto him and Kakashi, latching on and beginning to glow.
"Get clear!" Naruto ordered just before the creatures all separated from Deidara and exploded, obliterating both shinobi.
"Naruto!" Hinata screamed.
"That takes care of that," Deidara grinned. "Now then, why don't you come on out Jinchuriki?"
Naruto stepped out of the trees and instantly sent a blast of wind at Deidara. Deidara dove out of the way of his blast then threw his hand out and several birds flew out of the mouth and at Naruto.
"If I thought the One-tails Jinchuriki was strong," Deidara growled. "Die!"
The birds reached Naruto and exploded but when the smoke cleared, he was gone. Deidara swore and turned to flee only to have Kakashi and Naruto's fists collide with his face. He flew backward landing on his feet and spat blood.
"Alright kid," Deidara grinned. "I'll get you with that one."
Deidara suddenly launched a clay bird into the air and it turned into a giant hawk that he jumped onto as it flew into the air. Then, he created a statue from clay as the bird ascended fast.
"He's getting clear," Naruto stated.
"I got him," Kakashi stated as his Sharingan's tomoe became a three-point shuriken with spiral streaks behind the blades making it look like it was spinning counterclockwise. "Kamui!"
A pin-head-sized vortex appeared on Deidara's back and his body began to spin into it. He instantly had his bird fly erratically, realizing it required Kakashi to have visual contact with him to work. After a moment, Deidara threw the statue which became massive and spread its arms, falling at Naruto and the others. Just as Deidara threw it, the vortex moved to his elbow and Kakashi ended the jutsu, severing his arm which spun through the air and into the trees. Deidara screamed in pain as his statue fell and Naruto moved to stop it.
"I don't think so!" Naruto shouted throwing a kunai into the air and giving it a boost with his Double-Edged Sword before forming a Space Time Barrier that caught the statue and sent it to the kunai, almost a mile in the air. When it exploded, the blast moved toward them, easily going to make it to them so Naruto switched his Space Time Barrier for a smaller version of the barrier he had used when he had helped Gaara save Matsuri.
When the explosion reached the barriers, it was teleported to a different spot on the barrier, essentially bouncing it back on itself. After a few minutes, the explosion faded and Deidara glared back at him as he flew away.
"We've got this," Guy stated as he and Lee leapt over them and chased after Deidara.
Tenten and Neji ran past a moment later and Naruto shrugged and they all followed them. After a couple minutes, they caught up just as Deidara's bird was kicked out of the air by the two ninjas. Deidara stood on the far sides as the ninjas all assembled watching him.
"Alright," Deidara sighed. "Fine then. I have no choice. I'll never spill my guts."
Deidara suddenly knelt forward biting massive chunks out of his bird and Naruto snorted.
"How do you expect to use your clay with no arms?" Naruto questioned.
"Not going to throw it," Deidara grinned before beginning to swell.
"Oh shit!" Naruto swore. "Run!"
They all turned to run but as fast as they moved, the explosion quickly closed in on them. After a moment, Kakashi stopped, turning around and using Kamui to absorb the blast. The others stopped and looked back just as the vortex disappeared. Kakashi sighed and pulled his forehead protector down and collapsed into Naruto who caught him just as Sakura arrived supporting Lady Chiyo while Shukaku followed, still in control of Gaara.
"You are going to give him back control right?" Naruto questioned.
"Of course," Shukaku scoffed. "I just can't yet without him dying."
"I'll heal him," Sakura offered.
"The most you can do is keep his heart beating," Shukaku stated before seeing the mark on Naruto's hand. "But that can heal him. Can you control it?"
"To an extent," Naruto stated. "I can use it to attack with one of my swords."
"Channel chakra through it to Gaara," Shukaku ordered. "Fair warning, it will leave you drained."
"How drained?" Naruto questioned.
"At your current level, you will not remain conscious, but you will live," Shukaku stated. "One pulse should do it."
Naruto stepped forward and rested his hand on Shukaku's shoulder but he released his control and Neji caught Gaara allowing Naruto to send a pulse of chakra into Gaara through his right hand. His Gelel mark instantly glowed and his strength left him before he blacked out.
Read and review.