The sun shone brightly down onto the village, its rays being experienced fully due to the cloudless sky. Outside of A's window stood the company; Naruto swung his arms as he waited, while Sakura nervously chewed the bottom of her lip.

"Time is of the essence you know," Sakura said, looking up in the sky; judging by the sun's position, it was almost midday. "Perhaps it would be faster if we met up with them there."

"Eh," Naruto asked, turning to look at her in confusion. "But no matter how long we wait, they'll make up for the lost time! Besides, why would you ever want to miss out on riding a dragon? It's amazing!"

"Oh, I can think of a few reasons…." She muttered under her breath, slightly paling at the memory of riding Gyuki. Sasuke glanced at her, arms crossed over his chest as he grew more impatient with waiting for the guardian of Guyki.

"If you're so scared, you should just wait here."

Sakura turned at him, face slightly pink as she glared. "For the last time, I am not scared! I just really, strongly, vehemently dislike heights!"

Naruto blinked; slowly, a large grin worked across his face. "Sakura, if you're so scared, you can just hold on to me. Or better yet, sit in front of me so that I can hold you tightly against me." He offered, winking at her; her face scrunched up in displeasure.

"I'd rather have Kakashi hold me."

Naruto held a hand to his heart, mock hurt on his face. "Are you saying Kakashi is more trustworthy than me?"

"In terms of keeping his hands in check, yes."

A large shadow was cast over them; looking up, they caught sight of Gyuki as he blocked out the sun, slowly descending onto the outlook. He flapped his wings, creating a massive breeze as he landed, the ground slightly shaking. From his back, B looked out at them, shading his eyes from the sun.

"So I hear you've got it figured out?" B asked as Naruto walked towards them. Naruto nodded enthusiastically as he stood at Gyuki's tail, preparing himself to mount the dragon.

"Yep! I was fretting about it all day, but it just suddenly came to me! Like a vision almost, except without the part where I can see the future."

"Well, what are you waiting for then? Get up here!"

Naruto climbed up, throwing caution to the wind as he quickly took his place behind B. Kakashi sighed at his overenthusiastic behavior, following behind him at a slower pace with Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura eyed Gyuki warily as she climbed onto him, taking her seat behind Sasuke; she tightly wrapped her arms around his waist, eyes darting to look downwards at the ground. She gulped as Gyuki began to flap his wings, the ground slowly growing smaller beneath them. So lost in watching the ground grow farther away that she almost missed Sasuke's voice.

"Stop looking at the ground," He said, causing her to jump slightly, "Otherwise you'll just fall over, and I'd rather not have to rescue you."

Sakura jerked her head to glare at him, his head turned so that he looked at her over his shoulder. "Well, who said you had to? I am perfectly capable of saving myself."

"Hn, is that so?"

"Are you challenging me?"

"Is this going to continue for the entire ride, Kakashi?" Gyuki asked, speaking so that only Kakashi could hear. Kakashi chuckled, smiling beneath his mask.

"Would you rather she be screaming?"

"Point taken," Gyuki growled out, propelling them forward as Sasuke continued to effortlessly rile Sakura up. If Kakashi hadn't known better he would have feared that if Sasuke continued the banter, he would soon be watching Sakura throw the elf off the dragon towards the sharp stones below them. But, because he did, he kept silent and merely basked in the warmth provided from being so close to the sun.

Deidara sighed as he climbed off the sculpted bird, his hand resting on its beak. He glanced down, a small smirk playing on his lips; in the distance, he could see a small village enclosed in a valley within the mountains. He adjusted the scope of his left eye, zooming in to see what other protective measures the village took against intruders. He scoffed as he scanned the area, not seeing any guard towers or patrols around the perimeter.

"However," He murmured, adjusting his scope to its normal distance, "That doesn't mean they aren't hiding out in natural towers around the village. We'll have to do more reconnaissance before we can begin the assault."

He jumped back onto his bird, patting it on the neck; it rose into the air, heading towards the village in the distance.

From his position on Gyuki's back, Naruto could see that the forest surrounding the waterfall hadn't changed since the last time he visited. The trees bowed under the force of the wind produced by the dragon's powerful wings, leaves swirling into the air. As soon as Gyuki's feet made contact with the ground Naruto jumped off, heading towards the water's edge. He slowed as he neared the water's edge, remembering the experience that he had the last time he had been there.

"Why should anyone ever respect a street urchin like us? They never have, and deep down, you know they never will."

Naruto balled his hands into fists as he strode into the water, heading towards the island. "It's true that, back then, nobody treated me with respect. I was just seen as a misbehaved poor kid…someone who could never offer anyone's daughter the life they deserved. And maybe…maybe that's what's holding me back now. Some unknown fear that they'll still see me as that little boy."

Naruto took a deep breath as he pulled himself up onto the island, crossing his ankles over each other. He sighed, placing his hands on his knees, a small smile coming onto his features as he remembered Sakura's words from yesterday. "But maybe…if a troublemaker like King Kizashi can be respected, then maybe I can as well."

"Well isn't that a lovely dream?"

Naruto's eyes snapped open, his surprised gaze meeting the familiar stare of the dark Naruto. The clone smirked at him, arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at him. "Returned to accept the inevitable truth? Or do you wish to try and convince me by force again?"

Naruto smiled slightly, standing up from his position. "No, considering that we were evenly matched last time, I figured it wouldn't work this time. After all, as you said, we are the same person. But, since we are the same, you should already know what I've decided, correct?"

The image tilted its head to the side, confusion flitting across its face before returning to its previous sneer. "What are you talking about?"

A soft smile spread on Naruto's face as he spoke. "I'm talking about my decision to put my trust in my comrades, and to become the best leader I can be. But before I can do that, I've decided that I have to put my trust in myself and my own choices. I have to trust in myself to be able to connect with the dragons; to be able to become the king that the people need. If I can't trust myself and my values, then how can I ever expect anyone else to trust or respect me?"

"Trust yourself," He barked, "You honestly believe that just trusting yourself will get them to follow you? What kind of shit is that?"

"Sakura said it best yesterday, ya know? When her father went to go defend a village, his clan thought of him similar to how I'm thought of. But, because he believed in himself…because he had such conviction, they realized that he deserved their respect. That was my first hint to what I should, but the final piece came from when Sasuke controlled his magic. He said that he controlled it by imagining the possibilities of what would happen if he didn't; and that was when I realized that, no matter what, I would have their trust, but would I have my own?"

"So you're just going to abandon me?" The clone shouted, hands balled into fists. "Treat me like I'm just some minor obstacle in your path to a kingdom? What was I born to do exactly?!"

"I was able to survive with you by my side. Without you, I doubt I would've been able to keep going when they scoffed at me. You made me strong…and that allowed me to meet the friends that I made today."

As soon as he finished his sentence, the other Naruto grit his teeth as he charged towards him. "Then what am I supposed to do now," He demanded, fist raised to strike him. "Tell me!"

"You really have to ask?" Naruto asked, grinning; he dodged the punch the clone sent his way as he strongly wrapped his arms around him. The clone's eyes widened in surprise as Naruto held on, giving him the answer. "You only need to be me, since you are me."

The clone's arm slowly fell to his side as he continued to speak. "Thank you for helping me out when I was little, but it's okay now. You don't have to worry about me anymore, or protect me…you've done far more than you needed to. So please, rest; you've more than earned it."

The clone swallowed past the lump in his throat as he nodded, warily returning the hug. As his hands touched Naruto's back, a bright light enveloped him; slowly, his body dissolved into flecks of light until Naruto was merely hugging the air. He opened his eyes as he felt the body disappear to find himself sitting on the island, having not moved from his previous position. He stood, turning to see B leaning against Gyuki, both he and Kakashi observing him silently in anticipation of his response. He felt his face split into a wide grin as he jumped into the water, wading through it quickly towards them.

"I did it," He shouted, arms shooting above his head in joy. He felt warmth spread throughout his body at that sentence, a feeling that, if he could only have one word, he would describe as feeling complete. Kakashi couldn't help the smile that formed on his face at seeing the unbridled joy on Naruto's; B merely grunted beside him, while Gyuki shifted behind him.

"Not a moment too soon." Gyuki commented, eye roving over to look beyond Kakashi. "Looks like your guardians have some troubling news."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he looked in the direction that Gyuki had directed. He frowned as he saw Sasuke and Sakura running towards them; Naruto, noticing that Kakashi and B's attention had been redirected, looked over to see what had happened.

"What happened?" He asked, concern lacing his voice as they reached him. Sasuke was the first to speak, looking off in the direction of the village.

"We think the village is in danger. While we were patrolling we caught sight of smoke in the direction of the smoke; far too much to be indicative of a celebration. The only thing that we could think of was-"

"Kaguya," Kakashi finished the thought; Sasuke nodded. "Well, sorry to say that the celebrating will have to be cut short, Naruto; we've got bigger issues to deal with. Sasuke, you ride with Naruto and B and provide protection; Sakura, you'll come with me."

"How will we get there if we're not riding Gyuki," Sakura asked; Kakashi gave her a smile as Rin flew upwards into the sky. He directed his gaze upwards and snapped his fingers; immediately, Rin grew into the size of a large eagle, swooping down to land on the ground. She gave a loud squawk as Kakashi strode to her side, quickly jumping onto her back. He gestured for Sakura to climb up; Sakura shook herself from the shock of seeing the sparrow transform before her eyes and quickly climbed on.

"You never told us she could transform," Sakura muttered, settling herself behind Kakashi. Kakashi shrugged, eye looking over at Gyuki as B, Naruto, and Sasuke mounted him.

"There was no reason to. Besides, it wouldn't have made a difference," He said, glancing back at her, lone eye crinkled in amusemnet. "You're afraid of heights."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but before she could speak they took off into the air in the direction of the village. Instead she merely grumbled behind him, preparing herself for battle the best she could while up in the air. She looked over at where Gyuki flew, only able to see that Sasuke sat behind Naruto; from the distance, she couldn't discern either expression, though she assumed it was grim. She bit her lower lip as she turned back to face Kakashi's back, noticing that the closer they got to the village, the harder it became to breathe because of the smoke. Sakura was used to the smoke produced by the forges; sometimes, it was so choking that even the most experienced dwarves had to leave. But this, combined with the adrenaline of rushing into battle, was a new level of stifling that she had yet to experience.

Soon, the village came into view; boulders had come crashing down onto homes, only crushed debris remaining of lives. She could see other orcs working tirelessly at cave entrances where avalanches had trapped villagers within shops built into the mountainside, while others worked to clear the entrances to tunnels that would allow them to escape. Scattered fires burned throughout the village, casting light upon the destruction created by the assailant through the smoky haze. On roofs and precipices that had been spared by the destruction groups of orcs stood firing their arrows from crossbows at the enemy. Her eyes widened as suddenly a creature shaped like a bird dove through the smoke and collided with the orcs, creating an explosion that destroyed that stronghold.

"That thing…" She breathed, looking up at Kakashi; vague memories of the attack on Kiri came back to her, where she had seen similar figures destroy the town. "It's that man that was with the puppet mage, isn't it?"

"It certainly appears to be his style," Kakashi said, observing the damage dealt to the village. He looked to the skies, eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to locate the bomber through the smoke. Suddenly a clay bird burst through the smoke as it headed towards them; quickly he signaled to Rin to dive, barely avoiding the bomb as it crashed into the rock beside them. Gravel rained upon them, pummeling Rin as she squawked in pain, flying farther away from the damage. Kakashi looked up from where the attack came, barely making out a large wing of some creature.

"He's using it as coverage," Sakura shouted, following his gaze. "Sasuke should have no problem seeing through it, but we need to get out of here before he strikes again."

Kakashi smirked slightly, pulling his mask down just enough so that it didn't cover the talisman where his left eye should have been. Instantly the smoke became as much of a hindrance as a light mist, and through it he could make out the creature that the mage was riding on.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, still keeping his eyes trained on the mage. "I'm going to let you down into the village. And before you get angry with me," He began, holding up a hand to stop the inevitable response; Sakura promptly shut her mouth, glaring at his hand. "This battle is going to be an aerial one, something that a dwarf isn't proficient at. However, you are a medic, and you are strong; you can help the orcs save their village. Do you understand?"

"Just because I understand doesn't mean I like it."

Kakashi's lip twitched slightly at her response. "We all have to do things we don't like," He replied; he prompted Rin to fly closer to the ground. She cawed, maneuvering them through the streets as debris fell from the crumbling buildings. Sakura took a deep breath before leaping off Rin; as soon as she landed, she ran off to where she was needed. Kakashi looked back up at where the enemy was, giving Rin a slight tap to direct her upwards. She cawed again as they began the climb upwards, wings flapping furiously. He watched as the mage noticed their ascension, sending a barrage of bombs down towards them. Electricity crackled in Kakashi's hand in response to the threat; he thrust his hand forward, lightning bursting forth. It struck the bombs, causing them to fall harmlessly around them as they continued climbing upwards. Finally they burst through the smoke, leveling so that they faced the enemy.

"Well, about time you guys got here, yeah." He said, brushing the blond hair from blocking his left eye. "I was starting to think that I'd destroy the whole village before your group came. You even brought me the dragon! Quite nice of you, yeah; unfortunately, I'm not accepting peace offerings at the moment."

"You're the mage from Kiri."

He smirked at the statement. "Hmph, I told Sasori that my art would make me famous! The name is Deidara, the Mage of Explosive Art! And you're Kakashi Hatake, Mage of the Five Elements. Your title certainly doesn't lie; the mastery of electricity you had in Kiri was quite a demonstration. But my art will always come out on top!"

He threw a bomb towards him, the size increasing as it grew closer to striking. Before Kakashi had a chance to strike it down, a brown blur came rushing in front of him, grasping the bomb and tossing it in a different direction; it exploded harmlessly in midair, pieces of debris raining down on the village. Kakashi glanced over to see Naruto, B, and Sasuke on Gyuki rising up to be next to him. Deidara looked at them, chuckling as his eyes met Gyuki's.

"Heh, so the great dragon of Kumo decided to come fight me in person." Deidara said, "You even brought me the next king of Konoha! I'll be sure to put a good word in for your people when we return; perhaps Lady Kaguya won't annihilate you all."

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi hissed, glaring at them. Naruto spoke first, his blue eyes hardened into a serious stare.

"Sasuke saw that you were going against him alone, and we decided to help you! After all, what kind of king lets his comrades go into battle alone?"

"I tried to talk to him, but he was very…adamant," Gyuki said, one large eye glancing at him. "If it's any consolation, he can most likely convince the other dragons to join your cause."

"If we live that long," Kakashi muttered under his breath, turning to look back at Deidara. "His bombs can be disarmed with lightning magic; therefore, let me take care of them. As for you, try to take him down, but do it away from the village. The sooner we move the battle elsewhere, the sooner they can begin recuperating."

The others nodded, turning to focus back on Deidara as well. Deidara smirked as he pulled out more figurines from within his robe. "Now I can show you the true power of my art!" He cried out, throwing the figurines at Kakashi; with a pop they rapidly expanded in size. Gyuki immediately flew upwards to use the smoke as cover for an attack on Deidara while Kakashi generated lightning for his attack. As he took aim, his eyes widened as he saw one veer in the direction that Gyuki had went while the other continued to come towards him. He shot a bolt of lightning at the one towards him; Rin moved as it continued to fly before crashing into the mountain behind them. In the distance, he could hear an explosion accompanied by a roar of pain from Gyuki.

"Impressed? Once I've locked eyes with a target, I can control the earth magic to go after them, no matter how many targets there are." Deidara smirked, looking up above. "That dragon is probably plummeting as we speak."

Kakashi grit his teeth at the thought, feeling the lightning spark to life in his hands. He aimed it towards Deidara, the electricity having almost a mind of its own as it shot towards him, the entire area around them becoming bright. The clay bird immediately dodged, moving just in time for the lightning to harmlessly strike a rock formation behind it. Deidara smirked as he regained his balance, locking eyes with Kakashi.

"As much as I'd love to stick around, I have a dragon to capture." He said as he began to ascend upwards. Kakashi cursed under his breath, gesturing to Rin to follow him. As much as he wanted to find Sakura, he knew that time was of the essence, especially if any of them had been injured in the crash. With that thought in mind he flew through the smoke to wherever they had crashed.

A/N: I feel like I haven't done a cliffhanger in a while. But, I felt this was a good place to end it. Originally, I wanted to do the whole battle in one chapter plus the conclusions of their time in Kumo, but that could've easily been another five to seven pages. Wouldn't want people to give up on the story just because the chapters are long, now would I?