Deep in the mountains of the Land of Earth laid a natural stronghold of a village known as Iwagakure. The people of Iwagakure were proud of their mountainous protection and their attitudes are known to be just as hard as the rock that surrounded them. Much of Iwagakure's infrastructure is built into the mountains and large rock formations that are shaped into tower-like structures that are connected by a network of bridges. This rock-hard of a village is led by a man know as the Third Tsuchikage.

"Lord Tsuchikage!" An Iwagakure shinobi yelled as he burst into his leader's office. He wore the standard shinobi outfit for Iwagakure: a red outfit with a single sleeve and brown flak jacket. He was a very large and imposing man with dark eyes and black hair under his bandanna-style forehead protector

The man in question was a very elderly, short man with a triangular beard, a moustache, and a big red nose. He was completely bald, although, he had long white hair on the lower-half of his head which was styled in a traditional chonmage haircut, the back of which tied with a yellow ribbon into a top knot. He wore a green and yellow coat with a red collar.

"Akatsuchi! What is the meaning of this? Why would you burst into my office like that?" The Third Tsuchikage questioned in a demanding tone.

Akatsuchi immediately knelt before his village leader, who was seated at his desk. "Forgive my intrusion, my lord, but this was something that could not wait. You need to see this. It involves our plans for Konoha."

That grabbed the Tsuchikage's attention. "Well, out with it then! I don't have all day."

Akatsuchi nodded and then reached into his back pouch. He pulled out a book, a bingo book. He flipped through several pages before reaching the desired one. He stood to his full height, which towered over the Tsuchikage and his desk, and placed the book on the desk. "Here."

The Kage took one look at the page and saw a picture of a young boy, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, with spiky blonde hair and three whisker marks on each of his cheeks, wearing a Konohagakure headband. He instantly became more irritated. "You burst into my office to show me a picture of a Konoha shinobi?"

"Reach the description, my lord."

The elderly man eyed his subordinate for a moment for complying. He then read the description.

Name: Naruto Uzumaki (Namikaze)

Affiliation: Konohagakure no Sato

Height: 5'3" Weight: 130 lbs. Age: 13 years old

Rank: Chūnin

Description: Naruto Uzumaki is the only son of Minato Namikaze, Konohagakure's Yellow Flash and Fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, Konoha's Red-Hot Blooded Habanero. He is the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox Bijū and has learned to wield some of it's chakra. From an early age, he had been raised and trained by the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya the Toad Sage (see Pg. 106 for description). He was the only student of his graduating class to score a perfect score on the graduating exam, despite rarely attending class. His arsenal of jutsu is vast for his young age, having already learned, at least, one technique of the basic chakra nature elements and is able to use the Kage Bushin no Jutsu and its variants without drawback due to his enormous chakra reserves. And to be thought as a side note, Uzumaki's shinobi file states he understands the complexities of fūinjutsu. Under the tutelage of Kakashi Hatake, (see Pg. 257 for description) his strength was utilized to help defeat former Demon of the Mist and rouge shinobi Zabuza Momochi and has also defeated Sunagakure's One-Tailed jinchūriki, Gaara of the Desert (see Pg. 398 for description) in a full-transformed state. Again, despite his young age, Uzumaki has accomplished much in his short career as a shinobi. Donot underestimate.

Known/Commonly Used Abilities: Kage Bushin no Jutsu, Tajū Kage Bushin no Jutsu, Bushin Daibakuha, Rasengan, Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Toads), Katon, Futon, and Doton techniques (number unknown), and limited use of the Kyūbi's chakra. (Be advised, earlier entry about learning a technique of every chakra nature may be false. Prepare as if true.)

Threat Assessment: A-Rank, approach with caution. Jōnin and above are only allowed to engage. Be advised, Jiraiya the Toad Sage and Kakashi Hatake are known to be close to Uzumaki at all times. If engaged, prepare for a long fight.

Bounty: 30,000 Ryo (alive) 15,000 Ryo (dead)

The Tsuchikage looked up from the bingo book entry with surprise filling his wrinkling features. "Is this accurate?" He questioned hastily.

Akatsuchi stood at attention. "Yes, my lord. This is the newest and most up to date version of the bingo book. It was just released this morning."

The Tsuchikage looked back at the open book and read the entry again, making sure his old eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The infamous Yellow Flash…the man who single-handedly decimated his forces during the Third Great Shinobi War…had a son. Minato Namikaze was the sole reason he surrendered…the man terrified the Tsuchikage to no end.

It pleased Ōnoki greatly when he heard the man died fighting the Nine-Tailed Fox all those years ago, that's when he began formulating a plan to take revenge on Konoha for all the lives lost. Lives that could've been saved if the Yellow Flash had been sent to the other front. Ōnoki hated Minato's very being but he respected Minato's strength and ability. Ōnoki used to wondered who was stronger between them. As a Kage, he never saw battle. But just before he surrendered, Konoha shinobi were close to breaking through their village defenses. A battle that would have certainly brought out the best in him.

But the most interesting portion of this boy's description wasn't that he was Minato's son but the jinchūriki of the very beast that killed his father. The sheer willpower and audacity to seal a bijū inside your son was something that breathed coldness and hatred. Minato probably wanted to make the boy's life hell, possibly due to the fact the boy's mother died in childbirth. But that certainly didn't sound like man Ōnoki feared. War does change men…even the honorable ones.

A large, sinister smile suddenly grew on the Tsuchikage's face. "Unbelievable…that bastard Yellow Flash has a son…"

Akatsuchi looked at his leader with weary eyes. "…Lord Ōnoki?"

Ōnoki snapped out his trance. "Akatsuchi, I have a task for you."

"My lord?"

"Send word to the Raikage about this development, hopefully he is already aware. And I want all ninja, chūnin and above, to study this entry on the Yellow Flash's brat. We will not allow him to go unnoticed when things kick off."

Akatsuchi nodded. "Consider it done! Is there anything else you'd like to be put in the message, my lord?"

"Tell the Raikage…we have a legacy to kill!"

-With Kakashi, Kikyo Castle-

"So, I've been caught twice now…how annoying you are, Kakashi!"

Kakashi glared with anger in his eye at his enemies, who stood across the slanted castle roof. Although, he was naturally cautious about the situations he put himself in, Kakashi was severely hesitant about he would go about this battle. It would be a four-on-one, with two of them being individuals he had never seen before. Even with his Sharingan, he wouldn't feel as confident in a battle like this.

"Do you think we're that stupid to drop our guard so quick? You're through making trouble for-Ngh!" Kakashi couldn't finish his words because a searing pain burst in his Sharingan eye, causing him to grip the cloth hiding his eye and drop to a knee.

Kabuto smirked. "It appears the Gedo Mark is doing it's work well."

Sakon looked at the man slightly surprised. "The Gedo Mark? You used that on him? Who is this guy?"

"Kakashi Hatake…also known as the 'Copy Cat Ninja'." Kidōmaru informed. "But if Lord Orochimaru used the Gedo Mark on him, I don't think he'll be copying much of anything anymore."

Orochimaru smirked, despite dealing with his own searing pain in his arms. "Kakashi…do you want me to release the jutsu I cast on you?"

Kakashi looked up in shock. "What did you just say?"

Orochimaru painfully raised his arms to mid-level. "If these arms were healed…then I could release you from that pain." The three subordinates waited to see what their master's angle was for doing this. "Bring Tsunade here, that's all I need."

Kakashi realized what Orochimaru, it was so simple and painfully obvious that it had been staring at them all in the face. He should've been able to figure it out. "That's your play…you want the Hokage to heal your arms!"

Orochimaru sinisterly chuckled. "That's right…and this time I will not be denied! Tsunade will heal my arms and Konoha will finally fall!"

"You must be joking! Or insane, to think I'd go along with that."

Orochimaru dropped his arms. Kabuto couldn't tell if his master expected that answer or not. "You fool, Kakashi. Do you really think you can take us on in your condition? Or even protect that pack of brats you call a team? You're useless without your Sharingan."

Kakashi clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles cracked from the pressure. He wanted to rip Orochimaru's throat out for even mentioning his students.

"Naruto, for example. The Akatsuki are after him. I really wonder how you'll fair against Itachi Uchiha in your condition. And as for Sasuke…well, once Tsunade heals my arms, he'll be my next objective."

"…Ngh…"

"You want to be there for them, right? Make sure nothing bad happens to them? Bring Tsunade here and I'll make you "Sharingan Kakashi" again so you can protect your students from any harm that might come to them."

Kakashi remained silent for a long time, seemingly weighing his options. "Unfortunately, you have a point. I do want to protect them…I want to train them until they can stand on their own, so I don't have to worry about them. But…" Kakashi rose to his feet, pushing through his debilitating pain. "I'm a Leaf Ninja before their teacher! No matter how painful it is for me, I'll never do what you ask!"

Orochimaru glared daggers through this man. It was infuriating that he wouldn't give in to the demands. Why did every single one of this damn Konoha shinobi have to be so stubborn? "I will deal with this Konoha slim myself! Do not interfere!"

Sakon and Kidōmaru glanced at each other, silently agreeing that they should follow through with their master's orders. Though, they both knew if Orochimaru ever came close to losing this battle, they'd jump in and save their master without fear of the consequences. Even Kabuto wouldn't allow Orochimaru to be defeated like that.

"You could've ended your suffering just by bringing Tsunade to me…if you won't do it then you are no use to me!"

Orochimaru made the first movement and charged at Kakashi in a slithering fashion. Kakashi prepared himself and dodged the Sannin's first strike, which was a strong kick aimed to his head. The two danced around the castle roof in a taijutsu battle, though it was clear Kakashi had a bit of an advantage over Orochimaru, who was without the use of arms. Kabuto simply stayed put and watched the two fight around him.

Orochimaru came in for another kick but Kakashi was able to absorb most of the impact and catch Orochimaru's leg between his arm and his body. Kakashi used the momentum to throw Orochimaru into one of the two large fish statues. The silver-haired jōnin went through a flurry of hand seals for jutsu he learned long before he received his Sharingan.

"Futon: Shinkūha!" (Wind Style: Vacuum Waves)

Kakashi inhaled a deep breath and released large blades of compressed waves of wind from his mouth, slicing through the statue. Once the dust settled, Orochimaru was nowhere in sight but Kakashi knew Orochimaru wouldn't be taken down so easily. He readied himself by drawing a kunai. Orochimaru burst out of the roof with Kusanagi in his mouth, ready to strike. Kakashi brought his knife up and blocked the swinging sword. The two fought for dominance.

"You will die here and now, Kakashi!" Orochimaru yelled.

"That's my line!" Kakashi yelled back in defiance as his right hand ignited with lightning. He thrusted the jutsu forward, aimed at Orochimaru's heart. "Raikiri!"

Just as the lightning was about to pierce through the Snake Sannin's skin, Kakashi's arm went numb and fell limp. The lightning disappeared just as fast as it appeared. Before Kakashi could figure out what had happened he was hit with a strong kick that sent him back across the roof into the other fish statue.

Orochimaru's sword retracted into his mouth before he spoke, trying to control his breathing. "Kabuto…I thought I said I would deal with him myself."

"You left me no choice, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto stated simply as the green glow disappeared from around his hand. "He baited you in and almost got you with that lightning. But don't worry, I only cut off circulation to his arm and dislocated his shoulder. But I suggest you wrap this up quickly…your body-"

"Be quiet, Kabuto! I will finish him here and now!"

Kakashi fell out of the rubble and came to a knee, his right arm dangling with numbness. He could feel his shoulder joint poking against the skin on his back. With one swift, jerking motion, Kakashi popped the joint back into its socket. He was thankful he couldn't feel much of the pain at the moment, he had done that maneuver once before and wished he never had to do it again.

'This isn't good.' Kakashi thought to himself. 'I'm at a huge numbers disadvantage. There's no way I'll be able to beat all four of them one-on-one. And anytime I get a clear shot at killing blow, Kabuto will jump in and stop it. I either need to deal with the other three first or stall for backup…both scenarios do not end well for me.'

"Huff, huff…I must say, you do well for a man in your condition." Kakashi snarked, trying to play on the Sannin's frustration. His sly comment was quickly dealt with by a surge of pain in his left eye. "Ngh!"

Orochimaru chuckled through his breathing. "What's the matter, Kakashi? Are you in some pain?"

"…Not yet." Kakashi slowly rose to his feet, surprising both Orochimaru and Kabuto. "It's not over yet, Orochimaru!"

"Are you going to get up again?" Kabuto questioned in a monotone voice.

"You'll never defeat me like you are now. What can you do in your condition?"

"I'll protect…the Leaf!"

Orochimaru growled. "That again?!"

"I'd expect nothing else from my old rival!" Jumping in from an unknown location was Gai, Konoha's Blue Beast. He landed directly in front of Kakashi, ready to protect him from his two opponents.

"Gai…"

"You pushed yourself too far, Kakashi." Gai berated. "But you demonstrated your love for the village and showed me your Will of Fire. And now I'm itching to fight, too!" The green clad jōnin moved into his taijutsu stance. "From here on out, the noble savage Might Gai will be your opponent!"

Orochimaru glared at the man. "You always interrupt."

"Today will be your last, Orochimaru! I will see to that personally!"

Kabuto landed in front of his master in a protective stance. "I'm sorry to say…but you'll be fighting me instead." 'I have to stall long enough for Lord Orochimaru to regain some of his strength or else he won't be able to handle much more punishment.'

Gai hardened his stare. "Fine. I'll beat you then take down Orochimaru without a problem."

"Bold talk coming from the likes of you."

"The likes of me? Heh…We'll see about that!"

"Gai! Be careful." Kakashi spoke up. "This guy's good."

Gai smirked with fire in his eyes. "Interesting…then show me how good you are!"

Gai rushed in and began his assault of strictly taijutsu, Kabuto was quick to react and he countered, weaved through, and blocked most of the strikes. This impressed Gai, it was rare to find someone skilled enough to keep up with his movements. Deciding that he had been taking it easy, Gai put more strength behind his strikes. Kabuto noticed this and suddenly had a harder time countering the strikes, they were too rough to parry or misdirect. He tried to just block and hold out for an opening but the hits were heavy and were easily leaving bruises.

Kabuto was quickly becoming overwhelmed and needed to disengage before things turned bad for him. Waiting for the perfect moment, Kabuto's hand emitted a green glow and he met Gai's incoming fist with his open palm. Instantly, Gai felt his arm go numb. Kabuto used the distraction and jumped back.

"What did you just do?" Gai questioned, seemingly unaffected by the numbness.

Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "I sent a controlled shock through your arm to disable it…though, I'm seeing making your limb completely numb doesn't stop you."

"I used to punch trees until my fists were bloody and broken, having no feeling is a blessing to someone like me."

Kabuto cracked his neck. "Then it looks like I'm going to need a more lethal approach." He straightened his hands and chakra glowed around them, both coming to a point like a scalpel.

With his chakra scalpels, Kabuto charged and swung with precision. Gai dodged and weaved through the two chakra scalpels as best as he could, Kabuto was still able to cut him a few times. Gai caught one of Kabuto's arms and forcefully broke his forearm.

"AH!" Kabuto screamed from his broken bone. Gai was quick to separate by a strong kick that sent Kabuto tumbling backwards.

Gai took his taijutsu stance. "You're not bad!"

Kabuto grit his teeth. "…Impressive. You actually did some damage. However…" Kabuto placed his nonbroken hand over his broken forearm and emitted a emerald green glow. A moment later Kabuto was no longer in any pain. "It's pointless in the face of my medical ninjutsu."

"What?!"

"Kabuto! We need to leave!" Orochimaru called out, it seemed that he recovered some strength. He had moved back to the protection of Sakon and Kidōmaru.

Kabuto nodded and jumped back to his master. "I guess I stalled for enough time." The group of rouge shinobi jumped off the building and fled into the village below them.

"Get back here!"

"Gai, wait!" Kakashi called out. The green clad jōnin moved next to his downed rival.

"What is it, Kakashi?"

"We need to warn Lady Tsunade. She's the one he needs."

"Lady Hokage? What for?"

Kakashi forced himself to his feet. "Orochimaru wants the Hokage to heal his arms."

Gai's eyes widened in surprise. How had he not realized that sooner? "Lady Tsunade won't do that. How does Orochimaru plan to get Lady Tsunade to heal his arms?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I'm positive he has something up his sleeve. For now, we need to go inform her of the situation. Orochimaru will show up sooner or later."

Gai nodded. "Right!" The two jōnin took off for the Hokage's Mansion.

-With Naruto-

Naruto moved to stand between Konohamaru and his friends and the two unknown newcomers. The girl with the dark pink hair mentioned Orochimaru and he could see the resemblance, they were both wearing the same style of purple belt that the Snake wore. If these guys were on Orochimaru's side, they needed to be dealt with. The blonde glanced over his shoulder. "Stay behind me you guys. I'll distract them and you guys run like hell, okay?" The three young kids nodded furiously. Once they were safe, he could break away and go warn the Hokage about was happening.

"How cute…" Tayuya commented. "but let's move past this crap and get to the part where I kick your trash-ass all over this village. I've been itching to fight for awhile now."

Drawing a kunai from his leg holster, Naruto jumped into the air to make the first strike. He came down with great striking speed, but Tayuya was able to dodge with relative ease. Naruto hacked and slashed but none of his attempts to cut his opponent connected. With a well-timed counter, Tayuya was able to knock the kunai out of Naruto's hand and land a strong punch straight across his face that staggered Naruto back.

Regaining his stance, Naruto analyzed what he noticed during their brief entangle. 'She may be a bit slender but she's no pushover. Her evasiveness is very graceful, she's probably trained a lot to react like that.'

Tayuya reached around her back and unsheathed her main weapon, a silver flute. She brought the flute up to her mouth. "I'll play a melody of death for you. Mateki: Mugen Onsa!" (Demon Flute: Chains of Fantasia)

The sounds of the flute filled the area, even echoing to unsuspecting bystanders' roads and buildings over. Naruto tried to move but his limbs didn't respond to his commands, he realized sturdy ropes had bound himand the surroundings changed around him. He was in a dark red plain of nothingness.

Naruto growled. "This has to be genjutsu…" He needed to get out of this illusion quick, Konohamaru and his friends were left defenseless with him confused like this.

The flute sounded again, and Naruto felt his arms suddenly go numb, as if they disappeared. He looked and saw his arms melting away, bone and all. Naruto's eyes widened and he tried harder to break free, continuously thrashing and struggling.

"Naruto…"

Amid his thrashing to break himself free, a familiar voice sounded caused Naruto to stop and look in front of him. He looked up and saw Sakura before him…but she was far from what he expected. The pink-haired girl was covered from head to toe in blood and had severe lacerations that would be considered fatal, but she stood there as if nothing was wrong.

"Sakura…?"

The bloody pinkette tilted her head slightly. "You said you'd protect me…you promised to save me…"

Naruto's normally stoic and calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen, in place was a wide eyed, fear filled young boy. "I-I did promise! I don't break my promises!" He frantically stuttered. She was hurt and he could do nothing to help.

"Oh, but you did, Naruto. You broke your promise to me and let me die. I used to think everyone was wrong about you…but they were right…You are a demon."

It was as if he could feel his very spirit and will break into pieces. Naruto's head lowered and his face disappeared into darkness…

Somewhere deep inside the boy's body, behind a massive red gate, a single red eye of a massive fox spirit opened. "You still have a long way to go boy…" A surge of red chakra came creeping out of the darkness behind the gate and began to shine. "I will not allow a simple parlor trick beat you…we both know you're better than this."

Tayuya quit playing her flute and breathed a sigh of satisfaction at her handy work. She could hear the screams of her victims from all around her, the sound of her flute had traveled quite far due to the closeness of the buildings and alleyways. Sound bouncing off objects was a great thing. But her main target gave her the most joy. Naruto had dropped to his knees and his eyes were void of all emotion, he just stared off into the distance past her. Whatever her jutsu showed him must have been something fierce. The three children ran off, she wasn't sure if she had trapped them or not.

Jirōbō crossed his arms. "Using your strongest genjutsu off the bat like that…"

Tayuya glared at her teammate. "For the love of everything that is holy shut the fuck up Jirōbō! Remember what Lord Orochimaru said, our mission was to deal with this kid before joining up with the others."

Screams of nearby villagers filled the air, it seemed they, too, were having vivid hallucinations. "It seems your sound traveled." Jirōbō pointed out.

Tayuya rolled her eyes. "Yes, that was the point fatso."

"But causing harm to the villagers weren't apart of our assignment."

"Our overall mission is to force that Hokage bitch to heal Lord Orochimaru's arms. How are we going to do that without some leverage? She'll break under the pressure and heal Lord Orochimaru's arms. Right now, everyone who heard the melody of my Demonic Flute is being forced to see their worst fear. The longer they are in my genjutsu, the worse it gets for them. Sooner or later, their minds will be lost to the insanity of their own mind."

Jirōbō didn't respond. He didn't agree with Tayuya attacking the villagers like that, he would've preferred to leave them out of it, but if it served Lord Orochimaru's will then he'd follow through with any order given to him. "How long do you think he'll last for his mind gives out?"

"Don't know, don't care. No amount of outside help will save-"

A low growl interrupted Tayuya's words as her and Jirōbō's attention was drawn back on the blonde chūnin. Naruto swayed back and forth as he slowly made it back to his feet, all the while keeping his face out of view from his opponents.

"What the hell? That's impossible! There's no way he should be able to move!" Tayuya shouted. She charged at Naruto with anger in her eyes. Nobody breaks her genjutsu!

Just as Tayuya was coming into striking range, Naruto swung the backhand of his fist and launched Tayuya into a nearby wall. Jirōbō was quick to react and charged in as well, attempting to catch the boy off guard. He reared back his fist and brought it forward, only for Naruto to effortlessly catch it. Continuously trying to hit this boy, Jirōbō used his free hand to try and strike. Again, Naruto simply caught the fist.

Jirōbō was using as much strength as he could muster but Naruto would not budge. That's when he felt the chakra that was emitting around the boy. 'What is this chakra?! It's nothing like before!' Slowly raising his head, Naruto's eyes revealed the scarlet irises and silted pupils of demon within him. "What the hell…?"

Digging his claw-like nails into Jirōbō's fist, Naruto cocked his head back and slammed his forehead against the bridge of Jirōbō's nose, forcing the large man back. He rushed in and landed several heavy hits on the Oto shinobi before he ducked out of the way of another strike from Tayuya. Before she could retreat to a safe distance, Naruto reached out and grabbed ahold of her long hair and pulled her back in for a strong punch directly on her spine.

Tayuya pushed herself off the ground, trying to deal with the discomfort of her spine. "Fucking little brat. You'll pay for that!"

"Tayuya wait!" Jirōbō called out. "The kid's changed, something isn't right."

Tayuya grumbled but held her insults in, Jirōbō was right. Whatever was happening to Naruto right now was strong enough to snap him out of her genjutsu, her strongest genjutsu. If he was able to break out of her Mugen Onsa then she'll probably have to bring in her doki to take of this brat. But she didn't want to resort to summoning them just yet. As much as she hated Jirōbō and how he was easily the weakest on the team, the two of them together will be enough to take down Naruto. "Yeah. We should go level one just to make sure he stays down for good."

Jirōbō nodded in understanding and focused his chakra, Tayuya did the same. A chain of black triangle-like markings began to spread out of Jirōbō's neck/shoulder area, the markings spread themselves all over his face and most of his body. Likewise, Tayuya had straight lines spreading out in a jagged, zigzag pattern come out from a black mark on the back of her neck, where the neck and spine connected.

Naruto's anger filled eyes widened slightly. "Those are…"

Tayuya smirked. "That's right. The Curse Mark…given to us by Lord Orochimaru himself."

"We are Lord Orochimaru's best soldiers. When he needs something done, we are the ones he calls."

"His best soldiers?" Naruto questioned with a growl. "Is that why he gave Sasuke that mark? To make him his soldier?"

"That's not entirely wrong, but it is correct from a certain point of view." Tayuya stated with an open-ended explanation.

"A certain point of view? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Tayuya continued to smirk. "Not my place to say. Lord Orochimaru has plans for the Uchiha."

"I'll never let that Snake bastard get anywhere near Sasuke!" Naruto screamed as he took a fighting stance.

Both Jirōbō and Tayuya let out scoff at the boy's declaration. It was outrageous for him to think he could do anything to hinder their master's plan. Orochimaru was Sannin, who was feared by nations, while this was some kid with a little talent, there was nothing he could do to stop them.

Tayuya began to move towards her opponent. "Like you have much of a cho-"

"Nikudan Sensha!" (Human Bullet Tank)

A massive ball came flying in like a bullet, true to it's name, and hit Tayuya with great force, launching the woman through several buildings and walls. Jirōbō stuck his hands out and caught the massive ball, trying to slow its progress while it continued to spin. But Jirōbō's strength proved to be too much and misdirected the ball away. The ball suddenly stopped its rotation and revealed to be Chōji, he had expanded his entire body into the shape of a large ball with his Baika no Jutsu. (Expansion Jutsu)

The large boy landed next to Naruto with a thud. "You looked like you could use a bit of help, Naruto."

Naruto kept his eyes hidden until they returned to their normal blue color, but his emotions had not changed. "I don't need help. I was doing perfectly fine until you showed up. Besides, if I wanted help, I wouldn't have asked for yours." Chōji's eyes dropped. "But since you're here now, I will take the assistance. We need to take care of this guy quick so we can go warn Baa-chan about what's going on."

"Gee…thanks." Chōji muttered under his breath, but Naruto still heard him.

"Don't start pouting now, the village is under attack by Orochimaru again."

That snapped Chōji out of his thoughts. "Orochimaru?! The guy who killed the Third Hokage?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…"

"What does he have against the village? Man, I hate fighting like this."

"Get used to it. We are ninja…it's our job. Fighting is kinda what we do."

'Get used to it'…yeah, that was helpful. Brute honesty at its finest. Chōji had forgotten how blunt and direct Naruto could be, or to quote Kiba: Naruto's an asshole. He was rarely ever in class back in the academy and seemed to only show up when he felt like it. But through all that, Chōji thought Naruto wasn't the worst guy around. He seemed to have built a nice relationship with his team, especially with Sakura from what he saw, and had some type of heart, he proved that when he injured Akamaru during his fight with Kiba and brought the dog to Kiba's teammates to make sure Akamaru wouldn't get hurt further.

But fighting was their main job as ninja? Chōji didn't really agree with that. He felt his duty was to protect Konoha and his friends from people that wanted to hurt them, if it led to fighting then let it be so. Chōji recalled what he felt when Konoha was invaded by Orochimaru the first time, if this was what war felt like.

'Shikamaru…'

Jirōbō examined his situation. 'Two-on-one…a fair fight for once. The fat one is strong physically but looks about it, no better than trash. But the blonde will be the real trouble…he's something else. Take him out of the picture and-'

"I'll take him."

Jirōbō burst out laughing at Chōji's determined words and Naruto turned his head with a cocked eyebrow. "What?"

"Go on ahead, Naruto. This guy is mine."

Jirōbō continued to laugh. "You want to take me on alone?! You're as stupid as you are fat! I'll kill you before land a single punch!"

Naruto saw the visible agitation on Chōji's from the weight insult, it must be a trigger word for him. But Naruto looked past that agitation and saw a determination that he never saw in the Akimichi boy before. "Are you sure, Chōji?"

Reaching into his back pouch, Chōji pulled out a small container with three different colored pills: one green, one yellow, one red. "I need to prove to you, Asuma sensei, Shikamaru, and everyone else that I'm not weakest one out of us all. That someone like me can become strong and protect others. I'll buy you time to get out of here and I'll beat him."

Naruto looked at the three different colored pills in Chōji's hand. 'Those look like soldier pills…but not like any I've seen. He must have some type of plan.' He nodded in understanding. "Alright…good luck. If I see anybody, I'll send them your way."

Chōji nodded. "Thanks, but I'll be okay."

Seeing that his mind was made up, Naruto jumped back and headed off in a different direction towards the Hokage Mansion. Just as Naruto made his getaway, Chōji opened the container and took out the green pill…

Naruto sprinted through the village, jumping over buildings and dashing through open windows as he made his way towards the Hokage's Tower. He took note of the village's status, it seemed mostly intact and unaware of what was really happening. How could he be the only one tracking what was going on? Where were all the jōnin? The freaking ANBU? That didn't matter right now. What mattered was getting to Tsunade and telling her what was going on. Then every ninja in the village would know what's happening.

-With Tsunade and Shizune-

"How long do you think it'll take Lord Jiraiya to search the catacombs behind the Hokage Stone Faces?" Shizune questioned as she and her master looked up at the man-made rock formation.

Tsunade shrugged. "I'm not really sure. In all honesty, I'd like to get a Hyūga or two to come use their Byakugan to search in the catacombs. But Kakashi wanted to keep this private."

Shizune thought that was a mighty fine idea. "We wouldn't have to tell them the reason. We just need the scroll."

Tsunade shook her head. "Hyūga's are more preceptive than that. It wouldn't be hard for whoever they'd send to figure out something was up. And since I'd be the one requesting help, they'd probably send someone high up. Hell, Hiashi might've come himself to make a good impression on me."

Shizune sighed. "Understood, Lady Tsunade. Speaking of impressions, a few more gifts came in from some of the village clan leaders. I sent them to your personal quarters."

Tsunade lost track of how many gifts she had received from Konoha's many clans for her inauguration as the Fifth Hokage. The gifts ranged from weapons to simple baskets of trinkets. Some of the more noble clans tried to sweeten her up by gifting her bottles of exotic sake or offering to pay her gambling debts in neighboring villages. As the new Hokage, she couldn't say no to the gifts, as much as she wanted to. But it was nice to be showered with gifts like that.

"Thank you, Shizune." The Sannin turned Kage looked out over her village and let out a sigh, the setting sun was quite beautiful. "You can head home, Shizune."

"What about you, m'lady?"

"I'm going to watch the sunset then catch up on some paperwork before turning in for the night."

Shizune was a bit skeptical about her master. She was worried that Tsunade might cease the opportunity to sneak out and go get a couple drinks in at a local bar. But the prospect of going home and relaxing for the evening sounded quite nice. It had been a whirlwind of events in recent weeks and Shizune hadn't stopped to really process everything that had happened. She simply followed her master without question. And would continue to do so. "Very well, m'lady. I'll see you in the morning then."

"Good night, Shizune." Tsunade watched her assistant walk down the Tower walkway and out of view.

"I suggest you study that sunset, Tsunade…you might not see another one again."

Tsunade gasped when she heard the all too familiar voice. She spun on her heel to see the very man that had been causing Konohagakure so much trouble in the past few months. Standing across the roof was none other than Orochimaru and his favorite subordinate, Kabuto. However, there were two that Tsunade had never seen or heard of before. One had two head, the one hanging loosely on his back, and the other had six arms, like a spider.

"Orochimaru…"

The Snake Sannin maliciously chuckled at his former teammate's harsh tone. "It has been a long time, Tsunade. I see your still keeping up the ruse about your appearance...I've always admired that about you."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Why's that?" She was genuinely curious about this.

"Your unique transformation technique is just your way to deal with your own mortality. Me, however, deal my mortality by searching for new ways to cement my soul into this world for eternity, becoming immortal."

"You want to become immortal? That's asinine. Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"The thirst for knowledge is never ending, Tsunade. I want to know the secrets of this world and help shape it into what it should be."

"Basically, you want to rule the world…how original." That shtick was getting old.

Orochimaru licked his lips with his elongated, snake-like tongue. "Not necessarily. I'm not one to be a dictator. I'd end up killing everyone because I got annoyed. No, I just want to be all knowing…be the Second Coming...the second God."

The Second Coming? God? What on earth could that mean? "If you want to do all that then why bother with Konoha? Threatening this village will do nothing to further your goals."

"On the contrary, my dear Tsunade, I cannot achieve any of my goals until I get what I need from Konoha."

Tsunade's fist tightened. "And what do you need?"

Orochimaru groaned in pain as he brought his bandaged arms to eye level. "Our blasted teacher, Sarutobi sensei, sealed away my arms in his final moments, leaving me unable to use any jutsu until they are healed. And there is no one better on this plant at medical ninjutsu than you, Tsunade."

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation. It was obvious to her now. "You want me to heal your arms and you the ability to use jutsu again? You really are crazy, Orochimaru, if you think I'd heal you just like that. I'd be creating more problems for Konoha if you could return to full strength."

Orochimaru's arms dropped and hung loosely at his sides. "I knew you'd deny my request at first. But you'll bend to my demands one way or another. That's why I brought in the Sound Four, my best soldiers. They will wreak havoc on this wretched village until I order them to stop. I will only order them to stop when you heal my arms."

Assuming Kabuto was not apart of this 'Sound Four', the two behind Orochimaru were two of the group's members. Tsunade figured the other two were already in the village somewhere, already attacking or waiting for the order. Either way, she trusted her many capable shinobi to deal with this threat. "And if I don't heal your arms and your soldier are beaten, what will you do then?"

Before Orochimaru could give his answer, Naruto landed in the middle of the rooftop. "Baa-chan! The village is in trouble! Orochimaru's back!" Naruto shouted.

Tsunade was unaffected by her godson's sudden entrance, her attention was too focused on something behind him. "Yeah…I know."

Naruto was about to question how she knew but that's when the icy, chilling voice of the Snake Sannin entered his ears.

"Long time no see…Naruto." Kabuto quipped.

A low, animalistic noise growled out of Naruto's throat as he turned around to face the man. Orochimaru stood there, with arms bandaged to the fingertip, with Kabuto at his side, ready to obey, and two others standing behind him, ready to kill at a moment's notice.

"Hm. It seems Tayuya and Jirōbō didn't do their job." Sakon pointed out. "As usual, I'll have to clean their mess."

"But if this kid was able to get past those two…then I guess you weren't lying about his abilities, Lord Orochimaru." Kidōmaru stated.

Orochimaru chuckled maliciously. "This actually works out. I was kind of hoping young Naruto here would show up. This will make everything so much easier…not to mention fun."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Naruto! Get behind me!" Tsunade shouted. She didn't like where this was going.

"Kabuto…don't you think we've had enough of Naruto here?"

Kabuto looked at his master with a bit of confusion. "You're not telling me to use that? As I've said before, your body-"

"Don't contradict me, Kabuto. Just do as I say."

Kabuto sighed, this wasn't a good idea. If he used this jutsu again, the ramifications on Orochimaru's body would worsen greatly. He wasn't sure if he could do anything for him anymore. But orders were orders. He began executing a series of hand seals. "Forbidden Jutsu: Gedō Mark: Confusion!"

A quick zap of energy hit Naruto like a bolt of lightning, as if something entered his body. He grabbed his head in great pain. Likewise, Orochimaru dropped to his knee from the sudden loss of energy.

"Ngh!"

"Ah! My…My head!"

"You scum!" Tsunade shouted with fury.

Sakon looked on curiously. "What's wrong with him?"

Kidōmaru smirked, already knowing the affects of the jutsu. "Lord Orochimaru just made that kid his puppet."

Orochimaru smiled sinisterly through his pain. "Indeed."

"The Gedō Mark: Confusion jutsu causes blinding pain to the victim's head and turns his body into helpless tool for the jutsu's caster."

"You'll pay for that!" Tsunade shouted once more as she charged her enemies.

Both Sakon and Kidōmaru jumped forward and shielded their master from the Hokage. But that proved to do little. Tsunade came in fast and full of fury. Kidōmaru tried to land a punch with one of his many arms but simply couldn't, the woman was too fast. He was grabbed by the collar and launched with great strength off the rooftop. Sakon tried to do the same but the results were the same. He jumped over the enraged Sannin to try a rear approach. But Tsunade was waiting for the man and, with a single flick of her finger, sent Sakon packing into the village.

Kabuto looked on amazed. 'Such strength with a ferocious temper…must be single.'

"That chakra enhanced strength is always a joy to watch." Orochimaru chuckled.

"Release Naruto now!"

"Now, now, Tsunade, you should calm yourself before doing something you'll regret. If you kill me now, then your precious Naruto will never be release from the jutsu…not to mention Kakashi as well. Kabuto…why not show Tsunade firsthand what my jutsu does to a person?"

Kabuto smirked. "With pleasure." With a single hand seal, a signal was sent into Naruto's brain that increased his pain. "Attack!"

"AHHH!" Naruto screamed in pain as he charged his godmother.

"Stop Naruto!" Tsunade pleaded as she dodged Naruto's wild strikes. She didn't want to hurt him, but she was afraid she didn't have a choice. Once an opening presented itself, Tsunade pushed Naruto away with little effort. She rushed over and quickly placed her hand on his chest, trying to knock him out.

Naruto groaned and continued to grab the sides of his head. There was no effect from Tsunade's attempt to subdue him. He pushed against Tsunade's hand and pushed her back with force.

"What?!" Tsunade gasped.

"You can try to subdue him all you want but it won't work." Kabuto stated. "Those controlled by the Gedō Mark: Confusion feel no pain. He'll continue to obey my commands as long as the jutsu stays in effect. No matter much damage he takes, he'll keep getting up."

"No way…"

Orochimaru chuckled. "You're no longer needed here, my dear Naruto. You're more useful somewhere else."

"Somewhere else? You're not going to send him out into the village…!?"

"Kabuto…"

"Heh heh heh…Go on, Naruto. Let yourself go crazy." Kabuto held the same seal. "Destroy the village!"

With another surge of pain to his head, Naruto screamed as he jumped off the Hokage Tower.

"Naruto!"