Another World.
"Hard to believe that such a child carries the Nine-Tails."
The cold voice rang out and Uzumaki Naruto knew at once that this might really be it.
Where the hell was Jiraiya…?
'He's got the Sharingan. Just like Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei.'
The black-haired stranger gazed at him coldly, red eyes spinning in a mesmerizing way.
"Come with us, Naruto."
Naruto's legs shook.
The stranger's partner was wearing the same cloak. Black with red clouds. He had grayish skin and beady eyes that made him think of these sharks from the Land of Waves. "Perhaps I should cut off one of his legs, then…?"
He unsheathed his sword, a large, bandaged thing.
Naruto knew at once that he would commit to his words. And then Naruto would be left short one limb and things would become much—
The two older ninja whirled around.
There was a flash of powerful chakra and lightning winked into existence, as a short blade flew.
"Your plan's a joke, you tool!" An imposing man jumped into the corridor, following after the sword. "Think you'll succeed? Not on my watch, you fool!"
Silence stretched. Still, the two cloaked men looked wary.
Naruto knew he could be something of an idiot, at times.
Still, he had good instincts. At this moment, he knew that this man would become someone important to him.
And time would prove him right.
A woman stepped into the hallway as well. Somewhat tall, with blond hair pulled back into a long ponytail.
"I stopped the other child." She said.
"Good job, Yugi-chan." The man grinned. "You're the—"
The black-haired man moved, fast as a thought.
Naruto tensed and gathered his chakra.
"He's got the right spirit!" The dark-skinned stranger grinned, pulling an exact replica of the previous sword out. "In time, he'll make any foe fear it—"
"Bee, for fuck's sake!" The woman roared. "That's Uchiha Itachi!"
Bee grumbled. Naruto blinked at the name. Well, both of them, really.
Uchiha Itachi's punch connected with Bee's cheek. It barely did anything.
Six more blades flew up.
'Yugi-chan' slammed into the shark-like man with violence, twisted around his body with preternatural grace and they tumbled through a wall.
Bee caught the blades he had thrown. In his mouth. In the crook of his elbow. In the crook of his neck. Under his arm. In the crook of his other elbow. In between his stomach and his thigh. Inside his knee.
Uchiha Itachi blinked.
Killer Bee spun. Then he spun some more, a true whirlwind of death. Uchiha Itachi was forced to back away. Naruto stood there, watching, mouth agape, as the Uchiha man parried the rain of unpredictable attacks. He wasn't having a grand time, either.
Then there was lightning.
One of the blades tore through the Uchiha's fancy cloak. He grunted and leaped back, hands flashing through seals.
"Fire Release." He simply called, as though he were too cool for names. Very unlike Bee, who shouted in answer.
"Wheeeeeeeee!"
Naruto felt his stomach drop as the man summoned the Nine-Tails' power. And—
Ah, no.
There were eight bubbling tails of chakra around him. And it felt a bit different, too.
The flames did nothing, there. Uchiha Itachi growled.
The next instant, Killer Bee grinned, showing sharp canine teeth.
He slammed into him in a fury and they went through the ceiling together.
Naruto could see something reddish shape itself around Itachi's form. The inn was falling apart around them.
Black fire erupted.
Jiraiya stumbled upon this royal mess.
…
Uchiha Itachi and Hōshigaki Kisame cut their losses and ran away.
…
"I just got one thing to say!" Bee grinned. "One day I swore I'd create my own crew and slay!"
Jiraiya stared.
"Let us offer all of us a glimmer of hope!" Bee continued. "A chance to rise and learn to cope! And help them break free from life's cruel rope."
Jiraiya continued to stare, and he nodded slowly. That was the guy Minato had faced in the last war…? The deadly Killer Bee, killer of men, killer of beasts, self-named killer of beats... the Raikage's own shadow…?
The woman cleared her throat. "What… Bee means to say is that we are a group of now unaffiliated shinobi, a group which has been formed for one single purpose—"
"…And the Raikage gave his… permission? For desertion…?" Jiraiya asked dubiously. The man would never accept anything like this.
"Of course not!" Bee laughed. "We still gonna give it a shot!"
"A shot at what, exactly?" Jiraiya grumbled. If the two obvious jinchūriki decided to fight him… he would likely need to do his best to escape with Naruto.
"At killing Akatsuki before they kill us." Yugito said. She noticed his recognition at the name. "Also… we might have had to escape from Kumo. Which means there's currently no jinchūriki there. Raikage-sama is trying to keep the news from getting out. We're… putting a bit of faith in you, here."
…
"And the name's Ōmagatoki." She finished. "Because we will destroy them—"
"It's not." Bee said.
"…What?" Yugito hissed.
"That's not the name."
"Oh?" She raised a mocking eyebrow. "What is it, then…? Bee?"
He said nothing.
"Right." She smiled. "There's no other name, because you couldn't manage to decide on anything—"
"Crow Nine." Killer Bee said.
"…That's dumb." Yugito frowned. "Also, did you just make this up because of that Uchiha's illusions…?"
Bee paused.
"…Look, I have seniority." Bee decided. "It's Crow Nine."
…
"Also, if you're okay with it, we're gonna take Mister Nine with us." Bee gave him a thumbs up.
…
Oh, there was plenty of complaining from Jiraiya.
After all, the man's latest try — decades ago — at subverting such things as village allegiances led to three people he cared about dying.
(In truth, it led to worse, but that was a thing he only learned about years later.)
And also, it simply seemed way too convenient.
Jiraiya wouldn't put it past the Raikage to kidnap a jinchūriki. Far from it, even.
"That's dumb." Killer Bee frowned. "We could just have taken Mister Nine and ran."
"Raikage-sama only lets me out of the village, not Bee." Yugito said. "He's too precious to his big brother." She muttered.
"Hey, now." Bee frowned. "In any case, it's cool if you don't show. No prob, we still gonna flow."
"Just like that, huh?" Jiraiya mused. "I have trouble believing you."
"It's alright, these guys have good intentions!" Naruto said.
"Ah, yes." Jiraiya smiled mockingly. "Just like that Mizuki guy did, huh…?"
"I've LEARNED!"
Bee convinced Jiraiya to bump fists with him.
(It took more than ten minutes.)
"It's… suspicious, that for an… unaffiliated group, there's only two of you. Both from Kumo." Jiraiya deadpanned.
"We got started recently." Bee nodded. "It's not about the size—"
"We're going to find the others." Yugito nodded. "But we knew that Akatsuki was going to move through the Land of Fire first."
Jiraiya scoffed. "It sounds like a lot of bullshit to me. Get behind me, Naruto."
Neither of the Kumo ninja protested.
"No, but for real." Bee tried again. "Just… like… bump my fist. What's the worst that can happen?"
Sighing and checking for traps, some possibly involving the Eight-Tails, Jiraiya did so.
What was the worst that could happen…?
Ninshū, apparently.
Once Jiraiya was mostly convinced it wasn't some sort of eldritch Bijū genjutsu, he took a few steps back.
It supposedly wasn't a brainwashing technique, and it seemed as though they were not about to brainwash Naruto into being loyal to Kumo either.
He thought he understood Bee on a fundamental level, like he had understood a total of five people.
And… what they had said earlier on was true. Had they just run away with Naruto, there was no doubt that Jiraiya wouldn't have been able to catch up. There were ways he could have brought him back, certainly, but they would likely have planned around that, too.
Loyalty was something that Jiraiya valued, and there was a subtle hierarchy to his mind, too. His loyalty to the people he loved, his loyalty to his dream of a peaceful world, his loyalty to Konoha. Of course, this hierarchy could change when either was put in jeopardy, because Jiraiya was not that rigid. Treason was a bit of a trigger for him, for one.
And when confronted with the very real possibility that this might well be his best shot at finding some sort of compromise for the former two, well… He thought that Konoha might well wait. This was still Minato's son, he had given a lot already. Everything would likely turn out for the better.
It turned out to be one of his wisest decisions, surprisingly enough.
"Ah, Naruto, that's your name, ain't that so?" Killer Bee nodded. "I'll train you hard, make you a killer, don't you know?"
"We'll teach him how to control the Nine-Tails." Yugito said. "So that he has a chance at freedom." Her eyes glinted. "Of course, it's not entirely altruistic, as we stand to gain a lot from eliminating Akatsuki as well."
And some sort of truce with Konoha, too, if Bee's soul was to be trusted. The jinchūriki truly did not want to fight the others if it could be avoided.
Truth to be told, who was there... out there that could better train Naruto in using his Bijū than the one man who had managed to do so…?
Besides, Naruto could prove himself to be quite the smooth-talker, and he managed to make an offer so good Jiraiya simply couldn't resist it. Or so he'd say.
"No no, I mean it. They are being honest, pervy sage! I really can tell! For real! Don't give me that look!"
"…I know." Jiraiya admitted.
Well, convincing Tsunade to come back home soon proved to be a bit more difficult than he had expected, but Jiraiya knew that they shared a bond that only two other people would have understood. And the last one alive had killed the other.
Also, he needed her to become Hokage, because he figured that the Elders might try to poison him, once he came back without the jinchūriki.
"You just said you can summon me, with the toads, so it's all fine, really!"
In any case, Naruto left with the two only current members of Crow Nine.
"I'll always be a Konoha ninja, I want to be Hokage, remember? So bring that lady back, and I'll take over once we're done with this!"
Well, Jiraiya had done the exact same thing, once upon a time.
He had been the teacher then, sure, but well… He was never fond of throwing stones from a glass house.
…
Tsunade and Jiraiya fought Orochimaru together and forced him to run away. Then Tsunade left again, Shizune and Tonton in tow.
…And Jiraiya ended up becoming Hokage.
Because he hated Danzō more than he hated himself.
Jiraiya sent a confidential missive to the Raikage, and in their shared jinchūriki problem, they brokered peace between the two villages and commiserated.
…
The Sound Four came for Uchiha Sasuke.
They triggered the Hokage's barriers and a particularly moody Kakashi caught them, with Gai and Yamato's help. A week-long coma that he miraculously pulled himself from had made him pretty grumpy, admittedly.
Learning that Naruto was gone didn't help, either. But Naruto had left the three of them, as well as Iruka, a few letters. Which helped some.
This also had the unfortunate side-effect of letting Sasuke know that Jiraiya's appearance — more or less — had sent Itachi running away.
"—blah blah blah train me blah blah blah Itachi blah blah avenge my blah blah blah Naruto—"
How he managed to convince the Hokage to take him as an unofficial apprentice remained a mystery. But he persisted and eventually, he managed. Jiraiya accepted.
Training with Bee and Yugito surprisingly felt like clawing his way out of the Shinigami's stomach.
Either Kumo had a very different, militaristic approach to being a shinobi, or it was just them. Hard to say, really.
In any case, it was painful.
But it seemed to work, and he felt as though he were making progress he had never even dreamed of achieving before.
Naruto came to appreciate Bee's endless optimism and confidence…
"School marks don't matter for shit." Bee nodded sagely. "Don't be fooled, they don't determine your wit."
Naruto beamed at him. Finally, someone who got it!
"Remind me how they chose me to host Matatabi, again…?" Yugito squinted. "There were other compatible people, Bee."
…And Yugito's dry wit, as well.
Life became even stranger, with people coming in and going out of their lives. Some were to stay, of course, and they would become constants to Naruto.
"…And who are you guys again…?" Utakata asked dubiously. It was an honest question, and he didn't intend to sound disparaging.
"We're Crow Nine!" Naruto grinned. Bee grinned, too.
Yugito palmed her face. "We're… fighting for our right to live, let's say."
Utakata gave her a long look. She smiled back.
Their attempt at converting Yagura to their cause went bad.
It also reminded Naruto of what the world could be like, if no one intervened. There, he witnessed and heard about atrocities that Zabuza had barely mentioned. It was real, all of it.
He would not forget the sounds of clashing weapons, of feeling blood spray across his face. Of starved people on the streets.
Was this really something a jinchūriki Kage had done…? Perhaps the villagers were right, and perhaps he—
"Sucky place, ain't it?" Bee asked, cutting his internal monologue short.
Utakata snorted. Naruto stared up, tiredly. In Bee's wry, pained smile, he saw a glint of hope.
"Kiri can be a shithole." Utakata admitted. "Not much more to be said about it."
"That's your home." Naruto frowned. "You can't say these things."
"…Why not?"
"…Huh." Naruto blinked.
He had never really considered it.
In any case, Naruto told them about a boy in Suna.
"Come with us, Gaara." Naruto grinned. "We're gonna save the world!"
"Kill some guys." Bee muttered.
"I…" He hesitated, looking back at his older sister.
She gave him a soft smile and assured him that they would do just fine. And perhaps she'd have to eat some shit from the Elders.
And soon they were five.
The two youngest were squabbling at times, and so were the two oldest, more often. The one in the middle, the Kiri one, just shrugged and went with the flow.
"…Scorpions?" Naruto asked, incredulously. "You like scorpions?"
Gaara gave a half-hearted shrug. "I think they're cute. They're dangerous and strong, but they tend to leave you alone if you don't bother them."
"Still…"
"Look." Gaara scowled. "I know people in my village don't like them too much, but why should I care…? What do you like? What's your favorite?"
"Dogs." Naruto shrugged.
"Dogs." Gaara said dryly. "These dirty animals…?"
Naruto snorted. "You're one to talk, you're like… covered in sand at all times. Doesn't it get in—"
Gaara tripped him.
"Unite with your kinfolk, don't be no quitter. Come together and bond like glue." Bee nodded to himself. "Be one with your fam, let love shine through!"
Fū stared, looking a bit lost. "…I don't think I quite got it." She admitted.
Utakata nodded. He had expected it. "Join your brothers and sisters, in our bid for freedom."
"Oooooh." Fū grinned. "Okay!"
"Wait, you're a girl?" Bee frowned, looking at Fū.
The girl laughed boisterously. "What did you think?"
Bee shrugged sheepishly. "I saw you eat leaves, the other day."
"So?" She laughed again.
Bee looked around. "Well Yugi-chan never did that, so…"
Yugito gave him a dismayed look. "…Why should I eat leaves? Also, maybe if you had spent more time interacting with girls when you were a kid, you wouldn't be so…"
"Damn cool?" Bee grinned. "Also, there were wars to win, I had no time to dream."
"Pleased to meet you." Gaara began, politely. "We're called Crow—"
"Fuck off." Rōshi grumbled.
They had stepped on his fucking lawn. Did these idiots not know how hard it was to grow it in this part of Earth Country…?
Gaara was still scowling, hours after. He made tentative plans to go and kill the man, but realized that was exactly the sort of thing Yugito had told him he probably shouldn't be doing. Better to murder actual enemies.
"This guy was a dick." Naruto decided.
Gaara mumbled his agreement.
And Han wasn't much better.
"Leave Iwa to fight some of the most dangerous people in the world, huh?" He snarked. "And what do you guys have to offer?"
"The truth." Gaara said soberly. "You will die if you stay here, if not now, then in a few short years. I don't know why you'd stay."
"I don't think I should do the talking anymore, Naruto." Gaara said at last. "It seems to me that I keep fumbling. It is as though there is a game being played. One I don't know the rules of."
Fū had tried her best to cheer him up. But there was only so much looking for colorful insects would do for Gaara's mood.
"It's okay." Naruto said. "You did your best, and that's what matters, y'know."
"Is it really…?"
"Sometimes." Bee shrugged, slapping the teenager's back heartily. "We'll try again tomorrow. Hopefully no one warns Ōnoki."
"…Who?" Fū frowned.
"…An old war… acquaintance." Yugito mumbled.
"What's the point in learning how to communicate with our Bijū…?" Gaara mumbled. "Shukaku can be…"
"A loon-attic?" Fū asked, tilting her head. Yugito corrected her absentmindedly. "Chōmei says that he's got issues. And something about the phase of the moon."
Bee shrugged. "Well you and your Bijū are kinda sharing a room. Better to get along, right? You ever had roommates, Red?" He asked.
"…I'm thirteen." Gaara said dryly.
"So what?" Bee shook his head. "Do you know what I was doing when I was thirteen—"
"Bee." Yugito cut him off.
"Whatever." He grumbled. "I can only speak for my buddy, but Gyūki is a creature of conviction. You know what that means, Naruto?"
Naruto grumbled. "Yes. I know basic words—"
"Now." Bee nodded. Naruto growled. Bee motioned for him to shut up.
Bee leaned forward and the three teenagers — as well as Utakata, but he was a bit more subtle about these things, in any case — did the same in order to hear him.
"It starts with self-respect." Bee nodded with conviction.
"…Acceptance." Yugito corrected. "Self-acceptance."
Bee frowned. "Are you the perfect jinchūriki, or am I?"
Yugito muttered something.
"Didn't quite get that."
"…You are." Yugito growled out.
"I thought so. So. Self-respect."
"Are you still writing poetry…?" Utakata asked Gaara, days later.
Gaara just shrugged. "Bee told us we have to like ourselves first, or something about ourselves. And that self-expression was a good way to start."
"I know what Bee said." Utakata nodded. "But—"
"Well, I'm doing it." Gaara scowled. "Say, what rhymes with oasis?"
"…That's probably not the best way to go about things for this line." Utakata shook his head. "Why don't you… put it before, instead…?"
Gaara tried. "But in the desert, an oasis I find…"
Utakata nodded and Gaara continued, hesitantly.
"A… A refuge of beauty, a peace of mind…?"
"Sounds decent to me." Utakata nodded.
Gaara nodded in thanks, a small smile pulling at his lips.
'Beats murder,' Utakata thought.
Nearby, Bee hummed in approval as he sharpened his swords.
He felt Naruto's presence before the teenager spoke, of course.
"Do you need me to sharpen your kunai, too?" He asked. "I'll make them so sharp, they'll cut through bamboo!"
"No thanks." Naruto shook his head.
"You should keep them well-maintained, though." Bee said. "And after you sharpen them, you should rub them with clove oil and wipe them down."
Naruto grumbled. "I know. You've told me like a thousand times."
Bee shrugged. "Then why aren't you doing it, ya fool?"
The second time they got chased off Iwa's outskirts, Bee decided that they didn't need Han and Rōshi that much, after all. Sure, they were important, and brothers by way of their condition… but the reward wasn't exactly worth risking everyone else's lives.
He didn't consider this abandoning the two of them, not really.
It just meant that they would have to take care of matters entirely on their own, then.
A few months passed.
Then two or so years.
Han and Rōshi never joined up with them. Neither did Yagura.
They settled into the rhythm of this life on the run. As before, they trained and they trained, but they didn't forget to live either.
Naruto continued his fruitless quest to get the Nine-Tails to help him. He spent entire days mornings in the hole, missing meals.
To no avail.
The Fox could be a bit of a dick, really.
Yagura disappeared first.
Crow Nine heard the news from one of Naruto's friends in Kiri — he had a way with people, sometimes. Bee just shrugged, but in his eyes, Naruto saw a glint of fury. Well-hidden but present, nonetheless.
Morals blurred, and Naruto and Bee butted heads several times, about what they were doing, why they were not simply going there to face them. Sometimes, Fū agreed with the former. Sometimes the latter could make her see reason.
Bee was a consummate shinobi, in spite of his eccentricities. Naruto ended up agreeing on a few things, in spite of how unpleasant it felt.
In Bee's eyes, he saw a glint of sadness. But that was the world.
They kept their group a secret, but things always found a way.
They held on, and each of them survived when Deidara and Sasori met them by chance.
The same thing could not be said of the two Akatsuki members.
Bee blew Sasori up, as well as his precious collection of puppets, with all the subtlety he could muster. He later would insist that they name the crater left there after the dead puppeteer. A matter of respect.
Or perhaps of taunting.
Utakata shielded them from the rain of clay bombs.
Gaara proved himself to be an adept flier, and with Fū's help, Deidara — without the added threat of blowing up a village Gaara cared about — didn't last for long.
Naruto mostly frowned through the battle and tried to convince himself he would do something next time.
So did Yugito.
Gaara never quite understood what Gyūki told Shukaku.
Perhaps it was a logical discourse that would befit a creature as ancient as either of the Nine were. Perhaps it was some good, old-fashioned sibling bullying.
In any case, Shukaku let him sleep a few hours each night, without causing trouble. Oh, he tried some shit once again, but was firmly put in his place by Matatabi and Gyūki.
Gaara found that sleep did wonders for his mental health.
Naruto, on the other hand, knew what Gyūki told Kurama and both the fox and himself would curse the Eight-Tails for the intervention in the weeks after.
Kurama proved to be at least as uncooperative as he had been before.
Chōmei and Fū got along like peas in a pod.
Well, some of the Beast's more dubious advice — such as things that he considered edible — had to be tempered with a more… human touch.
Still, they went along great.
Jiraiya and Naruto kept contact during the whole thing.
At first because the older man was still worried about the entire affair. Once it became clear that Naruto was not in danger — or Kumo had found a very good impersonator, one that made his letters seem exactly as scatterbrained as the teenager would have written them —, he relaxed a bit.
They still continued writing to each other.
Naruto wrote to several other people, too.
Dear Bastard,
Hey! It's been a while since we last talked, huh? I hope you're good and all that, wherever you are.
Also, that you're not slacking off too much, I know you were kinda falling behind when I left hahahaha
Right now, we're on another mission for some guys in Wind. Saving princesses again, you know I can't sit still! What about you, did you finally get yourself some summons?
Because that's what being a ninja is all about, right?!
Never giving up and always pushing yourself to be better? Nope! It's about the summons hahahaha
Anyway, I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. 'Cause when we meet again… it'll be time for us to have an epic battle! Until then, stay safe and try to keep up.
Believe it!
Your friend,
Naruto
…
Dead-last,
Go to hell. Also, I'm a Chūnin, and soon I'll be a Jōnin. I'm sure you can't say the same.
'Believe it,'
Uchiha Sasuke
…
Naruto wrote to Sakura next, mocking Sasuke's delusional letters.
When she confirmed that they were both Chūnin, he wrote to Kakashi. Once the man confirmed that it was the truth…
He wrote a whiny letter to Iruka.
Then he tried to get Jiraiya — him, Hokage…? Ha! — to promote him remotely.
Fū managed to get herself captured on a mission.
Knowing her, she likely had fallen for one of the dumbest tricks in the book, but Naruto wasn't about to say much about that. If it had worked on her, chances were it would have worked on him, too.
As ever, Bee's low-powered (by his standards) Tailed Beast Ball smashed into the rock cavern with all the subtlety of a war hammer.
"Any last words?" Yugito roared out to the two men who just began the extraction.
"Yeah!" Hidan spat. "You just made our lives much easier!"
Ten minutes later, Yugito broke his neck for the first time, using her legs and twisting.
"Not bad!" He grinned, licking his lips. "Why don't you do that again—"
Four razor-sharp claws cut right through his very… human neck. Then Hidan found himself, or rather, his head, plunged into hellish Bijū fires. With it came souls.
When Hidan proved not to have much in the way of regrets about the people he killed in the past, Yugito threw the head to Gaara, who crushed it. And kept it crushed until they found what to do with it. There were plenty of hungry animals in this part of the world, in any case.
Kakuzu was blasted away by Bee, too.
"Why the hell did you go through all the trouble of recruiting us if we're going to watch you do this every time?!" Naruto raged.
Bee shrugged. "I dunno, I thought Mister Nine would be more impressive, y'know." Seeing Naruto about to blow up. "The one inside you, I mean."
That did it.
When Kurama heard the words, he decided here and there that there was no way he would live through such an humiliation.
Naruto wasn't that bad in the end, not when compared to Kurama's sibling. Perhaps he would lend him some chakra, from time to time.
Until Gyūki admitted defeat, at least.
Bee always found Yugito and Utakata's relationship pretty odd.
It was an odd courtship.
It was odd when they danced around each other.
It was odder when that episode involving sake, the two of them and a hot-spring happened.
Well, Bee shrugged. That was their problem. Perhaps it wasn't that surprising that they'd hook up, after all. There were only so many people they spent any significant amount of time around.
Naruto realized it, too. Well, he only knew how these things worked in theory, but he found that he wasn't too curious.
Fū, on the other hand, was giving Naruto a most peculiar look.
Naruto decided to nip this in the bud.
"No."
Sasuke sent him a letter.
It was a short one, and the words "I killed my brother" would stay in Naruto's head for a long, long while.
He wasn't entirely sure what he felt in regards to that. Some grim satisfaction for Sasuke and the fact that he had accomplished his goal. Some dread perhaps, for he still had killed his last relative.
And as usual, when Naruto was confused, he tackled the issue head-on and wrote a letter back.
It started as such:
"Dear Bastard,
Congrats."
In comparison, Naruto felt that he was dragging, when it came to the goals they had set when they had left the village.
Because apparently, Sasuke had managed to master one of the Fourth Hokage's prized ninjutsu, something that had helped him get the drop on Itachi, something about thunder and gods. Probably another Lightning jutsu. Naruto remembered how insufferable Sasuke had been about Chidori in the past.
Oh, Naruto certainly had become stronger too, much stronger than before.
He had bastardized Killer Bee's style, going as far as to one-up him by using nine swords he held with the chakra chains that apparently were his birthright.
"…That's low, Mister Nine." Bee had grumbled. But he seemed strangely proud.
But fancy swordplay was likely not going to help him win over people like the man who had declared himself a God.
Naruto realized the issue when he, Gaara, and Fū fought Kisame to a standstill. They were a bad match for him, but still.
"You're good." The shark-like man grinned. "Not good enough, though."
And it would have gone to shit, were it not for the others' timely arrivals.
He knew he and the Nine-Tails would actually need to work together for real.
After a long back-and-forth, Jiraiya ended up letting him summon the key to his seal.
"We're going to die." Naruto said to the Fox.
The Fox scoffed. "You will. I shall reform."
"What will become of you if you get trapped into that statue, the same way the Three-Tails, Four-Tails and Five-Tails did?"
The Fox's eye opened a bit wider. He gave no answer.
"That's what I thought." Naruto nodded. "I don't know the specifics, but… something bad for you, then."
The Fox huffed an angry breath, and searing air blew at Naruto's face. He kept on staring.
"I have been imprisoned for most of the last century. This will not be that different."
But there was something that could be called fear lacing his voice.
Something unknown. Whatever would happen to the Nine-Tails was not mere imprisonment. Rather, it was something he had some instinctual knowledge about, but something he could not remember fully. Because it had been a time of non-existence, as far as the Beast was concerned.
"There's a way we can save ourselves."
The Fox laughed.
"Of course, of course." He said placidly. "And I assume you're only going to require my full power."
Naruto shook his head.
"You're not a tool to be used." He said. "I would like us to truly work together. No more of this... me begging for scraps and you reluctantly giving them."
There was a pause.
"Like Gyūki, you mean…?" The Fox asked softly.
Naruto hoped for a moment.
Then the Nine-Tails threw itself at the bars. With a shattering sound that made Naruto hope he didn't piss himself.
"LIKE GYŪKI?!"
Naruto didn't actually open the seal up that day.
Bee came to their next lesson a bit late.
His clothes were rumpled and he had an odd grin on his face.
There were only two of them for today's "lecture." Gaara and Naruto. Because the two were the only ones who couldn't really manifest their Bijū at all, aside from using their chakra.
"Alright." Bee shouted without any sort of warning. "Freestyle!"
Gaara nodded very seriously and began bopping to Bee's beat.
"Sand flowing through the air." Gaara said, biting his lip, in a way that was eerily similar to the dumb faces Bee sometimes made. "My power, beyond compare."
Bee nodded in satisfaction and kept beatboxing.
"Born with a demon inside." Gaara's voice rose in intensity. "My childhood was one long ride—"
"Hell no!" Naruto growled. "Not today, Bee!"
Gaara frowned. He had been starting to get into the zone.
"That's just a waste of time." Naruto grunted.
Bee rolled his eyes. "How do you want to make friends with the demon inside you if you can't even freestyle to a good beat?"
"This is not a good beat!"
"Oh." Bee grinned. "And I'm sure you can do much better."
"Yes! No! Wait, yes!"
Bee just nodded. "By all means, then."
Naruto felt as though he had just been had.
Still, he laid the beat down for Gaara.
"Shunned by all, I was alone? So with my sand, I made a throne—"
"Noodle making. It's the foundation of being a ninja. Because Ramen is not just a meal. It's an art form. A perfect blend of broth, noodles, and toppings.
"The noodles are not just a simple ingredient in a dish. They're an art form in and of themselves, too. It takes precision, technique, and patience to make the perfect noodle.
"You start with the dough. You have to get the right balance of flour, water, and kansui. Too much kansui and the noodles will be too soft. Not enough and they'll be too tough. It's a hard thing to get right.
"Once you have the dough, you have to knead it just right. It's all about the feel. You have to work the dough until it's smooth and pliable, but not too elastic.
"Then comes the rolling. You can't just use any rolling pin. It has to be the right weight and shape. You have to apply just the right amount of pressure to get the right thickness.
"But that's just the beginning. Once you have your sheets of noodle dough, you have to cut them the right way. You have to get the width and length consistent, so they cook evenly.
"And then comes the boiling. You can't just toss the noodles in any old pot of water. It has to be the right temperature and saltiness. You have to keep an eye on them, so they don't overcook or stick together.
"But when you get it right, when you take that first bite of perfectly cooked ramen noodles, it's like a symphony in your mouth. The texture, the flavor, the aroma. It's a thing of beauty.
"Yeah… When you take that first bite…"
Naruto smiled, lost in memories of old.
"It's all worth it."
There was a long pause.
"That's not a freestyle at all."
"But—"
"…Your next mission will be to go and have sex, Naruto." Bee decided. "If that proves to be impossible, you can ask Yugito or me for advice. Gods know you need it."
It was late when Bee and Naruto came out of the Misty Sea Tavern bar, and the streets were empty.
Bee always became somewhat quiet, and more contemplative when he drank, which always made Naruto wonder why he even did, in the first place.
For once, Naruto felt pretty grim, too.
"…You think we actually have a chance?"
"With what?" Bee slurred. "That girl from tonight…? Nah, you're out of the game. I don't do threesomes anyway — I already share my mind with that one guy —, and you're too young."
"Bee." Naruto said, looking at him seriously.
"With Akatsuki, then." Bee nodded.
Naruto continued to look at Bee, searching his eyes for some sign of hope.
"…Do you really believe we can take them down…?"
Bee took a deep breath and straightened up, suddenly looking much more sober.
"Listen, Naruto." He said firmly. "I've seen you in action. You've got guts, determination, and a heart big enough to take on the world. And me, well...let's just say there's a reason I'm world-famous."
"You're not." Naruto muttered.
In spite of himself, a small smile was pulling at his lips.
"Nine-Tails or not, we'll manage." Bee grinned and held his fist out. "If I have to firebomb twenty more Akatsuki members down while you guys finish the job, I'll do it."
Naruto let out a choked laugh.
"Yeah… I guess you're right." Naruto said, bumping his fist to his and grinning at his mentor.
And… something about Bee's words gave him a dumb, simple idea.
As they walked down the empty streets, the first rays of dawn beginning to light up the sky, Naruto felt a newfound sense of resolve.
It would be hard. But with Bee and the rest of their friends by his side, they just might be able to pull it off.
It was better to run than curse the road.
Naruto told the Nine-Tails he would not ask for his cooperation anymore.
Because he had not asked for this either, no matter how much of a dick he was.
The Fox stayed silent for a long while.
"What of the men after you…?"
Naruto shrugged.
"I'll find a way."
The Nine-Tails muttered something back.
"What was that…?"
"…Just this once, then. Naruto." Kurama said. "…I will help. Open the seal up."
Naruto frowned. "So that you can eat me?"
"No. We can fight to decide which one will live later on." Kurama said graciously. "You would barely be worth my time, as things stand."
"Thanks." Naruto said dryly.
"You're welcome, human."
The next day, Naruto opened his seal some more.
Bee was with him, to give him support.
"We're not going to fight." Naruto told him again. "Put your swords away."
Bee gave him a dubious glance. In front of them, the Nine-Tails' cage was open halfway. A stretched out paper tag held the gates aloft, and somewhat joined.
Still, the Fox made no effort to push them open.
"…You sure about that?" Bee asked. "Cause that guy definitely looks like he wants to."
Naruto shook his head.
And then there was a woman.
"Kushina…" The Fox growled.
Naruto motioned no to him.
They would not fight today.
Besides, Naruto thought he knew who that woman was.
Bee noticed, too. He grinned.
"Your mama is hot!"
"…Get out, Bee."
It was a rather emotional meeting, full of revelations and love of a sort Naruto had never experienced before.
A mother's love, that was.
Nothing to do with the furry sort of love the Nine-Tails might offer in some other universes.
And Naruto left with the Nine-Tails' twin promises.
The first one was a silent one, for it had been made before and to echo it once more would only make it sound more hollow. They would work together to ensure their short-term survival.
The second one was a heavier thing. It was something that if he thought about it for too long, Naruto could almost feel in his bones. Someday, they would fight for their freedom, both of them.
That was what they agreed upon. The Nine-Tails would wait until Naruto was ready.
And after all the training with the newfound power came the resolution of sorts, of course.
"How big of a sand platform can you make, Gaara?" Naruto asked.
"…What?" Gaara paused to think about it. "Pretty big."
"Say… big enough to hold a few Bijū in the air…?"
"Yes."
"And how high can you go?"
"I… never tried to go particularly high."
"What about the clouds?"
"…What about them?"
"Think you can go above…?"
Gaara closed his eyes in consternation.
"…I suppose."
"Then let's wait until they gather."
In Amegakure's highest tower, the Akatsuki's surviving members convened.
"The time has come." Pain said flatly. "We shall move to secure the Bijū tomorrow."
Beside him, Konan nodded. They had lost too many members recently, by what could only be several jinchūriki working together — because the traces of Bijū-laden chakra in the air indicated as much. It didn't take a genius, really.
"Tobi will bring my Summoner Path there, and I shall summon you." Pain said, giving Tobi a sharp glance.
Tobi gave him a thumbs up. "Tobi will do so, boss!"
Kisame didn't care either way. He was simply looking forward to a good fight.
Orochimaru, who had been reinstated after Itachi had somehow managed to get himself killed by his younger brother, didn't care either.
(There had been many protests about that, but there was a shortage of strong missing ninja and Nagato's word was more or less absolute.)
Kabuto just went along with Orochimaru's agenda. The public one, and the other one, of course.
And then there was something.
Something coming fast.
Something that came from high up at an angle, from far above Pain's rain.
Something that made their skin prickle.
Outside, the sky gleamed a dull red.
The power came at them from five different directions. The Deva Path hesitated — Konan was here — for one instant too long.
Tobi's Sharingan barely had the time to widen, understand that this was bad. He disappeared instantly. So did Black Zetsu.
And with a thunderous roar, the top part of the Yahiko Tower was overcome by red light.
Along with the remaining Akatsuki members.
Over scattered sand platforms in the sky, five Bijū receded, and five humans emerged again.
They were weary. Coordinating five attacks of such massive scale and making sure to keep the collateral down had been a pain.
Canceling a Tailed Bomb by using more of them…?
Yeah, that was a plan that had Naruto and Bee's stink all over it.
"Aw yeah!" Bee cheered. "This dramatic bitch Pain had it coming!"
Uchiha Obito watched the remnants of the tower from afar.
The only thing left of it was a dome of chakra in which the rain didn't penetrate. And speaking of it, it seemed as though the rain itself was stopping.
He shook his head and tightened his fist.
So many plans had just been ruined. The Rinnegan was gone, too. So many contingencies, gone as well.
Madara's Will had lived, too, this damnable thing.
For an instant, Obito felt despair.
Then it was gone. He was still young, and he had time on his side.
He would wait. And if not in his lifetime, someone else could be converted to his cause.
The six of them stood in one of the Land of Fire's grassy plains.
"Well." Fū said. "…I guess that's it, then." She shrugged. Then she grinned. "It was fun! Later guys, see you around! Six months or so!"
And she departed.
Yugito and Utakata were the next to go. They didn't say where they were going, but Naruto knew they were not headed home right away. Bee gave Yugito a wink.
Gaara looked at them hesitantly.
Bee opened his mouth, as though he had just realized something—
"I can't stay." Gaara said regretfully. "Just like Fū can't. Our villages are not Konoha, not Kumo. I will go back home." Then, shifting. "…Perhaps later?"
Naruto laughed and pulled him into a big hug. Bee tousled his hair. Gaara left, too.
"Well." Bee grinned. "It's been nice, Mister Nine."
"It truly was." Naruto smiled, too. "Are you going to Kumo right away?"
Bee thought about it. "Nah. I'm going to get shit for this whole bombing Ame's tower. Better to let the villages fix this." He shrugged. "I'll return if there's trouble, as always. I'm already out, and I'm sure my bro will make it much harder for me to slip out next time. If he doesn't put me in the hole for a while." He shivered.
Naruto extended his fist.
"Aww bro…" Bee grinned. "Something tells me you're going to miss good ol' Bee."
"Of course not, bro." Naruto grinned through his blurry vision. "I'm coming with you for a little longer."
Bee laughed boisterously, mostly to hide the fact that he was feeling a bit emotional himself.
In his eyes, Naruto saw true kinship. And triumph, too.
"You didn't think I was gonna leave you behind, did you?" Naruto laughed.
"You…? Leave me?" Bee chuckled. "Don't get cocky, ya fool."
Still, he sniffled a bit.
They bumped fists.
World #7570 — Tokyo.
"Did… all this really happen?" Nacchan asked dubiously. His head was still spinning from Toru's illusion.
Shinobi villages, more magic, tower bombings…?
"Of course it did." Toru nodded. "I met this Naruto and he agreed to share his memories with me. I just had to tell him I'd fix some loose ends, like that masked man and that Black Zetsu guy… and that was it."
"You're crying." Hanabi pointed out. "As always."
"I'm not crying." Toru said, wiping his eyes quickly. "I just… I just like a good bromance."
"…Why are you glaring at me, Toru…?" Naruto frowned.
"It has been months since we spent time with Sasuke as bros." Toru began, quite accusingly. "And what about getting matching cloaks, like the Akatsuki did…? I just think that—"
Naruto sighed.
AN:img 9CFEZwm png
"Toru's Akatsuki Dream."
Guess who got a tablet...?
Yeah, not me.
But I had this one (and one more) drawn beforehand.