Indra: Extra

by stroke6

Follow-up to the events of Indra, so obviously, full of spoilers and all. And won't make much sense on its own. If you have any intention of reading Indra... Probably better to start with that! (Extras so long they got their own extras...)

65. The Lost Boys

Article IX: The Oath

A pact has been enacted by the Kami, known as "The Oath," curbing them from inflicting lethal harm onto each other and forbidding intrusion into each other's true domains. This pact safeguards a harmonious coexistence among them.

Contributor: Uzumaki Kage
"The 'Oath' seems to be part of it. Uh, to be it."

Contributor: Uzumaki Yoisen
"During a high-risk confrontation in Hachiman-Yumi's boundary field, we learned of 'The Oath,' an agreed pact among Kami. Hachiman-Yumi revealed its existence; Susanoo-Arashi, the enforcer, was said to breach it, according to the other kami's words, that is. Whether it was true remains to be seen. Whether other Kami are fully aware of the incident remains uncertain."

Question: Orochimaru (World #323)
If a Kami breaks the Oath, what happens? Are there any consequences, or is it merely a guideline that they follow by choice? Are the others aware of it…? Which one of them was in infraction here? If there is such a thing as divine justice, will a kami be punished?

Article X: Strength Hierarchy?

Though all Kami are formidable by human standards, the Greater Kami accrue more respect and secure higher statuses due to factors that might be the significance of their domains, their follower base, or their roles in creating physical planes.

Contributor: Uzumaki Yoisen
"Susanoo-Arashi demonstrated superior power, eliminating Hachiman-Yumi in but a blink, assimilating its essence. This event may imply a hierarchy among Kami. A hierarchy of strength?"

Question: Orochimaru
If there's one, on what grounds is the hierarchy determined? Power? Related to their domain…? Is it fixed, or does it change over time? If true, and a Kami absorbs another Kami's essence, would they rise in the hierarchy? Would they obtain the former kami's powers?

Article XI: The Law of Transference

When a Kami confers their powers onto their followers, a spiritual bond ensues. These empowered individuals, often serving as priests, oracles, or champions, can conduct miracles in alignment with their Kami.

Contributor: Uchiha Sasuke
"Observing religious figures perform miracles, often in dangerous circumstances, courtesy of some people, suggests that a spiritual bond forms when a Kami grants powers. This transference likely has a connection to the Kami's inner domain, which may or may not be the Kami itself."

Question: Uzumaki Kage
Is there, like, a limit to the number of followers a Kami can empower? Can a Kami take back the power once granted?

Article XII: Legacy Clause

Should a Kami perish, their essence might be absorbed by another Kami.

Contributor: Uzumaki Yoisen
"Mentioned by Susanoo-Arashi."

Question: Uzumaki Ino
Is it an automatic process, or does the surviving kami need to perform a certain act to absorb the essence? Does it grant the surviving kami anything? And what happens to the powers and faith directed toward the deceased Kami?

---

The Ring

"It's not a ring, it's a tor—"

"Yes, yes, you've only said it a thousand times by now, Orochimaru. I hear you — And I'm still going to call it a ring."

"…I truly miss the days you were afraid of me."

---

On the Nature of Kami

In the days leading up to the event, miracles began occurring all over the continent - unexplainable, divine phenomena that seemed to ripple outwards.

It only became clearer to most that this ripple seemed to begin from the oldest surviving shrine.

Animals gazed at the sky, their actions inexplicable. The cats stared, the owls hooted, the deer stood still.

A silent anticipation was in the air, as though a great wheel had turned.

---

Rokudaime

Bearing the weight of a shattered village, the Sixth Hokage was a sprout in the ashes.

A phoenix poised to rise from Konoha's pyre. A boy with a heart too big, in a world too cruel.

Boys can change, however.

Steeped in a crucible of loss, the Sixth Hokage was to be a man named Uzumaki Naruto. And Roku suited him just fine, now.

Born from prophecy but not privilege, and from the ruins of a dream. He inherited a village in tatters, hope fading with each setting sun.

His mentor, Kakashi, the man of a thousand jutsu, had seen the world turn and burn.

A specter of the past, he too bore the scars of survival.

In the icy gaze of his single sharingan eye, he saw not just a student, not just his mentor's son, but a torchbearer for their smoldering legacy.

Roku was the leaf that wouldn't crumble, the last ember in a dying fire.

With every shadow clone, he reproduced his spirit, his stubborn will.

His dreams, once lofty as the great Hokage faces carved in stone, were seeds.

Seeds he would sow in barren earth.

He was a hard man.

Roku wasn't the sun that would rise to banish the night, nor the wind that would blow away the storm. He was the rock that remained unyielding against the tide.

He wore his scars like a tattered combat vest, as reminders not of the blows he had suffered, but of the battles he had survived.

Roku was no messiah, no harbinger of an era. He was a survivor.

Konoha was crushed, but from its ruins, a boy named Roku dared to rise, the unwavering symbol of a will that refused to die.

A fire to rekindle the ashes, a man born amidst ruin.

---

Frog Boy

Baptized by conflict, Gama (also known as Naruto) was a boy when he became a warrior, and a warrior when he became Jiraiya's ward.

The larger-than-life Sannin, with his riotous laughter and love for life's wild dances, imprinted upon the boy.

His thirst for escapism passed down to Gama, a parched seed sown into the fertile soil of a young heart.

Gama learned his lessons well.

Too well, perhaps. Not just Jiraiya's overt teachings of strength, bravery, and loyalty… but the hidden curriculum of pleasure, diversion, and evasion.

He drank from the cup of hedonism and found it bottomless, every drop a fleeting respite from the world that demanded so much of him.

Lovers' whispers, the gambler's roll, the seductive swirl of drink.

Gama threw himself into them, each an island of distraction in a sea of duty.

But in running from his burdens, he ran from himself, too. His shadows grew longer, the flickering mirage of escape casting a pall over his true nature.

Jiraiya watched, and saw not only a reflection of himself but every single one of his weaknesses, compounded.

He did not judge his adoptive son, never did.

Gama was a ship adrift, not in an ocean of night, but in an abyss of denial. His was a dance with shadows, a dangerous waltz of self-destruction.

Gama was dancing Jiraiya's dance: a runaway shinobi entangled in a web of escapism, flirting with oblivion.

As he spun faster, the question hung in the air:

Would he find the strength to halt his dance, or would he vanish into his own shadows, lost to a rhythm of his own making?

---

A Simple Life

5:30 am

Gama groaned as his alarm chirped obnoxiously.

He reached out to slap the snooze button, but then thought better of it and slammed it instead.

This was the third alarm; any more sleep and he would be late for work.

6:30 am

With his hair still wet from the shower, Gama hurriedly pulled on his semi-formal office attire.

He checked his reflection in the mirror, tried and failed to adjust his tie, and shrugged. It would have to do.

His breakfast was a simple rice ball bought from the konbini — that was the name of a franchise of convenience stores — downstairs, which he munched on while walking to the train station.

7:30 am

Riding the subway, while not as bad as it used to be, was always an adventure for Gama.

In one hand, he held his phone, swiping through news about the latest tech updates, while his other hand held onto the overhead rail.

He was mostly oblivious to his surroundings, lost in the marvelous world of pixels.

8:30 am

Gama arrived at the office just in time.

As he made his way to his workspace, he passed by a group of his co-workers who were already deep in their morning huddle.

He greeted them with a curt "morning, everyone" and a sheepish grin.

Some of them chuckled at his disheveled appearance and half-done tie, but nobody said anything about it.

After all, Gama was not a bad guy… even if he could admit feeling a bit hapless here.

9:00 am

Settling into his workspace, Gama fired up his computer, a beast of a machine that would likely be the envy of his peers back home.

He started his day by addressing the priority tech tickets - mostly forgotten passwords and email syncing issues.

While he was terrible with the technical details, Gama had a knack for translating tech jargon into layman's terms.

Mostly because these were the only terms he knew.

He might not be able to code a website, software, anything front-end, anything back-end… or anything at all, but he could usually explain to a panicked coworker why their computer kept crashing.

12:30 pm

Lunch was a bento box from a nearby shop that he ate at his desk.

Gama's colleagues, Satoshi and Yuko, joined him.

They often talked about the latest mobile apps, gaming consoles, or things that caught Gama's interest.

He was always eager to learn, if it was about a topic he cared about. He was not technically skilled, but he was passionate about practical tech.

2:00 pm

The afternoon was usually when the more complex issues came in.

Gama often found himself on calls with the IT department, relaying information between them and the employee with the issue.

His fluency in tech speak and more… normal language helped ease the communication gap, though he often had to ask the IT specialists to slow down or explain concepts to him.

3:00 pm

Gama's stomach rumbled, and he felt the mid-afternoon slump.

He reached into his desk drawer, pulling out a matcha chocolate snack.

He had an entire stash of them in his drawer, a habit he had picked up during his late-night gacha sessions.

His coworkers sometimes joked about his "emergency snack drawer", but he noticed they never turned down an offer when he shared.

3:30 pm

While troubleshooting an issue for a coworker, Gama accidentally closed a tab on his browser with an important help article.

He cursed the gods under his breath. This shit, again...?

He frantically tried to remember his last steps. Unfortunately, he never thought of asking anyone about it, or he would have figured out there was a better way.

5:00 pm

As the day wound down, Gama tidied up his workspace.

He made sure to note down any unresolved tickets for the following day. He really did his best to make up for his lack of technical skill with organization and diligence.

5:30 pm

The hardest part of Gama's day was often knowing when to stop.

He wanted to solve every problem that came his way, and there were moments when he wished he had more technical knowledge to do so.

But that was an ongoing process, still.

At times like these, he would take a step back, look out of the office window at the bustling Tokyo streets, and remind himself that it was okay not to have all the answers. Yet.

6:00 pm

The rest of the team usually invited Gama for an after-work drink at the nearby Izakaya.

Even if he wasn't the office star, Gama was liked by his colleagues for his earnest efforts.

And his antics when drunk, he supposed.

8:00 pm

Tonight, Gama headed to a local electronics store instead of the usual Izakaya with coworkers.

Rows of gadgets filled him with a sense of wonder and a fair amount of longing.

He felt as though he could spend hours there, fiddling with the latest gadgets and asking the store employees about the specifications.

10:00 pm

Back at 'his' small apartment, Gama made himself a quick cup of instant ramen and settled in front of his PC for some gaming.

He was pretty bad at this too, he could admit, but he enjoyed the immersion, the feeling of being in a different world.

Which was entirely different from actually being in a different world, of course.

Gaming was his unwind time, a space where it didn't matter how much he knew, but how much fun he was having, in which he didn't have to think about the fact that he was stuck in a foreign world, by his own choice, and his counterpart had—

Ah, shit.

There he went again.

11:30 pm

Gama read some more of Slippery Girls II.

Finally, before turning in, he decided to spend a few more minutes on his phone.

2:30 am

Gama fell asleep.

---

THE LOST BOYS

He woke up with a jolt…

And a sword pointed at his throat.

"What the fuck—" He hissed. That was the sort of shit that happened in the shinobi world, not in here.

He followed the arm holding the sword with rising fury.

Dark hair.

For a moment, ice seized his gut. The turbo-bitch had come back, then…? He'd show her, he would—

A single red eye.

Then his sleep-befuddled mind realized he wasn't dealing with Hebi at all.

"…Sasuke?" He asked cautiously. If his former friend, whose wife he had slept with at some point, had managed to find him across realms, Gama was in deep shit.

Gama heard another man's mirthful response. "Likely not the one you're thinking of. Also, we call this one Jinsuke now."

Jinsuke hissed in answer. "Don't even start, you idiotic—"

"Hey, no need for name-calling, Jinsuke." The mirthful man said, stepping into the dim light. Revealing a man who looked eerily like an older version of Gama. Twin blue eyes, but Gama swore he could see a glimmer of purple behind them.

Jinsuke was about to say something, but cut himself off. His single visible eye, which was red, found some of Gama's worst comics. It narrowed in confusion as he squinted, saw the sticky pages—

Jinsuke's sword came closer to Gama's throat as his disgust rose.

"Lower your sword, Sasuke." The other man said, more seriously. "There is no need to let Indruto's words influence your perception of him — I'm Kage, by the way."

Jinsuke gave him a disbelieving look. "…You think I did this because of him?"

Still, he lowered his sword a bit. Gama sat up slowly, putting his back against the wall. With the Toad Wall technique, he could escape, he knew.

"Whoa." Kage said, sounding wistful. "You… really remind me of him already." He shook his head. "You're going to try to go through this wall, right?"

Gama stayed silent.

He thought he could guess at who Indruto was. The same man who had contacted him once or twice, and whose summons Gama had ignored entirely. He cursed inwardly.

"We're on a grave mission." Jinsuke stated, cool, remote. "To save the worlds."

Silence.

"Let me get this straight…" Gama said, trying to remember if had left kunai anywhere close. "That bastard Emperor sent you, and you need my help."

Upon hearing anything implying he was acting on the man's order, Jinsuke's hold on his sword tightened. Kage scratched the back of his head.

"Uh… I wouldn't present it like that. Indruto doesn't care what you — Ah." He said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "It's your dad, actually. He wants you back."

…

Kage's heart pounded wildly in his chest, his still mismatched eyes fixated on the door.

"Are you sure…?" Kage asked, his voice barely above a whisper. To think his friend had gone through the trouble of finding him...

Jinsuke nodded. "According to Orochimaru, he spends most of his time here. Don't ask me, I don't get it either."

Here being Umi's underground lab.

Kage took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was about to come.

He pushed open the door, feeling his legs tremble under him.

The door opened with nary a sound, and there he was.

Jiraiya, alive and well. His white hair flowed freely over his shoulders, his eyes twinkling with the same light amusement Kage remembered.

But there was something different, an aura of peace… contentment that the Jiraiya from his world had never had. And less weariness, perhaps.

Kage's heart skipped a beat.

And he had to force himself to remember. This was not his Jiraiya.

The sight of him, alive and well, still felt like a punch in the gut. If Sakura had punched him and meant it.

"Hey there, can I help you?" Jiraiya asked, tilting his head. "Where are you from? Which world, I mean."

Kage forced a smile, his eyes stinging.

"Pervy sage…" He began, his voice choking on the words.

The older man blinked, looking puzzled.

"...Do I know you?"

Kage shook his head, his smile growing wider even as tears pricked his eyes.

"No." He said, his voice barely a whisper. "Not really, I guess. But I know you. You… you have no idea how much I missed you."

The look of confusion on Jiraiya's face deepened, even more so when the younger man hugged him. Kage expected him to say something like 'I don't hug men', but Jiraiya didn't.

Jinsuke stood nearby, feeling as though he were witnessing something he shouldn't have. Not that his own avoidance of the other Itachi was anything worth talking about.

Still, there was a softness in Jiraiya's eyes as he hugged him back. "Ah." He simply said.

A silent understanding that made Kage's heart ache even more.

It wasn't his Jiraiya, but in this moment, he was just glad to see him at all.

…

"You're the Hokage?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief. "I mean, I know there are several of you who wanted to, but to actually pull it off…"

Kage nodded, smiling sheepishly, in this way that made his eyes crinkle. "Yeah, I am. The Seventh, actually."

A silence fell over the room.

Jiraiya's gaze softened, his thoughts seemingly far away. He let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Damn. My son could never sit still long enough to even think of being Hokage."

Nearby, Kage's Orochimaru gave the man a very skeptical glance. He shook his head and resumed what he was doing.

Jiraiya continued. "And here you are, another version of him, holding the same title as both your fathers did — I'm assuming here. Life is strange, isn't it?" He guffawed.

Kage smiled, a pang of sadness tugging at his heart. "Yes, it is."

Jiraiya rose from his seat, moving to the window.

"You know, I've raised Naruto, trained him, been there for him in his highs and lows. But he's always been…" He was looking for words. "Wild. A free spirit. I can't help but wonder what it would be like if he was more like you or these others, at times — not that I would change him, of course." He amended himself. "Well, I guess he's happy where he is…"

Kage watched Jiraiya, his heart aching for the older man. He understood his sentiment.

Jiraiya continued to talk, and it was clear that he missed his son.

Kage knew he could not refuse him anything, right now.

So he offered to find him.

Jinsuke closed his eyes. Well, they had some people to find in any case. Perhaps one more wouldn't be so bad.

…

Gama hissed.

"So the old coot is working for the Emperor now, huh? And he's keen on seeing me?" His tone was laced with incredulity and a hint of annoyance.

Kage offered an enthusiastic nod, his grin unfaltering. "Yup, that's more or less it—" He said. "Also, once we get there, please don't listen to the people muttering about Indruto's sanity—"

"Why should he not?" Jinsuke snarked. "Have you heard his latest hushed plans...? What little he allows us to know?"

"Because they're wrong, duh." Kage said, rolling his eyes. "He's obviously not a madman hellbent on ruling the world at any cost... or the multiverse."

"Oh, no…? Because he seems relatively calm, most times…? Since when is that enough?"

"Not just that." Kage grinned dumbly. "I trust him. Believe it."

"And that never got you in trouble…?"

"Are you complaining…?" Kage asked. "Who convinced Kakashi that you didn't need to spend a few years in a dark cell, again?"

Jinsuke scoffed. "Whatever. We have more pressing matters to attend to first, and you, Gama, will assist us—" He said.

"—because as far as I know, he has some great master plan, that is going to save his world, he just can't tell us the specifics now, I'm sure—"

The two men were talking over each other, and Gama was very confused.

"—anyway, I managed to convince Indruto." Kage said to Gama, a proud twinkle in his eyes. "He is willing to offer you a way to travel through this world and your own if you help us — And let me tell you, that guy's a hard sell, even for someone with my devilish charm—"

"—perhaps your foolishness might come in handy when it comes to converting the others." Jinsuke finished, his tone dry and unimpressed. "Gama."

Gama squinted. "…The others…?" He echoed, a sense of dread creeping up his spine.

---

A grunt reached Gama first thing.

"There you were." The man said gruffly. "I have taken care of pacifying that world."

Gama turned to see another older Naruto, this one as well-muscled as Kage but stern-faced, bearing many scars and a rugged beard. The sight of the beard made Gama feel a bit envious: he'd never been able to grow one without willingly fucking up his Sage Mode.

"Roku." Kage greeted easily. Then, more hesitantly: "…When you say pacify…"

There was something amused in Roku's gaze. "What do you think?"

Kage let out a disbelieving sigh. "There was no need to kill the opposing faction—"

"Look." Roku grunted. "There are times you can't win. Sometimes, you're going to have to suffer losses. Sometimes you keep on losing, and you're just wondering if it's going to end at all — victory or defeat. But we are shinobi." Then, as a mocking afterthought. "Believe it."

Jinsuke examined him with a critical eye. "I believe he means to say we could have… converted the commanding officers without the need for bloodshed."

Roku snorted, unimpressed. "We don't have time for tea and chats. In war, you strike first, strike hard, and don't hold back. You lads could learn a thing or two about that."

Kage shook his head sadly. "I'm sure they were not all bad people — I could have talked to them."

There was the same glint or dark mirth in Roku's eye. "If you say so — That Emperor of yours gets it, at the very least. And I'm afraid he's the one I answer to."

Jinsuke tensed.

Gama, who was well used to office politics, tried to diffuse the tension — if the two died, he'd be stuck with that man, who seemed a bit more... dangerous to him.

He cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

Upon seeing Gama, Roku's face fell in a deep frown. "At ease, soldier!" He barked, immediately establishing his authority.

Gama, surprised and slightly annoyed, snapped into a sloppy version of attention, not accustomed to such strict discipline anymore.

Roku examined Gama with a critical eye, his disappointment palpable. "You call that a salute, son? My old man can do better, and he's been dead for years!"

He stepped forward, adjusting Gama's posture, the harshness in his voice… not softened by the glimmer of amusement in his eye. "You stand like a drunken monkey. Stand tall, shoulders back. You're a shinobi, not a scarecrow!"

"We were trained by one." Kage interjected.

"Perhaps you two were, but I'm talking about the drunken monkey." Roku cut him off. "It is pretty obvious there was no Kakashi in his life. He'd be a much different man otherwise. A firm hand is needed."

Kage and Jinsuke shared a glance. Both shrugged. Firm...?

Gama grit his teeth under the intense scrutiny. "I'm not a soldier. I'm my own man."

There was a pause.

Roku snorted.

Then he began laughing.

It lasted for a while, until Gama was unsure whether he was feeling more awkward or angry.

"Oh." Roku stopped laughing abruptly. "You were serious." He crossed his arms over his chest. "A shinobi is a soldier even once he believes he has retired, boy. It's not all fun and games and fancy jutsu. It's discipline. It's order — It's sacrifice."

Roku punctuated each word with furious spittle. He concluded:

"And you look like you haven't seen enough of it!"

…

"I don't think we have time for training." Kage nearly whined.

"Time? Son, there's always time for training." Roku growled, sizing Gama up with a critical eye. "Who's gonna carry the logs otherwise?"

The youngest of them might be a Naruto, but he seemed to lack the discipline Roku prided himself on. And his conditioning was lacking, unlike Kage or Jinsuke.

Nothing like the Emperor, either, but then again, that man was cut out of polished granite… and made Roku himself feel like a slacker. He resolved to double down on his own physical training.

To Roku, it looked like Gama hadn't trained seriously for months. About six or seven of them, he thought.

Without any further ado, Roku threw a punch at Gama, who barely managed to dodge it.

"What the hell, you old—?" Gama sputtered, managed to cut himself off, and stumbled backward.

"No time for chat, soldier." Roku barked. "You react. You adapt. That's being a shinobi."

Kage watched on, slightly horrified, as Roku lunged again.

This time Gama was ready, blocking the attack… barely. Gama attempted a counter-kick but Roku easily deflected it, throwing him onto his back.

"Your stance is all wrong." Roku critiqued. "Balance is off. Movements are sloppy."

Kage looked like he was about to protest again, but Jinsuke held him back.

"Sloppy — I'll give you sloppy, you old fuck!" Gama growled, and in his anger, he barely realized how bad it sounded.

He stood up and threw himself forward.

Roku punched him in the teeth, and while Gama reeled from the blow, he seized his wrist, pulling it up.

Kage shouted something.

Roku's elbow slammed against the back of Gama's, breaking it entirely.

Gama howled and fell again.

"Okay." Kage growled. "That's too much—"

"Again!" Roku ordered. "He's a liability!"

"I told you that's—"

"I wasn't talking to you." Roku warned.

Gama threw himself at him again, one arm weaker.

The resulting beatdown wasn't pretty, and could hardly be called educational.

…

"He heals fast." Roku said, clapping Kage's shoulder as he turned to leave.

Gama struggled to stand up. He pushed himself off the ground and dusted his clothes. His cheeks were flushed red, whether from the effort or the embarrassment.

Kage looked like he was on the verge of saying something, perhaps to offer words of encouragement or to try and lighten the mood. He knew helping the younger man outright would not be received too well right now. Gama himself opened his mouth to retort, but the words got lost somewhere on the way.

"Well?" Roku turned back to look at them, impatience evident in his furrowed brows. "Are we finally going? There was nothing here."

Jinsuke nodded.

---

A New Dawn

Gama rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding a volley of miniature Bijū-chakra blasts.

Kage and Jinsuke were unfortunately busy at the moment, engaged in a fierce battle with pale-faced Byakugan wielders they had called aliens.

The sheer scale of the battle was terrifying, and made Gama feel quite inadequate. Roku had taken him away, which Gama had considered a boon at the time.

He had spoken too soon.

This world was war-torn, and the air was thick with the acrid stench of blood and charred earth.

Out of the dust, out of the chaos of battle, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

He had wild blond hair, red eyes… and thick whisker marks on his cheeks. That was unmistakably another Uzumaki Naruto.

He bore the cloak of Akatsuki, however.

Their eyes locked in an intense stare. Roku was nowhere to be seen.

Without hesitation, Gama threw himself into the fight once more, eyes bright with natural energy.

He was the mountains, the river… and everything in between.

The other man rushed forward, with a blinding, Kyūbi-enhanced speed that caught Gama off-guard. Sure, he was rusty, but that guy was fast.

Gama blocked the incoming fist and countered with a textbook frog-style throw.

The man slammed into the ground—

And rebounded against it, pushed by a bubbly arm made out of red chakra. The kick connected with Gama's chin, launching him up in the air.

The Akatsuki man followed after him, jumping, and the sound of their fists colliding echoed across the battlefield.

He twisted and a flying knee strike sent Gama soaring back to the ground. He slammed through rock and stood up again, wiping his bloody chin.

Sage Mode, as always, protected him from the worst of it.

There was another question on his mind.

Why had he thought he needed to escape all of this…?

He was a shinobi, he was born for this fight.

On Gama's lips, a small smirk began to grow, echoed by his adversary.

They moved in circles, in a dance that was as much a test of strength as it was of belief.

Chakra coalesced to Gama's hand.

The Rasengan, his ultimate technique, glowed ominously.

Akatsuki's man, with an amused, contemptuous sneer, did the exact same thing. Orange light bubbled in his palm, until he was carrying a deadly orb of his own.

They rushed toward each other.

Gama dropped down to the floor, with a sweeping kick meant to take the enemy off his feet. The other man jumped over it, and stomped in answer, aiming to shatter Gama's kneecap.

Gama detonated the Rasengan hastily, losing nearly all of its destructive power… but also sending the Akatsuki flying away from him.

The man was unfazed. Gama skidded back too, reeling from his own jutsu.

Gama blurred through hand seals.

"Water Release: Toad Style Bullets!"

He released them with a fury, already forming another Rasengan in his off-hand.

He would—

The demonic power in the air intensified, and the other man disappeared entirely. Gama felt exactly where he would come from.

The Rasengan roared to life, and he poured more chakra in the jutsu—

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

Gama barely had the time to hiss in answer. "What the—"

The world around Gama shifted rapidly as the earth beneath him opened up, swallowing him whole before it closed again, leaving him stuck underground up to his torso.

He saw the surprise on the Akatsuki's face as he missed him entirely, however.

And he saw Roku explode from the Earth, a blade shaped out of deadly winds held firmly in his hand.

"Flying Swallow!" He growled.

Roku tackled the Akatsuki man brutally, with a rising knee strike that smashed into his face.

As they tumbled to the floor, Roku wasted no time.

He twisted, using the momentum of their fall to swing himself on top, and the glowing blade hummed with deadly promise.

"For peace!" Roku growled through gritted teeth; with a swift, merciless motion, he drove the wind blade straight into his opponent's brain.

It pierced through the Kyūbi cloak like a hot knife through butter.

Gama's eyes widened.

Roku pulled his blade out once he made sure it had gotten through entirely, and blood spurted from the wound, coating Roku's hand and splattering his face. He stabbed down again.

And again.

And again and again.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Gama cried out.

With one final twist of his wrist, Roku extracted the wind blade, and the Akatsuki man's hand fell to the floor, entirely unmoving.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Roku asked rhetorically, as he began to work on separating the head from the body.

"I thought we came here to recruit him!" Gama growled.

"That was before I realized he was Akatsuki." Roku chuckled. "The Emperor had no need for that one, I'm sure."

…

Kage looked particularly displeased.

"…What the hell were you thinking?" He hissed, a harsh note in his voice, one that he rarely used.

Roku, still drenched in blood, looked back at his team leader. He shrugged.

"We could have talked him down!" Kage said, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists. "We could have convinced him!"

"I mean… he was Akatsuki." Gama muttered.

"And the drunken monkey tried a less lethal method. Perhaps on purpose, even." Roku pointed out. "Didn't work so well."

"This is no joke!"

Roku didn't flinch, his face impassive as he met Kage's fiery gaze. "He was a threat. We eliminated it. That's what we do."

"Not when we can avoid it." Kage growled, taking a step closer. "We don't just eliminate people because they're inconvenient!"

Roku's lone eye narrowed. "I don't know how things are in your Konoha, but I'm afraid I'm not playing by your rules, here."

Kage's face twisted with frustration. "I refuse to believe we can't find another way. We're not just assassins, Roku. We're better than that."

"Are we?" Roku asked, a glint of dark amusement in his eye. "And… Can we afford to be with what's at stake? Not everyone deserves to be saved."

"That's not your decision to make." Kage shot back.

"Isn't it…?" Roku replied, his voice as cold as ice. "With you gone, I was the commanding officer."

Kage's lips thinned into a grim line. "There's always a choice, Roku. There's always another way."

"A way that risks our lives?" Roku's voice was low, dangerous. "A way that risks the mission?"

Silence fell between them, heavy and charged. Neither man was willing to back down.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm sure our dear Emperor would agree with my call." Roku said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I suppose we can do things your way when you're actually around. And you weren't."

Kage drew a slow, calming breath, his gaze never wavering from Roku's defiant stare.

"We're in this together, Roku." He said, his voice steady despite the simmering tension between them. "You don't have to carry this burden alone."

Roku's lone eye softened.

Then he blinked and shook his head. His eye hardened again. "…Don't you dare pull this bullshit on me." He growled. "I know exactly what you're doing."

Kage's eyes were thoughtful, full of empathy. "I know the pain of being alone—"

Roku quickly put his fingers in his ears to block the sound, because Kage continued to monologue.

Only Gama was here to listen.

…

Jinsuke came back to find a very docile Gama.

He stared.

"…What the hell happened to him…?" He asked.

Gama blinked at him, then looked down at the toad perched on his lap.

"I think… I think I have been running from my demons for too long." Gama said, sounding dazed. "I… I suppose I will help you guys a little bit longer."

Jinsuke blinked. He glanced at Kage briefly. "…What did he say to you?"

Gama glanced up, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. "I… I don't know. It's like he said something, and it made sense. A lot of sense."

With an expression of disgust, Roku unplugged his ears.

"…Are we moving on or do I need to step in as the leader?" He snapped.

---

Nine-Tails 2.0: Unleashed!

Everything in this world looked far too advanced.

It made even Tokyo look positively ancient, by comparison. Shiny skyscrapers, flying vehicles, holograms everywhere… robots. Gama felt as fascinated as he felt sick.

They had landed themselves in the middle of a grand festival, which was supposedly the world's most significant technology fair, where inventors showcased their latest inventions.

They nearly got in trouble with the security, but by the time Kage was done talking to them, the guards had promised to offer them some drinks, arms wrapped around the man's shoulders, as though he had been a long-time friend.

Gama noticed Roku slide a short blade back into his sleeve, too.

The man they were looking for was a man named Naruto — ha!

He was supposedly a genius inventor, who was eager to demonstrate the capabilities of his newest invention.

He wasn't very hard to find, he had the same spiky blond hair all of them had — beside Jinsuke, who had limp, lifeless black hair, a bit like Gama's Sasuke back home, but deader.

In any case, the young blond was babbling enthusiastically to a crowd of people, about his latest creation — a high tech combat suit named "Nine-Tails 2.0."

"My name…" He announced proudly. "Is Uzumaki Naruto. For the past two years, I've been working on this!"

They decided to wait until he was done, of course.

The young man clambered into the suit with an excited grin.

With the press of a few buttons they didn't get to see, the suit came to life.

It was sleek, quick… and surprisingly agile.

Before the crowd's enthralled eyes, this Naruto executed a series of graceful maneuvers, and his control over the suit seemed seamless.

The energy readings that came off from it were abnormal, however.

Roku's single eye narrowed as he glanced at them. He was no expert, but he didn't think the energy levels were supposed to fluctuate that much. Gama told him he worried too much.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

There was a sudden surge of energy, and the suit started behaving erratically. The pilot lost control, and the Nine-Tails 2.0 thrashed wildly — like a rickety cart in a cobblestone alley.

People were screaming, diving out of the way as the suit rampaged through the crowd.

It slammed into a building and debris began flying everywhere.

Structures collapsed, and in but one instant, the peaceful fair turned into a scene of chaos.

The pilot's panicked voice echoed from the suit's speakers, desperate to regain control. It was too late, however, and the excitement had become horror.

Kage had to intervene, and golden arms sprung from his body to prevent the building's fall.

The three other shinobi moved, quick as lightning, to rescue the people inside.

The once-cheering crowd now jeered and booed at the pilot.

"This is your genius invention?" One of the spectators shouted.

"He's a menace!" Another screamed.

"Without these men's technologies, we would have—"

Uzumaki Naruto was quickly subdued by the security and escorted off the stage, his face burning with humiliation and guilt alike.

Kage called for them to leave as well, before the people figured they were not using technology at all.

Later that day, Jinsuke slipped into the other Uzumaki Naruto's holding cell, thanks to the legendary Rinnegan's power — Gama wasn't yet aware of how many were floating around, by now, so it was still somewhat impressive.

The inventor looked defeated, his eyes downcast. The failure weighed heavy on his shoulders, Jinsuke's sharp eyes could guess. Or perhaps he hadn't eaten yet — he knew that Naruto could be a bit moody if he went without eating for too long.

"You messed up, didn't you?" Jinsuke asked, bluntly.

The young Naruto flinched.

"…Yeah." He admitted, not meeting his eyes.

"Good." Jinsuke added, causing Naruto to look up in surprise. "You'll fit right in with the Orochimaru, then."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What?"

Jinsuke sighed, stepping forward.

"We're not from this world. We're from different universes. We're here because we could use your help."

Naruto studied his face, his brows furrowed.

"You messed up here, but you might just be able to do some good in their world." Jinsuke added. "Or accidentally kill that man."

"…Is this a trap…?"

"Have you not seen what we have done to save the people…?"

Naruto seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Well, can't mess up worse than I did here, can I?" He asked, pulling at his hair. "Alright, I'm in."

---

Hot Air and Hot Heads: The Steam Chronicles—

"Okay, I'm sorry, but I don't get this world." Kage declared, once they sent the new guy to Umi, where he would fit in nicely with the other mad scientists.

"What is there to get?" Jinsuke asked, as though he did.

"All of this!" Kage pointed out.

It was a curious mix of past and future; a place powered by steam and mechanical gears, with twisting pipes and elaborate clockwork at every corner.

Also, more steam.

"Why is everything so…" Kage paused, searching for the right word. "…Steamy? Where the hell are we…? Where are we? Is this a city ruled by Kokuō or something?"

Jinsuke cocked his head to the side, a faint frown playing on his lips. "Steamy? Who's Kokuō?" He asked, confusion etching his features.

"Someone you tried to enslave." Kage muttered.

Jinsuke frowned. "That was Kabuto. And Itachi did, not me."

Gama, however, was taking in the environment with a more familiar eye. The mixture of old-fashioned architecture and advanced technology was not unlike some things he had seen in Tokyo's media.

"This is… English style." He stated. "Victor style, I recognize it."

And he could speak the language some — not too well, but the others couldn't tell, likely. Then again, that man had mentioned something about developing translators.

They wandered through the streets, where hulking automations, slightly taller than a man and called Trotmobiles… seemingly were this world's primary mode of transport.

Their journey led them to the heart of the city.

Roku, whose patience had seemingly been tested, scoffed "Bah!"

The group paused.

"Why should we even concern ourselves with this world…?" Roku asked. "Their steam-based technologies offer nothing we, the Empire, don't already possess."

Kage blinked in surprise, taken aback by Roku's forthrightness. But he couldn't refute the logic. Had thought the same really, but had never really trusted himself to be able to see this sort of thing objectively.

"Uh… I guess there wouldn't be much of a point in recruiting anyone from here, then."

Gama was still looking around, captivated by the unique atmosphere of the city. "Perhaps we could stay a little longer, just to—"

Roku cut him off, his tone as monotonous, as cold as a funeral dirge. "No."

---

Spirits and Samurai Swords: The Next Shaman King Will Be…!

"The Shaman King?"

Gama asked the young teenager again, dubiously. "Is that a real thing…?"

The kid nodded. "Yeah. They say that when people who can see ghosts fight using those ghosts' powers, the winner becomes a god." He smiled slightly, in that sleepy way of his. "Pretty silly, right?"

Gama thought it was, but didn't voice it out.

"I mean… I hate people. If someone like me became a god…" The kid continued, with a wry expression. "…I bet I'd end up destroying all of humanity."

Gama stared at him, and he understood him all too well. He had gone through puberty as well, after all. Beard or not.

"Oh gods, you're in the middle of your chūni phase, aren't you?"

…

The kid, who didn't understand the word, tried to argue anyway, saying there was no way he himself could ever become Shaman King, but that it was a real thing anyway.

Gama went to meet more people.

"So yeah…" Gama explained. "It's a place where the line between the spiritual and physical realms blur."

"Ghostly samurai…? Spirits? Are you sure these guys are not Uchiha…?" Roku grumbled, rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off an incoming headache. "More of that shit?"

In this universe, they found themselves in the midst of a grand tournament known as the Shaman Fight.

Gama continued to explain.

It was a once-in-500-years event where the most powerful Shamans — human mystics, who could commune with the dead and summon their souls to aid them in battle — gathered to determine the Shaman King.

This was because the Shaman King was granted the Great Spirit, the combined power of all spirits, which granted him god-like abilities—

Kage was frowning now, asking what kind of "god" one would become if they won.

"Well." Gama paused, considering his words. "First, the contest is only open to shamans, and I definitely can't see spirits, so… I don't think usurping the contest would go too well. Also the winner would have power similar to creating supernovas and black holes... Being one with the Great Spirit, the entity that governs all souls within this—"

"And this power doesn't extend beyond this world?" Kage clarified.

Gama hesitated. "As far as I know, no."

Roku raised an eyebrow. "So no guidance on how to handle beings from multiple dimensions?"

Gama reluctantly admitted that there wasn't.

Jinsuke finally voiced the question that was on each mind. "How dangerous is this world?"

Gama paused before replying. "Well, there is a thousand-year-old man who keeps reincarnating himself with the intention of ruling the world."

Kage and Jinsuke exchanged worried glances.

…

Admittedly, the group of four left this world in haste.

They considered the possibility that the man they'd encountered bore no relation to the figure they were all too familiar with — the notorious Emperor.

What they did, however, was taking their concerns to the Emperor directly.

So that he could decide to send people here — including himself — or not. It was safer for everyone involved.

Instead, the Emperor just dismissed their fears, assuring them that Hanabi had investigated the situation.

According to her findings, the Shaman King had powers that really were limited to this world and didn't possess any real ability that could harm kami.

Moreover…

Hanabi apparently had one of her unpredictable premonitions. As per her vision, their best course of action was to completely leave this world undisturbed.

The reincarnating man was destined to become a demi-god. His brother, who happened to be the half-mad kid Gama had met, was going to coax the new Shaman King into sparing humanity.

Or something along those lines.

Gama was mostly left wondering what kind of fucked up man listened to that particular Hyūga (or Uzumaki, he supposed). She seemed... difficult… at best.

A strange thing happened: the Emperor thanked them, and there was a small, satisfied smile on his lips. As though something he had known to possibly be true had just been confirmed.

Still, the group of four nodded in understanding.

The Emperor told them to leave.

Admittedly, they had left the world before asking the Emperor about anything.

---

Welcome to the Strip

The group landed in a decimated world, a post-apocalyptic landscape where life barely clung on.

The world was quiet, save for the howling winds carrying dust across the barren lands.

And both Kage and Gama felt it acutely: there was no chakra to this world. Or if there was, it was impossible to grasp.

"Okay, this place sucks even worse." Gama decided. "It makes a junkyard look like a tropical paradise."

He glanced around quickly. There was nothing around at all, aside from this wasteland, an arid expanse that stretched on forever.

Nothing stirred here, until—

"What the fuck?!" Gama spat out.

Kage turned, eyebrows raised in question. "What happened?"

"This gigantic fucking fly just bit me!" Gama gestured frantically at a rapidly retreating insect - if you could call something the size of a chihuahua an insect - that fluttered away with a pair of sickly orange wings.

"Oh, that's it?" Kage blinked. "You should be okay, we're pretty resilient." He gave him a thumbs up and a blinding grin.

"Goddamnit." Gama cursed again. "Is this a Hokage thing?"

"…Huh?"

"That fucking smile, the thumbs— Never mind." Gama grunted. "Let's get away from here."

Kage shook his head. "Not yet."

"We're ready to go." Gama insisted. "That man even thanked us — we could at least take a break—"

Kage shook his head, more firmly. "No."

"For real…?" Gama hissed. "I don't like this place, it's entirely unnatural—"

"Ah." Roku said, quite mockingly. "Of course, no natural energy. Unlike the world from which we plucked you."

Gama's face flushed with anger. "That's not what I mean — this place just feels off!"

Kage's hand fell reassuringly onto his shoulder. "I get the feeling." He said with a knowing look.

Whenever Kage looked at Gama, he saw a bewildered young man, someone who had grown under the tutelage of the same mentor as himself — in a way. He was a brother-in-training of sorts, and a brother-of-sorts, too.

Not exactly like Indruto, who Kage saw as both a younger and older brother — and someone who occasionally needed guidance to stay righteous but was fundamentally well-meaning. But Kage trusted both Toru and the other Sasuke, Itachi to rein him in.

...And the Emperor's partners, to some lesser degree.

Then, the child-Orochimaru.

Also, perhaps Indruto was too powerful for his own good.

Gama grunted. "Whatever. Let's go to that settlement. Jinsuke, if you could…"

Jinsuke responded with an unimpressed, flat stare.

Slightly taken aback, Gama retreated a step or two.

With a sigh, Kage made a sweeping gesture, conjuring a portal in a whirlwind of leaves and… miniaturized fox shapes?

Gama stared at them and Kage offered him a playful wink. "Kurama's touch." He said, and Gama could almost feel a being older than he could understand grin playfully. A shiver went up his spine.

Jinsuke was staring at the desert outside.

"…what is it?" Gama asked him.

Jinsuke spoke, but it seemed as though he was talking to Kage. "…Do you think we might find dinosaurs out there?"

Gama squinted. "What the fuck do you mean?"

Kage sighed. "He… likes dinosaurs."

"What? No way." Gama shook his head. It didn't sound like the dour man.

But Jinsuke didn't deny it. "…They are simple animals."

"We're going to find the other Meno at some point, then." Kage said, sighing. Jinsuke nodded with a slight smile.

Gama didn't question it.

They stepped through the portal, reemerging amidst the wreckage of a city block.

Behind makeshift barriers of patched sheet metal and barbed wire, a solitary white tower loomed. Above the entrance to the actual city, a sign declared: "Welcome to the Strip."

The message was in English, a detail Gama promptly relayed to the others.

"You will be doing the talking, then." Jinsuke stated.

Roku guffawed. "We should probably leave while we're ahead, in that case."

A man in a white suit came toward them.

"New to Freeside, I reckon. Here's a little advice, friends." He said, with a wry grin. "Don't go past the south gate greeter without talking to it first. Those bots are programmed to vaporize anyone who enters the fenced-in area without authorization from the greeter."

Gama blinked at him, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead — the heat, certainly.

His grasp of English was shaky at best, but he thought he got the gist of it. With an optimistic grin, he offered a thumbs-up.

"What did he say?" Kage asked.

Gama hesitated, then shrugged nonchalantly. "…That we're good to go in."

…

"How could I have known the robots would shoot at us?!"

…

"Look, I have a plan. You three can go to the next targets in this world, we'll meet around here once you're done." Gama declared later, trying to regain some credibility. "Just… send me into the biggest tower before you go, near the top. What…? Why there? Because that's obviously where the leaders of this village are. And the movies agree: that's where the big boss always is."

And so it was that Gama was sent to the top of the Lucky 38 Casino's tower, the highest point of the city of New Vegas.

…

Gama found himself in an empty elevator.

The lift doors slid open revealing a phalanx of heavily armed robots, all of their weapons pointed towards him.

"Oh, great…" Gama mumbled under his breath.

A massive screen flickered to life, revealing the visage of a man with slicked-back black hair and a thin mustache.

Gama frantically weighed his options, his gaze darting between the screen and the robots surrounding him.

He considered his escape routes… or contacting any of his allies through the hasty contract they had offered him.

The man on the screen began speaking in English.

"Hmm… How shall I put this?" He asked, mockingly. "You find yourself alone, standing in my fortress, surrounded by my heavily-armed Securitron guards."

Gama squinted, trying to puzzle together the words.

His silence may have given the impression of contemplation.

"Keep your silence, then, intruder. I cannot claim to understand such minds. By the time I was thirty years old, I was a billionaire thirty times over. I founded and ran a vast economic empire." The voice warbled. "Do you really think I'm going to let an upstart come into my home, uninvited?"

Gama pondered a bit longer before shaking his head, then ducked behind a nearby wall, declaring: "Am not afraid."

"Oh, you needn't be afraid of me." The man on the screen said. "It's my Securitrons that are going to kill you."

And indeed… they opened fire, right on cue.

Gama realized that staying cooped up in a lift would be an invitation to his own funeral.

So, with a swift roll, he dodged into the barrage of laser fire, hastily forming hand signs.

He held a half-Tiger. "Toad Passage Technique."

The ground under him became an organic, fleshy thing that swallowed him, allowing him to evade the onslaught.

It opened up again, and let him fall through the balcony and emerge on the floor below.

His relief was short-lived as he found himself face-to-face with yet another group of robots.

Cursing, Gama threw himself backward. He was a lover of animals (besides snakes, of course) and technology, and wasn't about to hurt these poor robots.

He weaved the same hand seals again.

"Toad Passage Technique."

In an instant, he merged with the wall, slipping through its solid mass as if it were nothing more than an illusion. Emerging on the other side, he was met by another robot.

"Goddamn it." He muttered.

There was a pair of doors in this room, and a small terminal.

He was clever enough to realize there was something behind these doors. He weaved the same signs one more time.

It had saved him from angry fathers, angry boyfriends before.

Today, it would save him from angry robots.

"Toad Passage Technique."

Gama went through the wall again.

He emerged in an entirely different environment.

This time he found himself in a dimly lit control room. An intricate network of pipes and a suspended metal bridge filled the space, beneath him was a chasm of more piping, steam and darkness.

"Huh."

No robots here.

Relieved at their absence, Gama ventured deeper into the room.

A faint, yellow light radiated from the center, casting an eerie glow in the encompassing blackness.

There was another terminal before it.

Now that he had a bit more time, he went to see what it had to offer, shrugging. It turned on quickly, and the screen flickered to life, illuminating an array of green characters against the backdrop of a midnight black screen.

The green characters flickering on the screen were almost welcoming.

"Welcome, Mr. House." The greeting was clear, followed by a single command option: "Unseal LS Chamber."

Call it curiosity, but Gama pressed the Enter key.

A cautionary message blinked on the screen: "Warning! Microbial Infection Risk. Proceed?"

He considered the warning. Then Gama clicked "Yes."

He had a great immune system.

There was a loud, mechanical hiss, and the large machine opened, letting out a gust of freezing air.

There was a gaunt man in it, strapped to a table which was lifting, until the person on it was fully vertical.

His form was skeletal, closer to a husk than a living being, strapped to a table like some morbid relic of science. The flicker of life in his sunken eyes was the only indication of his status as a living entity.

Also, it was spasming.

There were machines connected to him; head, chest, gut… and something that Gama assumed was linked to his bladder, too.

It rasped something out and Gama nearly jumped.

"Why have you… done this?" It croaked, weak and venomous. "Centuries of preparation… so much good, undone…"

"Uh…" Gama hesitated. Was this the same polished gentleman from the television? "I… will…" He fumbled his words. "Put you back."

Gama gave him a thumbs up.

"Fool…" The man wheezed. "Ruined… everything… exposed… germs… won't… live… months… at most."

Gama winced, because he understood some of the words.

"Well…" He muttered to himself, not bothering with English. "You didn't seem like a good guy, I have to say — What with the robots killing people trying to get into the city and all."

He glanced around, eyes settling on the terminal.

He nodded, more determinedly and muttered to himself, in Japanese. "Yes… I will… I will put you back in, and then figure out what to do next."

"No…" The skeletal man protested weakly.

Gama chose to ignore him.

Now that the coffin-like freezing chamber was open, there were more options on the terminal.

"Sterilize LS Chamber?" Gama read out loud. "Yeah, that sounds like what I'm looking for."

The man, who was probably named House, was nearly spasming. Was he getting nervous? He seemed increasingly distressed.

"Fool… do not…" His voice trailed off into a whisper.

"Do what…?" Gama asked distractedly, his attention diverted between the terminal and the frail man. He missed the ominous warning flashing on the screen - something about a 'lethal shock.'

In any case, Gama was all too used to computers by now. Anytime he saw a warning, he tended to dismiss it.

House's agonized howl echoed through the chamber. 'Nooooo…'

There were arcs of bright electricity dancing around his suspended form.

Then more of them.

Then, in an explosion of light and heat, House's body imploded, sending body parts flying everywhere and splattering Gama with blood.

He just stared at the man he had presumed to be some sort of leader.

Then he thought of that man's possible reactions, ranging from jail time in a dark tower Gama could already picture as terrible… or straight-up execution.

Or worse, the bastard Emperor would give Gama away as a concubine to any of his powerful soldiers. Or himself.

"…Shit."

---

Somewhere else in the same world, Kage looked very uneasy too.

"…Look, I know I said I would get you on board, but this… is too much, even for me." He said.

The man in front of him looked surprised.

So did Roku, next to him. He chuckled, somewhat disparagingly. "Too much? What could possibly be too much for the hero who faced countless threats to his village and the entire ninja world?"

Kage frowned. "Well…"

A cannibalistic cult leader was probably where he drew the line. Gods, children…?

"I know you only like to kill those aliens, but you can make an exception." Roku said.

"I don't like to kill moon people." Kage said hotly.

"It really didn't look that way to me, but sure." Roku shrugged.

"…"

"I won't tell if you won't." Roku offered.

"Still." Kage hesitated.

"We can find Jinsuke, go to the next world, and come back quickly." Roku said, magnanimously. "The monkey won't even realize we left."

Kage glanced around. "…I suppose that monster doesn't have much to offer anyway."

"He clearly doesn't." Roku smiled.

Kage glanced around again. He settled on one word, afterwards. "Rasengan."

---

Another world, shortly after.

Uchiha Toru and Uchiha Sasuke met Jinsuke, Kage and Roku in the bustling streets of another Konoha.

Each Uchiha Sasuke stared at the other. They had been born to similar enough circumstances, and they certainly looked alike, but they were worlds apart.

One was a family man, dragged into impossible situations because of his soul-brother, and the other one…

Well, they had similarities, too, in the end. And Jinsuke tried to be a family man, too. It was admittedly a bit more nebulous, considering his limited experience with family.

"Mokuton, then?" Jinsuke asked quietly. "How… quaint."

"We've met before. That's nothing new to you, is it…? You're not usually one for needless words." Sasuke said evenly. "Was Toru wrong?"

Jinsuke's response was a prolonged, analytical gaze, raking Sasuke from top to bottom. After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to dismiss the topic with an indifferent answer. "No, I suppose he wasn't."

"…And Lightning for you, then?" Sasuke mused aloud, a hint of dry humor lacing his words. "That's… well. We've had our share of… problematic encounters with edgy lightning wielders in our world."

"The Raikage, as well?" Jinsuke asked, nodding in sympathy. "That man did cause me some trouble. Like preventing me from killing the Hokage."

Sasuke stared, silently judging him. "…That's not who I meant. But I suppose you and that man are more alike than I thought."

They didn't seem entirely at ease with each other.

"Oh…" Roku laughed gruffly.

"Something funny, man?" Toru asked, frowning. "I'm not sure why Shisui even thought — Well, he's weird."

"You are a stranger one, still." Roku grinned. "For an Uchiha, especially. But as for why I am laughing... It's about these two. I expected nothing less than a typical Uchiha standoff. Putting two of them in the same room…"

Kage blinked. "…How would you even know what that's like?"

"I just do."

Toru frowned. "These rumors about Uchiha brooding contests are largely unfounded — aside from those involving Naruto, that is. But he's more of an honorary member."

"Oh." Kage brightened up. "Because he's dating your Sasuke's mother, right?"

The immediate, resounding silence that followed was almost palpable.

Jinsuke's voice, when he finally spoke, was hushed, laced with restrained fury. "What did you just say?"

Kage waved it off. "What do you care? It's not even your problem. Or your mother. Did you know that out there, Orochimaru was dating my alternate mother—"

"Who told you this?" Sasuke asked, equally quietly as the other. "That Naruto was…" He didn't dare say the words.

"Akemi." Kage's shrug was nonchalant, while Toru seemed to mumble a response under his breath.

"What was that?" Roku asked, looking as though New Year's Eve had come early. "Couldn't hear you. I thought you were a louder one—"

"I said it's not true." Toru interjected, cutting Roku off. "Naruto is not dating Aunt Mikoto."

Kage frowned. "Well, Akemi said—"

"Mother occasionally tends to Naruto's son." Sasuke said. "He's not their child."

With a nod of understanding, Kage conceded, "Ah, my mistake, then."

"…It's nothing." Sasuke said. "Please don't say it again, however."

There was a bit of an awkward silence.

"…Whatever." The sound of Jinsuke's grunt pierced the silence. He glanced at the Uchiha duo (brothers, sort of) with an air of nonchalance, a frown tugging at his brows. "Why are you two here as well…?"

Their presence could mean several things. The Emperor wouldn't bother sending two of his sharpest swords out there without a good reason. Even restrained, their bright, powerful chakra stood out to Sasuke like twin beacons.

Following Jinsuke's question, Toru and Sasuke glanced at each other. They shrugged at exactly the same time, in the exact same manner. Something about it made Jinsuke feel a bit of longing, and it brought an unexpected pang to his chest.

He too had a brother, once.

Toru and Sasuke answered simultaneously, their voices overlapping.

"Miscommunication." "Naruto messed up the mission order."

Jinsuke sighed. And he knew that the Emperor wasn't the one taking care of the mission order. It was more likely that Jinsuke's own group had taken on a mission they weren't supposed to be on.

Had Kage bumbled the last assignment and rushed them to the next, somehow…? He definitely wasn't meeting his eyes.

"I will be scouting for threats outside of the village. You take care of the target." Sasuke declared, as Toru had expected. He departed.

"…So you're here for Target #US014567, Scarlet, as well?" Jinsuke asked.

Toru shrugged. "Well, yeah. We're here for Satsuki."

…

Nearby.

"I have one favor to ask of you, Naruto." Uchiha Satsuki, bearer of the Rinnegan and strongest woman in the world, said.

Next to her, Uzumaki Naruto hummed in acknowledgment. He continued to slurp down on his noodles happily. Ichiraku's was the best place, and there was nothing else he had to say on the matter.

It had been three and some years since the end of the Fourth War, and Satsuki was back in the village for the first time since her departure. And she still refused the arm prosthetic.

"Sure, do tell." He said, managing to tilt his head to the side at the same time he was 'eating.'

Perhaps something about the sight made Satsuki rethink her question. Or perhaps it was the question itself.

"I need help rebuilding my clan." She said.

"Oh." Naruto blinked. The sound of noodles sloshing ceased for one short moment, before resuming. "Got anyone in mind?"

Satsuki shrugged. "For practical purposes… Yeah. You."

Uzumaki Naruto choked on his noodles.

…

Kage, nearby, walked straight into a pole. Jinsuke's face shifted from its usual stoic expression to a sickly green hue. Roku let out a disgusted groan.

Toru only sighed.

…

Well…

Rejection sucked. Even so, Satsuki reminded herself that she didn't really care for the idiot that way.

Her feelings towards Naruto were not romantic in nature.

It wasn't a matter of the heart, but a pragmatic consideration for the revival of her clan. Yet, the hollow sensation in her chest was harder to dismiss than she'd thought.

Perhaps it was something about Naruto's reaction that further complicated her emotions.

The ramen-slurping idiot was stuttering apologies, his usual bravado replaced by a cloud of guilt and discomfort.

The words he didn't say hung in the air: his feelings for Hinata, his hesitation to bring a child into the world without being able to fully commit to fatherhood.

The sight of him, usually so boisterous and confident, tripping over his words in his anxiety, sent a pang through her heart. In spite of the sharp sting of rejection, she found herself empathizing with him.

It was a difficult situation for all involved, made even more complex by the tangled webs of their personal feelings and circumstances.

She really shouldn't have done that.

But well… she had. And if anyone could understand this and move on, it was him. It still left her with the complicated task of rebuilding her clan.

And in all honesty… there wasn't really anyone suitable for the task, someone compatible enough for the Sharingan, as well as their unique chakra, to live on. Perhaps she would have to settle.

Asking Orochimaru for help was out of the question. For now, at least.

She offered Naruto a small, understanding smile. "Forget it, Naruto." She said, her voice carrying a soft yet firm finality. "Let's just… move on."

And as she had expected, the earlier tension dissipated into the fading evening light.

She then began walking home alone and considered her next steps. She wanted to see more of the world, first of all. Three years had gone by in a blink.

It was a chapter closed, not one she truly had hoped anything would come out of, because she wasn't this sort of fool. It took a lot to rebuild a clan.

Kakashi… maybe he would be a suitable candidate? The thought fleetingly crossed her mind but was immediately dismissed.

The idea was, to put it simply, unsettling.

As Satsuki grappled with her thoughts, a new voice suddenly intruded, drawing her attention.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" He muttered. "No wonder Ino believes I'm Naruto's reel."

Satsuki was not one to be surprised, and yet that man had gotten the drop on her.

Gods, he was strong. Shortly after, Satsuki noticed more of them: a group of men she hadn't noticed before.

The man who had spoken was Uchiha, she could see the undeniable family resemblance. Her hand went to her sword. The man spoke:

"My name is Uchiha Toru, and I'm a world-traveler, along with my travel-mates, the handsome Uchiha Sasuke — ah, no, he's not there yet, but he'll come back. Do not pull your sword out, everything will be explained in a very comprehensive way. Also, here is the incredible Kage… the dark Jinsuke. And Roku, of course, our bastard of a grizzled war veteran. Our conversation won't take up much or your time, do not fret. We have an offer for you, and there's no threat in it. You can just call me Toru, by the way. I… couldn't help but overhear your conversation and — there's no need for your Sharingan, but if it makes you more at ease… In any case, I heard you mention needing decent genes, and we know of a few candidates… Man. Fuck this, I know how it's going to end already — Sorry — I know of a man who's not so squeamish about such matters, perhaps you'd be interested in eventually meeting our Lord and Savior…? The legendary Thunder Tyrant, who also happens to be named—"

…

"What did you say to her?" Sasuke asked, once Toru warned him they had found and convinced the target to come see the Council. "And why did you wait so long before telling me?"

Toru gave him a half-hearted shrug. "…Eh." He said, looking weary. "You know… reasons. Things."

Sasuke frowned. "...And what's up with them?" He said, motioning at the other men.

"…Nothing's up with them." Toru denied.

"They're looking sick."

"We were all very worried about you."

"You're hiding something—"

"For your own good."

"Tell me—"

"You don't want me to." Toru said, shaking his head. "Trust me on that, bro."

Sasuke stared at him, and ended up relenting.

"What were you two talking about?" Satsuki asked, with the exact same scowl Toru had seen on Jinsuke's face on a few different occasions.

He wondered if Naruto and her—

Oh gods. Toru wanted to vomit — or shit himself in fear at the possible future consequences, maybe. But an accomplished mission was an accomplished mission.

"We have to leave." Toru declared. Then, hesitantly. "The admission process and the safety checks are getting longer and longer, barring… unique cases, so this is just going to be about meeting the briefing team, getting a feel for the way we do things. You won't meet our… dear leader yet. Got it? Also, don't get me wrong. I'm only doing this because we need to save the worlds. You'll be back by tomorrow morning, until we figure out where you fit in this—"

Satsuki scowled. "What's all the need for secrecy? You're the one who said I might be able to find a way to—"

"I get it, I get it." Toru cut her off. Sasuke squinted his eyes at him, but didn't say anything.

Neither did Jinsuke.

Toru and Sasuke left with Satsuki, and none of the three seemed particularly enthusiastic about the entire affair.

Jinsuke, Kage and Roku went away to meet with Gama once more.

---

The Talk

"…You're still with us, then. He did a number on you, didn't he…?" Roku asked Gama, near the campfire, once night had fallen and they met again.

Gama glanced at him. "…Who?"

"That man. When he… talked to you."

…Why was the older man even talking to him?

Kage had gone away with Jinsuke, to try and find people they could actually talk to.

Gama stared at Roku. "…Who?"

"Kage." Roku said.

Gama grunted in response, not bothering to look up from the toad he was meticulously grooming.

The soft flicker of the campfire cast dancing shadows on his focused face. "Something like that." He muttered, his tone begrudging.

"Ah, you're coming out of it." Roku nodded. "Good."

"…Out of what?" Gama asked suspiciously.

Roku's single eye glinted in the firelight, a hint of amusement playing on his usually stoic face.

"Nothing much. I saw him do it before. I suppose he has a way with words." Roku said, idly toying with a kunai. "It's probably one of the reasons why he's a leader, in spite of his… pacifism." He said the last word, as though tasting it for the first time. "…Well, that and the fact that there's almost no one who can stand up to him. He can make you believe in things you never thought you would."

Gama stared at him. "…I'm not quite sure I follow." He said. "He just talked to me."

"That's what I'm saying." Roku shook his head. "Power is not even a factor. It would take an even stronger resolve than his to come out of it unscathed." He said. "The only person I have met to have both the resolve and the power to do so… is the Emperor."

Gama stared at him.

"…Stop rambling about that man. Your man-crush is seriously disturbing."

"Man-crush? Hardly." Roku rolled his eye, a smirk playing on his lips. "Admiration for a formidable warrior, nothing more."

Gama scoffed. "Whatever."

A silence fell between them, as Gama continued to groom his toad while Roku stared off into the distance, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Roku chuckled, breaking the quiet.

"You've been practically daydreaming about Kage since he gave you that talk."

Gama glared at him. "I have not been daydreaming. But maybe he's got a point or two. Doesn't mean I agree with everything he says."

"Of course not." Roku gruffly. "We wouldn't want you to start sprouting sunshine and rainbows, after all."

Despite himself, Gama let out a small chuckle.

"Gods forbid." He muttered, shaking his head.

In the quiet that followed, Gama found himself wondering why the man was playing nice suddenly—

"Believe it or not, I was a useless bastard like you, once." Roku said.

Gama growled, but Roku's sharp glance silenced him.

"Until…" Roku's voice trailed off, his gaze distant, as if he was gazing upon a scene only he could see.

His eye was a foggy mirror, reflecting a distant past. Trials, triumphs, and mostly tragedies.

"My Chunin Exams… Weren't like your run-of-the-mill exams." Roku began, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes were still turned toward the past. "Our Chunin Exams… were pretty bad."

Gama was listening in silence.

It was not just a tale of his past, but a glimpse into the crucible that had forged him into the hardened man he was today.

…

"From that loudmouth attitude of yours…" Sasuke began, smirking. "I take it you won your first round battle?"

Naruto grinned too, an expression of defiance. "Of course."

Behind his teammate, Kakashi smiled, in that way that crinkled his eye up; equal parts pride and amusement.

The arena was charged with tension as Sasuke and Gaara faced off, their unique skills setting the stage for an unforgettable battle.

The moment Sasuke's Chidori pierced Gaara's sand shield, everything changed.

As if on cue, a shower of feathers descended onto the arena, and seemed strangely out of place in a fight of this intensity.

But it was not just an oddity. It was a signal.

Suna and Oto, both participants of the tournament, swiftly moved into position, their intention clear.

They were not here for a friendly competition. They were here to invade.

Konoha braced itself for the onslaught. But the attack from Suna and Oto was just the beginning. Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa had not come just to observe the exams.

They had come for war.

And their indifference was chilling.

Their forces cut down Konoha, Suna, and Oto shinobi indiscriminately, a blatant disregard for alliances or treaties. The more adversaries they could eliminate now, the fewer they would face when the temporary truce inevitably shattered.

The more of them gone, the less they would have to fight later on, once this truce broke, as well.

The preemptive measures Konoha had taken to secure the village had been thorough, their intelligence network spanning across the five great nations.

But nothing could have prepared them for the scale of the attack they were now facing.

The Great Villages, who were supposed to be spectators, had arrived with a select group of some of their strongest shinobi, under the pretense of security:

From Iwa: Mikazuki Hokori, The Stone Serpent; Sakuragi Sumiko, The Lady of Crystal Maze; Tsuchi Kiyoshi, The Unseen Onyx.

From Kumo: Ikazuchi Ken, The Lance of Dawn; Darui of the Dark Thunder; C of the Radiant Resonance.

From Kiri: Kiriya Shizuka, The Mirage Seer; Mitsu Kazan, The Phantom of Depths; Kiriha Shinobu, The Weaver of Veils.

Their mistrust was clear, aside from the Raikage, none of them had come with their likely successors. Nor had they come with their jinchūriki.

It wasn't due to anything that could be considered kindness. They simply elected to keep their most dangerous weapons in their respective villages, as contingencies.

Their collective decision was clear: Konoha had been unchallenged for far too long.

By the time the sun fell, Konoha would be bathed in blood.

…

"I believe you've been double-crossed, Orochimaru." Sarutobi's voice was calm and steady, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding around them.

His eyes were on his former student, whose face was tight in anger. Orochimaru had never adapted to surprises too well; it had been one of his failings.

"Double-crossed or not." Orochimaru retorted, his tone as venomous as ever. "I am not the one to stand by while my home is torn apart."

In front of Sarutobi, the Four Violet Flames Formation prevented his escape. Orochimaru's four ninja, the ones who held it, seemed to be slowly getting worried.

"Perhaps not." Sarutobi admitted. "But we will both die here."

Orochimaru hissed.

But he knew it to be true: as slippery as he was, there was no way he would be able to escape this one alive. Not when both Ōnoki and A knew they could have his head on top of Sarutobi's. And he didn't think his silver tongue could stretch far enough to offer a bargain that would let him live. Not on his own terms.

Sarutobi knew it.

Orochimaru's fist was clenched so tightly that it drew blood.

Still, he moved his hands in specific patterns. In spite of their incomprehension, the Sound Four obeyed. They dropped the barriers.

"…Very well." Orochimaru said, his voice grudging. "I suppose your death can wait another day. But remember, this is… quite temporary."

He watched as Orochimaru's hand unwound from its tight clench, blood threading down his pallid skin. "Very temporary, Orochimaru." Sarutobi responded in kind.

The enemy drew closer to the rooftop, still. There was no escaping it.

A figure emerged out of the shadows. His single visible eye bore the same fierce resolve.

"Danzō…" Sarutobi acknowledged the newcomer with a nod. His heart felt heavy, but he knew the arrival of his old comrade could not have been more timely.

"You always did know how to make an entrance." Orochimaru sneered at him.

Danzō did not return Orochimaru's barb. His single eye surveyed the scene unfolding around them. He addressed Sarutobi, his voice as cold and resolute as ever.

"It had seemed as though you needed my help undoing this barrier, Hiruzen." He said. "And it seems that I was wrong. Now the village has lost both heads."

They were the old guard, the former pillars of Konoha. Their time had come and gone, yet here they were. Along with one of Konoha's forsaken flames.

Danzō's eye finally met Orochimaru's. "I suppose our village could use every hand, regardless of whose side they were once on."

Orochimaru smiled slightly. "I am merely looking out for myself. Do not think I do this for Konoha."

"I never did."

The ANBU gathered around them.

They stood in formation around the Hokage and the two other men, silent protectors.

Including a man who was not supposed to be with them, but old habits die hard. A man with spiky silver hair and mismatched eyes.

"Hound." Sarutobi addressed him, using his old code name. His voice was steady, but the underlying urgency was unmistakable.

Hatake Kakashi turned his full attention to the Third Hokage. He awaited his command.

"I need you to find Uzumaki Naruto and get him out of Konoha." The Third Hokage's command was clear and sharp. "The enemy will undoubtedly target him. Protect him with your life. If they get him…"

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, but he nodded, understanding the gravity of the mission.

"Take him away, Kakashi." The Third Hokage said. "Make him strong. Strong enough to face whatever he must."

Kakashi's gaze held the Hokage's for a moment longer before he gave a sharp nod.

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

Then, with a swift whirl of leaves, he was gone.

…

The Siege of Konoha, in all its terrifying scale and relentless brutality, witnessed the fall of some of the world's most towering figures.

Though there would be disagreement about who killed who exactly, some things were incontestable.

The traitorous Orochimaru; Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, and Shimura Danzō, the shadow of the Leaf, all succumbed to wounds sustained in the climactic battle.

Orochimaru's ghoulish, summoned corpses contributed to the terrible bloodbath. The devastation they brought, as well as their very nature, spread fear among the enemy ranks.

His monstrous serpents roared and slithered, and their venomous fangs claimed many lives. Yet even his terrifying jutsu and deadly cunning could not save him from his fate. The Sannin met his grim end in the village that saw him grow, and that he had sworn to destroy.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Professor, stood true to his nickname; his vast array of knowledge and his mastery of all five elements allowed him to face several of the world's strongest at the same time.

But even the vast repertoire of jutsu under his command was not enough to turn the tide in Konoha's favor.

Shimura Danzō, with his powerful Wind jutsu, was a formidable force as well. From the shadows he struck, forcing the enemy to fight for every inch.

Despite his reputation for surviving against all odds, this battle proved too great, even for him.

Some said that one of the other Kage suddenly turned against his own allies, but that man's identity was lost. Perhaps it was the Tsuchikage, perhaps the Raikage. Perhaps the Kazekage.

It was a strange, unexplained move. One that made no sense at all. Some said it must have been a genjutsu, but only a strong Uchiha would have been able to ensnare a Kage. And they were all long since dead.

And it seemed to work in Konoha's favor.

Among the staggering number of casualties of the great villages, two Kage were also lost.

Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, fell in battle, and no amount of flying, of Dust Release, could save him.

Whether it was through Orochimaru or Shimura Danzō's actions, taking in account how long the former could hold a grudge, and how many times the latter had seemingly died, only to come back from the shadows again… remained unclear. But Ōnoki died.

So did Rasa, master of the Gold Dust Waterfall.

In stark contrast to the uncertain causality of other casualties, one kill was brutally clear.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's staff crushed Rasa's head like one of the overgrown watermelons that only grew in one of the Land of the Wind's famed oasis.

The Raikage escaped with his life, only to be killed in his sleep by one vengeful Uzumaki Naruto, years later.

…

And speaking of one Uzumaki Naruto, the world around him was a whirl of color and noise.

The smell of smoke was thick in the air and the ground shook from the force of jutsu colliding. The sounds of battle were deafening: the shouts of fighters, the clash of kunai, the roar of fire.

He was moving on instinct, every moment of his shinobi training kicking in.

He weaved through the chaos, his eyes scanning for familiar faces, familiar voices. One moment, he was fighting, the next his world stopped making sense.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight he stumbled upon.

There, in the midst of the chaos, lay Sakura.

But she… had been fighting, less than a minute ago.

Her usually vibrant hair was matted with dirt and blood. Her beautiful eyes, always so full of life, were blank and staring. He fell to his knees beside her, his hands shaking as they hovered above her still form.

He wanted to reach out, to touch her, but fear held him back. Fear that her warmth, the fire he had always associated with Sakura was gone entirely.

"Sakura…" His voice came out as a whisper, a plea.

He nudged her, and he could almost picture her smacking him across the face for it.

But she didn't stir. She was gone.

Then he heard it. A weak, pained grunt. He turned, his heart hammering in his chest.

Sasuke was only a few feet away, sitting against a tree and Naruto rushed to him.

There was something warm and sticky around him, and it was all over Naruto's hands. Pine sap…?

The wet, nasty coughs began.

Naruto froze. He could see life slowly draining from his eyes, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Sasuke!"

Panic flooded his senses.

Sakura was… Sakura was…

He had lost Sakura. He couldn't lose Sasuke too.

Not now, now that he was finally willing to acknowledge him. That... That was just too unfair. But even as he reached him, he could see the light in Sasuke's eyes fading.

"Sasuke, stay with me!" Naruto begged, his hands hovering over Sasuke's injuries.

He wanted to heal him, to bring him back from the brink. But he didn't know how. He was a fighter, not a healer.

"Sasuke, don't… don't you dare…"

His voice broke as he watched his teammate, his rival, his friend. Slipping away.

Something else slipped away from him.

Naruto felt something shatter inside him.

A primal rage, a deep, seething despair clawed its way up from the depths of his being, and he screamed. His voice echoed through the battlefield, drowning out the sounds of the ongoing war.

It was as though a dam had burst.

A torrent of chakra, red… massive and violent, erupted from Naruto. His eyes glowed a violent crimson, slitted pupils cutting through the chaos around him.

His teeth sharpened, his nails elongated into vicious claws, and his body hunched over as if he were an animal ready to pounce.

"Naruto…?" Sasuke's voice was faint, barely a whisper carried on the wind.

He had heard him. Naruto's head snapped to him, but the eyes that stared back at Sasuke weren't the warm, determined eyes he knew. These were the eyes of a beast.

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice was gruff, filled with a rage that made even Sasuke's own seem like a dim candle.

"Naruto… I'm…" His voice trailed off, his hand reaching out towards Naruto as his eyes slid shut. "Itachi… kill…"

Sasuke tried to speak, but his vision blurred, his world darkened as the light left his eyes.

And worst of all, he looked at peace.

"…Oh. Mother. Father. I..."

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

The sight of Sasuke, so still, so quiet, seemed to unleash the beast.

Naruto roared, the sound rippling through the air. He could feel it now, the Nine Tails, the Kyūbi, its rage, its despair. It was his, too.

RED

In the distance, he could hear a familiar voice.

But Naruto was beyond hearing, beyond understanding.

He could only see the fallen faces of his friends, could only feel the raw, primal urge to destroy.

And before Kakashi finally managed to rein him in and escape with him, Naruto did exactly that.

…

Roku's gaze became steely. "Well, we did what Konoha shinobi do best — we endured. We survived." He said. "…Well, some of us did. I had to change… to adapt. To become stronger. Weakness was a luxury I could no longer afford, not when the lives of so many were hanging in the balance."

Gama felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his face. It was sobering.

"Besides…" Roku laughed. "Kakashi couldn't afford to coddle me anymore. Not with both my teammates gone."

Gama was entirely silent.

"So he trained me. Fell back into Hound's patterns, the deadly killer." Roku said. "Till his dying day, fighting the new, vengeful Raikage to a standstill, he did everything within his power to make me as strong as possible. Hound… Kakashi, it was harder to say which of the two was the harder teacher, really." He barked a short laugh and made a fist. "…But then again, I suppose I needed a harsh taskmaster."

He glanced at Gama, his lone eye shining with what almost looked like understanding.

"And I suppose you need one, as well."

Gama was taken aback. It was one thing for Roku to suddenly act amicable, another entirely for him to disclose such personal details of his past. Furthermore, it felt strangely... familiar.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hold on…" He muttered, the pieces slowly coming together in his mind.

Roku grunted in disappointment. It seemed that Kage had the upper hand in this game of persuasion. The man was simply better.

Gama growled, finally voicing his suspicions.

"That's why you were being overly friendly. You're trying to manipulate me for your own ends, aren't you?"