Living as an outcast feared by nearly everyone was no easy feat. Years worth of experience and sheer power helped, but there was no safety net when both failed. For the first time in Utakata's life, he, a sensor ninja, couldn't shake someone. His enemy's sheer tracking ability was a level beyond an experienced shinobi in the field. The worst part was the man didn't need to sleep while he did.

Bags beneath his eyes, the rogue jinchuriki watched his bubbles hover over the growing fires. "This will do."

"Why can't you ever just leave well enough alone?!"

"Even if they're insects to you, their lives still mean something."

"You know that's not why I'm mad!"

"I know, I know." He sighed. "Just need to find the right place."

"There's a good ruin right in front of you."

He frowned. "Not funny."

Saiken groaned. "Fine!" It grumbled. "Keep looking for a perfect opportunity that doesn't exist."

On another side of Onsen City, a hooded man in a black cloak with red clouds observed the bubbles up high. It wasn't the first time his prey tried to lose him by going through a city. Sensor ninja with no anbu experience were often deluded into thinking that was a sure-fire tactic. He was rightfully wary of a direct confrontation but could only delay one. The traps he set were all too avoidable thanks to the basic Earth Style jutsu.

'Kakuzu.'

His blank green eyes narrowed. "What?"

'Find whoever did this. You can retrieve The Six-Tails at a later time.'

"You think a recruit is worth more than a Tailed Beast." Destroying the capital city of a land with a shinobi village in it wasn't an easy feat, and the jinchuriki, aside from appearing to doubt his own abilities, wasn't that hard for him to track. "If there's a bounty on their head, I'm cashing it."

'That's for me to decide.'

He began walking forward. "Even a god needs money: only souls and worship instead of paper and coin." There was at least a monetary possibility in his new objective.

"What is he doing?" Utakata muttered, noticing the sureness in his movements.

"Oh no," Saiken deadpanned. "Another of your plans isn't working out." His ineffectual actions were beyond irritating to it at that point. "Who could've seen this coming?"

His brow furrowed. "...No."

"Yes."

"Quiet." The loss of innocent life was something he worried about in using civilians to cloud his trail but left no evidence of until then. "He can't be."

"Aside from all of you dying eventually, this is why we never try to help anyone."

"I...suppose this is a fitting place as any to end things."

"Told you so."

Groaning, Utakata followed Kakuzu's lead. "I suppose it's too late for me to lament involving others as well."

"Things would be so much easier if you stopped caring."

"And then what would I be?" The bubbles popped, transforming into fierce rain.

Like his kinsman, he would've been lost in their suffering.

The mood of the hideout went from anxious to frantic in seconds. Anko created a shadow clone and ran out the hall forming different hand seals alongside it. While still wrapped in chains, Torune's insects swarmed outside him to accelerate their enemies' incapacitation. Sai, realizing the futility in struggling, stood and waited. Hinata did the same within the living blob, draining his chakra with the ultimate jutsu of her clan.

Suigetsu realized what was happening after two seconds. Just as he crashed over her, he swept back. A super bolt of lightning fried him before he could act further, loosening his watery form. He refined his chakra control greatly, but purifying himself completely and creating purified water in vast quantities were still out of his reach. Clinging on to consciousness was in his ability though.

Pain, sharp and blinding, erupted from Karin's midsection. She could feel it across the rest of her body. A spike of earth jutted from the ground through her. It pierced her spine, her sternum, and nicked the bottom of her heart. Knowing she'd fall unconscious before dying of shock, she channeled earth chakra into the spear, shifting through, and bit her own hand as she fell.

Kabuto was relieved by the display but not impressed: odd abilities gave them an edge while the well-applied jutsu were mandatory of shinobi above fodder. Whatever the case, things were slipping out of their control. He channeled chakra to his palms, giving them a blueish-green glow, before charging at the trapped Aburame to buy them time. The half-teasingly dressed girl leaped over the chains into his path, devouring the bindings with one tiger hand and launching the other through the air at him.

Being beaten into a stone wall by two giant ink men pressed Jugo's last nerve. He shaped the palm of his hammer hand into a massive jet, gathered his imperfect sage chakra at its center, raised it, and blasted them out of existence. Laughing, he rocketed towards the nearest female enemy. That joy turned into disappointed anger when the feminine figure turned into smoke against his fist.

All occurred in about the same seconds. Karin burrowed beneath the ground to save herself from more spikes while maintaining the chains, Hinata blasted Kabuto back, Torune had his insects blind Jugo again, and Anko formed hand signs to take advantage of her ally's opened opportunity. Suigetsu could only wait, like the bound Sai. If there were an audience, they'd be breathless or cheering.

Realizing his disadvantage, Kabuto followed Karin's lead once more in hiding like a mole. "My..ribs." The chakra he concentrated to his chest was drained somewhat. "Who?" A shake of his head cast those thoughts aside as he supercharged his immune system. Poison was in his body, and he had little options.

It was tempting for Anko to laugh when she finished her signs. She couldn't help herself before shooting another super lightning bolt into Jugo for the umpteenth time. While the Cursed Seal of Heaven was gone, conditioning Hinata reinvigorated her sadism. Unwarranted or excessive rough play could disturb her feedback loop, so she'd take what she could get from him. Her hands joined to weave more signs.

Hinata, having freed Torune, darted towards her last chained ally. "They're retreating into the ground!" She grabbed the chakra manifestations letting the others know their female enemy was still alive with both tiger-head hands.

"We need only one who knows the location," Sai said.

Snarling, a twitching Jugo hovered off the ground. "I-I'll kill you!"

"Aww!" Anko ended on the rat sign and slammed her hands down, creating two domes from the earth to trap him between. "Look at him!"

He glared at her, vaguely recognizing her hair but not her altered voice muffled by a mask. "Bitch!"

The second Sai was freed, Hinata closed the distance between them before Anko could. "Where is Naruto?!" She pulled back one of her tiger heads. "Who are you to him?!" Anger and frustration brought her mask near his scowling face. "DID HE FUCK YOU?!"

Jugo, for the first time in his life, was snapped out of his murderous rage by surprise and confusion. "...No." Tilting his head, he pondered the second question. "I never had one, but I guess he's like an older brother?"

"Both of you act..like one to each other," Suigetsu, struggling to his partially-hydrified feet, forced out.

Anko made the hand seals of the Thunderbolt Jutsu once more. "The hell's a Hozuki doing with Orochimaru?"

His uneasy eyes focused on the lightning chakra in her hands. "...Shit." Another super bolt sent him back into a daze rather than knocking him out, his reduced quantity letting him purify more of himself.

"Priorities," Sai deadpanned, drawing two more ink giants.

Karin went straight for Kabuto, not knowing what to do. "H-Hey." She glanced at the bare patch of exposed flesh on her abdomen, spared his own exposed chest patch one, and gulped. "These guys are good."

"I'm surprised the Leaf has ninja of this caliber I was unaware of." He frowned beneath his mask. "We're not dealing with normal anbu agents or anyone in their military."

"What?"

Kabuto pointed up. "Bind them with your chains from here."

"I can…" Drifting off in realization, she shot them out.

Hinata, having seen their lip movements, turned to her allies. "Scatter!" She grabbed the chains that came for her the second they left the ground, recovering more of her chakra.

The others were not blessed with her sight and their Uzumaki enemy had similar sensory ability. Sai chose to burrow himself only to be enchained along with his giants, Torune managed to dodge the ones meant for him before they followed around his body, and Anko jumped to buy her time for more hand signs to be sent back to the ground bound. If not for the emerging Kabuto's orders, Suigetsu would've shot water through their heads. Both stared the free kunoichi down, unconcerned about a cloud of insects emerging from the Aburame.

"What kind of anbu dresses like that?" Wavering, Suigetsu squinted. "You look like if a girl fresh out the academy took up hooking."

Anko pouted behind her mask. "That's a different kind of casual-street sexy than what I was going for."

He shifted to her. "And you look like a dominatrix." Blinking, he tilted his head. "Wait, what?"

"Focus, you idiot!" Kabuto, seeing where nearly all their opponents were, sunk into the ground once more, evading an Air Lion Fist and more insect infestations.

"Hell are you using me as bait for?!" He completely hydrified to sink below a chakra lion head. "And what kind of jutsu is that?" Manifesting his head, he saw her rush to free her female ally. "It'd be so easy to just…" The trapped orange-head caught his eye. "You picked now of all times to calm down!?"

Jugo looked to him with no black marks on his face. "She knows Naruto."

"So what?!" His eyes widened at the memory of her words. "You don't think…" Laughter left his lips in realization. "Oh no!" Focusing back on the girl, he returned to his normal state. "Are you a Hyuga?" Her complete lack of reaction annoyed him.

Kabuto's hand emerged from the ground beneath Torune's head glowing. "I'm infested enough." He overloaded his nervous system through attempted mass neuron regeneration, just as he did Sakura and Sasuke months ago.

Right as Hinata freed Anko, more chains Karin tried to hide rushed out the floor. She dispelled her lion fists, embraced her, and leapt far away from them. Her senses returned with the safety of her handler. "Did he te–" A firm hand on her shoulder reminded her not to speak of their real identities.

"What is with those two?" Karin furrowed her brow at the shifts in their chakra. "Friends or just comrades?" She blushed at another thought. "...Lovers?" Memory of what the girl felt when the woman grabbed her throat made her shiver. "Th-Then why was something so small so painful?"

"Torune is unconscious, Sai is trapped beneath the ground, the man in the anbu uniform is a medic ninja, and the Uzumaki healed herself by biting her own flesh." Hinata watched Kabuto rejoin the others on the floor proper. "Neither the anbu agent nor the Uzumaki are suffering from poisoning: his body is inflamed fighting it and hers has somehow produced antibodies, but the bugs still remain. The Hozuki drowned his yet still carries the poison."

The false anbu walked toward them with his hands up. "Now do you feel like helping us?"

"Wait, you weren't lying?" Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at him turning to glare from behind his mask.

Anko scoffed. "Me and the girl here can handle you snowflakes just fine." She formed the Shadow Clone Jutsu sign.

Hinata manifested the Twin Lion Fists once more before her eyes widened at an extremely odd sight. "There are two..people in black cloaks with red clouds...flying on a clay dragon toward this position."

The clone blinked. "Really?"

"You're joking," the original said.

Karin emerged between her allies. "Two weird chakra signatures are flying on a dragon thing over here!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Anko's hands clenched into fists alongside her double's. "The one time an enemy wasn't bullshitting!"

Suigetsu squinted at the vindicated man. "Why didn't you tell us?" His face scrunched in thought before he scowled. "You son of a bitch!"

"Yell at me or try to kill me later." Kabuto turned to Karin. "Free the painter and his paintings." He looked to the annoyed woman. "I'd dig my ally out, but I prefer to conserve chakra."

Anko shot him a look from behind her mask. "No, you do it."

"Consider it a gesture of good faith."

"Go fuck yourself," the clone spat.

Karin watched the Root agent rise alongside his creations with unease. "So, uh, you're going to help us out, right?" She stared as he ignored her completely in favor of picking up Torune.

While the only other Earth Style user on their side was preoccupied, Kabuto freed their trapped ally out of his earth prison. "You've calmed down."

"That girl…" Jugo recognized her exasperation as the same he had toward Naruto's reckless behavior.

Hinata glanced at the other Root agent approaching with Torune in his arms. "One of them has mouths on his hands and a stitched mouth on his chest. The other is a red-haired puppet." Cells covered the segmented parts and an actual chakra network flowed through them from a core cylinder containing a rotten heart, but their interior, aside from the various hidden mechanisms, was preserved wood. "I don't mean he's in a puppet, although he is: his body is a literal puppet's."

"Sasori of the Red Sand is the only S-Rank criminal puppeteer, and I am unfamiliar with the other." He set Torune down as the Ankos stood in disbelief. "Will he regain consciousness?"

"I can see no damage; it's as if he fainted."

Sai glanced in the false anbu's direction. "He seeks to eliminate means by which we can track them."

"That won't be a problem." She frowned. "He knows we're not ordinary Leaf forces." Her eyes were drawn to her handler's scoffing.

"Orochimaru actually told him." Anko squinted at an approaching Hozuki.

"If you are who I'm thinking of, you should know…" Suigetsu, lacking full context, petered off. "Naruto...was really fucked up by whatever happened between you." He frowned at the memory of his behavior before they went to The Land of Waves. "...He can't let go of you, and I'm not sure what he'll do if he sees you again." Mentioning Rika in any capacity was a horrible idea.

Hinata's heart pounded at that news. "Tell me where he is."

Sighing, he turned and walked off. "After we're done with the Akatsuki." Her attitude told him neither was likely to behave.

The stage was set. By no means over, their fight would continue after. It depended on their enemies' abilities though. S-rank ninja were death.

If anyone were nearby a particular apartment complex, they'd hear the repeated thumping of flesh upon flesh. The perpetrators could've ended them at any time. All wanted to keep going. Only when nothing more could be done would they stop. Blood begot blood, and he shed more than he could ever repay.

There was a resounding pop followed by fizzling none could hear. Heartbeats in their ears helped muffle noise out. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't take their attention away. All their feelings needed an outlet.

Fatigue and numbness in their limbs eventually drove them to stop. Their enemy was little more than blood, bruises, and broken bones. His faint chest movements were proof he was alive, the whistling of his injured trachea drowned out by their heaving. A normal person would bear wound for the rest of their life. It still wouldn't come close to what he'd done.

Clone Sakura reached for the handle of its blade only to be stopped by its partner. "What?" It squinted at its shaking head. "Why?!"

"Do you really want to take it from them?" Clone Sasuke looked back at the corpses far outnumbering theirs from where they came.

"That's…" Kiba drifted off, catching his breath. "A good point."

The Sakura glared at their fallen foe. "He could still be on the drug."

"I don't think it's a drug healing him." Clone Sasuke pulled up Hidan by his hair with one hand, drew a kunai with its other, and streamed lightning through it. "Something to do with his chakra, maybe." It lodged the lightning kunai into his cervical spine.

"Hope the asshole can at least feel pain." Kiba growled alongside Akamaru.

Sakura's clone helped the Sasuke lift up Hidan's limp body by his legs. "Same." It turned him so his body was properly over its back.

As soon as they started walking to the palace, they noticed the fire's absence. It raised the question who or what was responsible, but they and everyone who called the city home were grateful. Few of the citizens could smile though, many of them having lost something. None of the Leaf ninja felt better when they saw their allies again. Their success was far too late.

Dosu's eye squinted at the distant sight of Hidan's battered body over the Sasuke clone's back. "Damn."

"Here I was hoping I'd get to beat the crap out of him when Kiba messed up," Tenten muttered.

"Oh, so neither of you have faith in each other."

"Just a single mistake can cost you everything." Kakashi's mind flashed to Obito and Rin. "...Doesn't matter how strong you are." He tilted his head at the relieved and surprised face of his student as it approached.

"You're alive." Clone Sasuke dropped Hidan.

"Good job." Crouching down, he looked at his bloodied face. "If it isn't a sleeping piece of shit." He twitched when red spit splattered against his cheek.

Clone Sakura gaped. "That's like slashing a painting, you monster!"

Kiba, Kibakamaru, and the Sasuke shot it a look. "Seriously?" They flinched at the jonin gouging the man's eyes, drawing a scream. "Uh… Never mind."

Kakashi stood up. "Well then." He waved his hand free of blood before stretching both out, sparks flickering across his fingers. "It's time for some 'enhanced interrogation' jutsu."

"We should let the originals know what happened," Clone Sasuke said towards its fellow shadow clone. "They're probably worried."

It pouted. "I don't see why I should."

"Because it's the right thing to do."

Dosu rolled his eye. "Your clones are back; dispel them before they go rogue," he whispered.

"Oh, Sas–" With a poof, it returned to the original.

He looked to the Kibas. "I'm surprised you didn't just kill him."

"Sasuke said we should leave that for the people of this city." Kiba looked to the field of dead while Akamaru whimpered. "If anyone deserves to, it's them."

"Noble thought, but there's a lot our village can learn from him and his body." Kakashi held two fingers against opposite sides of Hidan's head as they shot him looks. "Not as a defector: he's too far gone for that." He paid his spasming face due to the passing current no mind. "The Yamanaka will figure out all he knows and then we'll dispose of him."

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Remember our duty, what our Hokage is going through, and what's awaiting our village."

The Kibas shook their heads. "How the hell can you think of all that at a time like this?"

"Because this is what a battlefield looks like and the mindset you'll need to survive one." He spared the innocent victims a glance. "I saw more than a few scenes like this when I was your age. With some luck, you won't...or you will."

"You… Uh." They stared at his figure carrying far more than he cared to let on. "Um…" It felt impossible to argue with him on any level.

Dosu sighed. "Just let it go, man." He'd been thoroughly dismantled, physically and mentally, by him more than enough times to know not to doubt him too much.

Kakashi let Hidan breathe. "Who are you working with?"

"A-An army!"

"That many people wouldn't condone something like this." He resumed the electrocution.

"Pretty sure he's working alone." Kiba stroked his chin. "If he didn't try running away…"

Dosu squinted at his sensei. "You're just torturing him for the sake of it."

Kakashi nodded as he stopped again. "And?" He'd done far worse to better people.

"W-World needs more faithful, like those three… Less hypocrites like you." Hidan groaned.

"So you're working with three others." He glared down at him. "Names and abilities."

Hidan managed to laugh. "I don't know 'em personally." Looking up at the black sky, he smiled. "Just got that feeling, you know? When you come across someone who understands or someone on the same level: kind of like you." Crackling sparks would've made him roll his eyes if they weren't throbbing. "They're spreading the word and salvation of Jashin without even knowing it.

"Descriptions then."

"Bubble Style," Dosu muttered, staring out where flames were doused. "Water and wi–" Five hearts beating in tandem inside one audibly squirming body made him freeze. "...What the fuck?"

Kakashi gave him a glance. "What is it?"

"There's...a guy with five hearts who sounds like he's made of tentacles walking toward the front gate."

Hidan's face scrunched when they focused on him. "I got no idea what the hell he's talking about." Everything from his his limited body language to his chakra flow showed he was telling the truth, though his background suggested everything relating to important information he said to them was a lie.

"Instruct Sasuke to observe from the gate, preferably with a shadow clone."

Dosu sighed. "Clones, clones, clones, clones; ever get tired of them?"

"I never want to see another shadow clone again." The Kibas nodded.

Kakashi squinted at his student. "It's for his own safety." He shifted to the Inuzuka. "And you're going to be disappointed."

"Yeah, Yeah." Dosu threw his voice to just his teammates. "Sasuke, some freak with five hearts is walking toward the front gate. Go see who he is or just send another clone to do it."

The last Uchiha's face contorted in confusion alongside Sakura's before he brought his fingers together again. "Okaaay."

"Kids, am I right?" Hidan said, looking at the other anbu.

Growling, Kiba kicked the side of his head. "You shut the fuck up!"

"Rude!" He scoffed. "I know you got your panties in a bunch about this." Another kick made him roll his eyes. "But you shouldn't let your personal feelings interfere with efficiency and good tactics." It was a sentiment he shared but did not let control him

"I beat your ass!" His face scrunched in various emotions, one of which being confusion. "Why are you giving me advice?!"

"You 'beat' me thanks to circumstances you didn't set yourself, don't forget the clone team. Don't get me wrong: I am impressed. It's just…" Drifting off, he struggled not to laugh. "Hilarious you count it! That 'win is a win' shit's going to hold you back and get you killed." A pensive hum left his throat. "Why not give you advice? Honestly, you seem like you could use all you can get."

"He has a point." Kakashi met the Kibas' faces with a neutral expression. "What?" It endured their scoffs as the wind they were.

The latest in the line of Sasuke clones reached the top of the front gate and stared at a distant, approaching figure with immense chakra. "That cloak...is the same as Itachi's."

"What about your brother's cloak?" Dosu nearly jumped back when his sensei's face appeared centimeters away from his.

"Details. Now."

"Anything noticeable about him?"

"Only person I've seen with more chakra is Naruto. There's a Hidden Waterfall Village forehead protector wrapped around his hood with a slash through the emblem." It frowned. "His eyes are green, doll-like, and sickly. You said he has five hearts, right?"

Dosu inched back for his personal space invader to inch forward. "He's got tons of chakra, is a rogue from the Waterfall, and ha–"

Kakashi's heart raced. "Tenten, come down!" He focused on his flinching student. "Tell the others to regroup with us in the palace." Glancing at the confused Kibas, he pointed at their captured enemy. "You pick up the terrorist."

"My name is Hi–" Hidan was kicked in the head one more time before being thrown over Kiba's back.

"Regroup with us in the palace, immediately. Kakashi's orders." Dosu shot him a look right as Tenten finished running down the ruined walls. "What's going on?" His eye widened. "Holy shit, you're scared."

Tenten zipped over and squinted. "Of what?"

"No time to explain." He rushed towards the palace. "Follow me!"

Shinobi who lived to middle or past were dangerous. What approached was something else entirely. He lived through the end of The Warring States Period, survived a battle with Hashirama Senju himself, and spent most of his life as a criminal wanted by everyone. Only the Third Hokage could measure up to such ridiculous achievements, and he was dead. Fleeing before he became aware of their existence was the wisest course of action because he was also the world's greatest bounty hunter in spite of having a bounty himself.

Guy and Lee dropped into stances alongside the remainder of the guard as they ran into the throne room. "Hold there!" He squinted at a somewhat familiar handsome face "Say something only my real eternal rival would know!"

"Your dick is the size of a w–"

"Let him through!"

"What?" Sakura and all the other underlings squinted at him.

"Not ever." Walking forward, he singled out the shaking young lord. "We need to leave right now."

Guy frowned. "Enemy reinforcements?"

"Maybe: this entire situation caught the attention of Kakuzu."

"Kakuzu Kakuzu?!" His eyes widened as almost everyone in the room's did.

"Yes."

Hidan would've laughed if he wasn't surprised. "Oh shit, really?" The horrified face of her royal majesty on the side from his perspective caught his eye. "Hey, lady! Been a while, huh?"

Lady Hitomi pointed at him. "Why does that cur still breathe!? I demand you kill him this instant!"

"Mother, what is he talking about?" Minoru asked.

Kakashi looked from Guy to Lee. "Grab them." He paid the apprehensive guards an apologetic glance as the green beasts snatched the royals. "We'll keep them safe."

They ran toward the exit opposite of the front gate with no further words. Nearly all knew there was no reasoning with their enemy. He was too powerful to negotiate with and too greedy to let any kind of economic opportunity pass, not counting his ill-temper they were unaware of. Likely he'd kill the daimyo on accident if they engaged or take him for an exorbitant ransom if they hid.

Much to the two sensor ninja's surprise, the clay dragon flew past their location. They shared looks and were going to alert their allies before it began circling. It was difficult to see in absolute darkness with normal vision, but the two riding the dragon had ways. Each could see Mori Town far in the distance. Forest hid what laid below.

"Several dozen miles away from the capital, hmm." Deidara spied through the scope over his left eye. "Forgot to thank you for letting us stay around for that firework show, my man."

Sasori grumbled in an overly deep voice. "I only did that so I wouldn't have to hear your whining."

"Oh, I know." He smiled at the memory. "Knew the Cloud was developing some new weapons, but I didn't think they had the class to use them like that, hmm." With his eye's mechanisms, he measured the distance between them and the town. "Still think we could've taken those jinchuriki."

"You're a fool." He singled out the location of the hideout before his partner could. "It's a few inches to our right."

"Are you sure he still has the ring?" He glanced at him and followed his line of sight.

"My spy confirmed it."

Clucking his tongue, Deidara flew them down. "Then we'll have to do this the hard way, hmm!"

"Orochimaru likely set some trap for anyone who might stumble on to the place. I'll take point. Get your bombs ready and stay behind me. Keep the dragon out in case we need to go."

"I know he's good, but is he really that good, Sasori my man?"

"Yes." Sasori grumbled again. "He's a Sannin, and he killed the Third Hokage. Could it be anymore obvious?"

He smirked as they landed by the entrance. "Old man Onoki is praised as much as he was, but I could keep up with him, hmm."

"Like I said, you're a fool." He took the first step off and the lead.

Eyes narrowing, Hinata looked to the entrance of the main chamber. "They're entering the hideout. Sasori's partner is an explosives expert." She frowned as he put his hands into a clay pouch. "He makes them from clay with the mouths. Earth and lightning chakra mixed into structured change."

"He's Stone Explosion Corps," Sai deadpanned.

Anko nearly gagged at the image in her head. "Explosion Release." She shook herself free of disgust. "Use lightning but keep away: don't know if you'll defuse or explode it."

"Just who the hell are these guys?" Karin shivered at one cold, lifeless signature. "He's like a walking corpse."

Suigetsu smirked. "Accurate."

"That's Sasori of the Red Sand." Kabuto hated how itchy his entire body felt but knew it was better than dying. "Deidara, a terrorist for fun and hire in his own words, is his partner." He groaned, voice hoarser thanks to swelling. "Kill both as fast as possible."

It wouldn't be so simple. Matters were complicated enough. Almost every one of them needed rest. Like many things, it'd elude them.

AN: I was tempted to call The Warring States Period Sengoku Jidai, but that was way too pretentious of me. I mean, that is literally what it translates to. Just sounds cooler in Japanese because it's more concise. Shorter something is, the more it stands out. Compare Shell Shock to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as George Carlin once did.

Also was tempted to have this whole fight with Hidan and the kids, but I couldn't justify him being down half his limbs and not getting beaten senseless to myself. Shows how much Kiba's improved to have blitzed and disabled him like that. His attitude lets the elders know he's still not quite there yet. Kakuzu was planned in the arc from the beginning. Naruto and Jugo's inability to control their chakra signatures had consequences, as I felt they should. Hidan's thing is mostly independent though.

Remember when Kakuzu was introduced, and they make this deal about him trying to assassinate Hashirama? And then Hashirama and Madara are revealed to be walking Juubi people who alone could take on the other five nations with a hand behind their back? Yeah, I know I've said it in these before but don't expect much from the canon war arc to be nearly the same or in this.

The highlight of this chapter was the fight. Been a bit tired of the tactical, cautious stuff, and I've kind of used Dosu, Hidan, and Kiba to vent that. Sure, it's smart, but it's also kind of boring after a while. Makes me understand why things veered away from the actual ninja part of being a ninja in canon. Needed a more upfront confrontation. The closing fights of this arc will be quicker.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.