Land of Fire, Konoha
It had been ten days since Naruto's banishment, and the village was on edge. The air was thick with tension, crackling with the uncertainty of what would come.
The fallout was severe. The allies Naruto had brought to the village had decided to sever their ties, cutting the bonds that had once held them together.
Suna was the first to sever ties, a significant blow to the village. Their decision was a clear sign of the impact of Naruto's banishment. They felt deeply betrayed, questioning why they should aid a village that banished the one who had saved them from their Jinchūriki's rampage.
Hoshigakure was the next one to stop cutting ties with Konoha. As for the hero that returned them, their meteor was kicked out, so why aid a village like that?
The Land of Snow was next. The daimyō said that the boy who saved her was gone, so she would drop her support of Konoha.
The king of the Land of the Moon stopped sending aid, and they believed that Konoha had lost the right to it.
Then, it was a massive hit when the Land of Waves said they would no longer be aiding Konoha as they would want to work with a village that helps heroes, not villains.
The crops from the Land of Vegetables had been stopped as the daimyō wanted nothing to do with Konoha anymore, for the ninja had helped them.
The families from the Land of Tea cut their funding as they had no reason to send it.
And then another massive hit came in the form of the Land of Fire daimyō.
He was livid about what they had done, and when he found out what the former civilian counsel had done, he told Tsunade that they would be publicly executed, and she had an objection to it.
They were executed two days ago, but people were having a feeling that something else was going to go wrong.
While in her office, Tsunade did not care, as she filled out paperwork while waiting for the right moment.
Shizune popped her head in. "Tsunade-sama, Sakura Haruno is here for her training," she said as Godaime nodded, and the pink-haired girl walked in.
But when Tsunade saw her face, she could not help but ask, "What's the matter?"
Sakura looked at her teacher before she moved to the couch. "Before all this happened, everything was going great, but now that Sasuke left, everything seemed to be falling apart," she said, but Tsunade shook her head.
"It is not him who is responsible for this," Tsunade said as Sakura looked up. This is happening because of the old council banishing Nartuo, and you know that, but you are blind to it," she said as Sakura looked back down.
When Sakura said nothing, Tsunade looked at the pink-haired girl. "Do you know why I took you on as my apprentice?" she asked Sakura, who shook her head. It was because Naruto had spoken on your behalf and said that you would make an excellent medical ninja, and with some tests, I agreed," Tsunade told her as Sakura looked shocked before sighing.
She then looked out the window towards the gates, "This is all because of them banishing Naruto, isn't it," Sakura asked as Tsunade looked in the direction that she looked and nodded.
"Yes, Ichiraku Raman is planning to leave; they are in contact with Jiraiya, and from what I found out, they plan to leave to be brought over to where Naruto is," the Hokage said as Sakura nodded. "And it is not only them. I have caught word that Konohamaru Sarutobi, Udon Ise, and Moegi Kazamatsuri plan to leave as well, as a few that sought refuge in Konoha because of Naruto," she told her.
Sakura thought back to a few who would always send her glares when they passed her in the street.
She could not help but blame them, as she had asked Naruto to go after Sasuke.
"And they have all the reason to. The elders have tried to gain power and use it to sway the influence when Minato died, and now that is why they are getting executed today by the Anbu," Tsunade continued as she looked out at the village.
But all she saw was darkness.
"Let's start our lesson," Tsunade said as she left the office, with Sakura following her.
As she walked, she reviewed everything her former team had done and started to realise something.
Naruto was always the one to save the day, while Sasuke would be the one to make the trouble get worse.
"Why did I never see that before," Sakura asked herself as she walked.
"Because you did not want to see it and only wanted to see Sasuke, even when we joined Team 7, you wanted to be with Sasuke and do everything with him," her inner self told her.
Sakura's mind returned to the time after Naruto beat Gaara, and she stumbled along his training and found him.
He stood in front of a lake with two toads on his shoulders, one red and the other yellow.
The red toad sent out a fountain of oil before the yellow toad released a cyclone from its mouth.
Then Naruto used Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu before the three jutsu mixed into a massive cyclone of flames before the three stopped, and that is when Sakura remembered seeing something she didn't think she had ever seen.
A genuine smile on his face.
But then she tried to remember if she had ever seen that smile on Sasuke's face.
But no memory had come to her mind.
All it was was that she saw darkness, all the power Sasuke craved, and his desire to get it.
And if she was being honest with herself, she knew Sasuke would give into the curse seal.
And then her mind drifted back to Naruto, with his blue eyes, which made her think of the beautiful sea they had travelled across so many times.
How his smile was so infectious that it was what he smiled. It would always make her smile.
And when Naruto used his bijū, even if he tried to hide it from her, he would never hurt her; he always ensured that if anything was being sent her way, it was to tell her to run.
As she thought of this, she felt a warmth within her chest, and she knew that Sasuke was not causing this.
No, it was Naruto.
And after what seemed like an eternity within her mind, she looked up with a determined look in her eye.
"I will find Naruto and join him, and then together we will take down that fool of a Uchiha," She declared to herself, her determination shining in her eyes.
She felt her inner nodding, but she failed to see Tsunade looking at her out of the corner of her eye.
"It seems that she's growing up," Tsunade thought as she opened the door to her training room, "Who knows when I leave and join him with Shizune, I could take her with us, I mean, a toad is nothing without his slug, but I don't think he's going to be a toad for long, and so Sakura your in for hell," She added with a smile as she walked over to a scroll with a fish on it and indicated for Sakura to follow her.
Land of Whirlpools, Ruins of Uzushiogakure
Everyone within Naruto's group collaborated, their unity palpable, to build a shrine as Rōshi and Gaara carried large rock tablets from the old homes with columns.
Naruto had turned into a horse and was pulling a cart of rocks for them as the others who were not in the know were amazed by his abilities.
Han aided Naruto by pushing the cart from behind, while Jiraiya used tools from the toads to stick the rocks together.
Konkuro and Kimimaro carefully etched names into stone, while Temari and Izumi ensured the names were right.
Itachi and Kisame were then using Water Release to wash away the dust.
Off to the side of the working was Tayuya, who was cooking with some of the food Naruto had handed them to all eat. Everyone had made good headway. "Alright, everyone. It's time for a break," Tayuya called out as she made food.
Han made sure to undo the cart connecting Naruto to the cart as the demi-god changed back to human before they all walked over.
"We're making good progress with the shrine, but we're going to need some help," Itachi said as he served himself a bowl of stew, and the others nodded.
"If I remember right, the Land of Waves is not that far from us," Konkuro said as he had a spoonful. "We could ask them, and with us having the bounty of both Deidara and Sasori, we can use that money to help fix up the village before he starts building the walls," he added as the others nodded.
"Good idea," Naruto said with a nod before he had a look around, "Itachi, you will go to Wave with Kimimaro, and ask for aid in fixing our new home," He told them as Kisame looked confused.
"I'm normally the one paired with Itachi," He said to Naruto, who nodded.
"I know, that is why I'm having you go with Izumi; you both are heading to Taki and help their Jinchūriki escape," Naruto told them as both looked at him, "Taki is possibly the second worst when it comes to dealing with Jinchūriki, first goes to Suna," He said as Gaara nodded at his experience growing up.
"Fair," The three siblings said.
"So, use two is going to infiltrate Taki, take their Jinchūriki, and see if we can take out any Akatsuki member who is after them," Izumi asked Naruto, who nodded.
"Yes," He told her as she looked at her new partner.
"From what we know Hidan and Kakazu are going to be going after the Nanbi," Itachi said as Kisame nodded.
"Taki imprisons her above the village in their great three, a tree that was stolen from Konoha at the grave sight of the Shodaime Hokage," Naruto said as everyone looked shocked. "And with that tree acting as a cage, the current leader of Taki does not like how she acts, so they want her dead, and I have a feeling," he started as everyone looked at him.
"That they will let the Akatsuki get to her," Izumi said as the demi-god nodded.
"Yes, and so with this in place, Kisame, you know the Akatsuki teams, and while Itachi dose know them as well, Izumi is an unknown," Naruto said as Kisame nodded.
"I get it," He said as Itachi nodded at him.
"Got it, we'll head out tomorrow, same time as Itachi and Kimimaro," Izumi said as Kisame nodded at him.
He then looked over his Jinchūriki siblings. "Rōshi, you and I are going to stay here, as I will need to be here when the men from the Land of Waves get here. With you here, you can help me make plans for the main gate of the village, and we can make a marker for the point," he told the Lava Release user.
"Got it," He said as he looked down at the map of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Han, you, Gaara, and Temari are going on a mission to the Land of Bean Jam. From what I heard when we were on our way to the Land of Earth, there is a clan there that is looking for a home," Naruto told them as the three nodded.
"What do we know of this clan," Han asked Naruto.
Jiraiya looked over to the armoured ninja. "From what my spies have told me, they use Blood Release," he told them, as they looked amazed. But they are being hunted down by Kumo, as they have got it into their heads that they are the ones who need them," the sage told him.
"Understood," Gaara said before Naruto turned the last three.
"And our mission," Tayuya asked with a smile.
"I'm sending the three of you over to Kiri to see what is going on," Naruto said as Kisame looked at him. And there is a reason why I'm not sending you, Kisame, or you, Kimimaro, " he told them as they looked at each other before looking back at him.
"Why," Kisame asked him.
"Kiri will want your heads as you both are formerly from the Land of Water. And another thing: We don't need Kiri killing you or you them; we just need information about them, and I think something is not right," he told them, and both Kisame and Kimimaro nodded.
"Like what," Jiraiya asked.
Naruto looked over at him before he looked back at his food. "I've been using Iris Message to watch the Mizukage, and he seems to be unhinged, to put it mildly, and he seems to be under the influence of something," he told them before his eyes turned dark. And he's not a true Jinchūriki like most of us," Naruto explained as they looked shocked.
"What do you mean," Itachi asked him.
"With the fox's help, I've found out that Yagura is not the real Jinchūriki of the Sanbi, but more of a Pseudo-Jinchūriki," He said before he looked at the three that he's sending to Kiri, "Make sure that you find out what is going on, but you must make sure that each one of you is not spotted or captured, as I think I speak for everyone when I say I do not want the residens of the Land of Water to hate us for blowing it up," Naruto said with a smile as the three nodded.
And so, with his orders given, everyone ate before they all got back to work.
The Next Day
Itachi, Kimimaro, and a clone stood on a dock that the clone had created with Wood Release, "Good luck, and I wish you well," He said to them.
"Thank you," They said as Itachi walked over to the edge of the dock, biting his finger before going through five seals and slamming his hand down. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he called out as a large puff of smoke formed and two wings formed.
Once the smoke was blown away, it showed a large crow waiting for them.
"Itachi, why have you call me here," The crow asked Itachi as Kimimaro walked over.
"Can you take the two of us over to the Land of Waves?" he asked his summon, who nodded at him. The two climbed onto the back of the crow.
Once the both of them were settled on the back of the crow, it stretched its wings before taking off into the air.
Itachi guided the crow before looking back at Kimimaro. "Are you alright?" he asked the teen.
"Yes," Kimimaro said as he looked out over the sea. "I've never really been sent on missions," he said as Itachi raised a brow.
"Why is that," He asked.
"Orochimaru did not want me to die out in the field where he could not use my Kekkei Genkai," Kimimaro said as Itachi listened. "But now, with Naruto-sama, and him healing me with the use of his chains, along with the healing power that the fox gives him is working to fight and beat my illness," he told the Uchiha, who nodded as Naruto was doing the same for him.
"And I can't help but feel-" Kimimaro said before Itachi cut him off.
"You have to prove to him that you are worthy of being a Uzu ninja," Itachi said as he felt the same way.
They looked at each other before giving each other a small smile. Then they started to descend, and they looked out and saw that it was a small village.
People looked at the massive crow, which was lowering in height before it landed in the village centre, and both the Uzu ninjas got off the back.
"What brings you here," A man asked as he approached them.
Kimimaro looked over to him and held up a scroll. "We have a message from our leader, Naruto Uzumaki, and we have a request for Tazuna, the bridge builder," he said as he held out the scroll.
People whispered to each other before a boy walked forward, "I'll take you to him," He said as he indicated for them to follow him.
And so they did, as they moved up a hill to a forest behind a house. Kimimaro and Itachi followed him into the house as the boy walked in.
"Grampa, some people are here saying that they have a message from Naruto," the boy called into the house as the man who had been called out of an office came over to the door.
"So you both have a message for me," The man said as Kimimaro handed over the scroll.
Tazuna read over the scroll before he smiled and nodded. "Alright then, Inari, gather the workers and tell them to get to the boats," Tazuna told his grandson, who nodded and ran out the door. You two come in, and then we'll talk about what we'll be building and what we'll need so that you can gather the funds," he told the two.
"We have around nonillion ryo," Itachi said as Tazuna's eyes shot wide before his smile grew.
"I see, but don't worry, for the price will be cut for the good your leader has done for this land," he told them as he looked at the plans within the scroll. "So the village will have a 1571 km diameter, the second largest village, with Konoha being that of 1580 km diameter," Tazuna said as he stroked his beard.
He looked over the scroll before he saw a seal, "What's within the seal," He asked them as Itachi looked at it before he released what was inside; it showed blueprints, floor plans, and pitchers of Uzu.
"Are these," Tazuna asked, looking at the pitchers.
"The current state of Uzu, yes," Kimimaro nodded.
Tazuna looked down at the pictures, then over the other paperwork with the pitchers and shuffled through them. Then he looked up at them. "What colours shall we go with? " he asked them as he reviewed some clay and roof tile samples.
"For the main village, red, black and gold," Itachi said as he looked over the samples.
"We would like for the pattern of the whirlpool-like it was before Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri had attacked and left it in its current state," Kimimaro said as he pointed to the pitchers as Tazuna nodded at him, "And Naruto-same will be using his Wood Release to make the wood for you to use in the building, and he will use another jutsu to make lodging for you and the workers so that while you are there, you can use the homes he is building and making at the moment," He added. In contrast, Tazuna nodded as he pulled out paper and started to write things down.
The three talked for hours about things they would build and where they would be put.
After a few more hours, Inari returned, "Everyone is ready, and the boats are fully stocked, and that clan that was looking for a home has said they are joining us and then possiby the new village," he told his grandfather.
Tazuna looked at his grandson. "Are all the tools on board, along with the equipment?" he asked as the boy nodded.
"Yep, and everyone is getting ready to go to the boats," Inari said as Tazuna nodded at him.
"Alright, we move out in two hours, I want everyone ready to move," Tazuna told his grandson as the boy left again to give the message.
Itachi and Kimimaro smiled at each other before Itachi gained a look, "What is this clan," he asked Tazuna.
Tazuna looked at him. "They are called the Kijin Clan. They were wondering until they ended up in town a few months ago," Tazuna said as he got up, and the two followed him.
They looked around and saw people start to leave their homes and head to the docks; the men and women had tool belts.
They saw people carrying bags of cement in their clothes and other materials towards the docks, and the two nodded.
Once everyone was done and the boats were loaded, they left.
At The Same Time, Land of Hot Water
Kisame and Izumi walked across the roads as they made their way to a small town. "We'll stay in the Land of Hot Water for the following three towns before we head into the Land of Fire and then into the Land of Lakes," Kisame said as Izumi nodded at him.
"It's a good idea, and that way, we can cut out any movement into the Land of Sound," she said as they walked across the town. And then we'll see if we can find any bounty on our way," Izumi added as Kisame nodded.
"That sounds like a plan," The shark man said before they both turned to see Someone not that far away.
They were talking with a woman, but one thing they had in common was wearing snake-pattern clothing in shades of purple.
"Oto ninja," Kisame said to his current partner.
Kisame and Izumi flowed them quietly into the forest close to the town.
They found a small snake stature that blended into the forest, and if they had not followed the Oto ninja, they would not have seen it.
They watched as they formed a seal, touching the snake, which moved out of the way before descending the uncovered stairs.
Izumi and Kisame shared a glance before slowly making their way to the statue. Izumi used the same seal before the snake moved aside again, and they moved down the stairs.
As the two reached the bottom of the stairs, they found a hallway filled with doors.
"Is this a living quaters," Izumi said as she looked around.
Kisame shook his head at her. "It's more than that; Orochimaru would not just build a base to have living quarters for his men," he said as the two walked around.
They passed door after door before Izumi stopped by one of the doors.
It was different from the other doors as this one was a double door with a metal sygine above it.
It read A-1.
"I feel something in here," she said as she opened it.
And what she found was shocking.
People were floating in a cyan liquid, and they were all in class tanks.
"What the hell?" Kisame asked as the two walked around the room until they found a table with notes. "With the experiment station on a member of the Hozuki, I have found a way to create a clan that can turn their body to fire and another to lighting. These two clans will be a boon for Otogakure," he said as he scowled at the paperwork before he looked back at the people.
"They were experiments," Izumi said as she looked around.
"And if I know Orochimaru, they were taken agest there will," Kisame said as she looked around before they heard whispering, and the two hid.
"Dr Akahata, the test subjects for the D-5 lab are ready," a woman said as they saw a man with short dark brown hair dressed in the standard Oto ninja uniform, including a long lab coat.
"Good, the feline DNA has been gathered, so we shall start the process of injection and merging," Dr Akahata said as both Kisame and Izumi looked at each other before they flowed quietly and slowly.
In every lab they passed, they looked within and saw the same thing with lab A-1, with people within glass tanks.
There were people with scales, almost like snakes, and some with wings that made them look like angles with different bird-like wings.
And it only got worse from there. "Let's get out of here," Kisame said, and Izumi nodded as the two made their way out silently.
Once they were out and made their way to a lake, "Why are we here?" Izumi asked as Kisame summoned a shark and pulled out a scroll.
"I'm sending a message to Naruto and telling him what we have found, and I'm going to ask for both Itahci and Kimimaro to aid us, and when we free them down there, we can then head to Taki and continue our mission," Kisame said as he finished putting a seal on the scroll and then summoned a Mize Bunshin and sealed it within the scroll and handed it over to the shark, "Swim fast," He told the shark who nodded at him and dived deep into the lake before it disappeared.
Izumi looked shocked at that before looking over to Kisame, "The Shark Summon clan can reaper wherever there is water, and with everyone going to be at the dock waiting, she will give the message," Kisame told her as Izumi nodded. The two made their way into town and waited for the reinforcements.
Land of Whirlpools, Docks
Naruto and Rōshi stood at the docks as they watched three ships start to make their way over. "I'm glad that we have a seal to stop the whirlpools," Rōshi said as he looked at the calm sea.
"Yep," Naruto said with a nod.
"Hey, kid," a voice called to Naruto as he looked down and saw a shark looking at him. I have a message from Kisame," she said as she showed Naruto a scroll.
"Thank you," He said, taking the scroll off her as the shark returned to the summoning realm.
Naruto undid the scroll and placed it on the ground to release the clone.
"Hey boss, we've got a situation within the Land of Hot Water," the clone said as they released the information to Naruto, who looked at the oncoming boats.
"I see when we get the builders ready, and I'll send over Itachi, Kimimaro, and Rōshi to back you up," Naruto told the clone, who nodded. "And while you wait, make a note of every Oto ninja around the area so that we do not get blind-sighted by anything," he ordered as the clone nodded and dispelled, sending the orders back to the original.
"Are you that it's a good idea to send me," Rōshi asked the blond.
Naruto looked at the oncoming boats that were full of workers, "Yes, I have this feeling that Orochimaru is upto something wore that creating Kekkei Genkai, but I do not know what it is, and so I need my best to find out what it is," Naruto said as he turned to the Yonbi Jinchūriki, "And with the five of you there, we have more eyes on the situation while we can save them, and mabey help them with what has happened to them," He said as the man nodded.
"I'll go get ready for a fight, you tell Itachi and Kimimaro what's going on," Rōshi said as he walked over to the house.
Naruto looked out at the boats again, making the docks bigger as they got closer. Itachi walked off first, "Get some builders along with a new clan for Uzu," He said as he pointed to a group of people with horns on their heads as they descended from the boat.
"Good," Naruto said with a nod before he looked at the teen, "And while I would like to be smiling at this moment, you and Kimimaro have a mission with Rōshi to aid Kisame and Izumi," Naruto told him before he told him everything at the clone told him.
"I see. May I take some of the Kijin clan to see how they are in a fight and see if they can be given a rank?" Itachi asked. Naruto nodded with a smile.
"Yes, take three with you so that you can cover more ground," he said as the Kijin clan walked off the boat. A man with long red hair walked up to Naruto, and the demi-god noted that he had two black horns on his head. He wore black clothing with a thick woollen collar covered by dark red armour.
With him was a woman with long flowing pink hair and one white horn dressed in a kimono, and with her was a girl and boy who looked in their teens up behind him.
"Hello. My name is Abaki, and I am the leader of the Kijin clan. I thank you for allowing our people a home within your new village," Abaki said with a bow, and his clan bowed as well.
"Think nothing of it," Naruto said as the man rose from the bow. And I have a mission for three members of your clan if you like," he said as Abaki nodded.
"Yes, Zenki, Naka, Goki, you three have a mission," Abaki called out as three people walked over.
The first was a woman with short blue hair, dark green eyes, and two long black horns. She wore a grey-furred light blue tunic, dark blue pants, and ninja armoured sandals.
Then, there was a blond man with one white horn and stormy blue eyes. He was short and wore black pants and black boots.
The last was a man with a mohawk of red hair, stubby black horns, and dark green eyes. He wore a grey-furred dark red tunic, dark blue pants, and ninja armoured sandals.
"What is the mission sir," The woman asked.
"Zenki, you, your brother, and Naka are going to join a few people on a mission," Abaki said to her as Zenki nodded.
Rōshi walked back over as Itachi filled Kimimaro in on what was going on as they grouped up: "I'll summon a few eagles for you to get over to the Land of Hot Water; they are faster than your crows, Itachi. When they reach the land, seal them with a few scrolls so that you can use them for the return trip," he told them as they nodded at him.
"Yes, sir, " the six said as Naruto summoned his five eagles. The people climbed onto them before they took off.
Naruto then turned to Tazuna, "We have already marked points where the Uzukage building will be located along with one of the points where one of the gates will be located," Naruto said as he started leading people into the ruins.
With Gaara's Group, Land of Fire, Nokoribi Village
The group of three moved across the small village. They took in the sights, and Temari started to write things down. "What notes are you making?" Han asked her as they found a hotel.
"Places that we can open back in Uzu, like a fish market," Temari said as she pointed her pencil to a group of men selling fish.
"I see, and with us on an island, we can fish directly from the sea and get fresh fish," Gaara said as he checked them into two rooms, one for the boys and another for Temari.
"Indeed, and with our mission right now make sure that we talk with this clan to start with," Han said before he stopped along with Gaara as they both looked over their shoulders at a person walking down the road.
"What is it," Temari asked the two.
"Something close to our bijū and it's within that young woman," Han said as he pointed to the girl no older than Gaara walking down the road.
She had long reddish-brown hair held up by a blue headband, thick eyebrows, blue eyes, and a mole under her left eye. She wore a cyan-blue gi with a cream-coloured vest over it and blue-covered and dark arm and leg bands.
"Shkaku said that it's not real," Gaara said, looking at the girl and holding his head. And he is angry at that beast for some reason," he said as Han nodded.
"Gobi is the same as she is saying that it was an experiment that someone had done one the statue and mixed chakra from three of the bijū together to make it," Han said as he looked at her.
"What three," Temari asked.
"9, 7, and 1," Han said as they watched her walk before Temari followed her. Han and Gaara looked at each other before following her.
"Hey," Temari called out as the girl stopped and turned around to see Temari walk over to her.
"Yes," She asked the older girl.
"Can I ask you something," She asked back as Gaara and Han walked up.
"And that is," The younger girl asked.
"Do you want to join a village that is being created at this point," Temari asked as the girl raised a brow.
"Why, so you can have a bijū within your village? " the girl asked them, but Gaara and Han shook their heads.
"No, we already have four within our village at the moment," Han said as she looked shocked.
"And I wanted to ask you if you wanted to join us," Temari asked as the girl looked at her with a raised brow before turning to Han and Gaara.
"And if I join, what do I get out of it? " she asked them.
"You can follow whatever job you want to," Gaara said, and the girl looked shocked at what the sand user had said.
"So, if I wanted to be a doctor," The girl asked them as Gaara and Han nodded at her.
"Then you can be one here, and once we gain doctors for our village you can be one," Han said as he looked at the girl.
"Han, are you sure that this is a good idea? The Reibi is not a beast that can be controlled, " the Gobi told her host as the girl looked at Temari. The two started speaking.
"I am, and I think that with Naruto using the Rinnegan, he can help both this girl and the Reibi," Han told Kirin, confused.
"What do you mean," She asked.
"The Reibi is without a name, and they are without the orientation that you and your siblings have," Han said to his beast, which he could feel was nodding along. But with the Rinnegan, Naruto could use it to fix the Reibi, give it a name, and help this girl be who she is meant to be," he told her, as the Gobi was silent for a while before they nodded.
"Alright, let's see where this goes, shall we? " she told him as she sent Shukaku everything that was going on and that they would not be attacking the girl.
Now, the group of four returned to the hotel as they changed the rooms for Temari to have a two-bedroom for her and the new girl, Amaru.
And so the four went to bed, not knowing that the first victory their village was going to make was with them asleep.
Land of Hot Water
Izumi and Kisame met up with Itachi's group, and they sealed the eagles within scrolls for them to use when they returned to the village.
"Where is it," Itachi asked as Kisame led him to the snake statue.
Izumi was going to use the seal, but Itachi stopped her, "We're not going in with stealth, we're going in with intent to distroy, so we force our way in," Itachi said as he turned to Goki, who nodded as he walked over to the statue before his fist was enveloped by chakra and he punched it and from that hit it sent out a wave of chakra that turned the statue to dust.
"Move out," Itachi said as everyone quickly descended the stairs.
"What the-," Someone said before they had their head cut off by Zenki, who was running forward at a fast speed that she left after images behind her as her blade zipped around.
"I'm glad there's another swordsman now," Kisame said as he used Samehada to tear pieces out of a man running at Zenki.
Kimimaro shot out bone pellets that took out any Oto ninja running down corridors towards them. "I'm a swordsman, you know," he said as he pulled out a bone sword and began cutting down anyone who got close to him.
"I know, but you focus on you Kekkei Genkai to much," Kisame said as he swung his sword.
"That I would like to challenge you to see if you are realy a swordsman of the mist," Zenki asked as she cut down another man.
Kisame smiled savagely at her as they worked together to eliminate anyone who got in their way.
"You three keep everyone's attenshion, while the rest of us get to work," Itachi ordered as Kisame nodded, "Naka, you go and find that doctor, Goki; you go with Rōshi to start to help the people be free, Izumi, you and I are going to gather every thing that Oto has been up to, so that once we are done here I can go over everything," He said as everyone nodded and got to work.
Rōshi and Goki went to the first lab Izumi and Kisame found and started removing people from the glass tanks.
Once they were released, they woke up and looked around, confused. "Where are we?" a girl asked as she looked around.
"Some where that is not good," Goki said as he helped a man stand up.
Rōshi looked around and saw that everyone in the tanks had dark orange hair. "So that is what happened to you," he said as people looked at him before he pointed at their hair; everyone looked at each other in shock. "Let's get out here first before you do anything," Rōshi said as he led them to the doors. Oto ninja came running at them with Kunai ready.
But he was met by a fist of lava that sent him into a wall. "Shall we? " he asked them as they all started to make their way to the stairs.
Once the last people were upstairs and out of the base, they went to the next load of people they had to get out.
Many people had long cat tails and two cat eyes on their heads.
"What sort of man would do this?" Goki asked as he and Rōshi walked in and started to release the cat-human hybrids.
Meanwhile, while the two Uchiha were going from room to room, taking everything that was not nailed down, that rained from beds to chairs, to paperwork to books, they were taking everything within the base.
"It seems that we're getting a lot of stuff for Uzu," Izumi said as she sealed away a ton of paperwork.
"Yes, and hopefully, people will live there as well," Itachi told her as they watched Goki carry a young girl with snake-like scales over her arms.
The two returned to what they were doing and then moved into one of the labs.
But that is when the two of them froze.
Within these tanks were hundreds of children who looked the same, and the only way you could tell the gender of these children was by the figure of some of them.
They all had pale-white skin and faint blond-coloured hair slicked back and tapered to a point. They lacked eyebrows and wore perpetually wide-eyed expressions with dark rings around their eyes, giving them a somewhat deranged appearance.
"Itachi," Izumi asked as she looked around before she found a chart with notes. "Hey, listen to this," she called as he turned to her.
"With the DNA of both Shin Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha, we have managed to grow the bodies of these clones, but they are defective at the moment as a batch of one hundred has been sent to the main base for experimentation to see if the flaw can be fixed, I had given a suggestion, but Orochimaru-sama said that it was not worth looking for them as they were nowhere near the Land of Hot Water," She read out an Izumi looked over to Itachi who looked at her.
"What are you planing," He asked her as she looked back.
"I've got a crazy idea, but I need you on board with it," she told him as Itachi looked at her.
"And that is," Itachi asked, already guessing where she was going with this.
"We release them and tell them that they can be saved, but we use a stairs seal to put them all in a stasis so that when we get a medic or when that perve calls on Tsunade, she can help them, and then we will have a true clan once more," she said as Itachi looked over at the children before he nodded.
Back to the two freeing people, they were helping women and children with wings who could not walk because of how the wings felt on their bodies. They were getting used to the new adjustment.
When Rōshi stood by the stairs, he saw Zenki, Kimimaro, Kisame, and Dr Akahata walking up to him.
"Every Oto ninja has been wiped out and were just waiting for Itachi and Izumi before he can desteroy this base," Kisame said as they waited.
After ten minutes, the two Uchiha walked over to them. "Are you ready?" Itachi asked home as everyone nodded at him. So they all went up the stairs to the forest before Kisame formed a seal, and an explosion filled the air. The ground started to sink a little before it stopped.
Izumi looked at the former people inside the base before explaining what happened while Kisame passed the doctor over to Itachi. "He tried to make a run for it, but it was thanks to Kimimaro shooting him in the knee that we managed to capture him," Zenki said as Itachi looked at the doctor before he looked over to Kisame.
"Why are you giving him to me," He asked the man.
"You're the head of Onmitsukidō," Kisame said with a smile, but Itachi returned the favour by handing the doctor back over.
"And you going to be the head of the Torture and Interrogation Unit, so as your boss, I want him singing like a bird," The Uchiha told him as Kisame nodded, walked over to a quiet spot, and started his interrogation.
He then turned his head over to his fiancée and found that she was telling everyone who they were and why they had come before everyone started talking among each other before they nodded at her.
"We will join you," A man with fire-orange hair said as he stood up.
"As will we," A woman with black hair and black cat features said.
"That goes for us as well," A man with cream-coloured hair as others with the same shade of hair colour nodded with him.
More and more of the people that they had freed from the base started to say that they would join them as Izumi smiled before Rōshi notest something.
"I don't think that the eagles that I have sealed will be enugh," He said as the others nodded.
"I don't think that even some of the corws have enugh the carry everyone," Itachi said before he saw that Naka gained an idea, "What is it," He asked the blond.
"Where the Land of Hot Water meets the sea, I was thinking about getting a boat for the people, and while yes, we will be travelling in a large group, a large enough group of us moving together with them testing out their new abilities, they can get to the boats, and with one of use sending a message to Naruto-sama we can use one of the boats that the works from the Land of Waves used to carry these people across to Uzu," Naka said as everyone looked at him.
"Good thinking, Naka," Zenki said as she bit her finger and slammed it onto the ground as a large wolf was next to her, "Go to Abaki-sama and tell him that we will need a boat at the docks of the Land of Hot Water," She told the wolf before it returned to the summoning realm.
Kisame and Izumi looked at everyone before they nodded at their fellow Uzu ninja and started to make their way into town, followed by everyone else.
In the Morning
Itachi stood in front of the large group that they had freed from Orochimaru's base and looked at Kisame and Izumi. "Good luck getting to Taki; watch out, as they have people patrolling the main entrance every thirty minutes, " he told them as they nodded at him.
"Got it," Kisame said before he started to make his way out.
Izumi leaned in and kissed Itachi on the cheek. "When I get back, I would like to see what you're going to make the Uchiha compound look like," she told him as she joined Kisame. The two returned to their trek towards the Land of Lakes.
Itachi turned to his group before they nodded, and everyone started to walk in the opposite direction to Kisame and Izumi.
Land of Water, Sakana Town
Jiraiya, Tayuya, and Konkuro moved through the small town, taking back roads and other routes into the Land of Water so that they would not be noticed.
"So far the only thing that we've found is that the Mizukage is a mad bastard," Tayuya said as they walked.
Jiraiya nodded as he looked around, then held his hand for the other two to stop and hide.
Once they hid, they saw Kiri ninjas walking down the road heading towards the town.
"I heard that there was a Kekkei Genkai user within Sakana, a serviving member of the Yuki clan," one of the Kiri ninja said as they passed by.
"Realy I heared it was someone with Storm Release," Another said.
Others started adding what they were told before they stopped.
"Why are they stopping?" Konkuro asked as the three moved quietly to see that the ninja had stopped because a woman was standing in their way.
She was a tall, slender woman with fair skin. She had green eyes and ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a dark blue band, and four bangs at the front. Two bangs were short, with one covering her right eye, and two were long, crossing each other on her bust, just below her chin.
She wore a long-sleeved, dark blue dress just below her knees. It is closed at the front with a zipper and is kept open on the front-right side from the waist down. The dress only covers the upper part of her arms and the underside of her breasts. Underneath, she wears a mesh armour that covers slightly more of her upper body than her dress. She also wears a skirt the same colour as her dress and mesh leggings reaching down over her knees underneath those. Around her waist, she wears a belt with a pouch attached to the back on the left, high-heeled sandals, shin guards reaching up over her knees, dark blue nail polish on her fingers and toes, and is usually shown with purple lipstick.
"Mei Terumī," A Kiri ninja said as they started to reach for their weapons, but Mei dispatched them all without effort.
"Now that was skill," Jiraiya said as he and his small team walked out.
Mei turned to him and smiled, "Jiraiya of the Sannin, are you here to aid us," Mei asked him.
