In life, nothing can be trusted except money and brotherhood. Brotherhood is the ultimate form of loyalty, a bond made of blood, sweat, tears and pain. Money is the only other staple in this world. The crux of humanity is to progress, and nothing progresses if money is not involved. The previous shinobi wars proved that. They all happened because the great nations got greedy for land and power. With land and power comes money and wealth. In the end, people like us suffer from their greed. Orphaned at young ages and forced to survive with only each other to depend on.

Our parents died during the second war. I remember the day vividly when our village brought back all the casualties they could save. I remember standing over our parents' graves and vowing to get stronger. To protect each other till the end and to eventually make those who killed our parents pay. But what did our village do? They disbanded their shinobi. Our parents died for the sake of the village and for what? For it to be turned into a tourist attraction.

We thought we could trust our village but turns out we were wrong. They turned their backs on us…so we turned ours on them. We trained, we grew strong and we killed the head of the serpent our village was. I remember standing by my brother's side as blood pooled on the ground below us. The sheer look of horror on those fragile and dead men. It was…fulfilling.

Akaji and Geto Junpei, twin brothers from the Land of Hot Water. The Brothers of Hell as we came to be known.


Naruto and Kurotsuchi had to jump away as Akaji came bearing down with his cleaver. The cleaver struck the ground causing it to crack in the shape of a spider's web. Naruto had to immediately duck under the blade threatening to take his head off. As the cleaver went over his head, Naruto thought he could feel heat coming from the cleaver. He sent a sidekick to Akaji's torso but his legs felt like they just hit a brick wall. Akaji saw Naruto's shock and smirked as he once again attacked with his large cleaver.

Naruto summoned Arashi from its seal and blocked Akaji's blade before sliding it to the side. As he slid the blade to the side, Naruto aimed a kick to his head. 'Fuck, it's like kicking a brick wall reinforced with metal.' Naruto thought as he felt immense pain jolting from his legs. Naruto jumped away and created a distance from his opponent.

'A few more of those and I'll be out before I know it…' Naruto thought as he circulated chakra to his legs. His left leg which had been injured during his fight with Raiga could not be used, else he risked making the injury worse. He had to be careful so as to not injure both of his legs. Suddenly, he saw a shadow around his feet getting larger and larger. He looked up to see Akaji coming down with his cleaver on fire and ready to chop him in half.

" Chopping Style: Burning Chop! " Akaji called out before a flaming cleaver came crashing down into Naruto causing dust and embers to stir up. As the dust cleared up, Akaji stood triumphantly before he immediately turned and blocked a water bullet from Naruto. He glanced to his side to see a singed and chopped log on the ground where Naruto was. "I knew it wouldn't be so easy to stop you," he said before rushing in.


Seeing as Naruto was immediately pounced on by Akaji, Kurotsuchi focused on the other brother, Geto. However, Geto was nowhere to be found as he had taken Akaji rushing in to hide himself. 'I'm getting tired of this. I'm not a sensor…' Kurotsuchi was broken from her line of thought as she saw three lightning arrows coming straight for her. She spun her bo staff as fast as she could and deflected the arrows away causing them to disperse.

"I can sense that you're quite agitated…" Geto's voice rang out from all over the place.

"No shit. I thought we were done before you guys showed up and here we are playing cat and mouse…" Kurotsuchi replied as she tried her hardest to search for her opponent.

"Oh and right you are. But who is the cat…haha…and who is the mouse?" He said as he launched more arrows at Kurotsuchi. "You'll never find me. My arrows can be fired from anywhere and they'll always find you…HAHAHA."

Kurotsuchi turned and saw a group of lightning arrows heading straight for her. " Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Style: Mud Wall) !" Thinking quickly, Kurotsuchi spat out a mud wall to block the barrage of arrows.

"Haha didn't I tell you, my arrows will always find you…" instead of piercing the wall, the arrows changed direction and went around it, hitting Kurotsuchi who was hiding behind it. The Kurotsuchi who was hit turned into mud substitution.

The real Kurotsuchi was taking cover behind one of the destroyed warehouses that was close by. 'Damn, I can't stop him if I can't get close to him…' she thought as she saw five more arrows fly above her but they didn't switch directions and instead went further away. An explosion several metres away caught her attention. 'The arrows are going for Naruto!'


Naruto watched as his water bullet was sliced in half, not affecting the fire on Akaji's cleaver the slightest. "This is a weapon passed down from my father and his father and his father's father. Its flame will never be put out," Akaji said as if reading Naruto's mind.

'An eternal flame? Let's put that to the test shall we…' Naruto made the dragon hand seal and chakra accumulated in his mouth. " Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Wild Water Wave)! " Water shot out from his mouth at high speeds, pressure and volume towards Akaji. Akaji saw this and smirked. He raised his cleaver and faced its sharp edge towards the water jutsu. The water was split in half as it made contact with the cleaver and Akaji only got hit by tiny water droplets. However, it was as if time slowed down when he saw the paper bombs in the water streams that had split to his left and right. His eyes widened as the paper bombs lit up and a large explosion occurred.

Naruto stared down the cloud of smoke that the explosion caused to confirm the status of his opponent. A large hole was in the ground courtesy of his paper bombs. He was shocked but at the same time not when he saw Akaji in the epicentre still alive and standing. However, he noticed that his clothes were burned off and he could fully see his face without the cloak. Akaji had a large scar that ran across his left cheek and it looked like it continued to the scar that was on right chest. His clothes may have burned off but his body seemed unharmed.

"That was a neat trick, gaki. Never heard of anyone using paper bombs in water jutsu like that," he commented as he rolled his shoulders to relieve some tension in his muscles.

"Thanks…I guess?" Naruto replied before he got into his fighting stance again.

Akaji smirked as he stared up at Naruto from his position in the hole. "That will be the last you'll get to use that trick on anyone…" he said as Naruto sensed chakra heading his way at high speeds. He could hear the crackling of electricity getting louder and the swishing of arrows. He turned around to see lightning arrows staring him down.

Before Naruto could move out of the way, all the arrows were smacked to the ground and dispelled by a Bo staff hit. Kurotsuchi landed beside him with her back towards him. "You have to watch your back, Blondie. You could get hurt." Naruto didn't need to see her face to know there was a smug expression on it.

"I could have outran it," Naruto replied.

"Sure you could…"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he turned back around to focus on Akaji who had disappeared… Time slowed down for Naruto. His eyes flickered to the side and noticed Akaji appear by their sides immediately with his cleaver ready. Naruto pulled onto Kurotsuchi's clothes causing her to stumble backwards and the cleaver to miss her. He then used a light step to move away from there as he had sensed more arrows headed their way. All this occurred in two seconds.

Kurotsuchi was shocked to find that they were several metres away from their previous position facing Akaji who had struck the ground with his cleaver. Her attention was pulled to four lightning arrows zipping their way to them. Two were behind them and the other two were in front of them. "Kurotsuchi, we need defence," Naruto said and she acknowledged with a nod.

" Lava Style: Obsidian Dome !" Kurotsuchi announced as she went through hand seals before spitting out a black substance around them. The substance grew around the creating a dome which solidified into a hard rock. The lightning arrows struck the dome causing it to dent but not break. They were safe there for now.

"Ah so this is the lava style. My first time seeing it," Naruto commented as he touched the dome's wall.

"You're not surprised that I have a kekkei genkai?" For all she knew, she never told him nor showed him.

"No, I've suspected it since we first met in Iron," Naruto nonchalantly said with a smile as he sat down cross-legged on the ground.

'What how? I don't exactly go about showing off that I know lava style. How did he know that way back then?' Seeing Kurotsuchi's blank and confused face, Naruto decided to explain a bit.

"I sensed your chakra. I can tell your elemental affinities if I really focused on my sensory abilities. Now I can explain more about that later, we need to figure out how to fight those two," Naruto said as he gestured to Kurotsuchi to take a seat.

'How strong are his sensory abilities? And that speed, that was much faster than I saw in the Land of Iron. I want a rematch even more now…' Kurotsuchi thought as she sat down in front of Naruto which was a little close for Naruto's comfort.

"Err…Kurotsuchi can you move back a bit," Naruto kindly and hesitantly asked.

"What's wrong with me here?" Kurotsuchi asked as she tilted her head and gazed into Naruto's eyes.

'Many wrongs and few rights…' Naruto thought as he felt himself get hotter.

"Just deal with it," Kurotsuchi said with a dismissive wave.

Before Naruto could speak, the dome around them started to vigorously vibrate. "The dome can only hold a few more attacks. We need a plan fast," Kurotsuchi said as she pumped more chakra into the dome.

"We need to stop the big guy first. He uses a jutsu that makes him invincible which is difficult to handle alone. We need to take him down together," Naruto said as he started drawing on the dirt ground below them.

"How do we take an invincible man down? And won't his brother interfere?"

"My sensei said that every jutsu has a weakness which includes this one. As for the brothers, we need to separate them." If Jiraiya ever found out that he called him sensei, he would never stop hearing about it.

"Hmm… Can you sense the man?" Kurotsuchi asked as she played with scenarios in her head.

"Yes and no…"

"What do you mean?"

"He's using a camouflage jutsu of some sorts. It's blurring with my senses but the blur is only a certain part of my range. So technically I know where he is generally at but it's not accurate," Naruto explained before he pointed to the drawing he made. "What do you think of this plan?"

Kurotsuchi listened to Naruto's plan before discussing and changing certain parts. All the while explosions rang out around them as the dome got thinner and thinner. "Ok, so that's the plan, agreed?"

"Yes. Just in time too cause the dome's gonna fall anytime now," she said as she got into a fighting stance with her Bo staff out.


The last arrow hit the dome, bringing it to its breaking point. The dome crumbled into pieces slowly revealing its occupants or rather occupant. Kurotsuchi stood alone in the dome with her Bo staff ready. "Hehe, did your boyfriend run away? What a coward," Geto's voice rang throughout the surroundings.

"Oi, he's not my boyfriend!" Kurotsuchi replied as she gripped her Bo staff tighter. She had to try her best to stop her face from heating up at the thought. 'Although I wouldn't mind it if he was…Oi oi get yourself together!' Kurotsuchi snapped out of her thoughts to see Akaji running towards her. "Let's dance big man!"

"Gladly," Akaji replied as he tried to chop Kurotsuchi's head off. Kurotsuchi ducked under the cleaver and aimed for a leg sweep but Akaji jumped over it. Seeing Akaji floating, Kurotsuchi used the momentum of her leg sweep to swing her Bo staff to hit him in the knee. It hit but Akaji didn't seem to show any signs of pain as he kicked Kurotsuchi away. Kurotsuchi was dragged across the ground from the kick before she turned into mud.

Kurotsuchi attacked from behind Akaji with a swing to the head but was blocked by his cleaver. Akaji turned around and immediately swung his cleaver. She blocked it with her staff but was pushed back into the ground slightly due to his strength. Kurotsuchi blocked another swipe for her torso before attacking Akaji's shoulder joint. It was blocked by his cleaver.

Kurotsuchi blocked a low attack from Akaji before immediately parrying an overhead attack. She sidestepped a slice while using the edge of her Bo staff to guide the cleaver away from her. She spun around and used the opposite edge to thrust into Akaji's side which caused it to break, before she was sent flying by a kick to the stomach. "Argh!" Kurotsuchi grunted in pain as she was hit by the kick.

Before Kurotsuchi came crashing down, she felt a pair of arms around her. "Yo, you alright?" Naruto asked as he caught her and killed her momentum. "Sorry it took so long."

He placed Kurotsuchi on her feet. She spat out some blood but checked that her body was fine. "Thanks, I managed to place some chakra around my stomach to harden it slightly. I'm good," she said as she created another Bo staff from the earth. "Did you get him?"

"Yeah…"


As soon as the dome started to crumble, Naruto used a light step and headed for where he thought Geto was. He suppressed his chakra as much as he could because from the looks of it, Geto was a sensor. Several Naruto clones appeared in a small puff of smoke before all dispersing to do their assigned tasks. Naruto snuck onto the roof of a destroyed warehouse as he searched for Geto. He channelled chakra into his eyes and ears to see further and clearer and to hear better.

"Oh ho so you didn't leave your little girlfriend to die alone. You came here to fight me," Geto's voice rang in all directions.

"I heard what you said. For someone who's hiding, isn't it ironic to be calling me a coward," Naruto replied as he frantically looked around.

"What is a coward but a survivor. Those that run, survive," he said.

"Looks like you have a lot of experience at that," Naruto used chakra to make his voice spread across the area. 'Two can play at this game…'

"Oh ho. I'm no coward. I'm the one who kills cowards. Like those old scums from Hot Water who were so called the "leaders" of the village. Haha what fun it was!" Geto exclaimed.

'This guy has a mental problem…' Naruto thought before he heard the crackling of electricity. He turned around to see four lightning arrows heading his way. Naruto immediately turned back around and bolted away. His surroundings appeared as a blur as he ran from the arrows that were chasing him. A blur of yellow and blue would be seen if someone were to watch from far.

"Haha you can't run forever, blondie. My arrows will find you!" Naruto glanced behind him to see the arrows changing form. They changed from arrows to lightning crows. He now had a murder of crows chasing him throughout the compound. One of the crows managed to catch up with him and nose dived towards him. Naruto jumped down from the roof to dodge as a sparkling explosion hit his previous position. As he landed, he turned around to see the crows still chasing him.

'Come on, just a little more…' Naruto thought as he continued running.

"I'll have you roasted, gaki! Now say goodbye!" Geto exclaimed as all the remaining crows dived straight for Naruto.

'All right. Let's do this…'

"BOOM!"

"Hahaha. Poor gaki got roasted," Geto said to himself as he watched the explosion.

"Nah, I don't think so…" Geto suddenly felt cold metal slicing through his back. There was no time for him to react. He immediately slumped down as a large slice showed on his back. Blood splattered everywhere while his clothes started getting drenched in red. "H-how…" he managed to squeeze out as blood started pooling in his mouth.

"I had a clone search for you and when he found you, I used a kawarimi with it. You were so focused on me, you didn't even sense the clone. Although, to be fair to you, he was transformed into a fly," Naruto said as a small fly landed on his finger to show to Geto.

"Hehe, how…interesting…" Geto muttered.

"Rest in peace…" Naruto said before he disappeared in a shunshin.


Kurotsuchi and Naruto stood side by side as Akaji stared them down. Kurotsuchi's fingers fidgeted with the bo staff in her hands as she prepared for what seemed like their final stand off. Naruto took slow breaths as he circulated chakra through his legs. He had relied too much on his legs against Geto and had made the wound on his left leg worse. It was bigger than when Raiga initially created it.

Akaji saw the blood dripping from Naruto's blade and instantly made a connection. "What did you do to my brother?" he asked calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Now tell me!" Naruto could feel his chakra getting riled up and it was starting to circulate through his entire body.

"You know it and so do I…I'm sorry but it happened," Naruto said before Akaji's chakra exploded. Chakra started to engulf his body such that it was visible. He had a light blue glow around him and his eyes stared daggers at Naruto. His chakra extended to his cleaver and it lit a flame. Fire coated the blade of the cleaver and it matched with the flame of revenge in Akaji.

"You killed my brother. I will KILL YOU!" Akaji was onto Naruto in a split second and Naruto was sent flying into the wall of an abandoned warehouse behind him. Naruto crashed into the wall as it cracked and the wall dented into the shape of his body. Blood splattered out from his mouth and Naruto could feel his gut hurting like hell.

'I would've died if I didn't cover my body in chakra in time,' Naruto thought as he pulled himself out from the wall. Naruto fell down in a crouch as he felt Kurama's chakra healing him. Two naruto clones appeared by his sides and stopped the cleaver strike that was coming for him.

The left clone used his sword to block the cleaver strike as the other aimed a strike to Akaji's head. The sword made contact with his head but did not penetrate even his skin. Akaji grunted in annoyance as he grabbed the clone by the neck and threw him at the other clone. The clones crashed into each other in a heap before dispelling in a puff of smoke. Akaji turned his attention to the real Naruto to see that he was gone. He was hit heavily in the back of his knee which caused him to drop down onto one knee before he was hit in the back which only made him stumble slightly forward. Akaji used his momentum to roll and recover. He turned around to see Kurotsuchi with her bo staff at the ready.


Kurotsuchi's eyes widened as she watched Akaji send Naruto crashing back. She ducked under a cleaver strike but was hit by a kick to the side of the head. As soon as Akaji hit her, she turned into mud. She had used a kawarimi to get away from what could have been a fatal hit. While Akaji was distracted by Naruto's clones, she made a rock clone which carried away Naruto while she faced Akaji.

'I can't get hit by him. Even if I use chakra to lessen the impact, I'd be out for the day.' She held onto her staff with both hands and used a jutsu her grandfather had taught her. As she swung for his knee joint, she added the jutsu. ' Doton: Kajugan no Jutsu (Weighted Boulder Jutsu) ' her staff became heavier and harder right before hitting her opponent. She was pleased to see Akaji drop down on his knee before hitting him again on the head.

Unfortunately, Akaji stood back up as if nothing had happened. There was no grimace in pain, no physical marks of getting hurt, nothing. 'So he doesn't get hurt, but he is still physically affected by hits…'

Meanwhile, Naruto was watching this from the side as he waited for an opportune moment to strike. He could still feel his guts hurting but they were much better now.

"This is where it ends, big man!" Kurotsuchi called out.

"You and your boyfriend will die. I will avenge Geto!" Akaji exclaimed as more chakra bursted out from him. The chakra was so dense that even a non sensor like Kurotsuchi could sense it clearly. His eyes became full white and veins started appearing all across his muscles.

"It doesn't matter what you do, I will not die before you!" Kurotsuchi slammed her Bo staff into the ground and a boulder flew out. She smacked the boulder with her staff and sent it flying towards Akaji.

As soon as Akaji's chakra burst, alarm bells were ringing in Naruto's head. 'Oi oi oi! He just released an inner gate! Fuck!' He had to join the battle as soon as possible.


Akaji ran straight through the boulder Kurotsuchi had sent him. In a split second, Akaji disappeared and Kurotsuchi's attention was brought to the skies. Akaji had leaped towards her and was on a downward course towards her. She jumped away just in time as Akaji crashed down. Fire exploded out from where he landed and a crater could be seen.

Akaji didn't waste any time as he engaged Kurotsuchi immediately. Her Bo staff met with his blade as she was forced to take a step back. His strength far exceeded hers and she was slowly moving back and digging into the ground beneath her feet.

She stopped pushing back against Akaji and dodged the swipe for her by sidestepping it and swinging the Bo staff for his head. She hit but he remained standing. She jumped and twisted 360 degrees as she dodged a swipe for her torso. She landed on her feet and used her momentum to hit Akaji in the knees.


Naruto watched in awe as Kurotsuchi danced around Akaji. Dodging, attacking and constantly moving away from hits. Every time Naruto thought she got hit, she would turn into a substitute. Even with releasing an inner gate, Akaji was still focused on strength and as such is not agile like him or Kurotsuchi.

His techniques differed from that of Gai and Lee. Those two trained everything related to taijutsu - strength, speed, endurance. So when they use an inner gate, their body reaches a level it had never before and all these trained aspects come hand in hand. It's what makes them so deadly.

Akaji on the other hand focused on strength and endurance but not much on speed so it was still easy to outclass him in that aspect. Furthermore, he seemed relatively new at using the inner gates considering how long it took him to open one gate and from the look on his face. One can escape external pain but the eight inner gates are not external. His body is slowly breaking down by the tell of his chakra.

Naruto was broken out from his thoughts as he sensed Akaji moulding chakra. 'She's not going to expect this. Looks like it's time I join.'


Kurotsuchi blocked a kick from Akaji using her Bo staff but she was still sent flying back. She crashed into the ground roughly before rolling back onto her feet. Her breaths were deep and she could feel her body burning up in pain. She's being pushed to her limit. She wiped the blood that was trailing from her mouth with the back of her hand.

Kurotsuchi's eyes frantically searched her surroundings as Akaji was nowhere to be seen. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed a glint and turned to see Akaji moving midair towards her. Kurotsuchi readied her Bo staff once more but was caught off guard when Akaji threw his cleaver at her like a shuriken. The cleaver spun rapidly and was moving towards her quickly. She reacted as fast as she could and used all her strength and speed to deflect the cleaver just enough such that it only managed to graze her slightly on the shoulder while burning the area around the wound slightly. At the same time, however, she lost grip of her Bo staff and it flew out of her hands.

She looked up and her eyes widened in shock and horror. 'He used the cleaver as a distraction…' she thought as the sight of an inferno grew larger and larger. She wasn't expecting Akaji to use a jutsu like this. She should've expected him to stop his kenjutsu when it wouldn't work. She slipped. She had no way to defend herself. No staff, no time to take out a kunai, no time to use a jutsu, no time… The wall of flames came closer and closer. She could feel the heat from it get stronger as it neared.

Suddenly all that heat cooled off in a second. " Suiton: Sujinheki (Water Style: Water Wall) !" Words she couldn't feel more relieved to hear. Naruto appeared in a crouch in between the flames and her. A wall of water shot out from the ground stopping the fire jutsu in its tracks.

"I hope you didn't count me out just because of some small kick," Naruto commented as he made another hand seal. "Cause we're just getting started, Suiton: Fukusu Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Multiple Water Dragon Jutsu) !" The water wall transformed into three large water dragons that rushed at high speeds towards Akaji.

As Akaji was distracted by the dragons, Naruto turned his attention to Kurotsuchi. "Hey, you okay?"

"Thank you…" She whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Hey, we're a team right? Come on, I don't need a thank you, what I need is a partner," he said as he held her hands in between his. "Are you with me?"

"Yeah…" Kurotsuchi said as she opened her eyes. She exhaled and a smile graced her lips. "Let's do this."


The dragons chased after Akaji through the already wrecked compound. He already destroyed one of the dragons but there were still two more on his tail. He could feel his body slowing down. It was like a thousand needles poking every part of his body. It was a drawback of opening an inner gate. He needed to finish the fight quickly.

" Fire Style: Hell's Fist …" He muttered as a fire engulfed his hands. He turned around and immediately punched the water dragons. Water was scattered everywhere as the punch immediately destroyed them.

Sensing his jutsu had come to an end, Naruto prepared for Akaji's final stand. As expected, Akaji came pouncing on Naruto first. Naruto ducked under a right hook before jumping over a sidekick that came right after. Naruto landed and aimed a back heel kick to Akaji's head. Akaji did not react as he was hit on the head but he grabbed onto Naruto's ankle before pulling Naruto towards him. A flaming fist came crashing down on Naruto but he dispelled in a puff of smoke.

Akaji was sent tumbling forward when two water bullets hit him in the back. He was met by a Bo staff across the stomach. Akaji grunted in annoyance before he grabbed onto the staff and spun it along with Kurotsuchi before throwing her away. Kurotsuchi turned into a mud substitute as she hit Akaji at his joints. 'Shoulder, elbows and knees…' words that Kurotsuchi had to repeat over and over again during her training came across her mind. Akaji was brought to one knee.

Akaji looked up to see multiple Naruto approaching him. He made several hand seals in quick succession and gathered chakra. Sensing the build of chakra Naruto grabbed Kurotsuchi and got out of there quickly. " Fire Style: Red Orchid !" He exclaimed as he clasped his hands together. A small swirl of fire surrounded him before it exploded rapidly into a wall of fire that went all directions. The Naruto clones were all caught in the large fire jutsu.

Akaji started coughing violently before he regurgitated blood. It felt like his organs were stabbed over and over again. His muscles were being pulled to limits as chakra continuously flowed through them.

"Why do you still keep fighting?" Akaji looked up to see Naruto who asked him the question. "You're going to kill yourself."

"Do you have siblings? Or those who you think of as brothers?" Akaji asked as he slowly stood up. Naruto stayed silent as Akaji gazed into his eyes. "What would you do if I took them from you in one swipe? Before you know it, you'll be right where I am standing now."

The silence that came after was loud. Many thoughts were going through Naruto's head. 'Is he right? If someone were to kill them, would I get revenge?' As much as he would like to take the higher path, he knew that he would at this point opt for revenge.

"Life is unfair, gaki. But those that are close to you cause it to be balanced. Without them, life would be one scale and lonely." Akaji watched as Naruto slowly took in the words. "And now, you took the one and only person who made my life balanced…"

Naruto brought up his arms in a cross position in front of him to block a punch from Akaji. Naruto corrected himself midair and landed safely. He shrugged the pain he felt on his arms and engaged Akaji. He started with a triple roundhouse kick. Two quick successive kicks which Akaji blocked with his arms before a final kick to the side of the head. Akaji skidded slightly across the ground from the kick.

Akaji grabbed onto Naruto's ankle before slamming him onto the ground. The ground below him cracked and Naruto spat out blood. Akaji pulled Naruto off the ground and threw him. However, Naruto had used a kawarimi with a rock behind Akaji. He made the dragon hand seal and high-pressured water shot out from his mouth, ' Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Wild Water Wave) !"

Akaji was sent crashing through a wall which was the last thing holding together a remaining warehouse. The whole warehouse came crashing down on the large man. However, Akaji escaped from the rubble without any damages. "I'm invincible, Gaki. Something like this can't stop- Ack!" Akaji was forced on one knee as he vomited out more blood. 'No…Just a little more…I need to- Argh!' Before Akaji could finish his thoughts, he was hit in the side of the head with a Bo staff that sent him rolling into the dirt.

'Never forget about me!' Kurotsuchi had recovered her chakra slightly before rejoining the fight. Naruto appeared beside her in a shunshin as he realised what had happened.

"You injured him…" Naruto stated in surprise.

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened as she looked at Akaji to confirm. Akaji stood up with a groan and held the side of his head and realised blood was streaming down his hand. "I did…how?"

"The inner gates must be interfering with his jutsu. His chakra coils are nearly destroyed at this point and his body must feel like hell," Naruto explained. "This is our chance. Let's do this together."

"Geez how corny can you get? Are you the main character or something?" Kurotsuchi remarked.

"Hey… If I'm the main character, so are you. Ahhh why are we having this conversation now? You wanna do it or not?" Naruto asked as he extended a hand.

"Yeah. Let's do this, partner…" Kurotsuchi said with a smile before Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder and they disappeared with the wind.


Akaji held his blood in his palm and was shocked. 'I'm bleeding…how?' He couldn't remember the last time he was injured. He had been using the invincibility jutsu ever since he found it while raiding an elder from Hot Water with his brother. He looked up to see Naruto and Kurotsuchi before they disappeared. He looked around frantically as he reached for his back. That's when he realised he did not have his cleaver. 'I threw it to distract the girl…' He realised.

Suddenly, he was kicked in the back. He stumbled forward a little and turned around to parry a punch from Naruto. He and Naruto engaged in a bout of taijutsu. Naruto sidestepped a punch from Akaji's left and entered his guard. He aimed an uppercut for his chin but his hand was shoved away by Akaji.

Akaji aimed a low kick which Naruto jumped to avoid. Naruto did a quick double kick to his ribs and head which was blocked by both of Akaji's arms. They continued to trade punches and kicks while parrying and blocking each other.

Naruto managed to land a sucker punch to Akaji's gut causing to fold over his fist. Akaji spat out blood before he was kicked in the side of the head by Kurotsuchi. Kurotsuchi immediately pressed her advantage as Akaji repositioned midair and skidded through the ground. He blocked an axe kick with both of his arms above his head but was brought to his knees as Naruto attacked his knee joints from the back.

Kurotsuchi backflipped off her axe kick and landed a distance away. Seeing Kurotsuchi backing away, Akaji turned around to deal with Naruto. He did a horse kick which Naruto dodged but managed to buy him time to reposition. He stood back up and moved away.

Mere moments after, he leaned backwards to dodge a high kick from Kurotsuchi. He was about to grab onto her but suddenly, Naruto appeared in the position of Kurotsuchi to punch him into the ground. The ground fractured into the shape of a spiderweb. He felt the wind get taken out of his lungs. He didn't have much time to dwell on it as rolled backwards to dodge Naruto's blade. He stood up and realised that he was at where his cleaver was. His lucky day.

He picked up his cleaver just in time for it to meet Naruto's blade. They pushed against each other in a battle of strength. Before there could be a winner, he saw Kurotsuchi appear in the corner of his eye. He let slip his strength for a second causing Naruto to stumble forward and for him to kick Naruto in the gut. Naruto turned into a destroyed log and the real one was nowhere to be seen.

He caught Kurotsuchi's attack and pulled her in but she let go off her Bo staff. He used the Bo staff to his advantage as he threw at Kurotsuchi like a spear. Kurotsuchi dodged it to the side where he appeared with his cleaver mid-swing. His attack was stopped as Naruto pushed his cleaver back. Sparks flew as metal on metal met at high speeds and force.

Akaji hastily jumped away as three kunai wrapped with explosive tags entered his field of vision. A large explosion occurred but he had no time to react to it as three Narutos engaged him. "Tsk, this is annoying," he muttered as he backflipped away and went through hand seals. " Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu) !" He blew a giant fireball which caused the three clones to dispel.

" Suiton: Mizurappa !" The fireball met with water which caused steam to form and cover the area.

Akaji was blinded in the steam cloud as he searched for any sign of his opponents. Suddenly he felt himself flying through the steam cloud as Kurotsuchi had hit him in the back with fist covered in earth. He flew out of the cloud and was met with the sight of Naruto and his sword ready. " Uzumaki Style: Typhoon Blade …" Naruto muttered before Akaji was hit by what felt like hundreds of needles pricking him. Many cuts started making themselves known all across his body.

At this point, his body was drowned in red. He struggled to get to his feet but was instantly brought back down to his knees as a sticky liquid wrapped around him. His breathing was heavy and the taste of blood was constantly present in his mouth. "Heh, you two are quite good…" he said as his gaze landed on the two teens that have brought him so close to the end of his life.

"Was revenge really worth losing your own life?" Naruto asked with a solemn look.

Akaji smirked as he tried to move but Kurotsuchi's quicklime stopped that. It wouldn't matter if he could move anyway, he could feel his life slowly draining away. "For my brother, I will do anything."

"Even killing yourself? Is that what your brother would want?" This time, Kurotsuchi spoke up.

"It's what I want. If he hates me for killing myself so be it. But at least I'll die knowing I got revenge but looks like that's not true.." Akaji said as he had a bitter smile. He looked up into the sky and saw that light was starting to seep through the darkness. They had been fighting for so long that morning was starting to break. 'I'm sorry Geto…Looks like I'll be joining you soon.'

"The least we could do for you is give you a proper send off. We will bury you with your brother," Naruto said.

"That would be nice…" Akaji said with a small smile before the light in his eyes faded.


Naruto looked around at the destruction that had occured around them as they walked back through the compound. The compound that was once made of warehouses and filled with men was turned into a completely different scenery. Naruto clones littered the area as they cleaned up the bodies that were around and sealed them into scrolls. They also made sure that all the drugs were either brought in as evidence or had been burned away.

Bunto, who had been running the operation, was found dead. It seemed that he was killed by Geto as he was found with a wound from a lightning arrow. Somehow in the middle of this anarchy, he and Kurotsuchi were still alive. He had several wounds with major ones being the cut he received from Raiga and the sucker punch he got from Akaji. Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi had a cut on her shoulder and several bruises and cuts.

Naruto held onto Kurotsuchi as they slowly made their way back to Toki. "Ne, Kurotsuchi. Now that the mission's done, how long before you're going back?" Naruto asked as they traversed through the forest.

"Hmmm… I think a few days. I need to get my injuries checked out and recover my chakra. Besides, I think hitting the hot springs wouldn't hurt," she said after thinking for a while.

"That sounds like a good idea," Naruto said.

"What sounds like a good idea?"

"The hot springs. I've always heard that this land had good hot springs but I've never tried them yet," Naruto said with a nod. "Yeah, that does sound nice…I also heard the food is nice. I've tried some but I need more. You wanna try some with me?"

"Me?" Kurotsuchi was caught slightly off guard. Her teenage mind couldn't help but think of it as a date.

"Yeah who else would I ask? The tree behind you?" Naruto said with a chuckle before regretting it instantly. 'Shit, even laughing hurts. Damn he really hit me hard…" Naruto thought as he held onto his stomach area.

"Hey Kurama, how long would it take to heal?" He asked.

'Oi, I'm not your doctor! I'm the Kyubi, not some battery for you to suck dry.'

'Sorry, sorry. But can't you use more chakra to speed up the healing? You have a shit ton of chakra, this is like nothing for you.'

'It is nothing for me but I can't force more chakra than this. This is the max the seal allows.'

'Ah I see. Thanks. I think-'

"Yes." Naruto was brought out of his mindscape as Kurotsuchi spoke up. Naruto tilted his head in confusion as he missed what Kurotsuchi said. Seeing Naruto's face, Kurotsuchi repeated what she said. "I said yes to joining you. I don't mind spending the next few days together discovering what Toki has to offer."

A smile grew onto Naruto's face. A smile that made butterflies appear in Kurotsuchi's stomach. Naruto gazed directly into her eyes. They held their gaze for a few seconds before Naruto looked away with the smile still plastered on his face. "I look forward to it…"


A visit to the local doctor and a nice sleep later

Naruto sat beside Kurotsuchi as they ate sushi at Satoshi's restaurant. Satoshi was personally serving them as two other chefs served the other patrons. "So what's life like in Iwa at this time of the year?"

"It's my favourite time of the year actually. Autumn's coming soon and I always look forward to it," Kurotsuchi said as she placed another piece of sushi in her mouth.

"Really? What's great about autumn?" Naruto asked as he rested his arm on the bar and leaned against it. He observed as Kurotsuchi explained enthusiastically about her favourite season.

"Firstly, the weather is just great. It's cold but not too cold like in winter. Secondly, there's also an autumn festival that I look forward to every year. I always go there and eat at the food stalls lined along the roads with my mother. Then, there's the fireworks show at the end of the season which I love to watch with my family from the top of the Tsuchikage's Tower," somewhere in the middle of her explanation, Kurotsuchi started using hand gestures. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle as it reminded him of how he could also be sometimes.

"That sounds nice…The orange is nice too."

"Orange?"

"I guess you don't have many forests in Iwa so you don't see it much. As you know, leaves turn orange during autumn before dying in winter. So in Konoha, we get surrounded by orange trees throughout. It makes quite a view from the Hokage mountain to see the village just surrounded by a sea of orange. It's even better when you walk through the forests. The floor covered in leaves, the trees sheltering you with amazing colours and the cool autumn breeze hitting you…" Naruto said as he took a little nostalgia trip. Being on a training trip really makes you miss home.

"Wow…That sounds wonderful," Kurotsuchi said as she imagined what Naruto had told her.

Naruto nodded before he ate another piece of sushi. "Maybe one day you can experience it for yourself."

"Maybe…who knows maybe one day our villages can find peace with each other." They entered a momentary lapse of silence as many thoughts flooded their minds.

"So, do you have any goals? As a kunoichi you must have a dream," Naruto asked.

"Hmm…" Kurotsuchi closed her eyes as she thought about it. "When I was younger, I would've said to be Tsuchikage but now not so much. I would rather be out and about than behind a desk doing paperwork. So, right now, my goal would be to be Iwa's best kunoichi and when I eventually do have to retire, probably start a family. Maybe I can work as the Kage's advisor on the side. How about you?"

"My main goal is to protect people precious to me and perhaps become Hokage one day. Being a world known shinobi doesn't sound so bad either. The kind where people see you and flee immediately," Naruto said with a nod. "Yeah…that would be cool. So basically the same goals."

They continued eating and talking for a few more minutes before Kurotsuchi stood up and excused herself from the bathroom. "I didn't expect you two to already know each other," Satoshi said as he took a break from cooking to talk to Naruto.

"Huh? Oh yeah. We met before this. Actually that reminds me, why did you send mission requests for two villages?" Naruto asked as he sipped some water.

"We were desperate. We knew that if it kept going on, the town would crumble in no time. So we took a chance and sent two messengers, one east and one west. If one were to get intercepted by the gang, we would still have the other. We didn't expect to have both but we are grateful considering what you told us," Satoshi said before bowing and thanking Naruto.

"No, no need Satoshi-san. Don't need to thank me, I was just doing my job," Naruto frantically said.

"A job which none of us townspeople could do. So thank you, Naruto."

"It was no issue Satoshi-san. You're welcome," Naruto said with a smile. He couldn't help but compare it to the villagers in Konoha. In Konoha most citizens probably will call for his head at the first chance they get. Only the shinobi population knows what he has done for the village, mostly because most of the citizens had already been evacuated during the sand invasion. Furthermore, missions are not common knowledge so many details are kept under wraps, especially the important ones. 'Ahh, it's not good to think of these things…' Naruto shook away those thoughts and focused on the present.

"I saw how you were looking at her. Reminds me of how I look at my wife when I first met her," Satoshi said with a smile.

"You're married?!" Naruto asked, surprised.

"Yeah, just a few months ago," Satoshi said as he showed Naruto his ring.

"Well, congrats I guess."

"Haha thanks…but don't try to change the topic you cheeky boy," Satoshi said with a smirk that Naruto didn't miss.

"Look at her, huh?" Naruto mumbled as he stared at the ceiling. "I mean she is beautiful, both on the inside and outside. Did you know she walked me back here and didn't complain once. I know many people who would've dreaded making that long track back with someone who couldn't even use his leg." A smile graced him as he continued to stare at the ceiling. Satoshi listened intently as he watched Naruto. "Her eyes are unmatched. I've never seen anyone with eyes like those. She's just…I don't know what to say…"

"Looks like she's got you speechless there," Satoshi commented.

"Yeah…Do you think we can work? We are from different villages after all…" Naruto said as he felt his heart beat faster and faster. It was a surreal feeling, he was just sitting down and talking yet his heart was moving like he was running across the world.

"These things know no bounds, Naruto. If it was destined to be, then it is to be," Satoshi said as he patted Naruto on the shoulder.

"Destiny huh?" He chuckled at those words. "If only Neji could hear me now…" he humoured.

"Thanks Satoshi-san," he said as he lowered his gaze from the ceiling. He faced a grinning Satoshi and finally did he notice that the restaurant had emptied. Moments later, Kurotsuchi came back. They said their thanks and goodbyes to Satoshi not long after.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi walked side by side as they roamed the streets of Toki. Children were playing with sparklers and sports along the streets while mothers watched them and chit chatted with one another. Fathers were drinking beer while having engaging conversations with other fathers. Life in Toki had returned again and the two teens were grateful to have been the ones to bring this wonderful life back to the town.

As they continued their walk, Naruto chanced upon two orphans who were sitting by the side. He created two shadow clones which vanished immediately after appearing. Naruto walked up to them and crouched down to their level. "Hey, how are you doing?" Naruto asked softly.

The two children kept quiet and merely stared at Naruto. "What are you doing here? Why are you not playing with the others?" They still remained quiet and Naruto noticed that they were holding each other's hands tightly. The strings of his heart pulled at the sight. "There's nothing to be scared of, ok. Me and your Nee-chan here," he said as he pointed to Kurotsuchi. "We're not going to hurt you. In fact…" as if on cue, the two shadow clones he had made appeared beside him, shocking the kids slightly.

The clones had plastic bags in their hands. Naruto took out some sparklers which he had a clone buy and handed them to the orphans. The other clone gave them one of the plastics he was holding. "Inside that plastic bag there's some rice and chicken if you're hungry. There's also some bread. If you ever need help, you just go to the sushi restaurant over there. The owner is a good man," Naruto said as he got nods from the two girls.

"These are some sparklers. When you finish eating, go play with your friends over there ok." Naruto grinned at them when they nodded vigorously. "Take care of each other ok," Naruto said as he ruffled both of their hairs.

"Thank Onii-san…" one of them muttered. Naruto merely smiled back at them and mouthed "enjoy" as he walked away towards the other children. "Good evening everyone!" He called out, getting the attention of the children and their mothers. "I have a treat for you guys!" he exclaimed as one of his clones crouched down and opened the bag he was holding. Inside was filled to the brim with sweets and candies.

Seeing the sweets, the children rushed towards his clone and reached for the sweets. He looked up at the group of parents and saw them smiling after seeing the happy kids. He waved at them when he noticed they were thanking him before making his way.

Kurotsuchi started to view Naruto in a different way. What she had seen before was only Naruto's shinobi side. What she was seeing currently was a totally different side of Naruto. He was kind, he was compassionate and had a soft side. As an orphan himself, Naruto had a stronger ability to emphasise and relate to the two children than Kurotsuchi.

She had never been more grateful to have done what she did. If they had never come, Toki would've stayed under Bunto's and the brothers' control for who knows how long. Toki might've gone bankrupt, the locals would have been targeted and many other evil dealings could've occured.

They eventually reached their hotel. It was a gift from the local businessmen. They had accumulated money to give Naruto and Kurotsuchi a night at the town's best hotel. They tried to reject it but the locals were very insistent. "I guess this is where we say goodbye," Naruto said as they reached a fork in the corridor.

"Yeah, I guess so…I had a great time, Naruto."

"Me too. It was a nice change from yesterday," he said as he got nods of agreement.

"Goodnight, Naruto…"

"Goodnight, Kurotsuchi…"

As soon as Kurotsuchi entered her room, she locked the door and sat on her bed. She stared at the floor as she thought about the past day's events. A large smile grew on her face as she recalled a wonderful moment that truly made her day. 'Her eyes are unmatched. I've never seen anyone with eyes like those. She's just…I don't know what to say…' Naruto said. Kurotsuchi had overheard Naruto's and Satoshi's conversation. She thought he would've caught her with sensory abilities but he didn't.

She leaned back and laid down on her bed. "I can't believe it…" she muttered as she stared at her hand which she had raised into the air. Her heart fluttered just thinking about it. "Goodnight…Naruto-kun…" she whispered.


Naruto turned and went to the room he was given. It was simple yet decently luxurious. Naruto took a seat at the study table that came with the room. He stared at the report on the table that was to be given to the Hokage. There was something about it that bothered him very much. The clones never found Geto's body. After searching everywhere, not even a single speck of him was found…and that worried him.


Geez, 9k words for a chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.

Training with Jiraiya comes in next chapter. Always open to feedback on how to better my writing especially at fights.

*I obviously don't own Naruto and its characters. That belongs to Kishi.

Gotta have one of these every few chapters.