Heya,

I'm taking a break from other works for a bit to pursue some ideas that have been on my mind for a while. This story is one that I ended up hashing out with a reader a few weeks ago; I hope y'all like it.

Fair warning in advance: This is mostly just a bunch of ideas we cobbled together over a bunch of conversations that got Frankensteined together as a whole plot bin. It's possible (likely even) that this won't go particularly far, seeing as I've got other things currently on my plate… More than anything, I just felt like writing something new for a bit.

Anyways, Naruto is not mine. It is the intellectual property belonging to one Masashi Kishimoto. I am merely playing within his sandbox.

Enjoy.


Danzo's forearm was tight around her throat, a withered noose of flesh and blood that shaved her breaths to a whittled gasp. A faint blur crept at the corners of her vision as the old man restrained her, interposing her body between himself and Sasuke in a final bid for leverage- for control.

In that moment, she cursed her weakness.

Damnit, it was always like this! Her fragile body- as always, she needed somebody else to bail her out because she was too weak or too slow to do anything but get in the way!

Give her something to study- a problem to solve, and she could work wonders; hell, Sasuke had even sought her out in the first place because her proficiency as a tracker was without equal! And yet, what did it matter if he always had to pull back from his goal, to bail her out because she just couldn't seem to stop herself from tripping right before the finish line!

Peering into Sasuke's gaze, she saw her feelings mirrored in his stare. What's more, she felt it in his chakra; where once, it had been cool, even pleasantly so- now, it was like the surrounding temperature had dwindled down to nothing.

Nothing but cold fury.

She couldn't blame him either. This was twice now: first with the Eight Tails; now here, when he was mere moments away from killing Danzo, the man who had ordered the slaughter of all of his loved ones…

"S-sorry, Sasuke!" She wheezed from Danzo's grip. She meant it too. After this, they'd need to regroup with Suigetsu and Jugo; come up with plans so that she could be more effective in the future. If he planned to go after the other elders who were complicit in his suffering- she didn't want to be the reason that her friend and crush was burdened any further-

She froze, her thoughts derailed by the sudden shift in Sasuke's energy. The darkness that had been frosting over beneath the surface, infesting his chakra with its creeping chill- she had presumed that it was merely a byproduct of that weird skeletal armor he had manifested; not the true essence of the boy, himself.

But as Sasuke's eyes seemed to dilate, fixating not on her, but through her and onto Danzo- she suddenly wasn't so sure.

"Hold still Karin," Sasuke muttered, almost absently. "Don't move a muscle."

"O-oka-" Her body froze, just as Danzo's grip slackened. She should have been able to breathe as his forearm shakily pulled away from her neck. Yet, somehow it was harder than ever to take a breath!

Numbly, Karin's gaze drifted downward, and her blood ran cold at the electrified discharge penetrating through her chest.

What? How had that gotten there?

She followed its trail, and her stomach lurched, observing the stream extending from Sasuke's extended fingers. The sharp crackle of lightning sparked between them, extended so quickly that she hadn't even noticed its deployment.

"S-Sasu-ke?" She wheezed, in disbelief. The stream cut off, and she collapsed, paralyzed, like a puppet cut loose.

It had to have been an accident, right? For a moment, Karin wondered if Danzo had somehow caught her in a genjutsu, but she knew well that she had not once looked into any of his eyes- not even the ones implanted into his arm!

But the pain was rapidly creeping onto her, gripping at her nerves and squeezing! Surely he hadn't meant to hurt her? The Sasuke she knew would never-

What actually did she know about Sasuke?

The thought came to her, unbidden. And as if that was the queue it had been waiting for, agony raced through her nervous channels, affirming for sure that her pain was real. Her fingers darted upward on reflex, prodding at the blackened crisp that surrounded the newfound perforation in her chest. She tried to scream- to moan, or make any sound at all, really. She called for Sasuke to help her, but only a breathless gasp made it past her lips; she could only barely shift her head, gazing up at Sasuke as he strode past her without so much as a glance, walking down the bleeding, fleeing Danzo that he had run through alongside her.

And with every moment that passed- every step that he took after his prey brought with it greater surety that Sasuke's attack had been no accident.

Her gaze only weakened as her life spilled, pooling beneath her and soaking into the earth and her clothing and-

Was she dying?

There was a sound, loud and sharp like the screech of grinding metal; it distracted her enough that she briefly found the strength to hunt for its source. Danzo was deploying some kind of seal, intent on dragging Sasuke with him to the afterlife, but the Uchiha was simply too quick, anticipating the attack and leaping back to border just outside the reach of the expanding sphere.

As the chaos settled, revealing little else but a staggering absence of material, Sasuke merely stared into the void for a long moment. Then he snarled, whipping around and kicking a piece of rubble with all of his might. It splintered apart, its bits rocketing in her direction and pelting her surroundings; Karin flinched as the debris impacted, showering her hair with dust and pebbles, but she lacked even the strength to protect her head and face. Fearfully, she chanced a glance at the Uchiha teen through cracked glasses, and her skin crawled as she found his gaze; he was staring at her, a wide, unblinking stare roving over her wounded form like an ant under a magnifying glass.

"Sasuke," A deep voice stole the boy's attention, and Sasuke looked away to glare at the masked man instead.

… Come to think of it, Sasuke's change in demeanor could be tracked down to his meeting with that man. The latter had come to collect them after retrieving Sasuke's unconscious body from the battlefield where he'd killed Itachi… Sasuke had seemed so much less stable, after speaking to him.

"How's that revenge going for you, hm?" He gestured boorishly toward the crater where Danzo had once been. "Is it everything you imagined it being?"

He was mocking him…

Clearly, Sasuke sensed it too. "It's not done yet," the younger Uchiha snarled. "I've got a whole village left to set fire to."

But did the whole village really deserve that? Karin had thought they were to be going after the elders- the people who were directly responsible for his family's deaths…

When had Sasuke become so callous?

"Heh, well don't let me keep you then," The masked man allowed, easily. "But before that, I think you've got a loose end you need tied off, mm?" He pointed past Sasuke, and the raven-haired boy followed the gesture, his scarlet-tinged eyes once again finding Karin.

It hurt to admit inside that she knew what he would do even before he began to approach.

Slowly, Sasuke stalked after her, eyes drinking in her asphyxiating rasps like a predator studying its next meal.

He meant to kill her then…

Maybe it was desperation; hell, maybe it was just morbid curiosity that spurred her to find the strength for the one question she needed answered. If he planned to end her life, then surely she at least deserved to know- "Why?"

Sasuke frowned. "Why?" He savored the word, tasting her last request before merely shrugging, dismissing her plea with disinterest. "You were in the way."

And that just broke her heart…

"Oh…" She should have known better, saw the signs and made a break for it; from the very moment they had arrived at the Five Kage Summit, his chakra had begun to darken, chilling down to this frigid, soulless heap of cold fury and hatred. With every moment, she became more afraid. Foolishly, she had convinced herself that she'd merely feared for him.

But she understood now. On some level, she had sensed the threat in his chakra; on some level, her body had recognized what her silly, stupid mind was too infatuated to properly understand.

That Sasuke did not care about her… She was merely a tool- a pawn to be used and exploited for his own purposes…

Just as Orochimaru had done before him.

Just as the people of Kusa had used her and her mother until mom had keeled over and died.

Her mind flashed, and she was young again, watching silently as her mother was pinned down; rough fingers dug carelessly into her flesh, restraining her against the weight of two men as their teeth broke her skin. They sucked at her flesh, tearing away her chakra day in and day out, until that had become her normal.

And her mother had endured it all with nary a cry or complaint, all so that her child could have a roof over her head and food in her belly.

Until one day, they pushed her too far… And when her mother had finally succumbed to the selfish whims of those people, they turned to her to fill her place.

She had a whole litany of scars to remember them by; to remember their punishment, simply for existing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And she had let Sasuke become one of them. She had let him add to her collection of scars- convinced herself that he was special- better than them, because he had protected her once, back when they were younger and his eyes still had light in them.

But now, peering into his chakra, roiling with loathing so deep and indiscriminate that it made her stomach churn- now, there seemed only a void where his heart had once been.


Konoha medicine was truly phenomenal. Or maybe that was just a testament to the prowess of Tsunade Senju's student. The pink haired girl- 'Sakura', Sasuke had called her- she made short work of the gaping, charred puncture in her heart, and Karin could only gasp in relief as sweet oxygen finally found its way into her lungs, unimpeded.

"Take it slow," Sakura advised her, a palm resting comfortingly along her back. "Slow, deep breaths. Does it hurt to breathe?"

'No,' She wanted to say, but her breathing was still a fight to control, and she didn't trust her words, so Karin merely shook her head. The other girl smiled, and Karin tried to smile back, but a painful, hacking cough interfered with that maneuver.

Alright, that one did hurt…

A gentle palm continually rubbed circles in her back, soothing her aching lungs until she could finally find the strength to back the words she wanted to say.

"Your acting sucks." Sakura blinked owlishly at the critique, and Karin giggled a little. "S-sorry, it's just- thanks for saving me… But you- cough - y-you couldn't have been more transparent if you tried, ya know?"

Sakura frowned, ducking her head down and sighing. "Yeah, I guess I've never been much of a performer…" Then she cast her glance past Karin, her jade-green eyes following the standoff ahead. Karin followed her gaze and gaped at the orange-clad blonde who had interposed himself between Sasuke and the two girls earlier. Beside him, Kakashi of the Sharingan's appearance was unmistakable; she had seen him often enough in the bingo book to know him on sight. The former though- she had never seen him, but she knew of him. He was the only person they had consistently been able to get the Uchiha to talk about- a ghost of Sasuke's life before Orochimaru.

Nothing could have prepared her for the real deal though.

He was fairly good looking, if a bit rugged, sporting a shaggy head of golden blonde hair. Twin trios of horizontal, whisker-like marks adorned each of his cheeks above which lay a pair of brilliant, cerulean eyes. He was dressed oddly, sporting a full tracksuit that bore streaks of black but was predominantly orange.

But none of that mattered at all. Not one bit, when compared to the veritable sun that was the boy's chakra.

"So warm," She muttered, enthralled by the brilliant golden aura that sparked within him. It was like he stood exactly at odds with the cold, cruel darkness that had become of Sasuke's own aura.

"Huh?" Sakura followed Karin's gaze, chuckling just a bit as she found Naruto Uzumaki's back. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess so, huh?"

Up ahead, Kakashi raised his voice in command. "Naruto, let me handle this," Kakashi ordered the blonde, cutting a look toward his student.

"Nah." One word from the blonde, and Kakashi's lone eye blinked, owlishly.

Shoring himself up against the rather blunt rejection, he took a step forward, throwing out an arm to block the boy's path. "Naruto, as Sasuke's sensei, it's my duty to-"

"Let me just stop you right there," Naruto cut in, effortlessly shoving past Kakashi's arm; he even glared at the man a little. "I'm stronger than you, sensei… And he may have been your student once, but he's still my friend. Back off." Taking in Kakashi's stupefied expression, he seemed to grow a bit embarrassed. "Er- please…"

Still, there was something hard and unapologetic in the boy's tone as he continued his trek, leaving behind a speechless Kakashi as he did so. A few more steps, and he and Sasuke stood just a few meters away from one another.

"Naruto…" Sasuke sneered, ducking forward a little to take the blonde in. The latter clearly didn't miss the gesture, raising an eyebrow at Sasuke's dwindling sight. "Tch! Why does it feel like I can never be free of you?"

"Heh, missed you too, best buddy!" A wide, toothy grin slipped onto the boy's face, but it was fleeting; he looked back at Karin, an expression of true pity worn plainly on his sleeve. Jutting a thumb her way, he leveled a glare on Sasuke. "She was your comrade, right? Did you do that to her?"

Sasuke met his glare with his own. "So what if I did? If you're planning to start lecturing me, just save your breath."

Naruto frowned, grimacing as if disgusted by what he was seeing. "Nah… Your dense ass wouldn't listen anyhow… You ain't gonna hear what I have to say unless we clash fists, so I'm just gonna cut to knocking your teeth down your throat." He grinned again. "Then you're going to apologize to her- I mean get on your knees and kiss all her toes if she'll let you. Then, we're all going to go home and sing kumbaya or some shit. Believe it."

"Hehehe…" Sasuke snickered. He tilted his head, brushing his hair out of his bangs. Then he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "You never change! It's always the exact same thing with you!" A sharp inhale, then his features darkened, utterly dripping with such hatred that even his counterpart blinked in surprise. "Even now, all you can do is talk big and make jokes, huh!? Everything I'm doing- all of my suffering- it's just a fucking joke to you, isn't it!?"

"Oh spare me the damn monologue." Naruto began to walk forward, his grin tugging downward until an angry scowl of his own had emerged to match his friend. "You self-centered douchebag, I got on my damn knees and humiliated myself for your sake after you went and turned yourself into a global terrorist." He'd do it again, too. In a heartbeat, if needed! "You think I'd be here wasting my time on your dumb ass if I wasn't taking you seriously? If I didn't care!? You don't even know half the lengths I've gone to, for your sake!" He growled, and Sasuke startled a bit at the fury in the boy's tone. "Now I know a thing or two about suffering, but I still ain't gonna pretend to fully understand what you're going through right now." A huff. "And I sure as shit ain't about to lecture you on how you should feel-" His stalking gait accelerated, and Sasuke threw his arms up in preparation, something close to concern arising in the face of the roaring sun that threatened to burst free from his rival's body.

Karin had never seen Sasuke second-guess himself before.

Naruto snarled. "But I draw the damn line at taking it out on your friends 'cuz you're having it rough! So if you're gonna go around hurting your comrades just to take the edge off your anger, then as your certified best buddy, it's my glorious, god-given duty to beat the piss and shit outta you until you get yourself sorted, ya know!"

Then he was on him. One moment, they were but a few meters apart; the next, the blonde had closed the entirety of the distance between them, his fist rocketing right through Sasuke's half-blind guard and forcing him to spew blood as it crashed into his face.

Sasuke recovered quickly, lashing out with a flurry of blows that seemed quicker than ever, but simply lacked accuracy in his current state. His opponent weaved effortlessly around each of them, another duo of blows manifesting into a blinding fast jab that crashed into his chest, followed by a hook punch that cracked over the other boy's skull. Sasuke stumbled, and Naruto's other palm flew in, impacting his gut with such force that the water around them was displaced. Sasuke's face swelled up with agony, then he was launched away with an explosion of force, his body skipping across the water until he could only roll to a wheezing stop some meters away.

"Erm- he's pissed," Sakura muttered, worriedly. Karin reluctantly tore her gaze from the fight to regard the pinkette properly. "I thought- I thought he wouldn't have it in him to hurt Sasuke-ku- er, to hurt Sasuke… I thought for sure he'd pull his punches a bit."

"He is pulling his punches," Kakashi interjected, and that made Karin gape at the man. "Naruto wasn't wrong about what he said; even without the sage mode that took down Pain, his training on Mount Myoboku has put him far above either of us. And in the condition he's currently in- Sasuke doesn't stand a chance as he is right now."

It was almost unbelievable to Karin, to think that Sasuke could lose…

Her attention was pulled back to the fight, where Sasuke had finally drawn his sword anew. He managed only two sloppy swings with the blade before Naruto simply swatted the thing out of his hand, taking advantage of the moment to chop at a gagging Sasuke's neck. Then he closed a crushing grip around Sasuke's skull and slammed a brutal knee into the other boy's face.

"Gah!" Sasuke gasped, twin streaks of crimson flushing from both of his nostrils. Dazed as he was, he had no response for Naruto as the blonde tilted back and lashed out with his legs to close a strangling triangle choke around his neck. With the sudden addition of dead weight, Sasuke was unprepared and fell to both knees, red-faced and wheezing, allowing Naruto to hammer the crown of his skull with two painful-looking blows that drew blood from a nasty-looking gash in his scalp. Then, just as the mad Uchiha seemed on the verge of wrenching himself free, Naruto got ahead of it; kicking him back a bit, Naruto whipped around and crashed a back-kick into the Uchiha's chest that sent him tumbling back where he flopped across the water, hacking and spitting.

"I want you to know that this hurts me more than it hurts you! Not because you don't deserve it, but because your hard-ass head hurts to punch!"

"Er- he's beating him up…" Karin winced as the blonde implanted a vicious punch to Sasuke's gut just as he tried to stand, driving the boy to his knees.

Was this really a fight?

"He said that he would," Kakashi sighed. "Naruto loves Sasuke like a brother; when he found out the Raikage put a hit out on his head, he didn't hesitate to make the trek to the Summit to beg him to show Sasuke mercy. More than anyone else, he's been sympathetic to Sasuke's situation…" He groaned a little. "Probably a little too much, even." Then Kakashi looked at her, more specifically at the puncture through her top. "It must have hurt him fiercely to see how far Sasuke has fallen- treating his own comrade so cruelly…"

"Oh," She squeaked, lamely. "So he's doing all of this for me?" But- "But we don't even know each other!?"

Sakura snorted. "As if that would matter to that knucklehead. But it's more like- he must feel really betrayed right now, seeing Sasuke act like this." Then she sighed, sadly. "I can't have helped the situation much for him. I- uh… I'm sorry I made such a mess of things, Kakashi-sensei…"

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Naruto," Kakashi ordered the girl sternly. Sakura bowed her head, and though Karin didn't quite understand, she didn't have it in her to ask as Sasuke was hurled bodily through the bridge above. His body carved through the stone structure, the young man screaming in pain as his violent flight came to a painful stop just above them. His body fell, and Naruto was already there to volley a kick into Sasuke's unprotected chest, rocketing him downward until his body pierced through the water's surface and deposited him below.

Then the blonde dropped down in front of them with a frown on his face. He started into his clenched fist, as if meaning to divine through his own bloodied knuckles. "You asshole," he sighed, mournfully. The water broke apart again, and Sasuke clawed his way to the surface, hacking and spitting. A baleful glare dominated all of his face, meant only for Naruto.

"You know, I'm not even mad at you anymore for going to Orochimaru," Naruto admitted. Sakura and Kakashi gaped; even Sasuke was startled by the admission. "I still think it was a bone-headed decision, but I understand how you got there… I understand why you killed that Danzo guy too. You don't gotta ask me to understand that, man; I get it…" He sighed. "But where are we drawing the line then? If you're gonna lash out at everybody who's even looked at you wrong, and even those who haven't- who gets a pass, huh?" Naruto's eyes hardened. "Who gets to live in this ideal world of yours? What's your endgame?"

Sasuke stammered for a moment, caught off guard by his question. Then for a moment, he seemed to really contemplate the question. Karin could feel his chakra churning beneath the surface.

"My endgame?" He ducked his head low, his eyes shadowed by the curtain of his bangs.

Then his chakra spiked. Pure hatred, foul unlike anything she'd ever felt before and so sick that she gagged- it seeped from his figure, creeping away from the boy like waves of frost.

"Right now, you're all laughing at us, content to live in bliss- to treat us all like we're just some damned footnote in history!" Bloody tears welled up and spilled over, dribbling messily over Sasuke's cheeks and dipping into the water beneath their feet. Then Sasuke fixed Naruto with a malevolent glare, twin beads of crimson spiraling with fury. Dark, purple chakra began to tear away from him, coalescing and twisting together into a mass of bones, then flesh. Then, thick plates of armor began to amass over even that, the shape swelling and expanding thrice over until his entire body was wreathed in a massive, screaming avatar. "My endgame!? My endgame is a ball of ash! I'll turn your laughter into screams while I burn it all down!"

"Heh, you damn drama queen," Naruto snickered. Still, the bead of sweat that had begun to build at his temple was sign enough of his worry. "Whatever then, before you do anything, you'll have to go through me! So turn all of that hatred this way! I'll take it all and set your ass straight no matter what, believe it!


In the end, their fight had gone nowhere. That masked man had interfered, dragging Sasuke off just as the latter's eyes had truly started failing him.

"Next time, then," Naruto had confidently stated to both Uchihas. "Next time, we'll settle things properly."

And Sasuke had nodded, blind as a bat, and yet seeming more lucid than ever in the face of that promise.

And wasn't that just ominous? Watching the blonde kick Sasuke around with minimal effort seemed to speak well of his abilities, even if his reputation hadn't…

But Sasuke wasn't the type to sit on his laurels. Karin knew that the next time the boy surfaced, things would not go so simply.

But that was a problem for another time, she supposed. For now-

The faint click of manacles around her wrists and ankles were a bit more pressing of a concern…

"Is this really necessary?" She asked, trying to retain at least some semblance of dignity in the face of the large, scarred man before her. "I-I already told you I'll tell you whatever you want."

"And I appreciate the offer," The man returned, reasonably. "But I also probably shouldn't trust the word of an international terrorist."

She winced. Right, they had been Akatsuki, however brief… "Can I at least have a glass of water?"

"Why? So you can smash it and slit my throat?"

"A paper cup is fine too, I guess?"

"Right, so you can fold it into an origami blade and slice my throat." The scarred man glowered at her. After the paper woman from the Akatsuki, he'd never trust paper again.

Screw it- "Just put some in a spray bottle and shoot me with it from afar then! I'm just dehydrated, man!"

He thought about that for a moment. Then shrugged. "Yeah, I can do that."

There was a loud screech of metal that made Karin jump, and she and her interrogator both glanced after the sound as an imposing, blonde woman stepped in.

Amber eyes; the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead- Karin knew the woman's description enough to recognize her as Orochimaru's old comrade.

Tsunade Senju, Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure.

"Cut the theatrics, Ibiki," The woman growled his way, and the man's stoic countenance seemed to crack just that little bit as a faint blush took hold in his cheeks. Glancing Karin's way, Tsunade looked her up and down and frowned. "Your blood work just came in… You're coming with me."

"R-right," Karin hesitantly agreed. "Er- can I have some water please?"

Tsunade cut a glance Ibiki's way and her frown seemed to grow even more pronounced. "Set her loose and give her something to drink. Don't keep me waiting."


As it turned out, the only thing the Torture and Interrogation department seemed to have on hand was a bunch of plastic sippy cups…

Karin wasn't going to complain. She'd been quick to cop the one with baby ducks on it.

Tsunade carried a rather severe aura, and she set a grueling walking pace up several flights of stairs that Karin was hard-pressed to chase- especially with her legs still feeling so numb after a day and a half of minimal movement.

"So- uh… Thanks for not executing me?" Karin tried, awkwardly.

Tsunade glanced at her, and something close to mirth seemed to swell in her eyes for just a moment. "You're very welcome…" Then she frowned again. "Truth be told, I considered it. You owe Team Seven your thanks for speaking up on your behalf. You'll have a chance to do that very soon, as a matter of fact."

She'd be sure to do so, then…

The came to a stop before a large set of twin-doors, finely wooded and polished with a rich sheen of brown. Tsunade palmed the knob, shoving her way inside and beckoning Karin to follow; as she anxiously did so, she started; the room seemed larger than was initially implied, from the outside. She shuffled inside, casting a wary glance to and fro. Just ahead was the large, looming shape of the Hokage's chair, turned away to face the fully windowed view beyond.

The pink-haired girl who had saved her, -Sakura, she reminded herself- she was standing at attention, something close to apprehension worn across her features. Beside her was Kakashi, his nose buried into a book with cover art that she knew well.

Heh, a man of culture then…

Tsunade huffed. "Where is that damned knuckle-head?"

"I've been expecting you," A familiar tone announced, and Tsunade groaned as the chair swiveled to face her, revealing the smugly grinning face of Naruto Uzumaki. He wore a decorated, triangular white hat with scarlet flame-patterns at its edges, a long drape at the back which settled at his shoulders. One of his legs seemed to be crossed over the other, and his arms seemed to be occupied, a rather large toad nestled in one while he stroked its head like a hairless cat of some kind. "To have made it past all of my henchmen; you truly are every bit as formidable as my sources say, Granny Tsunade!"

"Get the hell out of my chair," Tsunade groaned, pacing forward to reclaim her rightful place. "And your villainous monologues suck. Step your shit up, boy."

The boy snorted. "Yes, gran-gran."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Stop being old!"

That exchange saw the boy bodily yanked out of the chair and bowled over the table in short order. He came rolling to a stop at Karin's feet, where he smiled up at her and waved.

"Heya."

She snickered. "Er- hi?"

"Quit wasting time!" Tsunade ordered, and Naruto finally seemed to take the woman seriously, letting a frazzled Sakura haul him to his feet. "I doubt I need to spell out to you that your little stunt with the Raikage went and ruffled his feathers."

Naruto snorted. "Right, because bowing to a man is now disrespectful."

"Try 'preaching forgiveness to a man who recently lost his brother'." Tsunade's glare tried to freeze the blonde in his place, but he waved her off.

"Right, so then how should we respond to his own ninja coming to our village uninvited, waving a blade in mine, Sakura, and Sai's faces, then beating the piss out of me in our own home?" He raised an eyebrow, and Tsunade let out a huff.

Sure, he had egged them on to do that, but being a ninja was all about twisting the facts, wasn't it?

Kakashi spoke up then, ever-quick to back up his students. "Cloud still has never been held accountable for their little kidnapping stunt a few years back. I think the Raikage can suck up his hurt feelings, if that's his only problem with us?"

"I would agree." Tsunade nodded, but they all knew a 'but' was just around the corner. "Except, now we're harboring an ex-Akatsuki operative at you guys' request; an ex-Akatsuki operative who just over a day ago infiltrated a highly secure diplomatic meeting between major powers and helped assassinate one of those leaders.

Karin flinched.

Yeah, not her best moment.

"Er-" Karin fumbled blindly, searching for any excuse under the sun. "It-it was just a prank?"

"Shut up."

"Y-yes ma'am…"

Tsunade clearly wasn't finished, and Naruto had finally deigned to look at her properly.

"And let's talk about Sasuke, the very boy you groveled for; the very terrorist who she aided, taking the Raikage's arm and dealing permanent mental damage to one of his underlings, in addition to slaughtering dozens of Iron Country's samurais… Do you still want to keep scoffing at me?"

The whiskered boy sighed. "Nah… Nah, I'm hearing you loud and clear."

Tsunade glowered at him. "I heeded your request and spared this girl only because it was you who asked. Anyone else, and I'd have killed her myself." Karin winced, for she did not doubt that she could. "But make no mistake, you're now fully responsible for her, and any of the consequences of that choice. And there will be consequences… Am I being understood here?"

This time, Naruto said nothing, merely nodding firmly.

"Good. Expect that we will revisit that shortly. For now, there are more pressing issues to tend to."

That made Karin blanche a little. She would have thought that an international incident would be at the very top of any list of issues.

Tsunade plucked a thin folder off her desk, waving the thing for the three to see. "Kazekage Gaara was helpful enough to provide for me a thorough record of the events that went on during the summit… According to him, the masked man claiming to be Madara Uchiha is declaring war on all ninja villages." She let out a huff. "Unless we hand over the Eight and Nine Tails, that is." Tsunade fixed Naruto with a hard look. "Many of the higher ups in this village would prefer that I keep you in the dark regarding the situation; arrangements have even been made to shelter you off in a remote place with the Eight Tails' Jinchuriki to ensure that this 'Madara' can't get his hands on you."

"Bullshit!" Naruto snarled, and Karin and Sakura both startled at the fury in his tone. "So what, they wanna pen us up like a pair of animals while my comrades fight this guy?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Tsunade shrugged, and Naruto ground his teeth, fingers clenching and unclenching with rage. "Calm down; I need you with a cool head."

A deep breath, and Naruto heeded her. "Right… So what, then?"

"There's some merit to the plan," She hedged, stoically. And though Naruto's nostrils flared at the idea, he wisely kept silent so she could continue. "It's an opportunity to learn to harness the Kyuubi's chakra from a perfect jinchuriki; you'd have an opportunity to become much more potent, something we might need seeing as this guy is already in possession of the other Bijuu."

That made Naruto think.

"What's more, he'll likely have Sasuke as well; his actions at the Five Kage Summit have already proven that he's a problem that not many people can simply deal with. There's no telling what resources 'Madara' actually has, or the lengths he might go to, to get stronger… You'll be integral in tipping success in our favor. Learning to harness the Kyuubi could be the difference."

Naruto still did not say anything, and this time, Tsunade leaned forward, as if seeing the wheels turning in his head.

"Unless you think you have a better idea?"

Karin wasn't certain that speaking up was wise, but she'd always been the impatient sort. "What about launching a preemptive strike?" Every head turned her way, and she paled a bit at the sudden attention. "Er- well it's just- when the masked guy took us, I think he took us to some safehouse in the Rain village…"

Silence.

"Er- s-sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

Yeah, if anything, that safehouse was likely well-abandoned, by now…

Tsunade easily peeled her gaze away from the girl, but Naruto was remiss to. "Preemptive strike," he muttered, almost looking past Karin. She was starting to grow nervous when the blonde's eyes widened. "Shit! I'm going to Rain!"

Tsunade stood up, reaching after the boy who was already rushing for the door. "Hold on! We're not done here!"

"No time! He'll be going for Konan!" The door was left ajar as Naruto continued in what had now become a full-on sprint.

"Grah! You little twerp, slow down and use your damn words!" Tsunade shouted after him, now hurriedly rounding her own table to chase after him.

"THE RINNEGAN!" His voice sounded from afar, and Tsunade paled, finally catching on to his line of thought.

With that doujutsu, Pain had completely crushed all of Konoha. Naruto himself had only barely managed to squeeze out a win; if there was even a possibility that anyone else could get a hold of those eyes…

"Follow him!" Tsunade ordered Sakura and Kakashi. Glaring at a frazzled Karin, she snorted, and Karin could swear she saw steam. "You!"

Karin jumped. "Yes, ma'am!?"

Tsunade stared at her for a hard moment. All reports indicated that the girl before her was a support of some kind. Some kind of highly potent tracking ability, and a healing chakra like no other…

But she was also a wildcard.

But this was also as good of an opportunity as any to test her.

"You're a tracker, aren't you?" Karin nodded. "Go with them!"


If she thought Tsunade had set a grueling pace, Naruto's was just unfair! Her legs and lungs had started to burn long before the trio had even landed in her sights, and it was only her own innate chakra sensitivity and larger than average chakra reserve that allowed her to follow after the brilliant beacon of chakra that was Naruto Uzumaki. Eventually, she did manage to at least catch up with Kakashi and Sakura, both of which had begun to flag as well, after nearly two hours at the horrifying pace the blonde Uzumaki had set.

Her chest was throbbing, almost fit to burst, as she finally fell in line with Kakashi and Sakura both. "Holy shit, he's fast!" She wheezed, and though Kakashi chuckled in turn, she could see he felt the same. A thick sheen of sweat had begun to build at the rim of the man's mask.

"Urgh that jerk!" Sakura palmed her face, staggering slightly as her feet collided once more with a lingering tree branch. "Does he plan to run all the way to Rain in one go!?"

"Most probably," Kakashi mourned, shrugging. "Impatience aside though, he's absolutely right in this case… If there's even the possibility that the enemy might be able to get a hold of the rinnegan that destroyed Konoha, we can't afford to take it easy."

"Yeah sure, but we can't exactly give him backup if he leaves us a whole country behind!" Sakura groaned, her face scrunching up in a half-pout as she tried to put on just a little more speed.

"He just crossed the border!" Karin whined.

"Already!?" Sakura sucked her teeth. "Kakashi-sensei, how far is that?"

"... Just focus on catching up," Kakashi solemnly ordered her, staring dead ahead.


Madara had always hated rain. "So dour… To think you people live in this mess." He stalked forward, brushing himself off as if that would somehow undo the litany of wounds he'd sustained. "This didn't have to play out this way, Konan."

She said nothing, eyes too hazy to even look at the man anymore. One of her palms, always so soft and delicate-looking, was now pressed firmly against the gaping hole he'd put in her torso.

He felt little sympathy. After all, it had been her choice to stand in his way. Though, perhaps there was a touch of petty satisfaction…

The agony rooted in the stump that had once been his arm was quite the motivator.

He sighed. "I should not have underestimated you. Regardless of my opinions, you were still a member of Akatsuki, once."

That finally got a response from the woman, and her eyes seemed to regain a bit of their focus with her anger. "I'm still Akatsuki," She slurred. "Akatsuki stood for something good, before you came along and perverted it!"

"Well congratulations." Madara rolled his lone eye. "Go ahead and pat yourself on the back; glare down at me from the high-horse you've sat upon…" Then his gaze hardened into something hateful. "Do you think yourself better than me? Has 'finding your way' somehow absolved you of all the evil you did? That we did?" He let off a disdainful scoff. "No, you're just a spineless little girl- a coward, afraid to reach the finish line and claim responsibility... And I'm about sick of entertaining your foolishness."

"Bite me."

That got a chuckle out of the man. To hear Konan of the Akatsuki, once so composed and proper, speaking so brazenly- "Ah, but enough play."

He staggered after the woman, the missing chunks in his body making it a challenge to run her down like he would have liked. Still, his remaining sharingan was at least deft enough to steer him clear of the pitiful origami projectiles she seemed intent at hurling his way. She tried to stagger back some, but Madara seized the moment, finally stumbling close enough to make a lunge for her. His gloved hand closed around her throat, strangling off her breath without remorse. Konan's fists collided with his body, but in her current state, she was weaker than even he was. The trio of tomoe in his sharingan spiraled rapidly, intent on hypnotizing Konan- to force her to validate all of this hassle and tell him exactly where she'd hidden Nagato's corpse.

Then pain bloomed in the back of his skull, and Madara was sent hurtling forward with a scream, the loud echo of collision sounding belatedly. His body skipped thrice on the water, smashing cleanly through a mix of metal and stone rubble, and he felt his bones twist and snap on impact in the wake of the overwhelming force he'd been subjected to.

What the hell- Madara had not even a moment to contemplate or recover, near blind with daze from the sneak attack, before a telltale sound of swirling chakra struck terror into his heart.

It was just like back then…

He tried to activate his mangekyou sharingan again, to phase like he so often did, but his eyes were thoroughly overtaxed by his battle with Konan!

Several, simultaneous impacts bored into his body, and he could only scream as his flesh, bone, and muscle ground away under the violent drilling forces working against him, driving him bodily and bloodily deeper beneath the water's surface.

Afar from the impact, Naruto remained with a seizing Konan, wrapping an arm beneath the woman's shoulders and propping her up.

"Geeze, he really did a number on you, ya know!" Naruto chuckled morbidly, lightly shaking Konan to rouse her. Her eyes rolled over to meet his own, and her breath hitched.

"Yahiko-kun?"

He snorted. "Afraid not. You're stuck with this guy instead." His other arm swung underneath her, scooping under her knees and hauling her up in a bridal carry. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Ah," She whimpered, eyes fluttering closer to unconsciousness.

The water burst apart, and the mangled form of Madara dragged himself to the surface, six identical spiraling gouges spewing blood in his body. His remaining arm was disconnected near-entirely from his body at the shoulder, and one of his legs had been entirely removed by the blonde's surprise attack. The crown of his head was matted heavily with the sticky hold of blood, courtesy of Naruto's opening kick.

In spite of it all, the man's lone sharingan eye whirled with outrage as he locked onto the standing shape of Naruto Uzumaki.

"I'm going to murder you!" He exclaimed. His mask was fragmented to such a point that much of the right side of his face could be seen, save for his mouth; Naruto noted the heavy scarring that blotted his partially obscured features.

"Hey, you sound just like my best buddy," Naruto coolly observed, eyes deliberately shut to avoid his hypnotizing stare. The orange pigmentation that surrounded his eyes was a telltale sign of the boy's leap into sage mode. With the extrasensory perception afforded by the technique, Madara knew the boy had no need to look at him for battle. What's more, in his current state, he really wasn't liking his chances against the boy who had conquered Pain…

Without warning, another impact smashed into his back, and Madara screamed as he was sent hurtling forward; a glance at his back only just found purchase in the form of yet another Naruto, recently transformed back from some manner of debris. The agony in his spine, combined with the outstretched fist told him everything he needed to know.

The first blow hadn't been a wasted opportunity at all. The boy had anticipated that a weapon attack or jutsu would alert him, and opted for a completely silent melee to blindside him with a kick to the base of his skull, concussing him at the moment he became confident in his victory. The perfect follow up with his barrage of rasengan then- Madara took stock of his body as he tumbled across the water.

His remaining arm had been rendered useless; he was thoroughly incapable of performing hand seals.

His ruined leg ensured he would not run far.

The gaping hole in his liver to weaken his core and induce panic.

The signs were clear enough: The boy had every intention of killing him right at that exact moment. Only his own bodily modifications had allowed him to survive up to this point.

But Naruto Uzumaki likely would not miscalculate again. What's more, Konoha ninja always traveled in groups. Which meant he would soon be swarmed on all sides.

He needed to escape… But without his mangekyou's powers, that was unlikely. He could barely run as it was; even if he could make some space, those sensory powers of his would ensure that the blonde hunted him down!

He needed to buy time.

"Speaking of which, where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked Madara, almost conversationally as he struggled to pick himself up.

Madara seized the opportunity. Forcing himself to calm, he spoke, matching Naruto's own tone. "Oh, that poor boy; he seemed so beside himself after the way you treated him the other day."

Beside himself was an understatement. The boy had gone from vehemently denying his late brother's eyes to outright demanding the transplant. "When you next see him, I imagine he'll have quite the surprise for you."

Then a thought came to him, and he grinned beneath his mask. "He hates you, you know…"

Play on the boy's rage…

Naruto frowned. "He's angry and confused, 'cuz old losers like you keep taking advantage of his heart." Then his lips curled, the faintest hints of a snarl building at his jaw. "But I ain't gonna let assholes like you take advantage of my friend any longer."

"Oh, but the damage is already done. He'll move Heaven and Earth to punish Konoha for their crimes against the Uchiha. Tell me, how do you plan to save him when he doesn't want to be saved?"

Just a few more moments. He only needed to build up enough chakra for one jump and he was home free.

"Well for starters-" Then that damnable sound came again, and Madara had only a moment to react before the water beneath his feet burst away, revealing a much larger sphere of chakra on a collision course for center mass.

"Wai-" There was no further time to react. With his body damaged as it was and his senses dulled, there was no chance to refute it. Agony engulfed his chest, chaotic spirals of chakra simultaneously sucking him in and grinding him apart as it chewed through his torso. His organs twisted and blended into a viscous, scarlet slurry, and his bones snapped and dusted as Naruto's limb continued its trajectory through his body, finally ripping through Madara's spine until Naruto's shaking arm jutted out the other side of his back.

Naruto held him up, not allowing Madara a chance to make space or even fall on his own. Clutching his collar, he ground out- "I'm a little hardheaded, but I ain't that dumb, ya know."

"Y-you b-b-bastard!" Madara stammered out. "You'll regret this, I promise you!" His sharingan spun furiously, but then its whirl suddenly ground to a halt. Then without warning, he heaved, smashing his forehead into Naruto's nose with all of his might, causing the boy to stagger back, his lip split and bloodied.

"Dick," Naruto growled, dropping the man and wiping his face.

With sage mode still active, it hadn't really even hurt. Already, the wound had sealed; hell, if anything, the guy seemed to have done more damage to his own bloodied face than anything.

Still- "I guess I can respect a guy who goes out fighting…" Naruto turned himself away from that grisly sight.

Killing wasn't ever something he did lightly. Now more than ever, it felt just a bit like he was betraying his promise to Nagato.

He tried to tell himself that it had been necessary; that he was simply doing what he could to protect Konan and Sasuke, and that was true.

But the ruined mass of blood and guts at his feet were a bit hard to just explain away, huh?

"H-how is she?" He called back to his clone; anything to take his mind off the carnage.

"She needs Sakura-chan!"

Naruto sucked his teeth at his clone's diagnosis. Casting his glance back at the woman, he made a judgment call. "Start running her back to them. I'll take care of the body. They shared a nod, and Naruto glanced back toward Madara's corpse, already divesting a blank scroll from his utility pouch.

His sealing was sloppy as hell, but Pervy Sage had at least forced him to learn the very basics. Certainly enough to seal up a corpse-

Naruto paused, glancing down at the barren water beneath his feet…

"Ah shit."


"Grah!" Madara howled as he swirled back into space. His body collided painfully into cold, graying stone. Then he seized, his body scrunching in on itself to weather the agony that coursed through him.

"Sloppy…" Black Zetsu's shameless critique only stoked the fury in his chest, but in the state he was in-

"SHUT UP!" He shouted blindly in that direction, loud and wild, for that was all that he could do in his current state.

"Oof, scary!" White Zetsu's commentary was little better, but at least the plant-like man's lighter counterpart seemed inclined to back it up with some aid. The mismatched humanoid paced toward him, hunching down to haul his mutilated body up into a bridal carry. "Was Konan really that strong?"

"I need a cup!" Madara ordered, not yet deigning his aid's query with a response. Even still, his will was enacted, allowing Madara to lurch forward and spit something red and fleshy into it.

"A trophy?" Black Zetsu snickered. "You truly are so like your master."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Madara growled, choking down a scream as White Zetsu began to work away at his wounds; his pain points were sealed away as his plantlike aid seemed to graft its ivory flesh upon his own. "Konan was a nonfactor…"

Untrue. But his ego would demand little else, than to admit to Black Zetsu that he had miscalculated so grossly.

"No, what I didn't anticipate was to run into Naruto Uzumaki."

"The Kyuubi Jinchuriki?" Black Zetsu's blank features seemed to shift just that little bit to portray rage. "You had the Kyuubi in your crosshairs, and you let it escape?" Then he paused, his breath hitching just a bit as he truly looked at Madara. "And you lost that eye!?"

Madara snarled, pushing back with some rage of his own. "He caught me at the worst possible time." Maybe it was just a bit of his own ego that again compelled him to add- "The guy who took down Pain is hardly someone I can go against, half-cocked."

"That insect fought Pain at his weakest. You should have had no trouble bringing him in, unprepared or otherwise!"

"Oh, then I don't suppose you want to go fight him in my stead?"

Now, Black Zetsu was silent, and Madara sneered at him.

Coward… Always so quick to bark, but never to stick his own neck out.

"So- uh… What's this?" White Zetsu intervened again, jiggling the plastic cup Madara had spit into.

"Flesh… It was the best I could manage at the moment."

Casting Izanagi with his right eye- Naruto Uzumaki would pay dearly for taking that treasure away from him; he had only just managed to spirit himself away with his mangekyou's last gasp before it had lost its light forever.

Before anything else though, "I need replacements." Sasuke's eyes would be the 'best', but they hardly suited his style… Too straightforward. Plus, the boy could still be useful as an ally, if he could only keep the twerp reigned in.

"Bring me Fugaku's eyes." He'd been saving them for a rainy day, and with the rinnegan now out of his grasp for the moment, now seemed as good a moment as ever to make use of them.

"On it, boss!"

At least one of them could do as they were told…


Bringing Konan back to Konoha would've been a foolhardy choice, as Kakashi was quick to remind Naruto. While the Kyuubi jinchuriki may have forgiven, or at the very least moved past hers and Nagato's transgressions upon him and his, sentiment for the woman was unlikely to be sympathetic.

Which meant medicine was limited. Fortunately though, Sakura was damned good at her job.

"She's out of the woods," His pink-haired friend finally breathed, squatting back onto her heels to look up at him. Naruto gave the girl a thankful nod before staring back into the lake beyond. The remnant damage left behind by Konan's scuffle with that masked guy remained apparent, a huge gaping chasm left behind that had still not filled, even an hour later.

"You really shouldn't have run off so far ahead," Sakura tried to chide him. But her heart didn't seem to be in it; least of all when Naruto simply shrugged.

He couldn't quite bring himself to be sorry; not when he'd only barely made it in time as it was. Still, the two of them were only just making up in the last few days, and he still wasn't quite sure that he wanted to talk to her.

Sensing the tension, Sakura fell silent for a moment, fumbling with herself in search of fuel for a talk that both needed to have, but neither was quite ready to commit to. "Hey, I- I wanted to say-"

"Not yet," Naruto bluntly cut her off. Sakura flinched, and he did too, not meaning to sound so- cold. "Er- I'm not mad anymore," He tried to assure her, and he sucked his teeth, because that just felt like a lie, didn't it? "Nah, I am… I'm still pissed, but I don't wanna take that out on you…"

"I mean-" Sakura gulped. "Honestly, I think I'd rather you just shout at me, at this point."

"I don't wanna do that," Naruto rebutted again. "That ain't gonna make me feel better." He sighed. "I just gotta get myself sorted, I guess… Ya know?"

She shrugged, and he shrugged right back; and that was that.

"I'll- um, I'll watch her, if you want some space?"

That, he could work with.

Naruto paced away from her, hands stuffed almost petulantly in his pockets to better view the damage. His feet adhered to the water with extra vigor as he leaned beyond the gape, staring into the watery blackness below.

"Shit, Konan," He mumbled, just a touch amusedly. "I owe you an apology; I didn't know you were built like this…"

But if something like this hadn't been enough to put that guy down-

For just a moment, he'd hoped to have stopped the war in its tracks right then and there… Because Naruto truly wasn't stupid. He knew well enough that he'd only gotten lucky there; that he'd simply been in the right place at the right time to take advantage.

But he'd dropped the ball, and while Sakura and Kakashi-sensei and even the new Karin girl hadn't mentioned it, he had that critique covered just fine…

His father's words hadn't escaped his mind in full since he'd seen that masked 'Madara' guy standing at Sasuke's side.

"That guy is going to be a ton of trouble- maybe even more so than your current opponent. You'll need the Nine Tails' power if you want any chance at him."

If his father thought he didn't stand a chance without the fox's power, then maybe learning to harness it really was the right call… That was what he'd been made for, right?

"Jinchuriki…"

A sacrifice, for the betterment of his people. But stealing the fox's chakra; turning it into a weapon, wasn't that wrong?

If he truly had no choice though… But wasn't that exactly what Nagato had been doing? His father could pretty it up however which way he wanted, but Naruto knew the fox wouldn't hand its aid over willingly.

He sighed.

"Erm- Are you okay?" Karin's voice startled him out of his spiraling thoughts, and his first instinct was to plaster a smile for the girl.

"Totally!" His grin was usually infectious. But she didn't seem to be buying the facade, and it didn't take long for his steam to peter out. "Y-yeah… I'm good."

"Uhuh…" She joined his side, leaning over the edge to stare into the chasm." Thinking of jumping?"

That stunned the boy. "Wha- no!? Why would I-"

"It was a joke. Lighten up," She quickly placated him, and maybe that was all he'd needed, because the chuckle that followed felt a bit more genuine than anything else he'd managed, as of late.

"Heh… Usually it's me telling people to lighten up, ya know?"

The redhead bobbed in agreement, shifting just a bit awkwardly after a moment. Her lips parted silently, the girl rethinking her words once, then twice more. Then finally, "Do you really think Sasuke can change?"

He blinked twice. That had come out of nowhere. But- but on second thought, he supposed it made sense, coming from someone in her position.

"I-" He shrugged. "I don't know…" That seemed to get her attention, and he knew he wouldn't like what she said next, so he hastened to get ahead of it. "But he's my friend. I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I ever just gave up on him… That's not how I do things, ya know."

"But he tried to kill your other friend," She hedged, her tone a touch challenging. "He's threatening to destroy your village; he wants to kill everyone you know and love… Are you just okay with that?"

"Pffft! Hell no!" Naruto retorted quickly. "If Sasuke comes to Konoha looking to hurt anybody, he's gonna need a team of surgeons to remove my foot from his ass." This time, his grin came easily. "But I ain't gonna kill my buddy. I'll just have to keep kicking his head in until he learns not to be such a dick, I guess."

Karin snickered with him, but then sombered up a bit. "I don't think I could forgive him for what he did to me," She near-whispered. "I only wanted to help him, and he hurt me the second it was convenient… I don't know if someone like that is deserving of forgiveness."

"You misunderstand," Naruto said after a moment. "It ain't about forgiving him… I still haven't forgiven him for a lot of the stuff he's done. I might not ever, ya know… But I'm not just trying to save him for his own sake, or for Sakura's sake or whatever." He reached up to scratch the back of his head, leaning away from her just a bit awkwardly. "I guess there's at least a little bit of selfishness there. 'Cuz when I see him suffering like that- going down that dark path and getting worse and worse because of it… That hurts me too, 'cuz I was just one real bad day from being just as bad as he is, now."

Karin frowned. Looking at him, feeling just how pure and warm his chakra was…

It was hard to imagine that.

"Well I'll take your word for it," She finally allowed, visibly unconvinced.

Naruto just shrugged again, stuffing his hands back in his pockets and casting a glance back after Sakura, who seemed to once again be checking Konan's condition.

Karin wanted to ask what the two's relationship was, or why Sakura seemed so meek around the blonde. But even her own nosiness had its limits.

Oh who was she kidding?

"Sooo… What's the deal with-" Her question never made it much farther though, as Naruto suddenly began to pace forward in a rush, quickly bridging the distance between him and the rousing form of Konan.


Many years ago, when Yahiko had lost his life and Nagato had started his path toward self destruction, Konan had made peace with the knowledge that her most treasurable bonds were but a thing of the past. The loneliness which had become her normal in those days that followed- perhaps it was a touch morbid, but she had simply accepted that she would die alone.

Likely in service to Nagato's ambitions…

But she had come to terms with that. If only for that reason, she had not felt fear in the face of her coming death, at the hands of Madara. If anything, her only desire at that point had been to take the man with her; to at least do one act of good that might overshadow even a pittance of the evil she had done.

She never expected to wake up. Certainly not to a worried face; those days were long behind her, weren't they?

But there he'd been, peering down at her with youthful lines and worried pools of ocean-blue. The whisker-marks at his cheeks contorted; his lips pulled into a steep frown, the boy hovering with worry and anxiousness that almost made her laugh.

What business did she have, evoking such feelings from a once-enemy.

She remembered handing him her bouquet, promising to help him find an answer to peace- to realize Nagato's dream together, the right way…

Only now did she realize that only one of them had truly been committed to that promise. For she had left to die, and he had come to save her…

Now, seated in the same place that Nagato- that Pain had once barked orders, staring at the boy who fidgeted across from her.

She understood fully why Nagato had trusted him so implicitly.

"I owe you an apology," Konan finally said, bowing her head until her forehead all but scraped against her desk.

"Er- wha-"

"I swore to aid you, and yet in my foolishness, it was you who had to come to my aid."

Naruto stammered a bit, trying to wave off her apology, and she knew that his three companions seemed just as out of their depth. Finally, Naruto just shrugged.

"So long as you're alright, I guess…"

Alright? Not at all…

But she would live.

"The one who calls himself Madara came to me to claim Nagato's eyes." Konan spoke plainly, and there was no surprise on any of the present faces.

Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto suspected that would be the case." He paused for a moment. Then- "He ran from Konoha straight to Amegakure to get to you."

She didn't doubt it. Her eyes found Naruto's. "You drove him off?"

"Er- yeah… You left him in pretty bad shape. I thought I'd took him down, but-" He huffed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and refusing to meet her gaze. "But I dropped the ball, I guess."

"I owe my life purely to your own foresight." She spoke, matter-of-factly, refusing to acknowledge the boy's apparent failure. "You have already done more for me and my people than I could ever thank you for."

And that was just it, wasn't it? If nothing else, this boy- this man was true to his word. Any doubts she may have had of his integrity had been dashed away by the lengths of his rescue.

"I swore to you that I would aid you," She repeated, a series of thoughts beginning to assemble themselves in her head. "This brush with death has made it clear to me… When that man comes around again- I cannot protect Nagato's eyes."

"Heh, I don't know about that; you really did a number on that guy," Naruto joked.

Konan did not laugh. "He will be back." She spoke with surety, for she knew well the lengths that Madara would go to. She had worked beside him far too long to expect anything less. "And when he does, he will kill me."

Even if she could manage a similar feat to the day prior, he would be prepared for such a thing this time. She knew well that the only reason she'd had that chance to begin with was due to catching him off guard.

"I ain't gonna let that happen!" Naruto insisted, resolutely. Already, the means to do so were cobbling together in his head. "I'll come every time to back you up if I gotta, believe it!"

And she did. However- "And as you are, you are not prepared to fight him, fresh. Even if we fought together, our chances would be slim." Konan shrugged.

She was simply a realist.

"If that's the case-" Kakashi began, his eyes narrowed. "Then what are you suggesting? That we should simply leave you to die?"

He still wasn't exactly keen on the woman, himself. But he knew well that Naruto would not accept such a thing.

"No." One word, spoken with authority by Konan. "I have since reevaluated my circumstances…" She shrugged, almost helplessly. "I cannot die until I have given all that I have in service of their goals." Then she disregarded the jonin in favor of Naruto once again, and raised a hand to stall the argument she knew would come. "I will be blunt. I would like you to inherit Nagato's eyes."

That seemed to suck the air entirely out of the room.

"Hold on, what are you-"

"I did not mispeak," She insisted with a sigh. "Nagato's rinnegan are a national treasure of the Hidden Rain village; they are the will of my closest friend. In his-" She frowned. "-In his death, the only one worthy to wield them would be the one who gave him back his hope… You cannot face Madara as you are, so with your consent, I would make you more than you could possibly imagine…"

Finally, her gaze cut over to the last two among the boy's entourage. The pinkette and redhead. Staring down Sakura- "You are a healer, yes? You can make the transplant."

"H-hold on! We haven't even agreed to-" Sakura tried to protest, but Konan had already swept her vision to the latter girl.

"As for you-" Her eyes narrowed. "You were once an ally to Sasuke Uchiha…" Karin gulped at the severe expression on the blue-haired woman's face. But Konan had already seemingly disregarded her own bubbling criticism, her features smoothening again. "Nevermind… If Naruto-san is fine with your presence, then I shall not judge your circumstances." Lastly, she turned back to Naruto, who remained as flabbergasted as he had when she'd first made her request. "Naruto-san… Please take Nagato's eyes. If not for yourself, then for my own sake."

It was a selfish thing to do, to burden him with such a demand. But- "You're the only person I can trust to do this."


That's it for now. As you can probably tell, this is kind've all over the place right now. I have some ideas of what I'd like to do with it, but really I'm just flexing some creative muscles at the moment.

Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'll finish it; if I do continue working on it, I imagine it might be from time to time whenever I need some space from ABD.

Let me know your thoughts, yeah? If this seems to get enough positive reception I'll probably at least give it another pass or two with follow-up chapters… We'll see.