Heya.

Just thought I'd go and drop this one out of the blue. I saw enough people asking about it that I'd started to feel bad. So for those of you who held on hope, no the fic is not abandoned. I'm still interested in writing for it; I've just got other things I'm focusing on, so this one definitely just is not my main priority.

Anyways, I hope the chapter was worth the wait for y'all.

Let's get back on that horse:


Kisame's opening attack had been expertly crafted to separate the Kyuubi from the rest of his team; the boy was formidable enough on his own without three other people getting in the way.

Of course, even a jutsu of that caliber was unlikely to do more than stall someone like the Copy Ninja, Kakashi; if Tsunade Senju's pink-haired student was even half as competent, then it was unlikely that she would be down for long either.

As for the red-haired one- Zetsu stared after her as she was swept away in the deluge.

Of the three hanger-ons, she was the most likely to be put down for good, and that was ideal. They had studied each of Sasuke's ex-associates in the brief time that they had worked alongside the Akatsuki; while Karin lacked greatly in combat potency, her proficiency as a sensor, field medic, and even a competent strategist would make her an annoying support. If any of the four were most likely to suss out their presence in the commotion, it would be her.

"You will accompany Kisame in his task," The boy's orders rang clear in his head. "Debrief him on his target, and keep the rabble out of his way."

While Black Zetsu loathed taking orders from that foolish boy, he was remiss to waste any opportunity to further his goals.

Thus- "Summon the others," His dark rasp commanded his other, lighter half. "Corral the extras away from their battle; we cannot allow them to interfere."

"Let's do it- to it!" White Zetsu announced, straining for just a moment to tear away from his darker self. His severed side mended, growing from the core to sustain himself with temporary flesh and, when the plant-like humanoid was once again bestowed with his full faculties- "Summoning Jutsu!"

His white half's palm slapped against the ground, spewing forth strings of sealing matrixes which bound themselves together accordingly. From the ensuing smoke, dozens of identical humanoid shapes began to move.

"Well, I'm off! Don't have too much fun without me!" White Zetsu announced, pleasantly waving after his darker half. Black Zetsu did not acknowledge him, his attention fixed solely for the battle that had begun to pick up between the Kyuubi jinchuriki and Kisame.

"Observe, but do not risk yourself. All you must do is provide Kisame with his opportunity…"

"Do not disappoint me," Black Zetsu growled.


Clearly, the weird magic shark sword was shark-man's win-condition. The extrasensory perception afforded by his Sage Mode could sense a humongous wealth of energy stowed in that thing; so long as he had that blade on his person, the Akatsuki-operative's total pool of chakra far surpassed even his own. What's more, it seemed to be revitalizing him near-instantly, allowing the guy to tank even the immense stopping power of Naruto's Frog Kata.

Which meant the first order of business was to disarm the guy and, this time, keep him that way.

The rest of his team seemed to be occupied as well, courtesy of an unseen enemy; however, the enemy's own chakra levels weren't overly impressive, and he trusted the remaining members of Team Seven to keep themselves and Karin safe.

A sigh. "Just me and you then, big guy; your move."

That was all the invitation that Kisame needed; the blue-skinned terrorist rushed in with far greater speed than before, his body shored up by the immense mass of energy now surging through him. His first swing was fast- far quicker than his and Samehada's combined bulk ought to have afforded him.

But he needn't have bothered. Sage mode's extrasensory precognition, now paired with the perceptive powers and efficiency of the rinnegan- Naruto took one step forward and swatted the thing aside with a reinforced limb, raising an eyebrow as even that brief contact allowed Samehada to tear away a chunk of his chakra.

So no contact at all then. He could do that.

Kisame followed up with a vicious laugh, swinging that oversized thing with his full body. The surrounding winds picked up as the enemy followed through, forcing Naruto to steadily backpedal to steer clear of the approaching storm of thorns and teeth. He wove with exactness, deliberating old man's Fukasaku's tutelage like a mantra.

"Waste not a twitch, Naruto-boy! Be as free as the wind, and crash like a raging torrent!"

The slightest tilt of his head cleared the path for Samehada to come up empty; a slight duck to avoid the return stroke. Kisame lurched forward, and Naruto hung back, tilting just enough to let yet another swing pass over his head. Naruto let his momentum take him the rest of the way, his palms naturally finding a hand-spring just as his foe's next strike slammed down on their footing, just short of his face. Kisame yanked the club-like blade, spewing wooden shrapnel this way and that; Naruto completed his hand-spring, then he was twisting this way and that with absolute minimalism, so that not even the smallest scrap of debris would touch him.

Despite the shark-man's own heft, his swings were a masterful crescendo of surging wind and bloodthirst; a horizontal slash caught air once more, but he let the momentum of the attack guide his body, sweeping out with a leg to catch his footing and trip Naruto up; the blonde kipped back over the offending limb. His feet scraped loosely on the branch as he arrested his momentum. Then, just as his attacker's leg had fully outstretched, Naruto pounced, surging forward and crashed down with a hard stomp, intent on snapping it. However, Samehada was already responding completely independently of the man, slinking outward to clamp its massive jaws over his head; Naruto was forced to abort the counter attack, once again resigning himself to playing defense.

Right, the blade wasn't just a weapon. The fight may as well have been a two on one!

"Tch!" Naruto continued dancing away before planting his feet. Before he could lunge back in though, Kisame took advantage of the space, taking a reaching swing with the peculiar weapon; its cable-like hilt continued to stretch, Samehada hunting after Naruto with salivating jaws.

But Kisame letting his protector stray too far from him like that also provided Naruto with an opportunity.

How had it gone again?

Clench, then exhale.

His eyes guided him, juvenile instincts tempering themselves by the second to mimic what Nagato had shown him time and again in their battle.

Naruto reached out and snapped. "Almighty Push!" The wave that followed wasn't as accurate as he would have liked; it careened outward like a moving wall of force. Samehada crashed right into it, its blanket swaddling and choking the thing under that impact. It screeched in shock and panic alike as its body was sent hurtling upward and out of the way.

So that one had been easier for him to handle, being dispersed over a larger area; but it wasn't nearly as precise, huh? And a directionless gesture like a snap, rather than a palm or point had helped him to envision that broader scope.

If that were the case, then the same oughta work in reverse…

"The next one, for sure!" Naruto grinned, pointing two fingers, center mass of the wide-eyed Kisame. "Almighty Push!" A large swell of chakra took aim, primed to blow a hole clean through the man's liver. Then it slipped through Naruto's fingers and fizzled out, harmlessly.

A long moment of silence coiled between the two.

"Er- Performance anxiety?" Kisame chuckled nervously, thanking his luck at the obvious misfire. "Don't feel too bad, kid; happens to a lot of guys!"

"Whoops! Forgot to swap the batteries!" Naruto chuckled right back, inwardly cursing.

Right, Nagato had had a cooldown of no less than five seconds between each cast… He'd need to account for that!

Welp, when all else fails-

Naruto blurred into the man's personal space, causing Kisame to flush a bit at the sudden acceleration. "Just a good ol' fashioned ass-kicking then!"

A left hook crashed into the unprepared Kisame's ribs, the man's face paling as blood and bile surged to spill over lips. A right straight followed up, crashing into a newly guarding Samehada and driving both back; the sentient sword slackened as his immense strength paralyzed the thing.

So it did feel pain then, huh?

Bypassing it once again, Naruto clamped an iron grip around both sides of Kisame's head, smashing a brutal knee into his face before smashing his heel into his chest to pummel him away.

"Left, right, goodnight! Never fails!"

"Oh you little bastard!" Kisame choked out, wobbling on unsteady feet. His wounds finally drove him down to empty hands and knees, and that should have been Naruto's first warning as he rushed forward to finish the fight.

Sage Mode's precognition warned him just in time and Naruto's gaze snapped over in shock to observe the blinding fast lunge of Samehada.

So it had played at being downed to make him overlook it? And with no obvious instruction or prompting by Kisame-himself; that meant the thing was damned smart, huh!?

He was quick to guard, both hands clamping around its closing maw to restrain it, but his chakra was draining fast from the prolonged contact.

Just how was this thing able to absorb natural energy!?

"You're strong as shit, kid; but you're green as hell!" Pain bloomed in Naruto's spine as Kisame blindsided him, the man's shoulder colliding squarely into his back; Naruto knew that Sage Mode had run out as he was launched off the edge of the branch and into the roiling water below.

"Now we're cooking!" Kisame laughed, snatching Samehada's handle and diving in after his target. "Welcome to my home turf, kiddo!"

Their bodies crashed through the water's surface, and Kisame was already fast at work; Samehada's incredible bulk chased after the blond, rocketing through the water after its master's foe and taking Kisame along for the ride.

Naruto was only just regaining his bearings when the pair was on him, and without Sage Mode's physical amps, their own abilities were suddenly much more even than they had been, previously.

What's more, Kisame seemed to have the advantage in experience, when it came to naval combat.

Naruto snapped out with a kick that his enemy blocked carelessly with his shoulder and no more than a watery grunt. Meanwhile, Samehada wove around the boy in a flash, stringing its cabled hilt around his neck and dragging the pair even further down into the watery depths; the whole while, Kisame hammered vicious blows into his strangling target's half-guarded torso, the blonde forced to divert some of his attention to keep the sentient weapon from fully constricting his windpipe.

One particularly heavy blow bored into his chest, and Naruto felt his ribs finally give; he tried to restrain the gasp of pain that followed, but the flagging shreds of air he'd managed to preserve were finally wrung free as a follow-up strike drove that pain home.

Naruto's strength was fading fast, his chakra being devoured gluttonously by contact with the blade which seemed to only grow more vigorous with every passing moment.

Stupid freaking sword and its stupid, chakra eating, cheatsy doodles!

He needed to find some way to reverse the situation-

Naruto's strength peeled away from his flesh as the heavyset Pain's iron grip restrained him.

Oh right… He could do that too, huh? Yeah, he could work with that.

The makings of a grin began to snake across his face in spite of the pain as Nagato's notes floated in his mind's eye again.

"Imagine drinking soup through a really, really big straw. However big you're currently imagining, make it at least three-times bigger."

Kisame's giant fist clapped directly into his enemy's waiting palm, and the shark-man gulped, his own bloodied grin tugging downwards as his foe found his second wind. The orange pigmentation of Sage Mode had once again begun to swell around his chilling gaze.

Naruto's own fingers, wrapped around the hit of Samehada, tightened fiercely, and the blade began to whine and groan as its swimming speed ground rapidly to a halt. Even its color seemed to dull, and despite the sheer wealth of power that he knew the thing should have had, it was only moments before his companion could move no longer.

Then the boy's forehead collided viciously with Kisame's nose, crunching it into a pile of ruined flesh and blinding him with blood and tears. In the same motion, Naruto tore the cable free of his neck and wrenched Kisame's arm with excruciating force. Lavender streaks of light narrowed with intentionality, and Kisame knew what was coming immediately.

'Almighty Push!'

Agony was injected directly into the Akatsuki's nerve endings as his body was crushed under the all-encompassing might of Naruto's retaliation. His own mass was sent rocketing upwards, buffeted with such chaotic force that his flesh reddened and sizzled under the friction; he blew right through the surface of the water, a painful scream ripping through his lungs as he flopped helplessly through the air. Then he careened back down into the watery embrace, splatters of blood showering the surrounding surface from the crimson-streaked stump at his elbow.

For a long moment, Kisame's senses remained entirely scrambled, and he couldn't be blamed for being slow to respond as he drifted directly into the iron grip of the monster he'd been pitted against; Naruto snatched the man by his hair, slinging him around and hurling him through the watery prison that had once existed purely for the boy and his comrades; Kisame's body crashed through heaps of floating rubble, his senses once again forgetting which side was up. He had no time to respond before a black and orange torpedo crashed right into him, choking the last bits of air out of his abused lungs. He couldn't so much as think to guard before a similar impact crashed into his spine.

Then another; knuckles impacted him like a brick upside his head, sending him spiraling out in a paralyzed heap. Then the boy's shin cracked through his ribs and sent a spasming Kisame floating helplessly and spewing blood.

He needed to form hand seals- a water prison could buy him some time; he just needed enough to get his head back on straight!

Then he was once again reminded painfully of that one addition to his litany of wounds.

Ah, so the boy had deliberately severed his arm to impair his ability to form seals. What's more-

Kisame's vision blacked out for a moment as another set of knuckles drove into his chin; his jaw crumpled and he spewed blood, bone and fragments of ruined teeth.

What's more, he was proving far more mobile than Kisame under water, now that Samehada had been taken from him, and with that blasted Sage power renewed.

One final kick lunged into Kisame's gut, and his body careened once again out of the water, spiraling out with reckless abandon before bending sharply against the waiting embrace of a branch. Then he slumped downward, careening from where he'd been implanted to collide into a meaty heap on the ground.

Glassy eyes tried to hunt after the prey who had become his predator, and Kisame flinched as the boy's black-sandaled boots thumped down onto the foothold before him.

"You seem like a clever guy," Naruto breathed. He brushed himself off, then hefted the paralyzed form of Samehada over his shoulder. "Clever enough to rig this ambush; clever enough to have your sword steal my sage chakra, but not mess with it, yourself…" Then he sighed. "So it's a little weird to me that somebody as clever as you is gullible enough to be following that loser's orders… I ain't smart at all, and even I can tell that guy's full of shit."

Naruto paced forward, hauling his stolen blade over his shoulder and squatting down to meet the man at eye-level. Kisame would've snarled at the gesture, had he the strength to even move.

"So, what did he offer you, huh? Use your words, buddy."

Kisame laughed, wetly. "Trying to buy me, huh? Sorry kid, I ain't easy like that!"

"Nah, I don't buy people… People aren't things to be bought." Naruto frowned, deeply. "I just do my own thing and hope people come around."

"Well I ain't coming around!" Kisame's grin stretched all the wider. "You wanna show me mercy? Do me a favor and kill me quick."

Naruto's frown only deepened. "But why? Why does this have to end with somebody dead?" He rocked back to his feet. "What could possibly be worth throwing your life away for somebody who doesn't give a damn about you?"

So he really wanted to know then? Kisame chuckled. "Peace." His chuckles evolved into a full-blown laugh as Naruto's expression went blank.

Then the young man sighed. "Ah, you too, huh?" Then, his eyes sharpened. "And how's that working out for you, huh?"

Kisame's laugh bled away.

"Your boss has you running around hunting human beings like pigs for fucking slaughter and you really wanna look me in the eye and tell me it's for peace?" His rinnegan eyes narrowed dangerously, their light cutting their judgment right into him. "Or how about the war he just declared on the rest of the world? That's the guy you're working for- killing for, to give you peace? Tch- Does it come with free head and pixie dust too?"

Kisame simply frowned back for a long moment, his eyes blank. Then he simply shrugged, a bit helplessly. "It ain't a soldier's place to ask questions, boy." He tried to drag himself back to his feet- if nothing else, to go out with his dignity intact. But even standing seemed an impossibility in the face of his injuries. "It really must be nice, being so young and carefree."

Naruto tilted his head in pure disbelief. Then he snarled. "Carefree, huh?" He laughed, high and sharp, right in Kisame's face. "Right, carefree! Because I was so damn carefree living in fear of you pricks all this time, right? Or how about the others? How about Gaara, when your associate blew his fucking village up just to get to him!? Hundreds- thousands dead, just as collateral, if Gaara hadn't stepped up! 'Carefree'- you fucking loser! You're full of shit! Your boss is full of shit! Your whole organization is just a bunch of fucking liars doing mental gymnastics to justify your own messed up world views!"

"... Then kill me and be done with us," Kisame muttered back, and that took all the wind out of Naruto's sails. "If we're really such monsters, then nobody would blame you for giving me the axe. Kill me clean and keep it moving; it's a lot kinder than most would do in your position…"

"Piss off," Naruto growled, hotly. Then he stepped forward, divesting his travel cloak and forcibly wrapping the wounded man up in it. A hefty rip of his jacket's sleeve was bundled into a ball and stuffed into the man's mouth, then secured around his jaw with Kisame's own forehead protector. "I won, so we're doing this my way. And I'm keeping the damn sword, asshole; I'mma name it Princess and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it."


Black Zetsu watched, blank-faced as Naruto bundled Kisame up and hauled the man over his shoulder. The man's legendary blade and companion was hauled over the other.

There was a brief moment, where the blonde looked about, this way and that in clear search for something; the plantlike man sweated just a bit as the Konoha nin's violet gaze passed over his hiding spot

At this range, there was a possibility that even its own chakra masking would fail to the remarkable perceptive abilities of his sage mode; and if not that, then those eyes of his would surely sus out even the slightest shifting of his position.

He kept very still, not moving even an inch until the boy's eyes had left him entirely, and Kisame's conqueror had left, rushing now towards the location of his allies.

A breath.

Perhaps he had been wrong to judge his associate so harshly. "That boy is growing to be quite the problem…"

He would need to continue to tread carefully- avoid that boy's purview for as long as possible. For now though- a sharp, yellow-toothed grin peeled across his face.

"Objective secured."


The enemy's numbers had been a shock, at first. But Kakashi had quickly found comfort in the fact that their actual battle potency seemed to be on the lower end.

Mere distractions, then.

Kakashi yanked his forearm free of the chest of the white-skinned, plant-like man, letting the corpse collapse to the soggy dirt floor below. The last crackles of electricity died down, the copy ninja's fingers still twitching with dying energy. "That's that, then…" He cast his gaze around himself, grimacing at the excess of drowned plant life. "Everyone okay?"

His steel gray eye found company, and he and Sakura nodded.

She looked a little roughened up, but thankfully not in excess. The poor girl had seemed more infuriated than wounded, like a sputtering, soaked cat, when he had finally managed to dig her out from the rubble.

"I'm alright," Sakura told him once more, making a show of rotating her shoulder. "Helped to let off some steam on these guys, I guess." Then she cast her gaze beyond them. "Is Naruto alright-"

Her query cut off as the subject of her thoughts descended, a soaked Karin practically worn on his person. "He's alright," the blonde told her. "I'm just a clone; boss just finished putting the pain on that jerkbag. He's en route."

"Already?" Sakura blanched. "Is he hurt? We should meet up with him and-"

"I'm good," Naruto- this time the original, once again cut in; Sakura's eye twitched just a bit at the repeated interruptions. "Ribs are a bit sore, but no lasting damage, believe it." He paced forward, coming to a slow stop just before Kakashi and Sakura both; meanwhile, his clone finally let Karin down and let the redhead stumble closer, herself, before dispelling with a cheeky salute.

"Any trouble?" Kakashi asked the blonde, and though he seemed conversational, Naruto nonetheless recognized the subtle order.

Report.

Naruto shifted Kisame's body on his shoulder; the man had finally fallen unconscious under the weight of his wounds. "This asshole ambushed me alone- er, if you don't count the shark sword-" He adjusted his grip on said blade, which rested limply on his other shoulder. "I thought I sensed another presence close by, but I ain't quite sure; I had my hands a bit full so I couldn't investigate. This guy was damn tough, but good ol' Left, Right, Goodnight never fails, ya know?"

"You know, you're going to need to learn to give a professional report if you ever plan to climb the ninja ladder," Kakashi tried to critique him.

"And who's fault is it that I don't know how to do that, sensei?"

Kakashi winced a little. "When did you get so sassy?"

Naruto ignored the question, once again shifting the blade. "I'm keeping the sword. Her name is Princess. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" The sword let off a painful wheeze, and the blonde was all smiles. "We'll workshop it."

Yeah, Kakashi wasn't touching all of that. "Good job securing the attacker; we'll take him back to the village for questioning." To Sakura and Karin- "We're making haste back to the village. There's no telling whether the enemy is mobilizing additional forces against us; we can't afford to get caught out again."

Twin groans were what he got, but no audible complaints came.

"Move out."


They expedited their travel, as per Kakashi's orders, finally making it back to the village by evening. Kakashi's report to Tsunade was swift, aided in part by a necessity bred from an exhaustion that was shared by all participants.

"So you made it to Rain and engaged with Madara…" Tsunade shook her head, her eyes then narrowing into a glare that was aimed purely for Naruto. "Are you stupid?"

"Oi, watch it Granny." Naruto glared right back. "Konan smacked him good, but he was gonna kill her and take Nagato's eyes; Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and Karin were all lagging behind, so I had to make a judgment call."

"And the blindfold?" Tsunade was almost worried that the boy had been grievously injured. "What happened?"

Naruto bit his lip, looking unsure of himself now. "Konan asked me to take Nagato's eyes. We both figured it was the best way to protect them from the guy."

A sound judgment. In spite of its damages, Konoha was in a far better place to protect such a dangerous asset than the Rain village. Plus, it wasn't like Tsunade necessarily trusted the acting Amekage to just be holding onto them… Try as she might, she couldn't come up with any reason to be annoyed with the boy's logic.

"Well done," She finally said. "I trust you had Sakura do the transplant?"

She knew that the two were having issues, so she was satisfied when she got a nod from both; she'd let the matter lie for a moment. "We will revisit this conversation later, you and I. Are we clear?"

Another nod. "Moving on, then… So on your way back, you were ambushed by an Akatsuki operative," Tsunade repeated, incredulously. "And some grunts?"

Kakashi matched her frown. "Yes…"

Looking past him, Tsunade's eyes were for the man's students. "I hope we aren't the only one sensing something wrong with that."

Naruto blinked twice in slow realization, but it was Sakura who got it first. "I thought Akatsuki members traveled in pairs of S-ranked ninja? The grunts that we fought weren't exactly S-class material." She looked to Naruto, squinting just a bit. "They were more like clones, than anything."

All identical, and lacking any wear that would distinguish them from another.

It was Naruto that finished the thought, thumping his fist into his palm. "Which means whomever Shark Man was traveling with would be the source of the clones, huh? They probably reported back to their boss!"

Likely the presence he thought he had detected… He was annoyed with himself, at not having chased it down. But truthfully speaking, he hadn't really felt confident, engaging an unknown in the state Kisame had left him in- surely not while hauling said Kisame and his blade around.

Naruto shook his head. "That's on me, I think."

"And that means we're on a time crunch," Tsunade announced, ignoring the boy's attempt at taking the blame. Gesturing to Kakashi- "Your reports on Madara noted that he can freely phase through objects, travel long distances, and appear out of thin air. We don't know the specifics of that power, beyond the information your associate was able to give you, Naruto."

Konan's scroll was certainly well received, and had come rife with a ton of valuable information:

One: His phasing ability could be sustained for no more than five minutes in one go.

Two: He needed to manifest if he wanted to teleport.

Three: He could phase or teleport anything he was touching, with or without himself.

And lastly, that ability of his seemed to be linked to that mangekyou sharingan in his right eye, at least based on the typical vortex-like effect that originated from that space.

He had seemingly managed to survive Konan's trap by sacrificing one of his spare eyes, according to what he had told the woman. Unless he could live without a heart, then him escaping like he did should have meant that he ought to have sacrificed his other eye as well, meaning that ability of his should have been off the table…

Should have. Reports regarding Danzo's arm had raised the possibility that the masked man could have had additional backups to sacrifice.

Which meant they would have to act as if he still had access to that power, until they were absolutely sure, otherwise.

"The longer we keep Kisame Hoshigaki alive, the greater the likelihood that his boss could come to cut him loose, especially if he has any intel worth protecting." Tsunade's gaze hardened. "Which means we need answers, ASAP!"

Naruto didn't miss what wasn't said. "So you're planning to kill him then?" He didn't seem pleased, and Tsunade sighed, having sensed this confrontation coming.

"You have an objection, I take it?"

Naruto's frown only deepened; he took his time, gathering his words. "I see where it's coming from… Give me a chance to talk to him first."

The demand was simple and straightforward.

"Naruto, I'm sorry to say you aren't going to be able to-"

"Fine." Tsunade cut right across Kakashi, who looked her way with surprise. "You have until tomorrow evening to figure something out with him. If you haven't cracked him by then, I'm letting Ibiki have him." Naruto only nodded resolutely, at her compromise. "Then you're all dismissed. Naruto, shelter Karin for the evening; both of you are to be here tomorrow morning; I have something to discuss with you. Kakashi, stay."

The teens all left, finally leaving Kakashi alone with his commanding officer.

"If I may-" Kakashi prefaced, as the door clicked shut. "Why did you allow that?"

"Because Naruto has earned my confidence many times over." Tsunade's response was swift. "If he thinks he can get the guy to talk, then I trust him enough to let him try."

"And if that turns out to be the wrong call?" Kakashi didn't particularly seem upset, more so posing the question out of necessity. "I know that Naruto means well, but in the state that the village is currently in, can we afford to indulge that?"

Tsunade only scoffed. "You don't understand Naruto, is what I'm realizing." She did not wait for the man to respond. "Naruto didn't ask for mercy because he's soft, Kakashi." Her eyes narrowed, the hard edge of judgment for the boy's sensei pinning him in place. "Naruto has never shied away from doing what needs to be done; that includes killing his enemies, if need be. If he's asking for this chance, it's because he sees something that we aren't. And if there's one thing that boy has taught me, it's to bet on him every damn time."

Her jonin only nodded, seeming not offended at all with her critique of him. "Then I will simply trust that you have bet correctly."


"So- uh… This is my place…" Naruto gestured a bit lamely at the shallow space he called home. He had sent some clones ahead to make sure it was clean, and truly, he was ever-thankful that Sakura browbeat some good cleaning habits into him, for he had been thoroughly unprepared for Tsunade's order.

Karin looked around the meager space, seeming not impressed, but not offended either. "It's cute."

"It's perfectly average, thank you!" Naruto let out a huff, and a soft chuckle was his reward for his jest. "Er- I know there ain't a ton of space, but you can take the bed, I guess. I'm not very tired anyhow."

Not entirely true… He shifted the rousing Samehada, which had been sneakily siphoning off bits of his chakra since he had first seized it from Kisame. It was hardly a concern, but between the blade's enormous appetite and his battle with the blue-skinned Akatsuki operative-

Well, even the floor was looking damn appealing right about now.

"Now remember, Princess, no trying to eat me in my sleep, okay?" He poked the still discontent blade on its nonexistent nose. "Murder is bad, and being bad will get you punched."

Karin shifted awkwardly, as 'Princess' began to shriek in response. Its handle lengthened and coiled, the bestial blade curving this way and that to bite after its unconcerned wielder. "That thing is definitely going to try to eat you…"

Ah well… He was strong; he'd be fine.

Casting her gaze about again, she shrugged.

Yeah, the place was small, but it was clean, and it sure as hell beat the cramped little holding cell she'd been holed up in, the last couple of days.

It extra, double surely beat bleeding out with a hole in her chest, and extra triple beat drowning in a tidal wave. So personally, she was counting her blessings! Speaking of which-

"Thanks again for hauling me out of the water." Karin started to bow, but aborted it halfway through. She didn't know the guy very well, but she knew well enough by now that the gesture wouldn't mean much to him. "Er- yeah, thanks."

"Don't mention it." Naruto seemed hardly attentive, his attention now fixed entirely onto the giant-mouthed club in his hands. "Now Princess- Ack!" He hissed as the blade snapped at him again with rising energy. "Bad Princess! Bad! No walkies for you!"

Karin felt embarrassed, watching him. "You really oughta stop that…" He looked her way in confusion, and she frowned. "It's alive- intelligent… How would you feel if somebody just snatched you up and changed your name?"

He raised a finger as if to argue, but then let it fall, just as soon. "Yeah… That's fair." To Samehada, he only offered a sheepish grin. "My bad, I was being a bit petty, ya know- er, 'cuz you choked the shit outta me earlier. I'll get your name right from now on- Samehada, right?"

It was like a switch had been flipped. The monstrous ninja tool went from gnashing and biting at him all at once to docile; its oversized tongue flopped out, the blade panting almost eagerly like a dog.

"A-alright, yeah! Lesson learned!" Naruto grinned right back.


A sharp knock at the door had Tsunade dragging her head out of her pile of paperwork. She rose languidly, both hands ghosting up to smoothen her hair into something half-presentable.

The reconstruction effort of the village was a tsunami of effort with no reprieve in sight; it had been days since she had last seen the comfort of her own bed, and she knew well that it'd be days more before she did. Still, she of all people couldn't afford to slack off.

But that didn't make her any less pissed at Shizune for hiding her sake…

God, she needed a successor…

The knocking came more insistently this time, and Tsunade groaned, wiping a line of drool from her chin.

"Who?" One word- a demand, and she hoped for their sake they had a damn-good reason for disturbing her.

The door opened without any further hesitation, and Naruto's blindfolded head poked inward. "Ain't you the one who told us to be here?"

Ah, yeah… Tsunade squinted as Naruto flicked the lights on. "Turn that shit off."

Once again, the room was mercifully bathed with the grace of shade.

"Er- we could come back for later?" Karin followed Naruto into the room with anxiety in her posture, eyes flicking back for the door laden with something crossed between invitation and request.

"Nah, let's just make this quick." Tsunade gestured for the pair, and they approached as she began to flip through her folders.

Not that one.

Not that one.

Maybe that- nope.

"This one." She waved a sheet before her visitors. To Naruto, she gestured for him to take it. "You're a Jonin now. Congrats."

Naruto seemed a block of ice; only the slightest twitch of his face panning between her and the document between her impatient fingers gave her even the slightest insight into his thoughts. Finally though, just as her own impatience threatened to get the better of her- "Why?"

"Don't be stupid," Tsunade snapped. "You're more than qualified for the post." A thought. "Your abilities scale far beyond that of Chunin, let alone Jonin."

"Er- sure-" Naruto still seemed hesitant to take the damned thing. "But ain't there more to it than just being strong? I thought that's why I was never promoted before."

A fair point. Naruto's maturity had often been a point of contention among her colleagues whenever she'd brought the idea up in the past. But he'd been different since his return from his trip with Jiraiya; different still, when compared to the young man who had returned from his sage training with the toads.

"You'll grow into it," was all that Tsunade said. "But given the circumstances, I need you to assume more responsibilities moving forward."

Really, she just wanted him to take the damn hat already, if she were being honest.

"If you have any doubts about yourself, then you can assuage mine and yours both by treating the role with the respect it deserves. Any questions?"

"Er- a few-"

"Don't care." Tsunade reached under her table, dragging out an orange flak jacket with additional padding around the chest and shoulders. A thick, gray fur collar fitted across the neckline, lining the ends of a deep hood. "I paid good money to have that made for you."

Every day she saw that boy head out without proper protection damn near put her heart in her throat. And seeing him book it to Rain in such a hurry that he'd forgotten his travel cloak-

Don't lose it, and you'd better wear it!" Then she hurled the thing right at his face.

"Er- thanks?" His words were muffled by the taste of cloth. "Why does it smell like sake?"

"Moving on." Tsunade paid the boy no further mind. Now, she had eyes only for Karin. "This is yours." Plucking yet another sheet from her folder, she handed it to the redhead. "I'll spare us all the suspense: You're an Uzumaki. Congratulations. Now get the hell out."

A full three seconds of stunned silence, then Karin was the first to speak up. "Wait, what?"

"I'm not repeating myself," Tsunade said, stubbornly. "I will be taking no questions. Figure it the hell out for yourselves."

Naruto refused. "Ain't no way you're dropping a damn bomb like that and thinking you don't gotta answer any questions! What the hell do you mean-" His breath hitched, and Naruto pried his blindfold up so that Tsunade could really see how stunned he was in that moment. Her own breath caught, for this was the first time she was seeing those eyes on his face. "We're related?"

Playing it cool, Tsunade only shrugged. "I compared blood samples-"

Naruto paled. "How did you get my blood-"

"Shut up." Tsunade rolled her eyes. What a dumb question. "I compared blood samples between you two- the three of us, actually." She shrugged again, because really, that was all she really felt like doing right about now. "Listen up and listen good- if you interrupt me even a single time, I'm not telling you anything else. Are we clear?"

Naruto only nodded, now looking more like a deer in the headlights.

"Uzushiogakure was home to the Uzumaki. They were a remote people who lived far removed from other societies in our world. Because of that, there's not a ton that common people know about their culture. This is obviously by design, with them."

Naruto nodded again, clamping his jaw shut to withhold all of the questions that he really wanted to ask.

Like why she had never thought to give him this lesson before.

Karin seemed curious as well. Though seemingly less so than Naruto, himself.

"Uzumaki wasn't really a surname until Mito- Hashirama's wife, engaged in a political marriage, creating ties between Uzu and Konoha. Before then, it was merely a name used wholesale to refer to the warriors of Uzushiogakure." Tsunade leaned forward. "Due to their viciousness in combat and volatile temperaments-" She smirked. "Whirlpool is right, hm?"

No reaction. Damn, tough crowd- oh. Yeah, that was on her, actually.

Shaking her head- "When Granny Mito came to Konoha, she took the Senju name, but to honor her, Hashirama gave the people of Uzu an honorary seat on Konoha's budding shinobi council, and treated Mito as an ambassador for Uzu under that name. Good?"

Naruto and Karin both nodded, hesitantly.

"All of this to say that sharing the name 'Uzumaki' doesn't actually mean a whole lot by itself. All it means is that you have blood that extends back to Uzushiogakure…" Then she frowned. "What does matter is what your specific bloods say." Gesturing to the document she'd all but stuffed into Karin's hands- "Within Uzu, there were a number of their own clans, with their own unique abilities; much like we have different clans within Konoha… Karin, I suspect that at least one of your parents was related to Mito and Kushina- Naruto's mother, based on existing DNA samples I thought to compare you with. Now at some point, I'll want to see that you both are tested, proper, for compatibility with those abilities."

Naruto had been nodding slowly for the last minute or so, seeming almost dizzy with all of the information she had thrown at him. "So she and I-" He pointed between himself and Karin; she-too mirrored his gesture. "We're not just from the same clan, but- er, related? Like- related, related?"

Tsunade shrugged. "About as related as you and I are, I suppose. So maybe three or four generations or so between us all… Any more questions?"

"Er- yeah actually-"

"Don't care." Tsunade weathered Naruto's caustic glare with no more than a chuckle. "I will definitely answer them all for you," She promised; his glare softened a bit at that. "But that's for a later time, because I'm tired as shit. So for now- and I say this with love- get the hell out of my office."

Naruto left in a daze, a thousand and one questions still in his mouth with no outlet in sight. Karin followed behind, seeming only slightly less nonplussed as he; she looked back to Tsunade, hesitantly, but seemed dissuaded by the hard glare that the Hokage gave her.

Some other time for sure… For now though-

Tsunade planted her head right back down onto her table.

She was damn tired.


Ibiki Morino was a hard man. Naruto still remembered the man's chilling visage as he proctored the first stage of his Chunin exams. The guy was not someone to get on the bad side of- anybody with sense knew better than to piss off the head of torture and interrogation.

Really, what kind of idiot would willingly set themselves in that man's crosshairs?

"'Sup Scarface? Did Granny Tsunade give you the good news?"

Right… That kind of idiot.

Ibiki's stoic glare was the only thing given in response to Naruto's own smiling antics. He was alone, save for the purring Samehada; he had thought to drop Karin off with Sakura- the two seemed to get along fine enough. Sakura had mentioned something about getting the girl some clothes; she'd tried dragging him along too for a bit, especially once she'd learned about his promotion.

"You deserve it, really!"

And that felt good, to have somebody say that to him. He'd even forgotten he was still kinda miffed at her for a bit; long enough to let her help him pick out a new outfit, though only after she'd agreed not to kill the orange.

It was practically his calling card!

"Geeze, tough crowd." Anxiously, he adjusted his new threads. He'd swapped out his old jacket and pants for a well-fitted, one-piece jumpsuit- orange, of course; according to Sakura, the big zippers made them super easy to get in and out of, which he liked. The innards of the suit had been lined with a thick mesh layer, and a small handful of inside-pockets, which he assumed was meant for protecting his valuables. The pants legs were lined at the side from thigh to calf with gray, crisscrossing cables that she'd said were for adjusting their tightness; the ends were slightly cuffed and tucked loosely against his usual, black, high-topped footwear. At Karin's advice, he'd chosen to keep his sleeves rolled back to the elbows.

"You've got really nice arms," She'd commented more than once…

Whatever that meant; Sakura's nodding each time had just convinced him that it was a girl thing.

Lastly, he'd finally let Sakura convince him to get matching, black gloves with her. He'd never really seen the value in them, since his skin healed over so quick. But now that they were on, they were kind of growing on him.

And of course, he just couldn't feel like himself without Iruka-sensei's old forehead protector. He'd had to swap the fabric a couple of times in his years, but he had long-since promised himself he'd never go without the plate. Said plate had been swapped onto one of Nagato's black blindfolds, which was properly secured over his eyes.

He'd tried to find a place for Konan's cloak too, out of respect for the gift, but it was damn hot this time in Fire Country. In the end, he'd simply folded the thing up real neat and sealed it in one of the inner pockets of his vest.

Speaking of which-

There was of course the flak jacket that Tsunade had gifted him. The thing fit like a glove, and its weight felt almost comforting over his shoulders. But it was also a reminder of the new weight of his promotion…

"If you have any doubts about yourself, then you can assuage mine and yours both by treating the role with the respect it deserves."

Ah, right… Naruto sobered up just a bit. "Thanks for letting me see him so early."

"Don't thank me." Ibiki only scoffed. "You can thank Hokage-sama… Were it up to me, I'd have you out on your ear already."

"Was it the 'Scarface' comment? Sorry, hehe- I'm a catty bitch when I'm nervous!"

The tiniest twitch in the man's face was a well-earned victory for the blonde. "Shut up and make it quick." Ibiki stepped aside, letting the young man enter the facility. "The prisoner is not to be offered any items, however mundane, without my express say-so; you're to remain six feet apart from him at all times; do not yield any information regarding the outside world or current events. If you break any of my rules, I'll toss you out, myself. Am I understood?

Both men knew damn well that Ibiki couldn't do such a thing. But Naruto at least had the grace to wince and feign nervousness without mockery. "Y-yeah. No items; six feet; no gossip. Got it."

And if only for that clear show of deference to his rules, Ibiki finally gave the blonde a slight nod. "Will that blade be a problem?" Reports had said the thing was at least vaguely intelligent. If it had any allegiance at all to the prisoner- "You're sure you want to bring it in?"

Because annoying as the brat was, he did trust the boy, if nothing else. He'd overlook it, but- "If that thing acts out, it's on your ass."

Shifting the ever-bubbly Samehada, Naruto only nodded. "I'm good. If either of them acts out, I'll smack em."

Ibiki only nodded again. "Then he's all yours, Jonin, Uzumaki."

It was the closest thing to a 'congratulations', that he thought he'd ever get from the stone-cold interrogator, and God, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of hearing that!

Naruto was led to Kisame's holding cell; the Akatsuki operative was already aware and active when he entered.

"Heya…" Naruto wasted no time in seating himself across from the guy. The litany of seals that covered Kisame's flesh- well, if the guy hadn't stood a chance before, now without his blade, being down an arm, and restricted like so- "They weren't too rough with you, were they?"

Kisame only chuckled. "No rougher than you were, kiddo." He palmed his cheek, wafting a pleasant air that Naruto did not trust for a second. The man's eyes looked past his visitor, something almost melancholic reaching his eyes at the sight of the happily rumbling sentient blade. "Samehada seems to like you."

That sounded a bit bitter. For just a moment, Naruto felt a teensy bit bad.

"Er- yeah… Didn't expect it to warm up to me so quick, truth be told…"

"Heh… Samehada is a bit of a size queen, ya see." Kisame chuckled. "The first time you lose a duel to anybody, she'll jump ship for a better meal… Just a warning, is all."

Naruto frowned. "Its- her allegiance is really that petty?"

"Of course." Kisame only shrugged. "The seven swords of the Mist village- they were designed to only be wielded by the strongest- most compatible swordsmen. With how often they've changed hands- wouldn't make much sense to have a blade get too attached to its master under those conditions. So long as you're strong, she'll serve you without question. But you lose- you let somebody stronger than you take her, and you're done, bud. She'll bite your throat out, herself."

"O-oh…"

Kisame snickered a bit at the blonde's lame response. "Heh… Hell, it's practically tradition to murder your predecessor and take their blade…" Then his expression hardened, the slightest fracture showing in his good cheer. "But see, there's the problem right there, bud… I ain't dead, and I've got you to thank for that."

"You're welcome," Naruto batted back with a grin. But then he hardened too. "You're awfully talkative today, huh?"

"Guess I'm feeling kinda emotional, huh?" Now, his frown ate up his entire face. "You took my arm and stole my girl. Now I'm locked up in a cell…" His nostrils flared. "And now you're sitting in front of me with a shit-eating grin like you haven't just taken everything from me… Couldn't even let me die on my feet, on my own terms, huh?"

Naruto's grin faded. "What exactly did you think would happen? You took a suicide mission to hurt some guy who's never done anything to ya." His tone was faux-conversational as he went on. "Ya know, I doubt you were thinking very much about all the people you've hurt up to this point. Why should you get to go out on your terms when they sure as shit didn't?" Even with the blindfold in the way again, Kisame could still envision the cold light of the rinnegan fixed on him. "So wipe that stupid fucking scowl off your face. You can die like a man when you've damn well earned it."

Kisame plastered a fake grin for his visitor, a thin trickle of sweat rolling over the bridge of his nose. "Right'o, boss man…"

"Imma keep it straight with you. I need info on your leader. Whatever you know about his abilities; what he's planning; where he rests his head… Help me out, and I'll see that the village cuts you loose. That, or I'll personally give you your warrior's death or whatever- your choice."

"What a generous offer." Kisame snorted. "You stupid or something? You want me to give up everything I stand for- for what, the bare fucking minimum? You're outta your damn mind."

"That right there-" Naruto rested his cheek on his knuckles. "Everything you stand for- what do you stand for, huh? Because so far, everything you've told me sounds like some bullshit some douchebag or another went and psy-opped into your impressionable little head."

Kisame's temple began to throb. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Naruto asserted, with full confidence. He peeled his blindfold off and let it flop down to his neck, his stare pinning the man to his seat. "Mist taught you to slaughter your own allies- what morals, huh?"

The larger man let out a huge bark of a laugh. "Oh, please! Like your Konoha is any better!" He leaned in, almost conspiratorial. "You wouldn't believe the stories the rest of the world tells of you Leaf Devils!"

"No shit," Naruto snapped right back, so readily that Kisame's jaw snapped shut. "No fucking duh, man- you're preaching to the whole damn choir. My best friend was driven out because some old fuckheads took the easy way out and killed his whole family instead of talking shit out like men. I grew up not knowing what it was like to feel human, 'cuz my peoples' system failed me!" He thumped the table, leaving a fist-sized dent in its surface. "Big time! It's a ninja village, where we're either at a cold war with the rest of the world or blowing peoples' legs off over fucking rice paddies! That's the whole problem. What- do you think I'm blind?"

Right about now, he felt like he was anything but.

"But at least I ain't deluding myself; I'm working toward a solution- a real solution! Not talking about 'world peace-" He put on a voice, mocking the very idea. "-And in the same breath hunting people like dogs and declaring war on the world!" Kisame looked away from him, and Naruto sneered. "Look at me!" His demand snatched the man's attention right back. "Unlike your spineless hack boss man, my word is worth a damn; I ain't claiming to have all the answers, but at least I'm willing to put my damn money where my mouth is and lead by example!"

Naruto took only a moment to breathe before he was ripping into him again. "Meanwhile, let's look at the facts. This Manda freak-

"Madara-"

"Fuck him!" Naruto cut right across Kisame's correction. "He told you he was gonna make a world a better place for you to live in, right!? But then he went and showed you your life wasn't worth shit!" Naruto chuckled, mockery for the man his charge called leader rife in his posture. "I've only met him- what, twice? Thrice, maybe? Well I can tell you with my whole chest that guy'd sell your damn soul the first second it was convenient!"

By the end of it all, he was breathing heavily, his sheer emotion weighing so heavily that Kisame couldn't doubt for even a second that the young man before him had meant every word he'd said.

Finally, coming down from it all, Naruto's eyes softened just a touch. "And that's so fucked, man… And you know what? Something's telling me you know I'm right."

Kisame hid it well, but his rinnegan caught the near-imperceptible twitch in the man's cheek.

"So tell me something that you believe in. Not some shit someone told you to believe in. One thing- anything that you actually give a damn about."

Kisame's fingers clenched, a clear desire in that lone hand to punch the blond across from him with all of his might. He wrestled with that, lurching forward twice, but stopping each time.

A whole minute passed, and Naruto let him have it.

Another.

Three.

Five.

Then Kisame slumped and shook his head. "I like fatty tuna…"

Naruto grinned.


Alrighty, that's the chapter.

Hopefully the next one won't take- what, two-plus months to come next? We'll see how it goes. In any case, thanks for tuning in.

Cheers.