Ascendance of the Flash

by Kamikaze132

After three years of intense training, Naruto comes back to Konoha a completely different person than what he was when he left. He must rise and confront his destiny, all the while fighting to keep what's precious to him safe. Sequel to Return of the Flash, please read to avoid any confusion.

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

AN: I'M BACK! Seriously though, this has been the longest time that I went without writing. While many of you may think that I might have abandoned this story, I stand by my words from the beginning: this story will see its end. I assure you, I have legitimate reasons for my absence. My grandfather has been constantly going in and out of hospitals for the last couple of months, and his health is deteriorating. Family morale has been low for quite some time now.

I am in my last semester of college, so the workload has been cranked up to eleven. Also, I have these ideas swimming in my head. I can't stop thinking about them! Anyways, I have kept you waiting for a long time and as an apology, I will try to make this chapter worth it. Brace yourselves! Big ass fight comin' up!

Naruto sighed as he lay on the chair in nothing but knee-length shorts and sunglasses on. "This is what I call a holiday."

He and Temari had been here for three days now, and all had been quiet. Initially, he had been apprehensive that he would be recognized. Resort or not, ninja are present everywhere. In that case, he and Temari were carrying false identification cards. They had even taken off their wedding rings. But the civilians living in tea country were not aware of his identity, assuring him anonymity.

To the people of the resort, they were just a couple here to have fun.

The past three days were admittedly the most peaceful days he had ever spent with his wife. He and Temari were taking full advantage of all the facilities the resort had to offer: massage, hot springs, a top-notch bar and restaurant. Not only that, but there were outdoor sports as well. Naruto particularly enjoyed scuba diving, while Temari's favorite sport turned out to be couple boating.

Best. Holiday. Ever.

He turned his head to see Temari standing over at the bar, getting some drinks for both of them. He sighed in annoyance when he saw a couple of guys walking up to her, trying their best to act charming. The worst part about pretending to be a non-married couple was that both of them were getting hit upon. Temari already had had a number of guys try and talk their way into her panties. Some were easy to brush off, but the ones who couldn't take a hint were straight-up threatened by her.

Yes, his wife was sexy and beautiful. But a person would have to be stupid not to take a hint when the girl says she's here with her boyfriend.

He himself was the target of many appreciative stares from the female population of the resort. But they were smart enough to back off when they saw him with Temari, hand in hand.

Suddenly feeling himself in a shadow, he opened his eyes to see a guy sneering at him. "Hey, blondie! I'm talking to you!"

He sat up and removed his sunglasses, looking up with a frown. "How can I help you?"

"You the boyfriend of the hot chick at the bar?"

He lazily turned his head to see Temari at the bar, sipping her drink with a smirk. Upon making eye contact, she winked at him.

Cheeky minx.

He turned back to the brown-haired guy. "Yep, that's me."

The guy gave him a nasty look, scanning him from top to bottom. "I don't know what she sees in you, loser."

Wow, it's been a long time since he heard someone calling him that. Besides, this guy had to be blind not to notice all his muscles. Sure, he wasn't fat by any means, but he wasn't slim either. Naruto on the other hand, was all muscle. Seriously, single-digit body fat.

He stood up, only to discover that he was shorter compared to the guy. He stood at five feet ten inches, while the other guy probably stood at six feet two or something.

"You better break up with the chick, or else…." He left it at that to sound threatening.

He decided to humor him. "Or else what?"

"Or I break all the bones in your body. You don't deserve a girl like her."

This was the first time in this resort that he had to defend his position as Temari's chosen. Usually, the guys backed off from Temari because she could be quite threatening when she put in the effort. This one seemed different. He guessed that the guy made small talk with Temari, who pointed Naruto out as her boyfriend, a hint to not hit on her. The guy politely excused himself from her and came to threaten him. Probably thought it increased his chances of getting her into his bed for the night.

So immature.

The first statement was almost laughable. He was an SS-rank nin; the designation literally meant "run away from this guy or he would eat you for dinner."

The second one caused the laughter from the first statement to fade away. Who was this guy to decide whether he deserved Temari or not?

She was already his.

His arm shot out like lightning, the protruding middle finger hitting the point just below the sternum. The guy instantly crumbled, falling to the ground and whacking out harsh coughs. Naruto knelt down and grabbed the guy's chin, forcing him to look at him.

"That's not gonna happen, boy. You just aren't man enough for her."

With that, he left the guy moaning in pain and walked up to Temari. "Any particular reason you sent him to me?"

Temari smirked and wrapped her free arm around his neck, pressing herself into him. His hands went to her naked waist, and he smirked as she whispered in his ear. "Your possessiveness over me….it's a turn on."

His smirk never left his face as he separated from her and returned to his seat. He saw the guy who he beat up still on the ground, moaning in pain and pointing a finger at him, spitting curses. He almost thought that the guy would call for his daddy.

"You still bitching about? Get outta here!"

Slowly, the guy got up and limped away, throwing a fearful look in his direction. Naruto just put on his sunglasses and leaned back in his chair, hands resting behind his head.

This holiday was a great idea.

XXXXXXX

Shikamaru's eyes were burning with tears as he hopped over the trees, Asuma's dead body slung over his shoulders. The mission was an absolute failure.

His team had found the two Akatsuki members, Hidan and Kakuzu, exiting a bounty station. Hidan, they had discovered, was a sort of immortal. Conventional means of killing him didn't work on him. It only got worse when he revealed his abilities: linking himself to a target through a blood ritual and inflicting injuries on himself. Only, those injuries were transferred over to the person whose blood was used in the ritual. Hidan's immortality saved him from any fatal wounds, while his target had no such protection.

He had figured that out just in the nick of time to save Asuma, who then cut off Hidan's head. Imagine their surprise when Hidan was still alive! Even chopping off the guy's head didn't work!

It only got worse after his partner got involved. Kakuzu was a dangerous nin of unknown capabilities, who seemed to have millions of threads inside his body, which he used to attach Hidan's head back to his body. Izumo and Kotetsu engaged him, but he easily incapacitated them.

Shikamaru had been almost entirely exhausted from using his shadow sewing technique, and was therefore, unable to stop Hidan from stepping back into the circle and completing his ritual.

He fatally stabbed himself in the heart, and Asuma took the whole brunt of it. End result, Asuma had died and they had barely escaped with their lives.

Ino had tried to save him, but their sensei had sustained too many stab wounds, too many injuries. Nothing short of a miracle could save him, and Tsunade was in Konoha. Asuma bled out in front of their eyes.

It took their party a few more hours of tree hopping to arrive in Konoha, and Shikamaru reluctantly handed over Asuma's body to Chouji and Ino, telling them to take it to the hospital. He needed to report to the Hokage.

He entered her office, and he was sure that had it not been for protocol, he wouldn't have needed to say anything. His eyes were telling everything.

"I've come to report that the mission….was a failure, Hokage-sama."

XXXXXXX

Naruto and Temari were just lazing around in their bed. He was tired from their lovemaking, which had lasted for more than an hour, and was just planting kisses alongside Temari's breasts and neck. He breathed in the scent of her and found himself getting aroused once more. Temari must have noticed it for she groaned.

"Kami, you still aren't tired?"

Naruto smirked as he advanced and engaged her in a short, sensual make-out session. Breaking away, he said. "Hard to be when you're naked in my arms."

Temari smiled and just as they were about to engage in another round, a buzzing sound caught their ears. Naruto went death still as he heard it, and in the next moment he was out of the bed and over to his pad, not caring if he was naked.

He opened up his pad and rapidly scanned the message from Tsunade. Temari sat up, holding the covers to her chest and asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

Naruto put down the tab. "We need to get back to the village."

Hearing the grave note in his voice, her heartbeat quickened. "Is something wrong?"

"…Asuma is dead."

XXXXXXX

It took them no more than ten minutes to pack and check out. Once they were outside, Naruto reached out and sensed the tag in his home. It was a bit of a tedious process, considering the number of places he had marked during his training with Jiraiya. Once the tag was firmly pictured in his mind, they flashed away.

It only took them five more minutes to change into their uniforms before Naruto flashed them away to the outside of the Hokage's office. He knocked and once they received permission to enter, he almost threw the door open and walked in. Seeing the ashen faces of Shizune and Tsunade only confirmed the authenticity of the message.

"We got your message," he nodded to Tsunade.

The blonde healer took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You made good time. I got the news only an hour earlier."

"Was it the Akatsuki?"

The silence was all the answer he needed. Naruto turned his head away, unable to look Tsunade in the eye. If only he had been on that mission….

"It's not your fault Naruto."

His head snapped back to face Temari, who was looking somber. She shook her head. "We couldn't have known that this would happen."

It was an explanation that was hard to accept, but it was true. There was no way Naruto could have known that someone was gonna die on this mission. S-rank missions were no joke, because they carried a 90% risk of death. Which was why they were only given to the most skilled of shinobi. Asuma's team was comprised wholly of chunin, so the fact that they made it out alive was more shocking than anything. Sure, Asuma was A-rank, but even an A-rank would struggle against an S-rank nin. The latter was a whole another league of danger.

Oh kami, jiji….

The old man must have been devastated by the news. His relationship with his son was already strained, but now he had no chance to make it up. The pit of despair he must have fallen into…

"I need to go," he excused himself and flashed away, not waiting to hear Tsunade's dismissal.

He appeared right outside the Sarutobi clan compound and hurried inside. The atmosphere was already sad and saturated with grief, but Naruto tried his best to ignore it as he reached the former Hokage's house. He almost tore the doors open in his hurry to get inside, but stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him.

Jiji was crying.

Never before had he seen his pseudo-grandfather cry. The loss of his estranged son had, without doubt, crushed him like nothing had ever before. He just walked up to him and stood beside him in silence. He didn't know the pain of losing one's child, but it had to be something absolutely unbearable. Something that would crush the will of a person to live into nothing. Jiji had already outlived his wife, but to outlive his own son? With whom he had been working to fix his relationship?

Naruto wished he had some way to ease off the pain from jiji's shoulders.

"The pain I felt when Biwako passed away…..it still remains with me, to this day," he whispered, eyes fixed on the portrait of his family. "I have learned to put it behind me, but Asuma…" his voice cracked up, "he was my son. Estranged or not, he was my child. The little boy who I brought up with my own hands."

The pain in his voice was so…raw, Naruto couldn't help but shed a tear of his own. It pained him to see jiji suffering such a loss. "I thought I had seen it all, the pain the world has to offer. But life once again proved me wrong.

"Losing your child is the worst pain anyone can go through."

Naruto didn't have a child, but the pain in jiji's voice told him that it was the absolute truth. He closed his eyes and vowed to himself; he would do his utmost to keep all of his family, present and future, safe or die trying.

He almost missed jiji's next words. "Parents put their child's needs before their own. We feel responsible for their well-being. Losing a child doesn't just mean losing a person we loved. It means," he took a shuddering breath, "losing the years of promise we looked forward to."

Naruto wondered whether jiji would ever recover from this ordeal. There's only so much grief a man can take before his mind snaps. The village had taken too much from him: his unwavering loyalty, his wife, his successor, his prodigious student and now his son.

Shinobi were always prepared to face death, but that didn't mean it was easy to deal with.

He took a deep breath. "I appreciate your presence Naruto, but I need some time to myself. Please…leave me alone."

Without saying anything, Naruto turned and walked away. Or would have, had the person in front of him not stopped him. Konohamaru had grown up, no longer the little shit with a missing tooth and ridiculous helmet. He looked like a proud shinobi of Konoha.

A shinobi who was broken.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks in an unstoppable flow. His eyes were full of grief and sorrow. Naruto felt a little guilty for coming here. Ever since his return, he hadn't met Konohamaru once. The first time he meets him is at his uncle's death.

"Konohamaru-"

He couldn't finish because the young Sarutobi crashed into his gut, arms wrapped tight around him and bawling his eyes out. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young genin.

"H-H-He's dead ni-chan!"

Naruto just rubbed his hand in Konohamaru's hair, truly feeling bad for what happened to the genin. He coaxed himself out of the embrace and knelt down. "I know Konohamaru. And while I wasn't that as close to him as I am to your grandfather, I knew that he was a good man, with good intentions in his heart. Death is a part of our life, and it is a harsh reality that we sometimes tend to forget."

He squeezed his shoulders. "I understand that you are in pain, Konohamaru. We are in the middle of a war now, and time is a precious resource. There isn't much we have, but what we do, use it wisely. Now is the time to mourn. Be with your grandfather." He wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Right now, he is much more vulnerable than you realize. He needs strength from you, just as you need strength from him."

With that, he stood up and walked out.

XXXXXXX

The funeral was held two days later. Naruto and Temari were standing in line with the rest of the jonin. He made sure to be standing close to Konohamaru and hold his hand; the poor boy couldn't seem to stop crying. Naruto didn't fault him; Konohamaru was closer to Asuma than Hiruzen was, and must have spent a lot of time with him.

It was a bit of a surprise to see that quite a lot of shinobi were affected by Asuma's death. Gai was crying, and for the first time, Naruto saw Kakashi looking genuinely sad. While he had always seen him acting quite aloof and distanced with the other jonin, he didn't know that Kakashi genuinely liked the bearded jonin as a friend. A valued comrade sure, but not as a close friend.

But of all the people, the one most affected seemed to be Kurenai.

She's a widow now. A woman with a child who would never see their father.

Naruto held no love for the female jonin, but it was hard not to feel bad for her. With Asuma she wanted to start a new chapter of her life, to explore parenthood. Now, that chance was gone. He could see jiji trying to be strong as he stood next to Kurenai. But he could tell that the old man was barely keeping himself from breaking down. He remembered a conversation with him from years ago.

"If there is one thing that I hate the most, it is going to the cemetery. It always reminds me of how I failed to protect my people."

XXXXXXX

Shikamaru was still standing at the grave while everyone else had left. He couldn't bring himself to leave.

Just a little more.

"It's getting dark. You should be going home."

Shikamaru knew the speaker even before he turned around. Naruto was standing there with a concerned frown on his face. "I could say the same to you."

"Can't a friend be worried about his friend?"

Shikamaru felt irritation bubbling from within. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody right now. "Leave me alone Naruto."

He sincerely hoped the blonde would listen to him and wouldn't pester him about why he shouldn't be alone right now. So he was quite relieved when the sound of Naruto's footsteps began fading away. Peace was what he needed right now, but there was something nagging in the back of his mind.

It came out later, when he was playing against his father. He thrashed the board and shouted meaningless things at his father, who just stayed quiet and listened. When he was finally done, his father got up and said only one thing.

"Let it all out."

The four words were enough to make him stumble back in shock, but his father's expression didn't change. "Let out all the sadness, fear and anger that's building up inside of you."

His voice carried the weight of years of wisdom gained through pain. "That's the first step."

With that, he left Shikamaru to his thoughts. A small part of him wished that he hadn't, because his thoughts were in a turmoil so thick it seemed impossible to get out of. He was forced to confront them, and see the weight of his failure.

Asuma died because I was weak. If I was just a little stronger, a little more faster…..I could have saved him.

There were pieces of shogi littered all around the room. For the first time in his life, Shikamaru felt angry at the game he so liked to play. No, he felt outraged. Exercising the mind was what the Nara believed in, and they practiced what they preached. Most of the day, Shikamaru would just spend lazing around, or sitting and playing shogi with Asuma.

He felt regret, and it was crushing. If he had just put a little more effort into his training….

He didn't know how many hours he spent crying, but when the tears had dried up, his brain kicked itself into gear.

He picked up the scattered pieces, and set to work.

XXXXXXX

The week following the funeral was uneventful, and Shikamaru was glad for it. He hadn't spent even one moment lazing around, and was rather proud of it. Moving past the grief of Asuma's death was difficult, and he was working his way through it.

He needed to find the peace that was once in his soul. And it was impossible to do so, when Hidan was still out there.

He met up with Chouji and Ino, and they had all agreed to do it. It was unanimous. Asuma was like a father to them, and they would be damned if they let their father's killer live. Hidan was going to wish he wasn't immortal after Shikamaru was done with him.

They met up quite early in the morning, at the gates. He didn't find an ounce of sleep on any of the faces, only fierce determination.

Ino smirked confidently at him. "You ready to go?"

Shikamaru flipped the lighter shut. "Let's go."

"HOLD IT!"

The commanding voice instantly had them froze on the spot. All of them turned to face Tsunade, who curiously wasn't looking vehemently furious at the fact that three of her shinobi were leaving the village without permission. "Where do you think you're going?"

Shikamaru decided to take this one. He had to choose his words carefully, or risk invoking the Hokage's wrath. "Your orders are still in effect. We regrouped with different Team members and are going to continue our mission."

Even in the dark of the early morning, Tsunade's eyes seem to flash. "I won't tolerate selfishness! Do you take me for an idiot, Shikamaru? You go on a mission when I give you the go."

Her voice was akin to the growl of a lioness at the end of her statement. Shikamaru knew the risks when they had decided to leave without telling Tsunade. He knew that there was a very small chance that he would be sent on a mission where he would encounter Hidan and Kakuzu again.

It was the reason why Team 10 had collectively decided to go behind her back. Tsunade walked towards them, the sound of her heels clicking almost seeming to echo. "Shikamaru, I'll add you to a platoon I've organized personally. Once we've come up with a sound plan, you have my word that you will be deployed."

Translation: Get your ass back to your home. We'll discuss the consequences of your actions later.

But Shikamaru wasn't going to change his stance on this. "Just send them as back up later. I've already got a plan worked out for the three of us."

"ENOUGH!"

Chouji and Ino audibly flinched behind him at the sudden reprimand. "As hard it is to come to terms with, Asuma is dead. It's just the three of you now!"

Shikamaru shook his head. He refused to accept that just yet. "Asuma is still with us."

Tsunade's question held a note of incredulity. "You're putting revenge before your common sense? Do you understand what you're doing? You'll be throwing your life away, along with the rest of your Team's!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. It had occurred to him. "We aren't stupid enough to go out there planning to die."

"That's exactly what it looks like to me."

All four faces turned upwards, catching the figure sitting on top of the gates. In the darkness it was hard to see, but the voice was unmistakable.

Naruto pushed himself of the gate and landed on the ground with a soft tap. He stood up and walked towards them. "Naruto?"

Naruto kept walking until he was right in front of him. "You might have a plan, but keep in mind that you're going against two S-ranks."

Shikamaru grit his teeth. "I know that."

Naruto's blue eyes held nothing but mock in them, and it irritated Shikamaru. "Really? Let me get this straight. Three Konoha ninja," he started walking around them, "who collectively, just barely touch B-rank, are going to take on not one, but two S-ranks, and hoping to win."

He completed his circle, stopping before Shikamaru once more. "Sounds like a load of bullshit."

"This isn't any of your business, Naruto," Shikamaru returned with narrowed eyes.

"It becomes my business when my comrades get hyped up on adrenaline and emotions and decide to go and get themselves killed."

Naruto leaned forward until he was in Shikamaru's face. "Look into my eyes, and tell me this isn't about sentiment. That your primary goal is to eliminate two Akatsuki members and nothing else. Look into my eyes, and tell me, that you will win with absolute certainty."

Shikamaru stayed quiet, because he knew that Naruto would pick up his lie immediately. He kept staring into the blonde's eyes until Naruto backed off. "I thought so."

Naruto walked towards Tsunade, but his words were still aimed at Shikamaru. "It was only less than two weeks ago, that I showed you the difference between us. The difference between a barely B-rank Team, and an S-rank opponent."

He whirled around. "Don't tell me you've forgotten."

"I haven't."

"Doesn't look like it."

"It is."

A muscle jumped in Naruto's jaw. "You're angry, Shikamaru. You want to get revenge. But do you know what hurts me the most about this situation?"

"…what?"

"That I saw the same thing happening three years ago."

A shiver coursed through Shikamaru at the reminder of what Naruto was saying. "I saw a friend get angry, and leave the village to get revenge. He left, because the village wouldn't give him a chance at what he so desperately wanted."

Shikamaru sensed Ino's hesitancy when she spoke. "Shikamaru, is he….."

He cut her off with a nod.

Azure eyes became sad as they stared into his own. "I can't help but notice the similarities."

Shikamaru took a deep breath and let it go. "This may look similar to you, Naruto, but I assure you it isn't. Yes, I'm out for revenge. But my mind isn't clouded with hatred. I haven't lost myself in the lust of power. I haven't lost any trust with my Hokage and in my village. I haven't severed any of my bonds. It's just that," he let out a sigh, "that if I don't do this, I won't be able to live with myself. This goes for all of my Team."

Naruto stared at him with an indifferent gaze, not giving out any hints to what he was thinking. It was at this time Tsunade reinserted herself into the conversation. "That may be so, but I still can't allow you to leave. Platoons are organized in a group of four-man cells, and you are only three."

"I'll go."

Shikamaru blinked in surprise. Did he hear that right?

Naruto turned to look at Tsunade, who looked just as surprised as him. "Naruto, what are you-"

"I'll serve as the temporary captain of Team 10." Naruto nodded towards him and his Team. "Look at their faces. They aren't gonna back down from this. Might as well assign me as their captain, so I can keep an eye on them." The last part of the statement was something of a grumble, but it sounded like 'keep them from doing anything stupid.'

Tsunade turned to look at his Team, and her shoulders sagged just a little. Naruto's words rang true, and she finally admitted defeat with an audible sigh. "Fine. Do what you want!"

Shikamaru allowed himself a small smile, while Chouji and Ino outright cheered. But there was still one thing. "Naruto, are you sure about this?"

Naruto closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Trust me, if I were Jiraiya I would have dragged the lot of you back into the village by your ears for cheering like that. S-ranks are no picnic."

"No, I mean, you are what they are looking for."

But the blonde just gave a small, nonchalant shrug. "That's true. But just because I'm basically coming right at them, doesn't mean I'll make it easy for them. Besides," his eyes gained a hungry glint, "I've got a new jutsu. I need some test subjects."

Shikamaru almost felt bad for the missing-nin. They didn't know what was coming to them.

Naruto turned to Tsunade and muttered low enough that Shikamaru couldn't hear him. "Send Team 7 as back up in approximately….. twenty-four hours."

XXXXXXX

In the cave of the Gedo Mazo, eight figures, or rather holograms of those figures could be seen standing on the fingers of the statue.

The statue itself was grotesque and eerie, with its mouth open and palms facing upwards, as if stuck in eternal hunger. Wooden spike-like protrusions made up most of its back. The statue had nine eyes, four of which had irises and the others not. There was simply white sclera, with red blood vessels covering most of it. Currently, the eight members of the Akatsuki were busy siphoning off the chakra of Nibi no Nekomata from its jinchuriki, Nii Yugito.

Yugito was levitating in the air, red chakra coming out of her eyes and mouth, going into the mouth of the statue. Every now and then, she would make choking noises as if in pain. For her, it seemed never-ending. For the Akatsuki, it was simply another milestone. Just another bijuu collected and "rightfully" placed back into the Demonic statue.

The statue finally finished sucking out all the demonic chakra. It seemed that it was under the statue's force that Yugito was levitating, for as soon as the siphoning was complete, she fell hard onto the ground.

No one paid attention to that.

An iris appeared in a swirl in one of the eyes, making it a total of five open eyes. The leader of the Akatsuki opened his eyes. Strange eyes they were, and he was the only one to possess such a pair. They were no sclera; they were purple with concentric rings converging to the center. They were strange in appearance, but no one in the Akatsuki denied that those eyes held unfathomable power. When he spoke, his voice echoed with command.

"The sealing of the Nibi is complete. Only four remain. Dismissed."

Hidan groaned in relief. "Oh finally!"

"Time to head to Konoha, Hidan."

Zetsu, the plant-like creature and the resident spy of the Akatsuki, turned in their direction. It was the black half that spoke, in a throaty rasp. "Did you say Konoha?"

"Yes."

"A word of warning then. Konoha's jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto…..you are likely to cross paths. He's the guy who killed Deidara. Take caution around him. He's SS-rank for good reason."

Hidan scoffed. "His rank won't save him when I put him through my ritual!"

"That's if you don't get your head cut off," Kakuzu muttered sardonically.

"Oi Kakuzu! Who's side are you on you fucking shitbag?! We're supposed to be partners! Why the fuck are you always-"

"Enough! Let's go Hidan."

With that Kakuzu dismissed himself, Hidan following with an indignant scoff.

The figure of Tobi closely observed the conversation. No one noticed it, but Tobi never spoke up during the two nin's conversation, never said anything stupid like he always did.

The sharingan in his eye was hidden by the quality of the holograms and his mask.

So they're going after Naruto…it will be interesting to see what comes of their battle.

XXXXXXX

Both of them opened their eyes and got up, stretching to work out the kinks from sitting in the same position for three days. "Fuck, sitting for a long time sucks. Time to let loose."

He then saw Kakuzu walking in what he assumed was the wrong direction. "Oi Kakuzu! Where the fuck are you going? Exchange point is the other way!"

His partner turned around and glared. "Are you brain dead or what?"

"The fuck did you say?!"

"Our target is the jinchuriki. Just because we said we'd be back doesn't mean we're required to waltz right into an ambush. We'll simply take a different route to Konoha."

Hidan just stared at him, silently asking him to explain. Kakuzu's voice dipped low. "It's been three days. The bounty is most likely in Konoha by now."

Hidan's mouth opened in realization and he smirked. "Right then. Let's go."

XXXXXXX

"Naruto, take this. Use it as soon as you see an opening."

Naruto accepted the small vial Shikamaru handed to him. "Gotcha. I gotta hand it to you man. You've learned a lot about the enemy from just one encounter."

"That may be, but I still don't have much info on the other guy, unfortunately."

Naruto waved the statement away. "We'll take what we can get. Beggars can't be choosers."

Though it's very impressive how quickly he was able to incorporate me into his strategy, given how abruptly I joined them.

Given how lazy he is, I'm surprised he didn't fall asleep. He must've used a lot of brainpower at once.

You can't resist making fun of others, can you?

I've got nothing else to do.

Shikamaru's voice called him back to attention. "It's imperative that you memorize the simulations. The success of this plan depends on it."

Naruto put the vial in one of his pockets and stood up. "Now that we're done planning, you guys ready to go?"

"Hai!"

Naruto looked at his second-in-command. "I'll let you take this one. I'm not familiar with the routes you guys took or what route they took."

Chouji piped in. "We'll search the route from the fire temple to the exchange point. There has to be something there."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Perhaps, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

Naruto clapped once. "Alright! Let's roll!"

Almost a day later, they found themselves on the route that was seldom used to get to Konoha. It was basically a dead forest, with the topsoil of the ground eroded and trees having lost any semblance of life a long time ago.

Naruto stood up from where he was inspecting the ground for tracks. "I got nothing. The rain wiped out any clue that might have led us to a trail. What do we do?"

Shikamaru tsked. "Our plan is useless if we can't find our enemy."

Chouji spoke up, sounding doubtful. "Well they did say they would return…but they would be smart enough not to go to the same spot, right?"

"There should be two squads watching the exchange point," Ino added in.

"It wouldn't be a problem if we were only dealing with Hidan, but he's with the other guy."

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Let's look at this another way. Even if they take a different route, their targets remain the same. Capturing me, and stealing Asuma's body for the bounty."

Chouji spoke up again, sounding worried. "Naruto, are you sure you'll be fine?"

Inwardly, he smiled. Chouji was a true friend, always worrying about the safety of his friends. "Don't worry. If they are after the bijuu inside me, they'll want to take me alive. They'll be restraining their attacks."

Shikamaru nodded. "They're heading for Konoha then. That narrows down the area we need to search."

"How do we find them though?"

Shikamaru looked up to the sky, as if searching for an answer. And to Naruto's mild surprise, he got it. "We'll use that," he nodded to an owl.

Naruto smirked and nodded. A moment later, Ino slumped to the ground after her consciousness left her body. He settled down against a trunk. It could be a long wait.

Naruto…..

What?

….Be cautious. I don't want to die because you got careless.

It's nice to see you worried about me Kurama.

Don't twist my words! I mean it, you idiot!

I know you do Kurama.

Tch…

Ino suddenly woke with a gasp. Naruto stood up. "You alright?"

Ino nodded, taking deep, shaky breaths. "That was close….."

"Did they notice?"

"I don't think so. But they're definitely heading towards Konoha. Ten minutes from here, 2 o'clock."

Naruto could feel the adrenaline, his excitement beginning to rise. This was going to be one hell of a fight!

"Alright, let's go!"

XXXXXXX

Naruto kept himself hidden, with his chakra suppressed so much it would be hard to tell the difference between him and a housefly. Given his reserves, he understandably had difficulty in doing it. Which was why he had a seal especially made for this. It didn't completely conceal his chakra, but there was so little of it that it was hard to pinpoint.

He had set up his markers on a number of spots. Just in case of an emergency.

He watched as Shikamaru's shadow slowly crept up behind them. If they truly were S-ranks, they would know about it and understandably dodge.

All according to the plan.

They jumped apart, just as two explosive kunai made their way to them. Of course, it's never that easy with S-ranks. Naruto noticed two things just before the kunai hit their targets. Hidan blocked his with the metal wire attached to his scythe, while Kakuzu's arm seemed to blacken, looking like wet soil.

The two nin jumped out of the smoke, not having a scratch on them. Naruto noted that the scythe was no longer attached to the metal wire as it fell down, its spikes digging into the ground.

"Kakuzu!"

"I hardened my arm, I didn't get hurt! More importantly, watch out for the shadows!"

Oh, so that's why his arm looked like wet soil. He probably used a Doton jutsu to harden.

If he can do that to his arm, then he should be able to do it to his whole body. I'll need to work my way around that.

Shikamaru's shadows creeped towards them yet again with the speed of a squirrel, deceptively fast. They branched out towards both the members, intent on capturing their shadows.

"Hah! You must be fucking retarded if you think I'll fall for that again!"

"Hidan, above you!"

Huh, so Kakuzu was the intelligent one. He seems to have a solid grasp on keeping aware of his surroundings.

Naruto watched as Shikamaru leaped into the air, throwing Asuma's trench knives with seal tags attached to them. Naruto had seen those tags, and had to admit that it was a clever trick. He kept watching as the two nin assumed them as explosive tags, just like Shikamaru wanted them to.

"Hidan dodge!"

The two knives passed right by their heads, burying into the ground behind them, in their shadows.

Naruto smirked as he saw the two nin struggling, having figured out the purpose of the knives.

Kakuzu, with great effort, turned his head towards Hidan. "He got us."

Shikamaru jumped down from the branch he was standing on. "Shuriken Shadow mimic….successful."

Naruto squashed the urge to thwack his friend on the back of his head. Was it really necessary to mention the name of his shadow technique every time it worked?

Hidan growled out in anger. "Damn it. Your shadow never touched us. How did you-"

"The knives I threw at you were chakra blades. They're made from a special, chakra-sensitive metal. They absorb the user's chakra, allowing them to use them as a base for a technique. In a way, you are under my shadow bind," Shikamaru explained.

Naruto hit his head on the tree trunk he was resting against. There was no need to explain it to them.

"They are mementos from Asuma, the man you murdered!"

"Huh?"

"The 35 million ryo?"

Naruto was impressed with Kakuzu. The man had a talent for sounding ruthlessly callous every time he spoke. But that turned into caution when he saw that Kakuzu was looking at Shikamaru in a new light.

He was looking at him, perceiving him as a threat. Not good.

It was somewhat amusing to see Hidan have a visible breakdown, not liking the silence of his partner. Shikamaru then extended his shadow, catching Hidan with it. He then backed up, until Hidan was standing right next to his scythe. He picked it up, and then the dance began.

Shikamaru sicked the Jashinist on his own partner, all the while the said Jashinist spewed out threats. Naruto had presumed that this would probably end the fight, for there was no way Kakuzu could dodge the scythe while his shadow and by extension, himself was bound.

Right?

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when the man ducked just at the right time, saving himself from decapitation. But what was shocking, was that the man's hand came out of the ground, caught the kunai, and dug it right out, allowing Kakuzu to dodge.

The hand wasn't any ordinary hand. It didn't even have any sort of flesh. Rather, it seemed to be moving through the application of strange, grey tendrils. Threads that were thick enough that Naruto's hand would probably not close around them completely. Naruto looked towards the Taki nuke-nin, and came to the sickening conclusion that the man had probably detached his hand when it was out of sight, allowing it to dig into the ground.

The hand tossed the knife on the ground laid down flat, allowing the rest of it to come out. Naruto looked on in morbid fascination as a thick bundle of threads came out. Strangely, they seemed to be expanding and contracting. The bundle almost seemed….alive, somehow. It was….beating, for the lack of a better word.

Beating…..like a heart.

Naruto filed that away for later. The information might come handy in the fight that was about to follow.

The threads of the arm reached out to their owner and began merging back. The bundle with them, still beating like a heart. While it was much to large to fit inside someone's body, Kakuzu had no problem fitting it back inside.

What is with this organization? All of their abilities are out of this world!

"You are quite intelligent, unlike my partner. But even if you analyze every aspect of a battle, cover every corner, things don't always go according to the plan," Kakuzu lectured.

Gotta hand it to him. He figured out Shikamaru's weakness quite fast.

Shikamaru suddenly went on the offensive, swinging Hidan's arm with speeds that made it a blur. Naruto figured that Shikamaru wasn't taking any chances with Kakuzu. He readied himself, for the part where he revealed himself was coming to a close.

Shikamaru successfully backed Kakuzu into a thick tree, and Chouji leaped at the chance. He transformed himself into a thick, spinning ball full of spikes. The spikes reminded Naruto of the technique Jiraiya often liked to use himself.

"NIKUDAN HARISENSHA!"

With his heightened perception, Naruto noticed a crucial detail right before Chouji "crushed" Kakuzu. The impact was heavy enough to form a small crater on the point of impact. If it were any other man, they would be dead without doubt.

IF, it were any other man.

Naruto had no illusions that Chouji's attack had worked. He was proved right just a moment later, when Chouji retreated and Kakuzu rose up, looking none worse for the wear. He suspected that Kakuzu had used the same technique from before, to harden his skin just before Chouji crashed into him.

"I know what you are thinking, and you would be right. No physical attack can harm me," Kakuzu almost sounded smug.

It was time for him to move. He ripped off the tag and disappeared.

Hidan started laughing like the maniac he was. "HAHAHAHA! Cower in fear, you pathetic atheists! Kakuzu, break this technique already! It's our turn now!"

"Indeed- AAAARGH!"

Indeed, to the shock of the Konoha nin and the horror of Hidan, Kakuzu had been pierced directly in the heart, with a tri-pronged blade covered with lightning.

"H-How the hell…..? I couldn't even sense you, and you got me from behind?!"

"Too bad for you. Shouldn't have dropped your iron skin technique."

Naruto would have been glad, for they had taken out one of their targets. But Hidan's callousness about his partner's approaching death rang an alarm bell. He wasn't horrified. He wasn't even scared.

Hidan was just annoyed.

"Hah? I thought physical attacks couldn't harm you!"

That brought Shikamaru out of his stupor. "T-That's right! Naruto, how did you….?"

"He dropped his guard at the wrong time. As simple as that."

Kakuzu could feel his life slipping away. His head bowed, he finally saw what pierced his heart. "A tri-pronged kunai! You…..you're Raijin no te, Namikaze Naruto!"

"I prefer Uzumaki. You dropped your guard, and now you're dead."

With Shikamaru and Chouji, both were admiring just how quick Naruto was. "Naruto's damn quick! I didn't even see him closing in!"

Shikamaru agreed. "Yeah. Things would be a lot tougher if we didn't take out Kakuzu first."

He suddenly grunted as his control almost slipped. "Damn. I'm nearing my limit. NARUTO!"

Naruto nodded to himself. It's been almost four minutes since he trapped Hidan. He's almost at his limit!

He made quick work of using the vial given to him. It may be useless, given that Kakuzu's dead now. But still, it might come in handy later. Kakuzu finally stopped moving, and Naruto pulled back.

He jerked his arm back, and Kakuzu fell forward. Hidan just looked on in disdain and irritation. "You can't just go around and get yourself killed man!"

Naruto turned his attention to Hidan. Immortal, eh? Time to see if what Shikamaru said was true.

Wind chakra coursed through his kunai, making it razor sharp. Without wasting time, he rushed at Hidan. He would've gotten him too, if not for the sudden feeling of alarm.

He was too slow. He was already in motion, and it was at the last second that his eyes flickered to his left, catching the kick that slammed into his side. The force behind the kick would have sent him into one of the trees, and fell a few more behind it. So he did the only thing he could.

He flashed. To the nearest marker. Due to his momentum in being flung aside by the force of the kick, his landing wasn't all that graceful. All that force, all the resulting momentum being canceled out in an instant by Hiraishin, his body was sent out of balance. He tumbled on the branch, rolling once before steadying himself.

Even before he looked up, he already knew what had happened. His eyes just confirmed it for him.

Kakuzu was standing up, not dead at all. In fact, he looked just as he was before the fight. The only difference was that there was a hole in his robe from where Naruto had pierced him. He was confused. No, that would be an understatement. He had gotten Kakuzu's heart, so there was no way the ninja should be standing up. What else was confusing was that there was no fluctuation in the man's chakra before he got up and kicked him. Nothing that Naruto could have sensed. It was as if the man suddenly decided "I don't wanna die" and got up, just like that.

What. is going on?

"Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, Uzumaki Naruto…you do bear a striking resemblance to the Yondaime Hokage," Kakuzu commented.

Hidan, on the side, was pumped up. "Yosh! Now let's slaughter these idiots!"

The rage in Kakuzu's callous voice was unmistakable. "I intend to."

With that, he unbuttoned his cloak and threw it away. What lay underneath was perhaps the eeriest, grossest, and most unnatural thing he had ever seen.

Kakuzu's back was covered in stitches. Stitches from the grey, thread-like things. But that wasn't even the most horrifying part. Kakuzu had four masks, each differently styled and colored, sewn into his back. One of the masks had a large hole in it, indicating something had torn through it.

Is that what I stabbed?

Kakuzu then hunched over, and Naruto sensed an incredible build-up of chakra. Now that Kakuzu was actively flexing his chakra, Naruto got a more accurate reading of the man's reserves. They almost rivalled his own!

It was almost horrifying to watch. Kakuzu was giving grunts of effort, and his back was bulging like anything, which meant something big was moving underneath. It was like something was trying to tear its way out of his back. Soon the sounds of stitches tearing themselves apart filled the air, rooting everyone to their spots. Normally, Naruto would have seen this as an opening and cut Kakuzu's head off. But given that the man's flesh wasn't flesh and actually tendrils that had a mind of their own, and something trying to tear its way out, Naruto didn't like the picture that was forming in his mind.

Something moved in the corner of his eyes, and he looked down to see Shikamaru's shadow returning to him. Damn, five minutes were up already?

It was like the board was being reset for a new game.

Kakuzu gave one final yell of effort mixed with pain, and a huge black mass came tearing out of his back. No, it was four separate masses, with each mass attached to one of the masks. Each mask formed a different monster that stood at least nine feet lengthwise. One was different though- it had wings made of the same material the monsters were made out of.

The feel of chakra that Naruto was getting from them was disgusting. They were alive, yet dead at the same time. Zombie was the word, he decided.

Hidan suddenly screamed, and it was a scream filled with the joy of insanity. There was no other word for the expression on his face. Hidan was completely mad. "JASHIN-SAMA! WATCH ME! I'M GOING TO GO NUTS, NON-STOP INSANE ON ALL OF THEM!"

Suddenly, one of the monsters started moving, making a strange, gurgling noise. It was the monster that had the broken mask. Naruto made careful note of that.

It's almost like the life of the monster is dependent on whether the mask is broken or not.

The monster collapsed on the ground, melting into a puddle of strings. Naruto watched as the stitches on Kakuzu's back closed up in seconds. For the first time, Naruto admired them. To close up any injury like that…the technique had a lot of potential in the medical field.

He watched as Hidan threw a fit about the dead monster. If that monster died after coming out of his back, then it must have been what I hit with my kunai.

"Hidan, sit this one out. I'll be the one to fight him."

"Oi, no fucking way! I'm getting really pissed that they keep tricking me! Let's do it like always, alright?"

Kakuzu gave a snort, but didn't disagree with Hidan. Naruto took out a second kunai when he saw Hidan turn towards him. His hunch turned out right as Hidan rocketed straight towards him, scythe swinging madly.

He's surprisingly handy with that thing!

Hidan wasn't just swinging around his scythe. He was well versed, which was surprising considering the man was immortal and therefore, no attack would ever kill him. Why would he train himself in the use of a weapon such as that?

It was hard not getting caught by the red blades. Naruto had little time to observe the man's style. Sometimes, the scythe would try to go for a stab. But most of the times, Hidan was just trying to get in reach. He remembered Shikamaru's info about him. Hidan only needed one drop of blood for his ritual.

But Naruto was a prodigy, rightfully so. It took him just over a minute to figure out the kinks in Hidan's fighting style. The man was overly aggressive, and it was hard to get into his guard given his weapon's reach. But he relied too much on his right side. His left side was completely open.

Just as he was about to take advantage of his discovery, he spotted something flying over Hidan's shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw the monster with wings flying behind them, taking a deep breath.

SHIT!

"Fuuton: Atsugai!" (Wind style: Bleeding force)

Naruto flashed away to one of his emergency marks, just as the monster released his attack. From his new perch, his eyes widened in alarm when he saw the damage caused by the jutsu. It was a large-scale jutsu, but it was the intensity behind it that got to him. The attack had enough power to completely shatter the trees caught in its blast, reducing them to mere splinters. His eyes immediately scanned for his team, and was relieved to see that they had gotten behind some cover. He refocused on the field.

The chakra behind that attack was nothing short of insane! That was easily an S-rank jutsu!

The monster went back to Kakuzu, who Naruto now realized was potentially more dangerous than his partner. A flare of chakra caught his attention- the monster with the yellow marking on the mask was charging up lightning chakra. And it was aimed straight at them.

Dammit, Shika MOVE!

But they didn't. They stood rooted to their spots and worse, Ino left her place and came running towards them, shouting to get out of the way. Shikamaru took out a scroll, but Naruto knew that the shield wouldn't stand to an attack by Kakuzu.

"Raiton: Gian!" (Lightning style: Mock darkness)

If the previous attack was any indication, this one could be similar in intensity. Naruto flashed straight to Shikamaru, right in front of him, hands already weaving signs.

Fuuton: Hanten Tatsumaki! (Wind style: Inverted tornado)

Wind surrounded him from top to bottom like a dome, and the lightning crashed straight into it. Naruto closed his eyes to protect them from the intensity of the light. Even through his barrier, he could feel the intensity behind the attack. It was more focused than the wind jutsu, but that was a given considering the nature of lightning.

It took several moments for the attack to finish, and only then Naruto dispersed his own wind barrier. His face had a frown of focus, but it narrowed into impassiveness when he gazed at the two missing-nin.

Ino finally arrived beside them. "Are you alright Naruto?"

Naruto gave a short nod, not turning to face her. Instead, he called out to Kakuzu. "You really should be more careful with those. You want me alive, don't you?"

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

Kakuzu's a ninjutsu monster. Firing such large-scale attacks and not even looking the least bit tired…there's no way anyone can use attacks of this level unless they possess an innate affinity and the chakra to power it.

But he's already used earth, wind, and now lightning, each from a different mask. So one mask can only fire attacks of one element. That's something to remember.

Hidan walked up beside Kakuzu, looking no worse for the wear. It seemed like the wind attack that he had been caught in the middle of barely affected him at all. He smirked at Naruto, who just gazed ahead impassively.

"I'm impressed. You're the first person to survive that combo, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hiraishin no jutsu saved him," came Kakuzu's flat response. "A mighty and sure defense strategy, teleporting out of the attack's way. But you can only play defense for so long before getting overwhelmed."

Kakuzu made signs once more and the monster with the red mask moved, pointing its face towards them. Naruto was willing to bet anything that this was going to be a fire attack.

"Katon: Zukokku!" (Fire style: Intelligent hard work)

If Naruto thought that the wind attack was devastating, this one was completely out of the world. A firestorm raged its way towards them, spreading wider as it approached and swallowing everything in its path. His hands flashed through seals as a shadow clone popped into existence beside him. "Team, stay close!"

Suiton: Suijinheki!

Fuuton: Hanten Tatsumaki!

Water swirled into existence around him, and the wind expanded it. The wind-water combination jutsu built up just in time for the firestorm to collide with it. Naruto pumped more chakra into his technique, making water at the same rate it kept evaporating. After a few moments, the firestorm was completely neutralized, enveloping the entire area in a cover of sTeam.

"Take cover," he whispered to his Team. Shikamaru's plan was torn to pieces. It was all improvisation from this point on. No, the improvisation actually started a while back.

He sensed the others move away swiftly as he weaved signs again. He could feel Hidan and Kakuzu still standing where they were before, so firing this attack would give away his position. He didn't intend for this attack to hit at all. They were being pushed back by the opposition, so it was time to knock off a piece of the board.

Suiton: Suidanha! (Water style: Water severing wave)

He sent the attack in an arc of left to right, giving the impression of wanting to cut them in half. It was no surprise that the attack didn't do anything but slice off trees, and Hidan was running directly towards him.

So the Jashinist figured out his position from his jutsu. Maybe he should give him a little credit.

Hidan converged on him, but Naruto was ready this time. Even if they were in a sTeam covered area, the combat didn't slow down a bit. Hidan swung his scythe in a diagonal arc downwards, intending to make a large slash across his body. But Naruto deftly flipped over the scythe, his right leg catching Hidan in his face and sending him flying away. Naruto had removed any sort of resistance on him, so the attack had full power.

Crack!

He heard the telltale sound of a bone cracking as Hidan rolled away. Naruto scored a hit on the Jashinist's jaw.

Naruto sensed the others landing behind him, just as Hidan retreated back to his side, standing a few meters in front of his partner. He was rubbing his jaw, but didn't seem to register any kind of pain. "Heh, not bad."

Perhaps it's the nature of his immortality. Shikamaru told me that Hidan fatally stabbed himself in order to kill Asuma. Which means he's most likely immune to pain. That, or the pain must only register for a moment before subsiding. He doesn't have a healing factor and heals at a normal rate, so the injury remains, but the pain somehow doesn't.

"Those two are almost too good at combo attacks," Ino muttered from her side.

"But I saw Naruto's blade connect. How is he not dead?"

Naruto agreed. "I definitely pierced his heart. I have two theories on how he lived though. One, I actually killed one of the masked monsters that came out of his back. Two, I got his real heart, but the monster gave its heart to him to let him live. Given the damage on the mask, I'm tempted to believe in the former."

"It was the same when he dismantled my shuriken shadow mimic. Something like a heart was attached to his arm, and it moved independently," Shikamaru contributed.

Naruto looked at him in his peripherals. "So you noticed that too, huh?"

"My guess is that each of those monsters must have its own heart, along with the real one, and so they're all his. In other words, he has five hearts and by extension, five lives."

Naruto mentally grinned. It's almost scary how similar this fight is to my final test.

Chouji and Ino gasped in shock. "How is that even possible?!"

Shikamaru chose to ignore their question. "Naruto took down one heart, which means to kill him, we have to take out his other hearts as well."

"Well done. You're both absolutely right," Kakuzu complimented genuinely. "Each one contains a heart taken from a shinobi I've killed. Looks like I'll have to stock up again….and your heart will be perfect, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Kakuzu's revelation confirmed it for Naruto. So he took another shinobi's heart and connected them to his chakra circulation system. That's what allows him to use other nature transformations so seamlessly.

"By the way, does Konoha bury its dead?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes by a fraction. What kind of question was that?

"Because of they do, it's gonna suck ass. Kakuzu's gonna be all like 'we have to dig up the bounty and take him to the exchange point!'"

So he was baiting them. He could see why it suited the Jashinist. Hidan had no reason to make conversation with them. All he had said until now was how he was going to sacrifice each one of them to Jashin. But his team knew Hidan's abilities, and were keeping their distance. He couldn't get a hit on Naruto, which was why he was baiting them.

And it was working.

Naruto kept a close eye on Chouji, who was getting affected by the taunts. "Man, that fire-spitting bastard, I expected to get a little more mileage outta him….but in the end he was worthless!"

"Says the guy whose head he chopped off," Naruto and surprisingly, Kakuzu muttered simultaneously.

Hidan indignantly pointed at both of them with his finger. "Shut your goddammed holes!"

After calming himself down, Hidan once more had a cocky smirk on his face. "I know you guys came here looking for revenge, but that ain't gonna happen with your skills."

Naruto didn't let any of those statements get to him, but he could see that Chouji was getting agitated. "Except for the Uzumaki, you all look like kids. I guess you were his students? With such a pussy for a teacher, it's no wonder you can't handle us."

That really got to the Akimichi. "Don't say things like that about Asuma-sensei!"

Shikamaru put a forceful hand on his shoulder. "Chouji!"

Naruto could see that Hidan was close to succeeding. He seems to be an old pro at this game.

"One of those priceless student-teacher bonds? What a load of crock!"

Chouji's face was now red with anger that he couldn't control. "You bastard!"

Naruto gave Chouji a glare. It wouldn't do for him to lose his cool now. "Keep a lid on it."

"What was so great about that dickhead, you fat fuck?!"

That was a masterful finish. Hidan broke Chouji's control completely, causing the Akimichi to rush at the nin with a yell full of anger. Or he would have, had Naruto not pulled him back. But he wasn't the least bit gentle about it.

Chouji's righteous yell turned into a yelp as Naruto grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled back. The force of his pull was such that Chouji didn't just get back with them, but was rolled backward twice. When he steadied, all the members of Team 10 were looking at him with wide eyes.

But he wasn't taking it. His eyes had enough fear to put some in Chouji. "I said, keep. A. Lid. On. It. If you can't control your emotions in the field, then sit this one out!"

He turned back, not really caring for their response. This was exactly what he meant when he said that they weren't ready for this mission. Hidan looked only mildly disappointed that his ploy almost succeeded, but failed at the last second.

Kakuzu's eyes showed mild surprise. "You are surprisingly harsh with them."

Naruto spun his kunai in his hand. "Sometimes it's necessary." With that, he disappeared.

Both the nin's eyes widened, and Hidan didn't receive any warning before he was tackled from the side, separating him from his partner. Naruto's flash step had a lot of speed in it, which was why they went quite far from their point of standoff.

Naruto kept didn't let up on his offense, forcing Hidan back. "You're a slow one, aren't you?"

"You'll pay for that fucker!"

Suddenly, Naruto found himself back on the defense as Hidan didn't let any attack bother him at all. But that was alright. This position was favorable to him at the moment. He quickly summoned a shadow clone, who attacked right alongside him. Hidan's surprise caused him to leave an opening, which the clone took by stabbing him right where his heart was.

Of course, it didn't work. Hidan simply punched it out of existence. "I'm immortal, you dipshit!"

Hidan simply ignored the blood flowing down his front as he continued slashing at Naruto. "For a religious man, you sure curse a lot. What does Jashin have to say about that?"

Just uttering the name of Hidan's god sent him into a frenzy, as his attacks became even wilder. "Don't say his name you heathen! You're not worthy!"

But suddenly Naruto disappeared in a flash step, causing Hidan's scythe to miss him. He went off balance, which was exactly what Naruto wanted. Utilizing the speed of his flash step, Naruto cut Hidan's entire right arm off. The priest gave a grunt of pain and showed surprise as his hand, still holding the scythe, fell to the ground.

Naruto gave him a flat look. "You're disabled, so give up."

The priest's face contorted into a rage, as he simply ignored the bleeding and wrenched the scythe from his detached hand with his left. Naruto could tell that the man wasn't used to using his left hand for the weapon. His grip was just….awkward.

"Like I need both hands to take care of you!"

Naruto just tossed one of his kunai in the air, ignoring the man. "So you're not just arrogant. You're plain stupid."

"FUCK YOU!"

Hidan swung the scythe with his left hand, but due to the absence of his right, he couldn't balance the attack properly. His entire body spun along with the weapon, intent on catching Naruto by the chest.

Like it would be that easy.

Naruto simply flashed to the kunai he threw earlier in the air, appearing behind the Jashinist. He swung the kunai, enhancing the sharpness with wind chakra. Because Hidan's whole body was spinning, he wasn't able to stop in time to register and appropriately respond to Naruto's attack. He was simply too slow.

Naruto just cut his head off.

The body fell to the ground awkwardly, like a puppet whose strings were cut. Hidan's head bounced once on the ground like a ball, coming to a stop. "OW! That hurt you motherfucker!"

He simply stared at the cursing head. Guess he really is some sort of an immortal.

"Seeing you're still alive after decapitation, I'm not sure I want to take your head to collect your bounty. I'm not taking any chances," Naruto declared, putting a hand into his pouch and pulling out explosive tags.

He would later question himself whether or not 27 tags on a body was overkill, but overkill might be just the thing he needed right now. Hidan had gone from spewing curses to full-blown panic once he saw what Naruto had done to the body.

"OI, OI, OI! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! PEEL THOSE TAGS OFF MY FUCKING BODY! KAKUZU, COME HERE YOU BASTARD! ATTACH MY HEAD BACK TO MY BODY! KAKUZU!"

Naruto picked his head up by his hair, which was no doubt painful for the guy. "So all that talk from earlier was you just blowing hot air, was it? When shit really hits the fan, you need your partner to come in and save you." Naruto scoffed derisively. "You're no S-rank nin. What you really are, is just a damsel in distress."

"FUCK YOU, YOU SON OF A-MMPH!"

Naruto just slapped an explosive tag across the man's mouth. "Shut it, bitch."

He then tossed the head back so it landed right by the body. "You believe in Jashin? Good. Prepare yourself, 'cuz you're about to meet him."

"MMMMM!"

Naruto looked back to see all three of Kakuzu's monsters closing in on him. His earlier presumption about only the air monster being able to fly was false it seemed, for all three of them were flying. It was the fire monster that attacked first, spitting a fireball right at him. Naruto just grinned and flashed away, leaving Hidan to take the full brunt of the attack. His eyes were wide, filled with fear for the first time since Naruto met him. The fireball activated the tags he had slapped on him, causing a spectacular explosion that went up at least seventy feet high.

Naruto didn't wait to see the aftermath. He just flashed back to the area where Kakuzu was fighting Team 10. Hidan was probably just burned pieces of meat right now, scattered all over the place.

He honed in on Shikamaru's chakra signature and flashed to him, taking in the situation. Kakuzu had hardened his arm and opened his full palm, intending to use it as a spear to stab Chouji.

"Die."

He suddenly found himself flying through the air as Naruto kicked him away from the side, having caught him off-guard with a flash step. Kakuzu was quick to right himself mid-air, making a landing on the legs instead of his head. Naruto helped Chouji up. "Fall back and regroup. Watch my back!"

Adrenaline filling him, he hurriedly nodded before running back to his Team. All the while, Kakuzu kept gazing at Naruto as if examining a specimen in a lab. "Looks like you took care of my partner."

"Indeed."

"Did you cut his head off?"

Naruto kept his chakra sensing active and found the monsters returning at a fast pace. "I did. But Shikamaru told me that Asuma cut his head as well. I figured you must have stitched it back for him, so I took no chances."

Kakuzu actually sounded interested. "How did you kill him?"

"I blew him up into far too many pieces to count."

"…I see."

Naruto wasn't surprised to discover that Kakuzu didn't care about his partner at all. The man was callous and unconcerned about everything but money. But looking deeper into his eyes, Naruto found a deep, burning rage. A rage that was very loosely kept under wraps.

"To take care of my partner in just five minutes…it seems your position in the bingo book is well earned, Uzumaki Naruto. But don't think I would be as easy as my former partner."

The monsters were back, flanking Kakuzu. "You have more than one opponents to fight."

"I still have my team, so I guess that makes the numbers even on both the sides," Naruto returned.

Kakuzu gave a condescending scoff. "Please. We both know that the children behind you aren't capable of handling even one of my creatures, much less three at once. The one in the vest might be smart, but I can sense that he doesn't possess raw power like you and I do."

"Raw power is not a necessity to win battles."

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "Such optimism…..how interesting. You remind me of a Konoha shinobi I fought a long time ago. The Shodai Hokage!"

Naruto refrained from showing his shock, but his teammates didn't. The turmoil was clear in his comrades' chakra. He couldn't fault them; anyone who had fought the Shodai and survived was not an easy opponent by any means.

"So you're old as dirt. Big deal. We're still gonna take you down."

Naruto got a distinct impression that Kakuzu was more or less, amused. "I'd like to put your words to a test."

Without command, the fire and wind masks moved towards each other, tendrils reaching out and merging with each other until they became one creature. Naruto did not miss the significance of this; fire and wind formed devastating combos when used together.

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "I have five hearts in total at any given time. Thanks to you, I'm down to four. I'll be taking yours and the bounty on your head once the Akatsuki are finished extracting the bijuu from you."

Naruto's eyes gained a challenging glint. "You think you're the only shinobi in the world with an ace up his sleeve?"

Deftly, he used the kunai in his hand to cut his thumb, smearing it across his palm. He blazed through five seals and slammed his hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

Smoke erupted and just by the size of it, everyone could tell that it was a rather formidable summon. When it cleared, it revealed two figures.

The red fox was Tessai, a nine feet tall fox and the wielder of a bo staff. Tessai was a formidable fighter, mixing his use of the weapon with wind to cause significant damage in close to mid-range combat. His fighting style was akin to a brute, but it worked well for him.

The orange fox was Dai, the younger twin of Tessai and wielder of a black bladed nodachi. He was shorter than his brother by almost a full foot, but no less formidable. In fact, Naruto would say that Dai was comparatively more dangerous. Dai mixed the use of his sword with Katon chakra, often using the blade to land devastating fire attacks.

The creatures paused in the approach, presumably commanded by Kakuzu who studied the new arrivals with a critical eye. Tessai grinned a grin full of excitement. "Greetings, Naruto-sama. I see you have quite a challenge for us today."

Naruto smirked as he stood up. "Indeed I do. Your task is to protect and aid my Team in keeping these creatures of my back. I will take on their commander Take caution against them, especially the one with two masks.."

"Understood Naruto-sama."

Naruto turned his head to see his Team out of the corner of his eye. "They will back you up. Don't let those creatures interfere in our fight."

XXXXXXX

Shikamaru was initially surprised, but gave a sharp nod. Naruto was his Team captain, and he had given his orders. "You heard him. Let's get to it!"

"Roger that!"

Tessai started off the fight, jumping and spinning in the air once, before landing and moving his bo staff in a large swipe that sent a large gust of wind towards the creatures. The creatures simply took to the air, letting the swipe go beneath them. Even Kakuzu just jumped over it, but Naruto was right in his face when he landed, engaging in a fierce taijutsu fight.

Dai just grinned. "So they can fly. Doesn't mean it will slow us down."

He charged his legs with chakra and jumped in the air, giving a vicious slice of his sword in the direction of the creatures. They may be capable of flight, but their close-range maneuvering was sluggish at best. An arc of fire escaped his sword, in the direction of the merged creature. It managed to catch in its upper area, but it simply reattached itself.

"Looks like this will be a challenge."

Shikamaru had to admit that bringing Naruto along had greatly worked in their favor. His plan had gone awry so fast that it was a whiplash. He had no idea that Kakuzu would prove to be a bigger pain in the ass than Hidan. The plan he had initially thought of might have worked, but he had severely underestimated Hidan's partner.

There was no window for him to lure Hidan away. Kakuzu's monsters had kept them on their toes while Naruto just grabbed Hidan and blurred away.

Less than five minutes later he returned, announcing that he blew Hidan into pieces. Shikamaru was torn on how to feel about that. He had been devastated by the death of his sensei, and it was that despair that drove him to cook up the meticulous plan to dispatch the two ninjas. To have his vengeance taken from him hadn't felt right at all. He wanted to yell at the blonde, he wanted to be one to bring justice to Asuma.

But then shit hit the fan, when Kakuzu revealed his abilities. His team didn't have the power or tactics to catch them again. If it hadn't been for Naruto, his team would have surely died a while ago. The blonde was doing the lion's share of the fighting, killing Hidan, an S-rank nin in a record time and returning to engage Kakuzu head-on.

Shikamaru now understood what it meant to be in the S-class. They were in a league of their own. And Naruto was a league all by himself.

It was the second time Naruto made him realize just how far ahead his friend was. The gap between them was so large that Shikamaru doubted he would ever be able to catch up.

XXXXXXX

On the other hand, Naruto was giving everything to the fight. Kakuzu's taijutsu was strong, but his style was suited to the earth element, sturdy and strong. His attacks were linear, allowing Naruto to block and dodge them with some amount of ease.

Naruto jumped to put some space between him and Kakuzu and threw his kunai at the man. But Kakuzu simply tilted his head to let the kunai pass by.

They're so predictable.

The moment the kunai was beside Kakuzu's head, Naruto flashed. He reappeared right by Kakuzu's head, and landed a vicious roundhouse to the side of his face. Kakuzu was sent flying, crashing into a tree with a grunt. He shook his head and leaped up to his feet, just in time to see a wind fist put a hole through him and the bark behind. The Kakuzu then melted into a puddle of water.

Naruto turned around where he sensed the nin's chakra and moved.

Naruto was in his guard with a flash step, his punch packing enough force to send Kakuzu into the bark of the tree behind him. But Kakuzu recovered, and once again started their dance, this time vertically.

Naruto blocked a punch from the man before deflecting the other hand, his right leg going towards Kakuzu's knee. But at the last moment, he changed direction and landed the kick against the side of the left knee. Kakuzu gave a grunt at the momentary pain, stumbling back a little. That gave Naruto the perfect opportunity to land a running side kick that launched Kakuzu up in the air, flying alongside the bark until he reached the top.

The nin recovered and landed on his feet, just as Naruto reached the top. As soon as he landed, he was on the defense. Kakuzu executed a reverse roundhouse, using the momentum from it to throw a hook at his face. Naruto deflected it with his right hand, leaving Kakuzu's side open. The lack of protection on Kakuzu worked in Naruto's favor, as he landed a fist right into the man's ribs.

There was an audile crack of bone breaking, but Kakuzu was no stranger to broken bones. He shrugged off the attack and continued fighting. Naruto leaned back to avoid a kick, then executed an aerial cartwheel to dodge the swipe to his legs. He used the momentum to grab Kakuzu and literally throw him in the air. Just when Kakuzu was in the air, Naruto executed one of his Hiraishin techniques.

Hiraishin: Tengoku chumon! (Flying thunder god: Heaven sequence)

He threw a bunch of kunai in the air flashed away. He appeared and grabbed the first, making a slash on Kakuzu's body. He disappeared and appeared, grabbing the second and making a slash with it. He made a total of eight slashes in just three seconds, before delivering a brutal axe kick to Kakuzu's back, sending him crashing to the earth.

But Kakuzu just substituted himself with a broken piece of wood, breaking his fall. Naruto easily landed on his feet, and turned around to see Kakuzu running up to him, unfazed by the wounds on his body. He instantly activated the seal he had slapped on him during one of the slashes.

Kakuzu froze mid-stride, remarkably not falling to the ground. Even as he spoke, Naruto heard the struggle in his voice. "What…..did you do?"

"You don't really think that my entire fighting style is based on the Hiraishin, do you?"

He quickly snuck a glance to the other end of the field. The fox twins were doing a fine job of keeping the monsters distracted. Kakuzu seemed to be able to mentally command them, because the monsters abandoned fighting them and rushed towards them. But his team and the foxes managed to divert them away. Chouji was proving himself useful, frequently rolling into their path to keep them occupied. The twins used their combos to keep the monsters from flying their way.

"Looks like things are fine on the other end." Naruto turned to Kakuzu. "Time for you to die."

Kakuzu's tone was venomous. "If you think that cutting my head off will kill me, you would be grievously wrong."

Naruto paused in his stride. "That won't work? Then I guess, we do this the painful way."

He threw several of his special kunai at Kakuzu, and just as the last one was about to hit Kakuzu, he teleported to it and gave a kick powerful enough to launch him into an arc. He summoned a shadow clone, which teleported to the kunai surrounding Kakuzu and made several slashes on him, adding to the injuries Naruto gave him earlier. The last slash was a stab right into the heart; the clone caught Kakuzu in the back and teleported him back to Naruto, who had a football-sized Rasengan in his hand spinning at high speed, which he promptly smashed into Kakuzu's stomach, launching him back painfully.

Hiraishin: Ten Satsujin chumon! (Flying thunder god: Heavenly murder sequence)

That Rasengan could obliterate rocks with ease. I'll be surprised if his guts aren't liquid by the time he comes to a stop.

Kakuzu made brutal contact with the bark of a tree, hard enough that cracks resembling a spider's web formed in it. He then slumped to the ground, dead. Naruto walked up to him and removed his kunai from the body. This was the second time he killed Kakuzu. The Hiraishin technique he just executed could kill anyone, because no one had the reflexes to react in time to the constant slashing. Before you knew it, you were stabbed in the heart.

He checked the pulse to confirm and lo, he was dead.

Damn complicated technique. Mastering it was a pain in the ass. At least I managed to give it a decent name. It might not make much sense, but it certainly is better than "Space-time hurricane flash sequential steps: style zero." Makes me wonder what Tou-san was thinking…..or drinking.

His senses alerted him to two rapidly approaching chakra signatures. He turned to see Kakuzu's monsters rapidly approaching, no doubt wanting to put a heart into the dead man and revive him.

The only way to kill him is to destroy his hearts.

"GUYS! STAY BACK!"

His shout halted the Team that was in pursuit of the monsters. He quickly summoned a shadow clone, and both sped through signs.

Katon: Karyuu Endan! (Fire style: Fire wall attack)

Fuuton: Daitoppa! (Wind style: Great breakthrough)

The fire jutsu was already an A-rank jutsu, but combined with another A-rank jutsu of a supporting element gave it the strength to rival, or even surpass Kakuzu's Zukokku. The extremely large wall of flames sped through the air at incredible speeds, right at the monsters. It kind of surprised him that the merged monster fought his jutsu head on, with its own fire-wind combo. It was literally fighting fire with fire.

What's the point? I can keep this up fo- oh.

Naruto quickly cut off his flames and flashed away, just as lightning struck the place where he was standing. He appeared right beside the foxes, who slightly jumped but didn't go for their weapons. "Apologies, Naruto-sama. They got past us."

"It's alright. I doubt you would have kept them at bay any longer."

They watched grimly as the mass of the lightning mask plunged right into Kakuzu. The merged monster stood guard to make sure that none of them came near Kakuzu. Soon enough, the mass disappeared entirely into Kakuzu, and the mask cracked.

The nin stood up, and he was angry. No scratch that, he was furious. The effect was enhanced by his red sclera, giving him the appearance of a madman. The point where the Rasengan had made contact was visible in the shape of a grotesque spiral. But that didn't seem to deter the nin in the slightest. Naruto figured he was using the tendrils as some kind of support to help him move. That, or he was just that durable.

The foxes growled aggressively as they once again took their stances. "What kind of twisted madness is this?"

"I agree ni-san. If Naruto-sama stabbed him in the heart, he shouldn't be able to rise again."

"Those masks carry spare hearts in them. Kakuzu simply absorbed the heart in the lightning mask and connected it to his chakra circulatory system, effectively bringing himself back to life," Naruto gave the short version to the brothers.

But it didn't stop there. As soon as Kakuzu was on his feet, the merged monster swiftly moved and plunged into him, just like the previous mask had done. Only this time, the entire mass of tendrils wasn't absorbed into him. The stitches at his shoulders, elbows, and wrists broke, showing tendrils flowing beneath. The mass of the merged monster was visible in the back. The tendrils were all over the place behind him, jutting out in all the directions and almost forming something of a cover behind him. Weirdly enough, they didn't seem to be subjected to gravity, for they were just floating as hair does inside water. They even came out of his mouth!

In the end, Kakuzu looked less of a human and more of a freak.

Despite the rage in his eyes, Kakuzu's voice remained level. "Two of my hearts gone…..it's been a long time since that happened."

Naruto was just wondering how the hell he was speaking with all those tendrils coming out of his mouth.

"You won't get away this time…I promise."

Just as Naruto got into a stance, thin tendrils suddenly emerged from the ground and wrapped around them, effectively immobilizing everyone. Even Tessai and Dai were unable to move, despite their physical strength. Kakuzu stretched them tight, ripping the hidden parts from the ground.

Naruto tested the strength of the tendrils and had to admit, even his enhanced strength was not capable of snapping them.

"Uzumaki Naruto…..I know you won't die from this, given your healing powers. As for the rest of you….too bad."

The fire and the air mask suddenly emerged from the mass of the tendrils, above Kakuzu's shoulders. "Now….DIE!"

Their mouths suddenly opened, fire and wind swirling around respectively, no doubt to unleash a combo that would kill everyone except him. He would just get third-degree burns, but they were still damn painful.

Like hell would I let that work!

He called on his powerful chakra, changing its nature to wind within an instant. The sharp burst of wind cut all the tendrils binding him, cutting him loose just in time to see the attack launched at them.

Snake-horse-rat-ram:-

Hiraishin: Dorai! (Flying thunder god: Guiding thunder)

He thrust his arm that was holding the kunai in reverse grip forward, a barrier of seals appearing as if written on the air itself. The attack crashed into the barrier, and seemed to get sucked inside within moments. That was the improvement Naruto had done to his father's formula. His father's version took way too long for the attack to get absorbed into the void of the jutsu. Naruto improved it by altering the original, his own seal, to make it a negative suction formula. Instead of forcefully pushing something into the void, it would simply get sucked in and thrown out on the other side. It reduced both time and the chakra spent.

Naruto grit his teeth as he tried to keep his arm steady. Catching an explosion was a lot harder than capturing physical mass, because the former was very unstable and had no shape. It was just energy.

The explosion completely gone, Naruto flicked his kunai, sending the explosion right onto its creator. Kakuzu wasn't aware, but Naruto's clone had marked him right after he stabbed him. That was the real beauty of using the Hiraishin: his enemies never knew when they got marked.

The man had no time to curse before he became ground zero for his own attack. Naruto hastily built an earth wall to shield him and his team from the brunt. It wouldn't surprise him if the man survived. Kakuzu was literally a zombie.

The attack also cut the tendrils holding them, allowing them to move once more. "Naruto…."

He made a shushing motion with his hand. "You can fanboy later Chouji. Everyone fall back!"

They all jumped back, putting a decent amount of distance between them and Kakuzu. He didn't want to get close right now. For all he knew, Kakuzu had survived and was waiting for him in the smoke.

"Naruto!"

His head snapped to the side to see Team 7, with both Kakashi and Yamato, running up to them. He tsked with irritation. "Took you long enough."

The four of them came to stand beside them. Kakashi's eye flickered to the foxes. "Your summons, I take it?"

"Yes, I needed some help."

"Naruto, are you alright?!"

The question came from Sakura, with Haruto following right behind. Naruto eyed himself- aside from a few tears in his clothes, he was completely fine. "I'm fine."

Yamato stepped forward, looking dead serious. "Naruto, what's the situation and the enemy's power?"

Naruto held up a hand, still looking forward. The smoke had dispersed, and Kakuzu was still standing. He didn't seem that injured for someone who got caught in the middle of an explosion quite literally. No doubt, he must've used his iron-skin technique to ward off most of the damage. The most visible damage was that the amount of tendrils visible now were significantly less than the amount present before the attack.

"Two Akatsuki enemies. One dead, the other is right over there. He has five hearts, two of which I destroyed. Currently he possesses three, one inside his own body and the others inside those masks you see. In order to kill him, all the hearts must be destroyed. That's the gist of it," Naruto succinctly answered.

It was a testament to how much used Team 7 was to Naruto's weird, but short explanations that no one batted an eye. They simply fell in line, Haruto and Sakura behind him with Shikamaru's Team, and Kakashi and Yamato beside him. Naruto dismissed his summons after their backup arrived. The fight was drawing to a close anyway.

Kakuzu was seething, and Naruto was sure that he would be spitting fire right now if it weren't for those tendrils. He had to commend the man though; his anger was through the roof, but his voice remained level. "I underestimated you yet again, Uzumaki Naruto. I wasn't aware that you were capable of teleporting attacks themselves with your Hiraishin. If that attack hit me, then it means you have marked me already."

"I did tell you before. Don't think you are the only shinobi with an ace up their sleeves."

"Quite right. But don't think that will work again."

Naruto smirked. "That depends. Are you gonna fire a jutsu like that again?"

Kakuzu's silence meant Naruto was right. Kakuzu had no idea how many times Naruto could teleport his attacks. He might have survived this one, but he won't if Naruto kept catching his attacks and teleporting them onto him. At the same time, Naruto couldn't afford to get close lest he get caught by those tendrils.

In other words, Kakuzu couldn't use his jutsu to attack or Naruto sends it back to him. He also couldn't get close or he gets hit with a Rasengan like before. Even his tendrils were weak against that jutsu. And Naruto couldn't get close to Kakuzu because of his tendrils. Both of them arrived at the same conclusion.

It's time to switch to long-range combat.

"You know," Naruto began, catching everyone's attention, "you probably don't realize, but merging yourself back with your hearts was a mistake."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Now that all the hearts are in one place," Naruto's lips shifted to show a vicious grin, "I can take you out in just one shot."

To say they were shocked was an understatement. All of his allies were looking at him with wide eyes full of disbelief. They had seen Kakuzu's power, felt it up close, and Naruto was essentially proclaiming that he had enough power to take Kakuzu out in one hit?!

Even Kakashi, who usually kept his eye closed after opening the sharingan, had both of his eyes open. Just what kind of power was Naruto packing?

Kakuzu gave no visible reaction, but inside he was rattled. During his fight with the blonde, he had come to realize that the blonde was no ordinary opponent. He was strong enough to withstand his blows, fast enough to move out of every attack's way, and smart enough to figure out his Earth Grudge Fear alongside that Shikamaru brat. Not just that, but he had enough chakra to fire jutsu as large as his own, and keep going. Kakuzu had no idea at all just how versatile the Hiraishin was, and once caught in the attack, there was no escape until he was dead. That Rasengan of his, that he recognized from the days when the Yondaime Hokage was alive, packed an overwhelming punch. And now he was saying that he had something more powerful than that, something that was essentially a one-hit kill against him?

So this is the power of the Kyuubi no jinchuriki…..I don't know whether he's bluffing or not, but I should switch to long-range just to be safe.

Naruto sensed the build-up of a large amount of chakra and narrowed his eyes. Even Kakashi and Yamato tensed as they too sensed the build-up. Then all of a sudden, Kakuzu began spitting out waves of tendrils. The mass of the threads on his back almost tripled, expanding exponentially. His arms, which were detached before, reattached themselves and sewed up. Kakuzu's head was barely visible in all the tendrils.

"He's not just changing shape. He's drawing up a huge amount of chakra!"

Naruto agreed. "Given the expansion of those threads, it would be nigh impossible to fight with him in close-range anymore."

Naruto lifted his hand, palm facing upwards. What he was about to do was what he trained for the better part of three years. "Stand back guys. It's about to get a little windy."

A head-sized Rasengan materialized into his palm within an instant. Now came the tricky part. He had given this jutsu his sweat and blood, countless hours of training with shadow clones and blood clones. It was bitter work, but the results were worth it.

As soon as the Rasengan was self-sustaining, he changed his chakra nature to wind and began to add to the Rasengan very carefully. Failure was disastrous, and he had no intention of experiencing it again.

The hairs on the backs of the Konoha nin began to rise when they heard a loud whistle begin to build up from the Rasengan. Kakashi was the first to figure out what Naruto had managed to accomplish. "Naruto, you….!"

Naruto turned his head back just enough to show a smirk on his face. The pitch of the whistle kept growing louder until it was no longer a whistle, but a powerful screech caused by extremely sharp air, compressed into a form. White spinning blades became visible, as the Rasengan spun faster. The size of the blades increased until it looked like Naruto was holding a giant, spinning shuriken of compressed wind, with the Rasengan at its core. The overall size was big enough to encompass him completely.

No one had to be a sensor to feel just how much chakra Naruto had packed into the jutsu, and just how dense and powerful it was.

Naruto had to shout over the screech of the wind to be heard by Kakuzu. "YOU SEE THIS KAKUZU? THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO KILL YOU…IN ONE SHOT! CAN YOU GUESS ITS NAME?!"

Kakuzu had no answer, because he was busy sweating bullets. I have to avoid that…thing, at all costs. Or I'm finished.

Naruto grinned as he added the final component to the jutsu, a thin layer of pure chakra covering the jutsu to stabilize it. It also served as protection for his own hand. "I'LL TELL YOU ANYWAYS! I CALL IT…FUUTON: RASENSHURIKEN!"

Holding the jutsu over his head, Naruto formed a half ram sign and summoned five shadow clones. Showing a grin with all teeth, he challenged the nuke-nin. "Stop me if you can."

With that, all the clones and the prime began running straight towards Kakuzu. The nuke-nin however, was taking no chances and took to the air. That threw everyone for a loop, even Naruto. He stopped mid-run, suddenly cautious. Kakuzu was coming to him via air, so there was no need to go to him anymore.

Kakuzu on the other hand, had a different strategy in mind.

In flight, I can ignore the clones on the ground behind me. If I just eliminate that technique, there's nothing to worry about.

Halting, he sent the entirety of his threads straight towards Naruto, with the intention of stabbing him. Naruto braced himself, and thrust the hand with the Rasenshuriken forward, giving the impression that he was going to cut all the threads with the spinning blades of wind.

To the spectators, the threads crashed straight into him, kicking up a cloud of dust. "NARUTO!"

Almost everyone shouted and once the dust dispersed, they stared in horror at Naruto lying on the ground, pierced in various places by the threads and bleeding horribly. His face was contorted in pain as he angrily glared up at Kakuzu.

Kakuzu's shoulders dropped slightly in relief. For a minute I almost thought he would throw it at me.

Then 'Naruto' poofed into smoke. That brought him back to high alert.

WHAT?!

He then felt something collide with his back, and then all he felt was pain. Unbearable agony rippling through his entire being, ripping himself apart from inside out. The force behind the jutsu's collision sent him crashing into the ground.

What happened?!

The Konoha nin were completely astounded. Naruto seemed to have switched with his clones at the last second, leaving a decoy in his place. Once he was behind him, the blonde didn't close in to score a direct hit. Kakashi was sure that he was going to lose his sharingan if he kept his eyes popped out like he was doing now, but he couldn't help himself.

Naruto had thrown the technique, and everyone watched with rapt attention as it collided straight into Kakuzu, sending him crashing to the ground. As soon as he crashed, a giant vortex of wind came into existence. It was spinning so violently that the area was immediately covered in dust.

"The shockwave is coming!"

Yamato warned everyone and quickly erected an earth-style barrier to protect them. The shockwave smashed into the barrier, but the wall held. Kakashi spotted Naruto standing overhead on a branch, no doubt admiring his work. And he had every right to, Kakashi reasoned with himself. Naruto had succeeded where the greatest Hokage of all time had failed. Sensei just hadn't been able to figure out how to add his wind nature to the Rasengan. If he had lived, he might have. But Naruto managed to complete his father's technique, and it was brilliant.

To amplify the Rasengan's attack power to such a degree…..

Kakashi had no doubt that if Naruto fought him unrestrained, he would die.

After several seconds, which was a feat in and of itself, the vortex dissipated. Kakashi jumped over the wall, and his eyes widened at the size of the crater that had formed. His sharingan flickered towards Kakuzu and also caught the numerous, incredibly small blades that were still tearing into him. In a flash he understood. The Rasenshuriken's appearance gave the impression that it could cause destructive damage to any object, the real damage was happening on a much smaller scale.

The number of attacks was surreal. Even my sharingan couldn't keep up.

Naruto was grinning so wide that his cheeks were starting to hurt. He watched as his jutsu completely tore Kakuzu apart, both on the outside and on the inside. The Rasenshuriken shredded all the threads emerging from Kakuzu, and Naruto was sure that the man's chakra network was nothing more than shreds right now. The creation of this jutsu was his proudest moment. And he never forgot that if it weren't for his father, the Rasenshuriken might never have been born.

After the blast died, all the Konoha nin jumped over the wall and marveled at the damage the jutsu had caused. Never before had they seen such a destructive power, it just seemed too unreal for anyone to have it.

"I-Incredible…"

"Amazing….."

"Holy shit!"

Naruto heard all the exclamations and grinned to himself. As controlled as he tended to be, even he was prone to showing off sometimes. He watched as Kakuzu finally fell to the ground, and made his way towards him.

The man was barely able to move. Naruto knew the damage caused by the Rasenshuriken firsthand. He lightly kicked Kakuzu in the head. "Oi, you dead?"

Kakuzu's voice was laced with struggle and pain. "Damn…..you…."

Naruto just released a sigh. With the fight over, the adrenaline was dropping down and making him feel tired. "Any last words?"

"How…..How did I…lose to a bunch of kids?!"

Naruto shook his head. "Your reason to fight was weaker than mine. To you, capturing me was just a job. But I am fighting to survive against your organization. I can't afford to be weak."

He took out a kunai and spun it by the ring. "It's time to go home and collect your bounty."

AN: Pretty long eh? I gotta say, I had been looking forward to this fight for quite a while. Yes, Naruto has mastered the Rasenshuriken, as he SHOULD have. Seriously, Jiraiya should have known that the rasengan is incomplete. But all he taught Naruto in three years was to make the rasengan slightly bigger? Not even master it with one hand? A HUGE waste of time in my opinion.

Secondly, and quite regrettably, Asuma died. This should come as a disappointment to many readers, but once I watched the fight between him and Hidan, it became clear that Asuma had taken far too many injuries. Sure, I could have saved him by bullshitting about a heart transplant but let's be clear, he would've bled out before he reached the village. Sorry guys, but there was just no way for me to save him.

The Akatsuki suppression arc is over. The next ones might be tricky, considering I have to take so many things into account.