Sleet

by FilthyCasual543

The shinobi world is cruel, especially during times of war. Thousands died for the glory of their village or for themselves, trampling all in their path, not caring for the suffering they bring as a result. Suffering most felt by the children left orphaned in a land battered by rain.

2. No War, No Peace

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Jutsu: Shadow Clone Jutsu!

Talking: "Hey there"

Thinking/Flashback: "Huh, that happened"

Tailed Beast/Summon Talking: "How dare you!"

Tailed Beast/Summon Thinking: "Woah he's stronger than I thought."

A/N:

Second chapter here. Same warnings as last time with the addition of the world being a small AU when it comes to timelines of some things.

Hope you enjoy!

-XXX-

As the rain fell, years passed, and the four orphans grew older. They were no longer children who tried their best to survive, now, they were young adults, carving their names in Ame history with their own organization.

The Akatsuki.

A group dedicated to the betterment of Rain Country whether that be by feeding those in need, housing any orphans they found, or repelling foreign ninja and spies from within their country. They were extremely proactive in their pursuit of bringing peace to their war-torn homeland and it was gaining them rapid support amongst the populace.

Some even proposed Hanzo step down and let the Akatsuki rule over instead, but of course, only a daring few said such things out loud.

But now, in a hideout towering high above in the main city with the four, now grown, orphans looking over a table that had many requests piled on top from various people needing help.

"Man, there sure are a lot of requests now, I'm not sure we can do all this on our own."

The one who initially spoke was Naruto. Over the years since Jiraiya left, he had grown into a man with chiseled features and sharp eyes that highlighted his light blue irises. His pale blonde hair had also grown out slightly, leaving some locs to fall over the headband he wore over his forehead that proved he was a shinobi.

"We'll do them all. If there are people in need, we'll help all of them."

Ritsuka says, grabbing one of the requests that were recently dropped off by messenger pigeons. She had grown as well, turning into a beautiful young woman. Her hair had grown out, reaching her shoulders while part of it was done into a side-tail held by a yellow scrunchy on her left side. In addition to all this, there was a katana tied to her left hip as she had trained in the use of the blade in the years since their sensei left.(1)

"Ritsuka's right, we'll just have to spread ourselves a bit thin for a while to get them all done.

Konan spoke up next. Having also turned into a beautiful woman over the years with her deciding to keep her hair more or less the same, leaving it just above her collar with part of it in a small bun along with an origami flower sitting next to it. She also kept the lavender colored eyeshadow covering her eyelids that she'd worn since becoming a teenager.

"I agree, though I wish we had the resources Hanzo has. A lot could get done more smoothly that way…" Honoka adds with a bit of melancholy.

Over the years she let her hair grow out the most of the quartet, with it now reaching her lower back while being kept in a single braid. She had also stopped hiding her eyes behind the white headband given to her by Naruto all those years ago, instead deciding to repurpose it into one that held the metal plate denoting her rank as a ninja.

All four were also wearing the uniform of their new group, that being a high collared black mantle with a red line running down the center and armor covering their midsections.

"Yeah, but we can't rely on him. It's best to get things done with our own hands." The blonde says with a shake of his head before tucking one of the notes into his cloak. He then stands up and goes to the messenger pigeons, tying the other requests to them so they could fly off to the other hideouts and members. "Let's send some of these to the others. The four of us should go investigate those remote villages along the border that are being attacked lately. It might be Iwa since they are near Earth Country. It would be best to kick them out while we have the chance."

Hearing him agree, Ritsuka grins wide. "Alright! Let's go kick those Rockheads out!" Not waiting any longer, she turns around and sprints out of the hideout, taking a dive out into the open rain to the streets below.

Konan chuckles watching this and follows right after, growing paper wings from her back as she does so, getting Naruto to sigh. "Come on Honoka, or those two will leave us behind."

"Alright, let's go. We'll be back Chibi." the redhead smiles lightly looking to the small dog curled up in his bed at the corner of the room as the blonde dives out, with her following him soon after.

"Arf?" The dog raises his head just in time to see his owner jump out the open window and dive toward the rain-soaked streets below.

---

"Tch, those bastards really tore this place up."

"Who do you think they were fighting here, Konoha or Suna?"

"Does it really matter? If they want to fight so bad, why don't they do it in their own lands?"

"It really is just needless at this point.."

Ritsuka, Konan, Naruto and Honoka were walking through a village that had been recently attacked by Iwa ninja with deep frowns on their faces, and from the scorch marks scattered around, there were either ninja who were rather fond of explosive tags here as well or it was fire style from Konoha.

As they continued to pass through the torn-up streets and battered buildings, Honoka specifically felt sad in her heart. The sights reminded her all too much of the night her parents were killed by shinobi, and it made her heart ache. It never got easier each time they came to a ransacked village. Seemingly noticing this, Naruto places a hand on her shoulder in comfort, which she was thankful for, though a small blush did form when she saw the concern in his blue eyes.

Unlike her, Naruto, Ritsuka, and Konan never knew their parents and had either lived on the streets or in an orphanage since they could remember so they didn't know what it was like to lose them in the first place, yet that never stopped her friends from caring for her when she was down.

But, her moment of reflection was quickly ended when she suddenly felt something at the edge of her senses. "There are people here."

Her words put the entire group on alert and they immediately assume battle stances. "Whoever's out there, come out!" Ritsuka yells, already unsheathing her sword while Konan and Naruto were preparing to weave hand seals for jutsu.

From a nearby destroyed building, what could only be described as a ragtag group of men, emerge. All holding either broken or makeshift weapons. The sight immediately makes the former orphans drop their stances, as even from this distance, they could tell the men were mostly starving and desperate.

"Who are you guys?" the man in the lead asks tentatively with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Ritsuka was the one to step forward and answer his question after putting her sword away. "We're the Akatsuki." Her words made the men widen their eyes slightly in recognition, but she continues nonetheless. "We came here on a request sent from this area saying there were foreign shinobi using this place as a battleground and attacking other nearby villages. We're here to kick them out."

"Huh? Nobody sent a request. Did you, Jinichiro?"

"It wasn't me.."

The other men in the group begin looking at each other and murmuring in confusion, they had heard of the Akatsuki before, but neither of them remember reaching out for help. The sight makes Naruto frown slightly. If neither of these guys sent the request, then who did? Was it another villager who fled already?

"Either way, you guys have been put through a lot," Konan says with a small smile, breaking Naruto's thoughts. "I'll give first aid to anyone who needs it, and we have food as well if you're hungry. Honoka, if you could?"

The redhead nods and pulls out a scroll from her ninja pouch. Over the years she made strides in sealing jutsu in hopes of feeling closer to her clan mentally. It also helped with the Akatsuki's goals of feeding the needy whenever they could as her scrolls made for easy transport of food and other supplies.

Going into a nearby building to get out of the rain, she lays the scroll on the ground, unfurls it, and channels chakra, causing a large plume of smoke to be released before it fades to show crates that contained both food and medical supplies, most of which were taken from foreign ninja camps for 'tax purposes' according to Ritsuka.

All of the men's eyes go wide at the sight and they look back and forth at each other. It seemed the rumors they heard of the group weren't false after all. Nodding to each other, a few of them split off, going in different directions while others helped set up everything and gather firewood.

Next, Honoka, using her affinity for all five chakra natures, creates impromptu chair and tables using earth style ninjutsu, just in time for the original group that split off to return with women, children and other noncombatants such as the elderly and wounded.

As it turns out, the men here stayed in the village just so they could try and defend what's left while they had everyone else hide in nearby caves until the ninja left their area. But now that there was food and supplies, they were all escorted back so they could fill their stomachs after what felt like a lifetime of starving.

Naruto and Ritsuka cooked and dished out the food while Konan and Honoka took care of the sick and wounded. Soon enough, the looks of despair that were on the civilians' faces turned to joy and fulfillment as their previously empty stomachs were filled. Some even cried in joy, profusely thanking the quartet for all they had done.

Waving off a woman who was bowing over and over again after finally being able to acquire baby formula for the newborn in her arms, Naruto finally asks a question regarding the reason the orphans were here in the first place to the man next to her, who seemed to be her husband and was one of the men who made a militia. "If you don't mind me asking, do you have any idea where those Iwa shinobi went after they left this village?"

The man nods, while stroking the top of his son's head, "yeah, after they tore the village up, they ran off south. We still don't know why they even came here in the first place…It's not like Lord Hanzo comes or has any operation in a remote village like this anyway…"

Next to Naruto, Ritsuka frowns before looking at her friends and nodding, prompting them all to stand up alongside her as the orangette took a rather hero-like stance in the view of the villagers. "Well, we're going to go hunt down those ninja so they won't do the same to any other villages. You have my word as the leader of the Akatsuki!"(2)

She was very confident in her words, as if she instinctively knew everything she said would come true. This was part of the reason she was considered the unofficial leader of their group, her infectious charisma could sway even the most jaded of people, and naturally, the downtrodden villagers were no different.

They all began to cheer as a fire seemingly lit in their hearts and minds after her small speech and they kept doing so as the four orphans left the village in the direction of the Iwa ninja, making Naruto shake his head with a smirk as he followed behind along with a smiling Konan and Honoka. "That charisma of hers really is something else."

-XXX-

After running through the rain for a while, the quartet end up arriving in a valley with sheer cliffs on either side.

They had managed to find traces of the Iwa shinobi and they were hot on the trail, leading them to their current position. But right as they entered, rocks suddenly rained down from above. "Scatter!"

The four split off and jumped in different directions. However, upon landing, each of them was immediately encircled by shinobi who were using a chameleon jutsu to hide their presences and attacked.

"Tch! This many for an ambush!?" Naruto sucked on his teeth in annoyance and dodged past a kunai aimed at his neck. The air around him grew cold as he molded his chakra, went through just two hand seals while avoiding attacks on multiple sides, slammed his hand on the ground, and used his bloodline.

Ice Style: Shattering Ice Spears Jutsu!

The ground under him rumbles slightly until it suddenly splits apart to make way for several sharp spears of ice as they lanced through the shinobi surrounding the blonde, leaving no survivors in its wake.

With Ritsuka, she was running on the steep cliff using the chakra at the soles of her feet to stick to the vertical surface as two Iwa ninja chased after her. "What are you guys doing ransacking a village anyway? Those people already had nothing to begin with!"

Her question went unanswered as she is forced to block a strike from right next to her, before landing a devastating, chakra-infused kick on the stomach of the one responsible, sending him crashing to the ground, already dead on impact. She then ducks under a swipe from behind and twirls the sword in her hand, using it to slit the man's throat at the same time in a show of flexibility.

Next, she looks behind to see even more coming. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she quickly sheathes her sword and goes through a set of hand seals at an extreme pace.

Water Style: Dance of the Hippocampus Jutsu!

The rain twists around her, rapidly forming a giant horse with the body of a fish that swirls around while letting out a deafening neigh. Its yellow eyes then lock onto the Iwa shinobi before it charges directly at them, drowning her enemies in a torrent of water.

At the same time, Konan looks around warily at the ninja surrounding her in a similar way that they did Naruto, but instead of waiting for an attack and countering, she makes her move first.

Paper Shuriken!

Her skin begins to peel off into paper thanks to the use of her bloodline, instantly forming shuriken all around her which then fly at her enemies with blinding speed, peppering each ninja with sharpened paper that cuts through their flak jackets as if it was they were the ones made of paper.

Honoka on the other hand was using the power of her eyes to repel each shinobi and attack that came for her, but unlike the others, more and more kept coming, as if they were specifically targeting her.

Earth Style: Stone Bullet Jutsu!

Suddenly, several Iwa ninja went through hand seals before rapidly spitting out stones from their mouths on Honoka's position and just like before, the redhead extends her hand and sends out a wave of chakra, this time far stronger than she's done before in an effort to wipe out the small group.

Almighty Push!

The stone bullets freeze midair before rapidly accelerating back at their owners, ripping many of them apart with the jutsu they themselves created.

With that, the last of the Iwa shinobi fell, leaving the four to regroup, "that was way more than we initially thought." Naruto states with a frown marring his face.

Honoka agrees. "It was almost as if they were expecting us."

"Maybe all of this was done to lure us out?" Konan asks, also frowning. "We have been hitting them pretty hard lately. They probably want to get rid of us."

"Then we better warn the others. This also shows that the Akatsuki is doing its job." Ritsuka states with a nod. "There must be a jonin or two leading this group at a camp or something, let's hunt them down."

The other three agree and all four blur away, but as they leave, several figures dressed as Konoha ANBU appear at the tops of the valley, the head of which being a man with bandages covering his right eye and a cross shaped scar on his chin. "The bloodline of the Yuki clan, an unknown bloodline using paper, a water affinity similar to Tobirama-sensei and the mythical rinnegan…."

"What shall we do, Lord Danzo? Every single one of the ROOT agents we had disguised as Iwa nin have been killed by those four."

"They are indeed formidable opponents. Jiraiya really knows how to nurture monstrous shinobi despite his way of acting as the fool" Danzo says, his single eye narrowing as he looks at the scene below.

He had initially thought his plan of luring out the leadership with false attacks on border villages and the subsequent requests for help would be enough to give him the opportunity to cut off the head of the organization that had been consistently uprooting his spies in the Land of Rain. But since it didn't work, it was time to go with plan B. "Gather the bodies and disguise them as Hanzo's men, also, erase any traces of us being here. For Konoha's sake, it is better for Rain to be in a constant state of war."

"Yes sir!"

If this land were to ever be peaceful there would be a chance for other shinobi with Hanzo's potential to rise, and that wouldn't be good for his plans, so it would be best to stifle that potential whenever he can, starting with the meddlesome Akatsuki.

-Days Later, Forest on the Border of Rain Country-

It had been a few days since the four orphans were ambushed by 'Iwa' shinobi and, unfortunately, they were unable to find the camp the enemy came from nor the jonin that were leading them unless they wanted to risk another ambush by entering Earth Country.

So now, they settled into a small house they managed to build in a forest near the border a few years ago when the Akatsuki first started, choosing to relax a bit before heading back considering it was one of the rare times it wasn't raining in their country.

In the same house, all four knelt in front of a circular table which had a map of Rain Country with several red circles and X's on the northern border it shared with Earth Country. "Welp, we've been up and down the entire border and didn't find anything, so the base camp and their leader are most likely in Earth Country, trying to bait us in. For now, we can't do anything." Naruto grunts with annoyance while looking at the map. Hopefully what they did at least sent a message.

"We already let the other teams know what went down so they should be on full alert just in case something like this happens again," Ritsuka sighs as she leans back before gaining a smile. "Either way, it's sunny outside, so let's take a small break before we head back since we've been swamped with work lately."

With her words, she stands up and takes off her Akatsuki cloak, revealing a black, three-quarter sleeve shirt over a dark grey pleated skirt. "So, I'm gonna go fishing and get us some grub!" (3)

Along the way of them looking for the base camp for the Iwa shinobi, they ran into many refugees, so their supplies kept in Honoka's scrolls have dwindled to almost nothing, meaning they had to forage for food themselves.

Seeing the excitement in her orange eyes, Konan chuckles and does the same, taking off her cloak as well to show a navy-blue halter top and a pair of black spats. "I'll join you and get some water for us to drink as well."

"I'll stay behind and train my eyes for a bit. I feel like I'm about to unlock something new." Honoka says with a small smile. Lately her eyes had been itching whenever she used them and from prior experience that meant another ability would be unlocked soon. Hopefully it's not something similar to the last thing she summoned, it almost destroyed the area she was in before from its size alone.

Naruto also stands with a smirk of his own. "I want to train my bloodline a bit more as well, so I'll stay back with Honoka."

From there, the four split, with Ritsuka and Konan going across the large lake located outside their small house to fish together while Naruto and Honoka stayed nearby with the redhead focusing on her eyes while using her different abilities as Naruto used chakra to sit on the lake's surface in a meditative pose.

The two had both shed their cloaks with Honoka having a purple, sleeveless kimono top with yellow trimmings held together by an obi over a mesh armor undershirt and a short white skirt. But for her, the sight of Naruto, as he only wore a tight-fitting mesh undershirt and standard pair of black shinobi pants under his mantle, was admittedly a bit distracting as she tried to train. She couldn't help but look at his defined muscles as he took slow, methodical breaths. And she also marveled at the sight of his chakra gathering around him in an icy fog clearly visible to the naked eye as even the still water under him iced over, making a thick sheet that slowly crossed the lake.

Shaking her head furiously to dispel the heat built up in her cheeks, she concentrates on her own chakra, specifically her eyes as they pulsed with power. Despite Jiraiya keeping the truth from her in an effort to keep the redhead from feeling the weight on her shoulders, she knew what her eyes were and who wielded them previously.

The Rinnegan, the eyes of The Sage of Six Paths.

Though it was a bit of a shock, she thankfully was able to keep her head thanks to her friends and even if she ever lost control, they would be there to help her no matter the cost, which always brought a warm feeling to her heart, and she always wanted to pay it back.

Even if the entire world and everyone they knew turned on them, Honoka wanted to be there and have the power to protect the people most precious to her, and she would use these eyes to do so.

Unknowingly, as she thinks this in her heart, she goes into a daze and her rinnegan eyes pulse with the rings inside of it contracting, until a set of words she didn't know before enters her mouth.

Naraka Path: King of Hell

With her vision blurry, Honoka's body moves on auto pilot, slamming her hand to the ground as if she were performing a summoning jutsu, making a puff of smoke envelope her immediate area. "Wh-What the..?" As her vision grows dark, the last two things she sees are a demonic looking head that also contained the rinnegan in its sockets that disappeared as soon as it came and Naruto who was running at her with a worried expression on his face while calling out her name.

When her eyes opened next, she felt drained and the main thing in her vision was Naruto looking down at her while placing her down on the futon in the small house.

There was a look of visible relief when he saw her open her eyes, "you woke up pretty quick, that's good. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she states, sitting up and rubbing her head. While doing so, she notices the small itching in her eyes had disappeared and the new information currently in her head.

"So that..thing you summoned before passing out..Is that the new ability from your eyes you were talking about earlier?" Naruto asks, sitting on the floor next to her. Seeing Honoka nod in response to his question, the blonde lets out a sigh then chuckles. "Well, at least it's not as big as the first one you summoned. So, what does it do?"

"Yeah.." A small, embarrassed blush forms on her cheeks at the memory, though it was pretty funny how excited Ritsuka was when she summoned it with the orangette saying she wanted to ride on top of it. "From what I know, it's from the Naraka path and called the King of Hell. I can use it for both interrogation and healing."

"Eh? That sounds really useful." That would honestly be great for interrogating spies instead of the usual way.

Honoka nods again but then looks to Naruto. "Sorry for interrupting your training though."

Her apologetic look is swiftly waved off and she is instead brought into an embrace. "It's fine, I'm pretty sure I made a breakthrough with how in tune I am with my bloodline now. It can't be too long until I can get all my jutsu down to just one seal." It would be useful if he could use all of his techniques at a faster pace, especially the wide area of attack ones as it would get the jump on any enemies he faced. "But~ If you want to make it up to me you can~"

Hearing his teasing tone and seeing the way he smirked as he leaned closer to her brought color to Honoka's cheeks, to the point they were almost the same shade as her hair. And the way his chiseled body was currently pressed against her, bringing a cool feeling made her bite her bottom lip slightly.

This also makes her remember the sight of him training earlier. Though she had grown up with him and seen his development firsthand, she still couldn't help but feel a little shy around the blonde, even though they've already committed various intimate acts together, usually led by the blonde as he head a bit of a perverted streak and loved teasing her.

Honoka's ringed eyes look up at his, taking in every detail of ice-blue eyes as her lips part slightly.

Evidently, Naruto took this as an invitation that he wholeheartedly accepted in the form of him leaning closer until their lips touched. His hands became active immediately afterward, hurriedly untying her obi before opening up her kimono top, uncovering her medium sized breasts still held back by the mesh undershirt.

He then reaches downward with his fingers circling the redhead's navel as he reaches for his real goal, which requires dipping his hand into her skirt so he could pet the wetness growing between her legs.

Honoka groans in his mouth when his digits run over her panty-covered pubic mound and her thighs tremble after her finally reaches her clit that was slightly engorged in arousal.

No words were exchanged as the two continued kissing and her hips rose along with the caressing movements of his hand. Her underwear was rapidly ruined when her arousal came flooding out of her womanhood as if it were a river, making it so she was practically forced to try and slip out of them with Naruto's tongue still probing the inside of her mouth.

The blonde helps, grabbing the white fabric by the waistband and dragging it down her slender legs, leaving a trail of sticky feminine fluid that still connected it to her drenched pussy.

Once the underwear was off, he wasted no time slipping two fingers past her wet folds, feeling her insides grip his finger instantaneously upon entry as the redhead moaned in his mouth.

Naruto's fingers twisted and turned while inside, stimulating with walls as they reached for the spot he knew would have his lover cumming within moments and her fingers grip tightly onto his shoulders as she does just that.

Her pussy tightens around his fingers and begins to throb, constricting the digits as fem cum pours from her opening in orgasm.

"Damn Honoka, look how wet you are…I'm gonna stick it in now, okay?"

When Naruto said these words, he whispered them into the redhead's ear, getting a deep shiver as she comes down and all she could do was nod before she forces her body to move so that she was now straddling his waist. While doing so, she reaches into his pants, reaching past his underwear to pull out his fully erect cock.

Her small in comparison fingers wrap around the throbbing member, making her hands feel the heat radiating from it as precum spills in large amounts from the opening at the tip.

The groan she hears from him as she starts to jerk his cock was like music to her ears, and soon after, she aims him at her entrance.

When she finally slid down his length, Naruto couldn't help but groan and grip onto her waist. Honoka's insides coiled and clung around him tightly, producing a vice grip that would have held him in place if not for how wet she was.

With his manhood firmly settled within her, Honoka's hips start moving at a steady pace, her experience with him showing through as she adds a natural sway with each downward motion.

Naruto could feel his entire length being stimulated at this moment and he couldn't help but groan out loud, but it was quickly sealed away by yet another deep kiss courtesy of Honoka and a push that had him falling onto his back. The sudden change of position now meant she was fully on top, and she took swift advantage of that fact by slamming her hips down even faster.

Not to be outdone, Naruto wraps his arms around Honoka's waist, bringing their bodies infinitely close together as he too begins to pump upward, meeting her downward thrusts in the middle with an equal amount of force, the first pump of which directly reaching and nearly piercing her womb, forcing a gasp out of the redhead as she quickly lost control of the situation.

From then on, she was at his mercy, completely feeling the brunt of his attack that was causing her pussy to cum and convulse rapidly over a short period of time. This, in turn, stimulated Naruto even further and made his hips move faster in response as he came closer and closer to the end.

Until finally, with a powerful thrust that almost pushed through her cervix entirely and forced out a gasp passed her lips, he began to cum inside her, shooting ropes upon ropes that quickly bathed her entire insides white with his seed.

Honoka groans at the feeling of being filled with what felt like liquid heat that had her babymaker at near full capacity.

"Hehe, now what do we have here? I thought the two of you were training~"

Both Naruto and Honoka go stiff as if they were caught doing something they shouldn't have. Looking in the direction the voice came from, they see their two friends staring at them with dual smirks.

Ritsuka's smile was particularly wide as her eyes scanned over the two, focusing slightly on where they are still coupled together while she and Konan stepped inside the hut.

It honestly reminded her of what happened a few years ago, right when all four of them were at the height of puberty, making their teenage hormones go absolutely wild, except it was Konan and her that Honoka caught with the blonde instead right after they all took each other's virginities.

She remembered being rather embarrassed at the time since she was in the middle of eating out Konan while Naruto was cumming in her from behind.

It was shocking to the redhead as well since her cheeks turned the same shade of crimson as her hair before she hastily mumbled a 'sorry' and attempted to run out, only to be stopped when Naruto hastily pulled out and wrapped his hands around her.

It was then he boldly declared that all three of them would be his, and that he would be theirs, with that serious face he would often wear when he spoke from the heart. Thinking back on it, it was a bit corny and kind of hilarious he made such as speech with his still erect dick covered in a mixture of their cum hanging out, but as young teenage girls in the midst of puberty, all three of them were smitten on the spot, leading to the first of many fourways they enjoyed as a group.

It was pretty fortunate that, whether consciously or unconsciously, he took after their sensei and had a bit of a perverted streak or else their relationship wouldn't have bloomed into what it was today.

"Alright Honoka, move over, mama wants her round too!"

Of course, she had her own perverted side as well.

-Village Hidden in The Rain-

While the four orphans were thoroughly enjoying each other's company, Danzo decided to pay a visit to the current leader of Rain, Hanzo the Salamander, a man who single-handedly wiped out several Konoha platoons along with being the one who bestowed the name 'Sanin' on Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru for being the only ones to survive the battle, to implement his plan.

"Lord Danzo, is what you say true?" A gruff voice rings out from the man, obscured slightly by the rebreather attached to his mouth as he stares down Danzo, who stood before several body bags.

"Yes, we were on the way to Earth Country for a peace conference when we saw what looked like bodies of those belonging to your ninja. Though we were too late to save any of them, only being able to catch a glimpse of those responsible." Danzo's tone was a bit sorrowful, using all his acting as a ninja to appear genuine to the man in front of him,

Hanzo narrows his eyes as a look of anger over comes him. "Then tell me. Who did this? Was it Iwa or Suna?"

"Neither, I'm afraid." His eyes then take on a sharp look. "It was the Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki?!"

Hanzo's eyes go wide in surprise. "Are you sure?"

He knew of that group as they had gained a lot of influence in recent years, and though he was cautious of them, he let them be as they seemed to be a net positive to the people of this country.

"I am, Lord Hanzo," Danzo nods, "they have been very influential amongst the citizens as of late, with many even calling for you to step down so they could rise to power in your place. It seems they now grew tired of waiting and now want to take your position by force."

His words were full of purpose as he knew how paranoid Hanzo was as a person and a leader, and evidently it worked as he could practically see the gears turning in the man's head. "To think they would aim their fangs at me..what shall I do about this?"

Seeing this, a ghost of a smile appears on Danzo's face as he steps forward. "Worry not, Lord Hanzo, I have a plan that would cut the head from the snake, so to speak."

---

"Wait, really? Hanzo wishes to meet with us to discuss working together?!"

A week later, now in the Akatsuki's main hideout in the village, most of their members were gathered and all wore surprise on their face at the man who stood before them.

The man, who wore an eyepatch covering his right eye was a messenger from Hanzo that brought news they all were relieved to finally receive.

After all this time and hard work, Hanzo the Salamander was willing to accept them as an official part of his ninja forces, which would inevitably bring more resources that they could use to help the people of this country.

Needless to say, they were excited.

"Yes, he has heard of your efforts to uplift the population and fight off those who wish to do our country harm." The man says, making Ritsuka smile brightly.

"That's what the Akatsuki exists for, to bring peace to this country and make the lives of those living in it better."

He then nods and reaches into his pouch, bringing out a rolled-up scroll which he holds out for someone to take, "I come bearing a personal letter from Lord Hanzo confirming everything."

Seeing this, Naruto leaves Ritsuka's side and takes the scroll before handing it to the orangette, taking his original position as she unfurls it and reads the contents. From what he could see, it was more or less the same as the man in front of them described while being stamped with Hanzo's official seal.

The grin on Ritsuka's face couldn't even get any wider, " he wants us to lead in relief efforts for the civilians as well as put us at the head of border security and anti-espionage?"

Upon her excited words, the man smiles, "Lord Hanzo has recognized your hard work and effort put into our country. He is looking forward to working closely with the Akatsuki in the future." With that, he dips into a bow and leaves, leaving the group to their inevitable celebrations.

But, as he finally leaves their sight, his features suddenly change in a poof of smoke, revealing it to be Danzo before he disappears with a body flicker.

Back at the hideout, the celebration was in full swing, complete with laughter and drinking. And though there was joy all around, only one person had a contemplative frown on his face as he stood outside and looked at the rainy skyline.

"Hey, what are you out here brooding for?"

His ears perk up when he hears Ritsuka's upbeat voice from behind, turning around to face her, he sees the orangette walk up with a bright smile and two drinks in her hand, holding one out for him to take, which he does.

Taking a sip, his eyes widen, and he coughs as the alcohol burns his throat. "Gah, what the fuck. Why is this sake so damn strong?"

"Hehe, you like it? Daibutsu made it himself."

Ritsuka giggles and leans her back on the railing. "Now, what's on your mind?"

Shaking his head, he sighs and leans on the railing as well. "I'm worried about your meeting with Hanzo tomorrow. Something about it just doesn't seem right."

"Pfft, you worry too much." Of course, his words of caution only made her wave him off with her ever-confident smirk. "Besides, I'll have Honoka to back me up, everything will be fine. We still need you on standby incase Konan runs into any problems with her patrol."

"Alright, fine," he says with a sigh, knowing that she was too stubborn to bother trying to convince her any different, "but if I feel anything off, I'm rushing over to the two of you, got it?"

"Hehe, you're really cute when you worry so much, you know~" she teases while smirking, placing a small kiss on his cheek and wrapping her arms around him so that the two were now face to face. "Now come back inside, Jinko bet she could down a whole bottle of the stuff Daibutsu brought."

Clearly remembering how strong the drink in his hand just was, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows a bit. "Alright, I can't wait to see this."

-Next Day-

The celebration had gone long into the night and was honestly a bit of a blur, but what Naruto did remember was a bunch of drinking and merriment as they all celebrated finally being recognized for the things they've done for their country before he was unceremoniously dragged into a room by an inebriated Ritsuka and Honoka to continue the fun in private. Now, all three were in the process of waking up, making sure to concentrate their chakra into their heads to clear away the hangover while getting dressed.

"Remember what I told you, both of you be careful."

"Don't sweat it, Honoka and I will be fine, ain't that right?"

"Yeah, we'll be careful Naruto."

With one last three-way hug, the two girls head out for their meeting with Naruto watching on until they disappear into the distance. Sighing, he heads back inside to their bedroom to meditate a bit before the others wake up. Giving a still sleeping Chibi a few pats and putting a blanket over him, he settles into a cross-legged sitting position and begins circulating his chakra.

A familiar cold air spreads throughout the room as he concentrates inward, and his body goes completely still. He had originally seen this form of training from their sensei Jiraiya back when he was still teaching them, and he discovered that by emulating it slightly he could feel a deeper connection to his bloodline.

But it always came with a slight risk.

"Guh!.."

Snapping his eyes open, he feels pain in his right arm. Looking down, he frowns when he sees a sheet of ice covering his forearm as the feeling of acute frostbite sinks into his skin. "At least it's not the entire arm this time. I'm getting better," he sighs before placing his left hand over the affected area, shattering the ice with his chakra and flexing his arm a bit to gather the feeling back.

Flopping back onto the bed with a sigh, he stares up into the ceiling and at this point he begins to think about the meeting Ritsuka and Honoka are heading to, giving birth to a deep, nagging feeling in his heart that just wouldn't go away.

It wasn't like he didn't trust the strength of the two, the one he truly didn't trust was Hanzo. It just didn't make any sense that a man who held onto his power with an iron fist would willingly share it with a bunch of orphans who had been gaining rapid support from the people.

"Ugh, maybe Ritsuka is right, and I'm worrying too much. But I can't go back to meditating with my mind all jumbled." Grunting, he sits back up and throws back on his cloak. "I might as well help Konan with her patrol, got nothing better to do."

Heading to the door, he makes sure to rub the top of a still sleeping Chibi's head as a goodbye before walking through the main area where the other members are still passed out from the celebrations last night.

But as he intends to leave without disturbing them, he is stopped by a voice.

"Aniki, you heading out?"

Turning his head slightly, he sees a young man with a bandana over his long black hair and a painted face. Curiously, he also had slanted, cat-like eyes. "You're awake, Kyusuke?

Kyusuke was actually one of their first recruits when the Akatsuki was formally established. The four orphans ended up running into him when he was raiding a small village with several others for survival where they happened to be staying.

Of course the ragtag group was easily repelled, and after talking it out and convincing him they weren't working with Hanzo and instead wanted to make Rain Country a better place, he ended up joining them.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go join Konan on her patrol, you guys just rest."

"You sure you don't want any other back up?"

Naruto shakes his head and puts a hand on his shoulder with a smile, "nah, you guys worked really hard these past few months, so enjoy the day off. If this stuff with Hanzo actually works out, we'll be busy real soon."

"Got it. I'll tell the others to be on standby."

With that, Naruto runs out into the rain, headed toward Konan's position. But right after he left, Kyusuke notices one of their messenger rats trying to get his attention. Raising an eyebrow, he squats down and takes the written message out of the tiny cannister on its back. His eyes immediately widen once he reads it. "What? Konoha Anbu have been spotted entering the country and are heading toward Hanzo? That can't be good, we have to warn Aniki and the others!"

"Oi! Everyone, get up, we need to move now!"

-XXX-

Sometime later, Naruto lands in the village Konan was supposed to be at but frowns upon not seeing the state of it. Konan's paper shuriken were even scattered around, and the buildings were smoking with holes in them.

The place was in ruins, as if a massive battle had just taken place "This place was supposed to be back on its feet by now, what the hell happened here and where's Konan?" Already having yet another bad feeling, he looks around the dilapidated village, seeing that the state it was in was still fresh and was most likely caused just yesterday. "Did she run into foreign shinobi?"

His frown deepens, but then the hair on the back of his neck stands on end and he suddenly leapt away from his position right as a hail of kunai rain down where he previously stood. "An ambush huh?" Crouching into a fighting position, his gaze locks onto his attackers, only for his eyes to widen when he sees the uniforms they're wearing. "Hanzo's men? What the hell are they doing? Shit this was all a trap, I knew it!"

"Tch, another one came by, they really are just like rats!" One of them curses while looking at Naruto with clear hostility. "That damn bitch killed so many of us too. I hope Lord Hanzo makes her suffer after killing those other two!"

The man's words make Naruto's brows furrow as a cold light flashes in his eyes. "What did you do with Konan?" His question goes unanswered as the group of ninja just sneer and rush him with their kunai's primed to skewer him.

In that instant the air around him turned frigid as his chakra moved in response to his will. At first Naruto was considering capturing them for interrogation, but seeing as Konan, Honoka and Ritsuka might be in trouble, he didn't have time to waste.

Ice Style: Ice Needle Jutsu!

A single hand sign and the movement of his chakra was all it took for the rain around him to respond, first sharpening to a razor point before his bloodline takes hold, freezing the water needles solid as they shot forward, burying deep in their foreheads.

Naruto doesn't even bother to watch their bodies hit the ground before he races off to the meeting point set by Hanzo. It didn't take a genius to tell why Konan was captured, most likely so Hanzo could force them into an unfavorable situation, and he had to get to them before something drastic happened.

He blurred rapidly across the rainy countryside, but just when he entered a forest and was moving quickly through the trees by tree-hopping, his senses suddenly go wild, and he is forced to send chakra to the soles of his feet just in time to dodge a stab from a sword aimed at his jugular.

If he had been just a bit less experienced, he would have died then and there.

"Who is it?!"

Naruto really didn't have time for this right now, he had to hurry to the others before Hanzo fully made his move if he didn't already.

"Oh? You actually managed to avoid that. Well done~" In the direction of the tree he dodge from, space begins to distort and forms a spiral as a masked figure appears from thin air. "It seems unlike your other friends, you are quite skilled."

The blonde's eyes narrow at the stranger's words, but seeing as he was tight on time, he didn't bother asking for an explanation. He was already attacked and now this man stood in the way, so him being hostile was a forgone conclusion.

While it looked like the masked man was about to go into a monologue, Naruto charged chakra to the soles of his feet and launched forward with his hands blurring through seals. Ice Style: IceBlade Jutsu! A long blade of ice forms around his arms and he uses it to slash at his opponent's torso.

But, instead of bisecting his opponent at the waist or at the very least, cutting his stomach open, the blonde is instead surprised to find himself literally phasing through the masked man and coming out on the other side.

"What the-?"

His state of confusion was quickly taken advantage of, and his back was left exposed to a thrust from the man's katana that he managed to just barely avoid by twisting his body so that he only got off with a cut to his side.

Naruto was forced to hold the affected area and channels his chakra, coating it with a layer of ice to stop the bleeding as he looked up at the man with confusion. "What the hell was that? A bloodline?"

His mind raced immediately, if it was indeed a bloodline, he could at least infer from that first clash that he had to turn back solid to attack him, meaning there was a very small window in which the blonde could counterattack.

"You're quite good. A byproduct of being the student of the legendary toad Sage Jiraiya? It's too bad I can't let you join with the others as I need Honoka to recognize reality."

"This guy talks too much." But as he looks closer at the man, he finally realizes something about the weapon he wields. It looked exactly like the one Kyusuke had used ever since he joined the Akatsuki. "Wait a minute..when he said the others…" The thought alone brings even more anger forth that swells in his chest. "You bastard, what did you do to Kyusuke?"

Though he couldn't see the man's face, he could tell from the subtle way his single visible eye moved that he was smirking. "Hmm? If I do remember correctly, there was someone who called himself 'Swift Foot Kyusuke'. He kept spouting nonsense about how the Akatsuki gave him a home or something," he says with a shrug and a bit of teasing in his tone. "Went and did a suicide jutsu to try and take us both out. Of course, it didn't work since I'm leagues above him."

The more the man spoke, the angrier Naruto became. But he didn't let it drive him to do anything rash. From what he could tell, the others left the base for some reason and were then killed by this man. Now, he was stopping him from going to where Ritsuka, Honoka and Konan were, and his goal seemed to be Honoka herself most likely because of her eyes.

He couldn't have that.

He promised his sensei he would protect those three with his entire life, and he wasn't about to let some cocky, mask wearing prick get in his way.

Ice Style: Frost Fog!

His hands slam the ground and the raindrops in the surrounding area begin to freeze in place, making a thick blanket of snow-white fog that made it near impossible to see.

Moving silently through the conjured mist, Naruto made his way closer to the masked man who was standing on guard as even this technique was too thick for him to see through.

From what Naruto could understand from the man's abilities, in order to interact with the world, certain parts of his body must be solid, so when Naruto took position under the tree branch the man was standing on, his target was the soles of his feet.

With his hand covered in frost, he silently places it against the tree, and immediately, ice begins to creep along its trunk, straight toward his opponent. But, just as spikes were about to form, the masked man suddenly jumps away and lands behind the blonde.

"Hehe, nice trick, unfortunately for you, my sharingan can easily see such a thing."

With speed, he grabs Naruto's neck, slamming him hard against the tree. "You and those other two are the glue that holds that girl together. So, I wonder how she'll fair when she gazes upon your corpses."

He had been rather annoyed by the people surrounding Honoka since due to their nature of never being too far apart, he never had an opportunity to approach. But what better time to show the redhead his ideals than when the only people she had ever loved are dead in front of her eyes?

However, just as he was about to squeeze to choke the life out of the blonde, Naruto suddenly smirks. "Like I thought, you talk too damn much." With a burst of chakra, a cold aura spreads from Naruto, one that turns the hand grabbing his neck into ice.

His plan was always to lure the masked man so that he would come in physical contact with his body. With that he could trap him in ice and take him by surprise to deal a massive blow.

Ice Style: Ice Spike Jutsu!

Before the masked man could react, Naruto thrust his palm forward just as a sharp spike of ice protruded from it which he used to stab the man in his stomach, and seeing that he was gloating, his body was tangible, meaning his attack sunk in deep.

"Gah!"

The man stumbled back while trying to cover the bloody hole in his stomach, and in the process of doing so, separated from his frozen over hand that was clenched around Naruto's throat. With a slight movement, the blonde grabs the severed appendage and shatters it completely.

It was then, Naruto could finally see a bit of anger in the man's lone eye as he growls in rage and pain. "Y-You…"

Naruto scoffs at the confused state he was in and is about to go and finish him off, but before he could, a vortex of the same design that was used when he first popped up appeared again and begins to suck him inside. "I will pay you back for this one day!"

With those final words, the masked man disappears into nothingness, leaving Naruto alone. But instead of basking in his victory, the blonde immediately took off in the direction of his three companions, now rushing harder than ever after being held back.

"Please, please make it in time!"

-XXX-

"Well shit, I hate it when Naruto's right…" Ritsuka curses in her mind as she looks at the scene before her.

Now more than ever, she wished she had heeded his warning. At the moment, she and Honoka were backed into a corner after being completely surrounded by both Hanzo's men and Konoha ANBU.

"Ritsuka. As the leader of the Akatsuki, you must die." Hanzo's gravelly voice says as he points a kunai at the orangette standing below before turning the blade against Konan's neck. "Resist, and this woman will as well."

Ritsuka grits her teeth as she stares at the man above her and anger boils in her eyes. "Hanzo, you coward! I didn't think you'd stoop so low as to team up with Konoha! The Akatsuki has done nothing but help the people of Rain Country!"

Hanzo scoffs and ignores her, choosing to instead throw the kunai so that it sticks into the ground in front of Honoka. "You, redheaded girl. Use that kunai to kill Ritsuka. Do it and this one will be spared."

"No, don't do it! Both of you just run!" Konan yelled as she internally cursed both her weakness and Hanzo for how he schemed against them. If only his poison wasn't interfering with her chakra, then she'd be able to turn her body into paper and easily escape.

As Ritsuka's anger still bubbles within her, she glances to the side to see Honoka with her eyes wide and hyperventilating as she picks up the kunai after the ultimatum she was given. This causes the orangette to sigh as she begins to think deeply about the situation.

Though Ritsuka often acted as an airhead, she was not stupid. She knew that even if she did die today, Hanzo wouldn't let the Akatsuki go as he had proven he was the type of man to go back on his word. So. She quickly crafted a plan in her mind as she looked to her friend with determination in her orange eyes.(4)

"Honoka, do it."

"But Ritsuka-"

Knowing her redheaded friend would hesitate she grits her teeth and suddenly rushes forward. "Shit, this is gonna hurt!" With a burst of speed, Ritsuka stabs herself on the kunai in what looked to be a suicidal move before Honoka could react.

"RITSUKA!"

From the top of the cliff, Konan yells out with tears already streaming down her cheeks and Honoka could only widen her eyes in horror. "Ri-Ritsuka.."

But before she could say more, the orangette grabs her shoulder firmly and moves in to whisper, "play along. Pretend like you're crying over me and when I give the signal, use your eyes to pull Konan down to us."

"Huh?"

It was then she noticed that what should have been a fatal stab wound was actually a glancing blow, only cutting into her side.

Ritsuka had quickly twisted her body out of the way and intended to play dead. Immediately, without alerting Hanzo's men, Honoka follows the plan, holding her friend tightly as the two went to the ground.

While this happens, Ritsuka bites her tongue hard enough for blood to flow, letting it come out the corners of her mouth to sell it completely as she goes still with Honoka seemingly crying over her 'dead' body.

Seeing the orangette fall to the ground, the men around Hanzo snort. "Hmph, that's what she gets for trying to overthrow Lord Hanzo. Don't they know he's the only thing keeping the other villages from completely taking over?"

"Hey, don't you think it got cold suddenly?"

"What the hell are you talking abou-actually, I feel it too. That's weird, it's still midsummer."

While Hanzo's men were discussing the sudden change in weather, Danzo narrows his single eye in suspicion at the scene below. He had been a ninja for many decades and was taught by some of the best to ever walk the land, so something about what just happened didn't seem right. "Is that girl faking her death?"

Whether it was true or not, it didn't matter. The thorn in his side known as the Akatsuki would end today, and with the death of that redheaded girl, he'd have the fabled eyes of the sage in his hands. "Lord Hanzo, I think it would be best to finish this."

Hanzo grunts, while it was a shame to cut the lives of such talented shinobi short, they shouldn't have tried to overthrow his rule.

If there was one thing Hanzo hated more than anything, it was traitors.

Raising his hand as a signal for his men to ready their kunai, he was about to tell them to fire but stops as he noticed snow falling from the sky.

"What the-"

"HANZOOOOO!"

A loud yell filled with rage echoes throughout the rocky area, forcing everyone to turn toward its source.

In the distance was a figure racing toward their position at high speeds with a literal snowstorm following in its wake.

"N-Naruto?"

With her eyes, Honoka was the first one to see in detail just who the figure was, and from the look on his face, she could tell her blonde childhood friend was in a blind rage.

"Ah shit.."

Ritsuka would face palm if she weren't currently playing dead. She didn't think Naruto would find out about Hanzo's betrayal so soon, let alone seeing her lying on the floor as if she were dead. "Oh man, he's gonna tear into me after this.."

On the other hand, from Naruto's perspective, all he saw was what he assumed were Ritsuka and Honoka surrounded while one of them was laid on the ground, seemingly not moving.

The thought of either of them dying had filled him with a rage he never felt before, and his chakra exploded in an untamed torrent of snow and ice.

Unknown to him at the time due to his emotions being at an all-time high, he had unconsciously resonated on a deeper level than ever with his chakra that not only led to an almost unnatural control over his bloodline's element, but his body had also undergone physical changes as well.

The pupils in his ice-blue eyes had gone slit, resembling a fox's while the whisker shaped scars on his face and his pale blonde hair whitens until they were the same shade as the snow swirling around his body. This, along with the lengthening of his nails and the canines in his mouth gave him a wild, animalistic look that stunned everyone who saw it as he drew closer and closer.

"That boy…did he evolve his bloodline somehow?"

Danzo was the one most surprised by Naruto's current appearance. He had fought with many shinobi of the Yuki clan, and none of them have ever used their bloodline to this extent. "Is this a mutation of some sort? Or is this boy just that talented?"

If only that fool Jiraiya brought these four with him back to the village, Konoha would have four more talents that would have been useful during this war and their infamy could have even reached the level of the Yellow Flash.

But unfortunately, they were attached to this rain-soaked country and thus they needed to be culled before they could grow any stronger and threaten his interests in the future.

All for the future prosperity of Konoha.

With a signal to his men, the ROOT ANBU he brought with him sprang into action, all either throwing a brace of kunai or shuriken at the three orphans below.

Seemingly enraged by the action, Naruto swings his hand as if he was clawing the air, sending a wave of snow and ice that simultaneously deflects the thrown weapons and pierces the bodies of those that attempted to get in close.

He then channeled chakra to the soles of his feet and leapt up the nearby cliff, landing next to a stunned Konan and forcing Hanzo to retreat. As the older man slides backwards on the muddy ground, he slams his hand onto it, activating a trap he laid right under the two.

Hidden paper bombs make themselves known and move toward Konan and Naruto with the blonde making sure to lift the paper user up so that the explosive tags didn't begin wrapping around her like they did to his legs.

But before Hanzo could even use his chakra to set his explosive trap off, the paper tags froze solid and easily shattered as the blonde jumped back down to his two other companions.

As soon as he lands, he freezes the ropes binding Konan and shatters them as well. "Honoka, watch over Konan. Hanzo started this, and I'm ending it. Now." His words held a sinister tone and were filled with malice as he stared up at Hanzo before jumping back up to confront him again.

"Naruto, wai-!"

The redhead tried to call out to him, but in his state of rage, he didn't even hear it, nor did he notice the fact Ritsuka had sat up and was more or less physically fine. The only thing on his mind was making the man who betrayed their trust and harmed the ones he loved pay.

As soon as he lands on the cliff, he found both Hanzo and Danzo's men ready for him with their weapons drawn, but the entire time, his eyes were only focused on their leaders. "I don't have time for small fry."

With a single half Ram seal, the snowfall around them suddenly stops in place before morphing into a countless number of needles before their very eyes.

Ice Style: A Thousand Ice Needles of Death!

At his command the sharpened ice flies forth, cutting down every enemy in his way as he ran toward the focus of his attention.

Meanwhile the girls watch below with wide eyes as Naruto goes on a tear. Then, with gritted teeth while holding her side, Ritsuka forces herself to stand up. "We have to help him. Konan, how are you feeling?"

The bluenette closes her eyes and tries to mold her chakra, only to shake her head when it doesn't respond. "The poison Hanzo used on me is still coursing through my system."

"Tch, and this wound would only hold me back," Ritsuka mutters while holding onto her side. She miscalculated a bit when she ran into the kunai, and it went deeper than she wanted.

"Wait, I have an idea!" Honoka suddenly speaks up, taking the other two by surprise as she stands as well and slams her hand on the ground, throwing up smoke in the telltale sign of a summoning.

This causes the other two's eyes to go wide.

"O-Oi Honoka, I know we're in a bit of a pinch but that doesn't mean you need to summon that big statue thing right?" Ritsuka asks into the smoke with a bit of nervousness. They really didn't need to flatten the entire area to help Naruto, did they?

"Ritsuka's right, we could just figure out how to help Naruto some other way." Konan was equally nervous as she could never forget the sheer size of that summon nor how much it wore Honoka out after she used it.

But, as the smoke cleared, their worry turned into confusion as they looked at the weird looking creature next to the redhead.

Naraka Path: King of Hell

"Okay you two, get in." Honoka says, gesturing toward the creature's mouth as it opens.

Ritsuka's head turns and her face screws up in a questioning expression while Konan takes a step back in slight disgust at the fact the being Honoka summoned had a mouth full of saliva. "Uhh..you want us to go in that? Why?"

Honoka wondered why they were questioning her at first but then she realized she never got the chance to explain what her new summons did since they all got 'distracted' with other things right after she first summoned it. "It can heal you. I summoned it using my rinnegan."

"And we have to get in it for it to work?" Konan ask with apprehension still on her face. She really didn't want to be covered in that thing's saliva.

The redhead nods. "That's what my rinnegan told me."

Ritsuka looks at the King of Hell's open maw then back up at Naruto fighting off Anbu and Hanzo's men before a look of determination flashes in her eyes. "Alright. Come on Konan."

"Eh? But I-woah!"

Konan couldn't say any more as Ritsuka grabbed her wrist and flung the bluenette inside before jumping in herself. As soon as the two girls enter, the summon's mouth closes and it begins to chew loudly before opening wide again, letting the two out now fully recovered.

"Oh woah, that was weird.." the orangette says in slight wonder before stretching with a smirk when she noticed the deep cut on her side as well as the tear in her clothing had been fixed.

Before Konan could also state her relief at both not being covered in a sticky mess and being fully recovered, a contingent of Konoha ANBU suddenly went on the attack. It seemed like they were able to slip away from Naruto while he was going on his rampage to target them as well.

It was a good thing Honoka had that weird head thing to heal them.

"Look alive, you two!" Paper Lance!

After reminding her two friends of the ANBU rapidly approaching their location, Konan channels her chakra, feeling relief internally as it finally moves to her will and turns her right arm into sheets of paper that she sends piercing into the Konoha ninja at the front of the charge heading their way.

Seeing even more oncoming enemies, paper wings sprout from her back and she takes to the sky for a better vantage point. On the ground below, Ritsuka was already going through hand seals as she molds the chakra building within her stomach before converting it to water and expelling a large amount from her mouth.

Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave Jutsu!

The torrent of water that spews forth bowls over the rest of the ANBU and nearly washes them away, leaving the Konoha shinobi open to Honoka's follow-up.

Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder!

With her hands splayed out, lightning sparks between her fingers as Honoka uses one of the five affinities gifted to her by her rinnegan and slams her palms on the wet ground, instantly electrocuting all enemy shinobi in front of the trio.

Smirking upon seeing the now smoking bodies of the ANBU, Ritsuka looks up to Konan flying above, "Konan, what's Naruto's situation like?"

At her leader's question, the bluenette's amber eyes look in the direction of said blonde, only to widen when she sees the carnage he wrought on all of Hanzo's men. It seemed like the ones that weren't taken out in his initial attack had been frozen into ice sculptures, only to be shattered right after.

But just as the blonde reaches both Hanzo and Danzo, a massive plume of smoke rises high into the sky as Hanzo summons the reason for his moniker.

A giant salamander appears within the smoke with both older men riding atop of its head while Naruto looks up with rage still boiling in his eyes. "Boy, you're strong. You would have made a powerful ally. It's too bad you let your group's newfound influence get to your head to the point you thought you could match me. Do it Ibuse."

On his command, the giant salamander opens his mouth wide, expelling a massive cloud of poison mist sent barreling in Naruto's direction, covering him completely. But, instead of him succumbing to its paralytic effects, the blonde instead charged forward while being covered by an aura of snow and ice that kept the poison from entering his system.

While moving he raises his hand and places it against the giant summon, digging his claw-like fingers deep into its flesh as his chakra spikes.

Ice Style: Flash Freeze!

Just like the jutsu he used on the masked man before, ice spreads from his hand, but this time it was far faster, turning the salamander into a giant ice sculpture in all but an instant. Then, with a small flex, he shatters it completely, the action stunning both men, Danzo especially.

But before he could react, Naruto was already in front of him with his hand out and a layer of frost covering it. Obviously, the blonde meant to do the same as he did to the summons to him. However, right as Naruto's palm makes contact with Danzo's face, the Konoha veteran disappears in a puff of smoke, showing he had been a shadow clone the entire time, with his real body most likely observing everything from a safe distance.

This was something Hanzo assumed as well, and it was only now that he cursed himself as a fool.

He should have known better than to have trusted someone as cunning as Danzo, yet his paranoia got the better of him and now most of his men lay slaughtered, and his lifelong partner, Ibuse, had been killed.

He had thoughts of escape, but before he could even mold his chakra to perform a body flicker, his lower half was fully incased in ice, keeping not only his physical body in place, but even his chakra as well.

"Hanzo.." Naruto growls as he approaches the older blonde, the anger in his eyes now dimmed a bit after finally catching his prey. "We respected you, you know? You held off foreign villages all by yourself when we were children and all four of us wanted to help you, that's why we made the Akatsuki. But you threw in your lot with Danzo, betrayed us, and hurt the ones I love. All you thought of was keeping your own seat of power and not of what was best for the people of Rain. For that, you deserve to die a hundred times over.."

Placing a hand over the older man's heart, he lets out one last growl. "My only regret is that I wasn't fast enough to stop you from taking Ritsuka as well."

Ice Style: Flash Freeze!

Just as he did to the giant salamander summon previously, Naruto's chakra spikes as his jutsu activates, turning Hanzo into an ice statue in an instant, before the blonde unceremoniously shatters it by clenching his fist, turning the once legendary ninja into nothing but shards that rain onto the snow-covered ground.

"Naruto!"

Just after finishing off Hanzo for good, Naruto hears a shout from behind. Turning around, he sees Honoka with Konan beside her and he feels relieved to at least see they both survived.

Immediately, the angry haze that covered him faded slightly and then disappeared completely, instead being replaced by surprise when he sees Ritsuka poke her head out from behind the two with an awkward smile on her face. "Heeyy, turns out I'm not dead… Great, huh?"

In that moment, the blonde was completely speechless. "Ri-Ritsuka..? You're okay?" He asks in disbelief as he stumbles toward the orangette. While doing so, the changes that had occurred in his body faded away with each step toward her he took.

"Yeah, the kunai only cut me, and Honoka healed me up real good so I'm perfectly fine now," she says with a smile, making sure to lift up her arms so that he could see that no harm was done.

Naruto smiles with relief. "That's good…"

Just then, as if he used up the last of his energy, the blonde tips over and he would have fell to the ground if not for Ritsuka rushing forward to catch him in her arms, seeing now that he fell unconscious.

It seems that now that he found out she was truly alive and safe, he finally relaxed, making the strain he put his body through finally catch up to him.

Ritsuka takes in a breath when she feels just how frigid his body is to the touch. "Woah, he's freezing!" It wasn't unusual for his skin to be cold due to his bloodline, but it had never been this bad before.

Konan and Honoka rush to her side and the bluenette narrows her eyes. "It looks like frostbite.." She could recognize it from the many people she'd seen suffering from the same affliction. "But that should be impossible. His bloodline should make him immune.."

"I think it's the fault of whatever changed him earlier. It was probably too much for his body to handle," Honoka adds with worry in her voice. Whatever had transformed him before must have overloaded his system, causing the drawbacks he was currently experiencing.

Ritsuka quickly puts him on her back. "Either way, let's get him out of here and somewhere warm."

With that, they all take off, and as they leave, Honoka glances back to the sight of the battlefield, noticing with her rinnegan that snowfall was filled with chakra and seemed to be replenishing itself from the very nature around it.

She would have to ask Naruto just what was it that changed him so much to create such a thing.

-XXX-

It was sometime later when Naruto finally stirred awake and let out a groan as he tried to stretch his sore limbs, only to find them trapped and unable to move while there was the feeling of a weight on his chest.

Opening his eyes to access the situation, the first thing he sees is a mess of orange hair that obviously belonged to Ritsuka.

Suddenly, the reason for his entrapment made sense as he could guess Honoka and Konan were on either side of him, and considering their state of undress, they must have dragged him away from the battlefield and tried to warm him up with their body heat.

Looking to his right confirmed it, as he saw Konan's sleeping face as she snored softly while holding tightly onto his arm.

"You're awake."

Hearing a soft voice from his left, Naruto turns that way to see a familiar pair of ringed eyes looking at him. "Honoka.."

The redhead smiles, "how are you feeling? You really had everyone worried."

"Sorry about that. When I saw Ritsuka on the ground along with everything else that just happened, I kinda snapped."

Honoka moves her body slightly, letting go of the grip she had on his arms so that she could snuggle in closer to his side while he wrapped his arm around her. "What was that anyway? Your entire body changed, and your chakra spiked to a level I've never felt before."

Sighing, Naruto wraps his now free arm around her. "You remember how we would sometimes see Jiraiya-sensei meditating? I've been trying to imitate that while focusing on my bloodline. And I think I did it subconsciously when I saw you guys in trouble and went a bit overboard. But I think if I can train it a little more, I can control it."

Of course, he won't mention the fact that he felt if he messed up in his control just a little, he would have turned into an ice sculpture.

Looking at the determined look on his face, Honoka couldn't help but smile. She knew even if she asked him to stop, he'd only continue on in secret anyway. "Just be careful okay? I don't know what we'd do if we lost you."

"I know. Don't worry."

"Mmm."

The two lay together in conversation for a while, with the only other thing being heard throughout the rooms was the soft breathing of both Konan and Ritsuka as they slept.

That was until a certain orangette began stirring awake with small, cute groans. "Nnnnghh Narutooo.."

The blonde smiles and pats the top of her head. "Good morning. Did Honoka and I wake you up?"

"Mmmnnngh no…Naruto junior woke me up…"

While her words were said in a sleep-like trance, her lower body began moving against a certain hardness that had ended up sandwiched between her asscheeks.

Then, with a giggle, she sits up completely, lifting her hips so that his member was now in front of her, leaving its tip to rest against her bellybutton while she continues to grind against him. "Hey Naruto..I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and almost got us all killed."

"Ngh..it's fine. Im just glad we all made it out okay." He says with a grunt when she begins jerking his shaft. "But the rest of the Akatsuki…"

"Yeah, I know," she says, pausing her movements with a somber look on her face.

"We..saw their bodies on the way back" Honoka continues while pressing herself closer. "I guess Hanzo purposely gave them the location so he could draw them out.."

Naruto nods, choosing not to say anything about the masked man as of yet since there was already a lot on everyone's plate.

So stayed silent as Ritsuka's hand snaked downward to grab hold of his length so she could insert it into her already wet womanhood. He could only let out a small hiss as he slowly entered her tight cavern.

It seems the orangette wanted to get rid of the now somber silence in one of the only ways she knew how.

The way her insides clung tightly to his length brought clear pleasure to both, with Ritsuka letting out a small moan as she slid down until his tip settled against her cervix, causing her head to fling back while she started to move.

While Ritsuka busied herself with riding him, Honoka decided to go with the flow, and bring his face closer for a kiss while wiggling her waist so the blonde would be tempted to grope her ass as they made out.

If not for this, his only free hand would have been used to fondle her swaying breasts as her movements grew faster and harder, filling the room with the sounds of her moans and the meaty slaps of their bodies clashing together.

All of this, along with the shaking of the bed, is what finally woke Konan up.

"Mmnnghh..whuh?"

Her amber eyes blink open, soon coming to focus in the dimly lit room on the source of what woke her up from her nap. "Ugh..you guys.. Didn't I say he needs rest?"

"Hehe, sorry Konan," Ritsuka apologizes but still keeps her pace nonetheless, "I got a little horny when I woke up, but it should be fine as long as he doesn't move too much, right?" she asks with a smirk while moaning and moving faster.

As she picked up speed, her insides coiled around Naruto tighter, signaling an impending orgasm.

Konan rolls her eyes, "no wonder you were so insistent on all three of us having skin-to-skin contact." Though she said this with an exasperated tone, she still took Naruto's hand and pushed into her breast, allowing him to grab and play with it.

She moans as his fingers pinch and pull on her pink nub that was hard from arousal all the while Ritsuka was bucking her hips wildly and from how loud her mewls were, she was already cumming around their shared lover's cock and was just trying to coax out his release.

Her hard work paid off as Naruto let out a loud groan in Honoka's mouth while his hips bucked upward, nearly piercing into her womb as he flooded her insides with his release.

Ritsuka twitched and groaned, savoring the feeling of being filled. At the same time, Konan also let out a whimper into Naruto's neck. His fondling of her sensitive nipples being enough to bring the bluenette to a light orgasm, soaking her thighs and the sheets with her arousal.

"Oooh fuuuck.."

The orangette hung her head down as she bathed in her post orgasm. "Alright, I've had my fun." She says with a pleasured sigh, "Honoka, Konan, which one of you two wanna go next?"

Konan shudders as her light orgasm fades before deciding to be the one to step up next considering Honoka was busy being fingerfucked by Naruto while he shoved his tongue down her throat. "I guess it's me then.."

Alright, lemme clean him up for ya first."

Ritsuka then slides off, causing Naruto's manhood to escape her lower lips with a wet pop, being followed soon after by a thick, white trail of his cum.

Settling between his legs, her hand grabs hold of his softening cock before taking it into her mouth, easily going down until her lips kiss his pelvis thanks to her years of experience doing such a thing.

She then bobs her head up and down, making sure her lips form a tight seal around his shaft as it grows hard again to make sure the mixed juices were fully cleaned off in preparation for Konan.

Soon enough, she finally lets go with yet another audible pop, leaving his dick fully cleaned and only covered in her saliva. "Okay Konan, you're good to go."

Nodding, the bluenette gets up and takes the same place on Naruto's lap as Ritsuka did, but instead facing away from the blonde in a reverse cowgirl position. Spreading her legs and lifting her hips, she allows the orangette to guide his bulging tip to her waiting entrance.

Her mouth parts, and a low moan leaks out as it slides past her fold, but it was quickly covered when Ritsuka brings her in for a kiss, sharing her and Naruto's cum as her tongue slides over Konan's.

The orangette also busies her hand by grabbing onto Konan's breasts, giving them a tight squeeze that may or may not be formed from jealousy that the bluenette had the biggest bust out of the three of them.

Either way it brings more pleasure to Konan as she bounces on Naruto's dick like it were a dildo.

Her hips take on a circular movement as she moves up and down his length as if she were trying to give him a show of just how much she loved riding him, not caring at all that he was preoccupied with another woman while she did so.

The feeling of his tip crashing against her womb with each downward stroke was enough and feeling her tongue getting wrestled down while her breasts were played with by Ritsuka certainly helped as well.

So much so, her pussy was already convulsing and spasming around him, eager to milk out his second load that she could feel coming any second now.

What her convulsing insides wished for came true not a moment later as her ears, trained to have sharp hearing, heard a guttural grunt coming from the blonde as his dick swelled inside of her, eventually exploding out. Shooting his seed into her deepest depths as she moaned into Ritsuka's mouth.

A shudder runs up her spine as her climax coaxes out more of his seed by squeezing tight, practically sucking it out until there was none left he could give.

It was then that Ritsuka disengaged from their lip lock, allowing her to finally take in lungfuls of air. "Oh damn…okay Honoka, it's your turn now.." She says slightly out of breath while getting off and getting into position so that she could clean him.

The bluenette was ignored as Honoka was busy mewling into Naruto's mouth as another orgasm rips through her body courtesy of his pistoning fingers, making her spray jets of femcum onto the already soaked sheets underneath her.

Slightly annoyed, Konan decides to get a bit of revenge on Naruto by attacking his sensitive lower head by rolling her flexible tongue over it, getting small bucks from his hips in response, especially when the appendage dips into the small slit at the top.

Her ministrations were enough for him to finally pull his fingers out from the redhead's soaked pussy, giving her some respite.

"Uuuooo Naruto..you're a bully," Honoka whines with a whimper, after finally having control of her own mouth as well.

She didn't expect he would concentrate on her g-spot so much with his fingers. It practically made her a slave to his touch.

"Hehe, sorry, sorry. It's just that the noises you make are so cu-fuuck~"

His half-hearted apology was cutoff when Konan scraped her teeth across his tip, and considering he was already sensitive from cumming twice in a row, such an action caused another jet of cum to shoot forth, hitting the roof of the bluenette's mouth as she smirked up at him in a provocative way.

This allows Honoka to escape his clutches, with her now taking position next to the other girls.

Then, as if they all had the same idea, Ritsuka, Konan and Honoka all attacked his dick. Each girl took a different part.

Konan left his tip and went for his balls while Honoka focused her attention on his shaft, leaving Ritsuka to suck on his tip.

The three-way assault was almost too much for the blonde, but his three lovers didn't allow him to cum, instead they all stopped when they felt his manhood bulge and his balls start to churn, making him let out a frustrated grunt.

This continued three more times. Each one leaving him closer and closer to a sought-after release, yet not getting the satisfaction of blowing his load.

By now he could feel his balls ready to burst with the constant edging leaving an uncomfortable feeling. Then, as if finally taking pity on him, Honoka stands up and settles herself in his lap, now aiming his throbbing cock at her wet entrance and by the look on her face, she was done teasing and ready to get to the real action too.

As she sunk herself down on his length with a loud moan while Ritsuka and Konan attached themselves to his sides, Naruto leans his head back and grits his teeth so he didn't cum too early. His mind now desperate to think of anything else besides the tight wetness clinging all around him.

In the morning, they'll need to let the country know about everything that happened. And that while their days of struggle may not be over due to Hanzo's death and their taking over, at least there will be a bigger and brighter future filled with hope and the peace the people of the country had sought for so long.

Hanzo's way of ruling had left this country fractured and in pieces. But now, as the ones in charge, it was up to them to pick those pieces up and put them back together as best they can.

-XXX-

Standing on a cliff overlooking a war-torn and ravaged battlefield in Earth Country, were the three legendary Sanin of Konoha.

"This war..just how long is it going to last? Isn't there something we can do to end it?" Tsunade was the one to ask as she looked over the seemingly endless bodies of both friend and foe strewn across the battlefield with a touch of sadness to her voice.

The fire in her heart had all but gone out with the deaths of the two closest to her, and now the only thing keeping her fighting was her duty as a shinobi. If not for that, she would have retired early long ago.

Orochimaru chuckles from his crouched position at her words, causing his two teammates to turn and face him. "Humph..as if there's any way to stop it. Hate only gives birth to even more hate, turning into a never-ending cycle all shinobi are doomed to repeat."

Jiraiya frowns at his friend's pessimistic words and looks back over the battlefield. "I don't know how to stop it, but peace will certainly come. As long as there are those who believe that. There will always be hope."

His words bring a slight smile to Tsunade's face while Orochimaru just rolls his eyes, not believing such a thing is possible. But before he could verbally say so, Jiraiya's head suddenly snapped to some tall grass behind him as a small toad hopped out.

Thinking, it was bringing intel or a request for help at another battlefield he hurries over and held out his hand, allowing the toad to regurgitate a scroll that her quickly grabs and unfurls.

The contents written on it immediately make him gasp aloud and nearly drop the scroll as his eyes go wide in shock and disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade asks, assuming it was bad news, only for Jiraiya to stand with the unfurled scroll still shaking in his hand.

"Th-Those four kids…killed Hanzo and took over Rain Country…"

"What?!"

Even Orochimaru was surprised as he stood up and looked at the scroll in his teammate's hand. "Jiraiya, is this true?"

The whitehaired man nods. "After I left those four, I always had a toad or two watching over them to give me updates every now and then. Just so I can see how far they could go training on their own…but I never thought they'd make it this far.."

"So, they really killed Hanzo…something we couldn't even do…"

Tsunade said with slight awe. She really couldn't believe it. To think those snot-nosed brats that stole her rations back then could do such a thing at such a young age..

A large grin makes its way onto Jiraiya's face as he grips the scroll tightly. "Those kids are amazing.." Pride and joy swell up like a balloon inside of him. His former students should be no older than nineteen, yet they've already accomplished something so big.

"Now I know for sure peace is possible, and it's up to them now to shape their country for the better."

-END-

A/N:

There we go. As you can see, I made the Akatsuki's goals a bit different from canon in a way that I feel would be more interesting to read and write. I've also commissioned art of what the four of them look like and posted it on my person subreddit: r/FilthyCasual543 so feel free to check it out.

(1): Yahiko used a sword in some parts in the anime and I saw fanart of Ritsuka with a katana that I really liked so I made her a sword user.

(2): I have Ritsuka as the leader for a reason that will show itself in later chapters. Also considering she is 'Yahiko' it fits to have her lead.

(3): Her arctic region Chaldea uniform.

(4): Honestly, why would Yahiko think for a second Hanzo would actually spare Konan and Nagoto in canon? His action of actually killing himself made no sense.