Chapter 61: Plans Hastened

Life hadn't been kind to Utakata, but that was already a given, he was a former Kiri Shinobi and they weren't known to live especially happy lives… Worse than that, he was a Jinchuriki too, which only doubled down on the misery he would endure.

After his master died… After he'd killed him, he'd run, doing his best to leave his former life behind and start anew. It had been tough, he'd been forced to avoid the Hunter-nin corps for fear of being dragged back to Kiri for execution, but he'd done it.

It helped that his former village entered a civil war shortly after the Demon of the Mist attempted to assassinate the Mizukage.

From what Utakata heard, Zabuza's actions sparked an uprising… Shinobi that disagreed with the Mizukage's methods fought against those that were loyal. The violence also had the effect of attracting the Kaguya clan's attention, spurring them into a bloody frenzy that ended in their complete annihilation

And so Utakata drifted from town to town, evading the few Hunter-nin that were sent his way. He'd made it work for a while, but as time passed and he grew accustomed to his newfound freedom, he grew rusty and was severely injured by a trio of Hunter-nin.

As a Jinchuriki, his injuries hadn't been fatal, but they had been debilitating. He would have been in serious danger of being caught, but, due to a misunderstanding, he had been taken in by a girl that believed he had been wounded protecting her.

The girl… Hotaru, and her guardian, Tonbee, took him in, giving him a place to rest. He had intended on leaving the moment he had recovered, but kept finding new reasons to stay. If it wasn't Hotaru pestering him for new techniques, it was Tonbee having him help out around the house.

It helped that their home was well protected, being at the peak of a mountain. It was off limits to everyone except the Tsuchigumo clan… And perhaps Konoha, but from what Hotaru had said, Konoha Shinobi rarely travelled around these parts and never visited the fortress.

So Utakata chose to stay. Helping Hotaru with her training was a small price to pay for protection from Kiri. It had been peaceful and he'd even begun to believe that he might have escaped his past, only to end up here… Wherever here was.

He'd just suddenly appeared in this odd place that seemed to go on forever. There was no source of light and yet he was able to make out his surroundings perfectly… Oh, and there were three other Biju here! His own included in that!

Waking up in a strange new place didn't bode well for Utakata. At first, he'd been worried that Kiti found him and this was some sort of Genjutsu, but a quick attempt at dispelling it made him realize that it was very real.

There were two others here as well. A blonde Konoha Shinobi and what he assumed was a Kunoichi… It was a little difficult to tell, what with her being dressed in pajamas, clutching what appeared to be a bug plushy to her chest.

It was the green haired who, through her… Energetic greeting, had clued him in to what was going on around here. She, along with the blonde were Jinchuriki... Judging by the Biju behind them, the Nanabi and Kyuubi Jinchuriki.

The only other Jinchuriki Utakata had met was the Mizukage even then, it had only been a handful of times. Meeting two other Jinchuriki had been strange.

Fu was extremely cheerful, friendly and energetic, bordering on hyperactive and Naruto… He seemed fairly calm, willing to wait for Fu to calm down before he explained why he was here.

Learning what had been going on was in the world had been disturbing, to say the least. That group… The Akatsuki were planning on abducting him along with the rest of the Jinchuriki in order to obtain their Biju, an act that would result in their death and the rest of the worlds.

If not for the Biju backing up his points, Utakata wouldn't have believed him. It seemed almost outlandish. A village being destroyed was one thing, but the world… That was on a completely different scale. The only good news was that the Akatsuki needed every single Jinchuriki in order to resurrect the Jubi.

If even one Jinchuriki managed to avoid the Akatsuki, their plans would ultimately count for nothing. From what he'd managed to glean from Naruto and Fu, several villages had banded together with the goal of putting an end to the Akatsuki.

It looked like even Kiri was joining… A village known for its blood filled history of violence and betrayal.

The only village that wasn't on board was Iwa who were apparently ignoring everything that was going on outside of their borders.

While he was grateful to them for letting him know what was happening in the outside world, Utakata was also highly suspicious.

"Why have you decided to tell me all of this now?" He asked warily. "What do you have to gain from this?"

Well, Utakata was proving to be just as wary and distrustful as the rest of his former village… Not that it wasn't without reason. Shinobi rarely did favors for others… Especially if they were from a different village.

"I'm telling you this because the Akatsuki has begun to move once more. They are going to start looking for you and they will find you," I explained. "You're not going to be able to fight them off on your own, even with your Biju."

"And you would provide that help?" Utakata asked in a disbelieving tone.

"I would," I nodded. "And Kiri would too. The current Mizukage…"

"Stop," Utakata said, holding his hand out in front of him. "I refuse to go back to my former village. Anything you have to say about them will simply be wasted breath."

I brushed my hand through my hair as I sighed. I didn't know Utakata's full story, but it was easy enough for me to guess. Jinchuriki were never treated well, regardless of the village they lived in. Even Bee was treated with suspicion and disdain prior to gaining his village's respect.

It would stand to reason that Utakata wouldn't want to return to his village and I couldn't fault him for that. He was just doing what anyone would do in his situation.

"What if you stayed in Konoha?" Fu suggested. "That's what I did. The people in Taki aren't very nice, but Konoha's different. The people are all so nice here and they treat me like everyone else… You could stay here too!"

I doubt that Kiri would be happy about that, but then again, it would serve as a way to keep Utakata away from the Akatsuki… It would also give Mei the opportunity to convince him to return to Kiri.

The more that I thought about Fu's idea, the more I felt it could actually work, although, it'd probably give Tsunade a ton of paperwork… I'd have to figure out a way to make it up to her.

"It might be that way for you, but I doubt it would be the same for me," Utakata replied, shooting Fu's idea down. "You were originally from Taki… A village that was allied with Konoha up until their betrayal. I'm from Kiri… If I had to join another village, I'd only be bringing unwanted baggage."

"But…" Fu began.

"I'm sorry, but my answer is no," Utakata interrupted her. "I won't be joining Konoha or any other village… I'm no longer a tool that can simply be thrown away once it's served its purpose."

Zabuza's image flashed through my mind for a brief moment. It felt like a lifetime ago, but in reality, it was only a few short years. He too had the same mindset, viewing Shinobi as tools that were used by their masters only to be thrown away when they lost their worth… although that had all changed when he met Haku.

Kiri certainly knew how to stamp out hope and make a person view the worst side of the world. I was glad that Mei was in charge now… Under her guidance, Kiri would have a true chance to reform.

"You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss your fellow Jinchuriki," Kurama pitched in. "Without help, you will be caught, bringing the Akatsuki one step closer to their goal. The village system may not be perfect, but, like it or not, it's all that you have."

Seeing the quiet contemplation on the massive slug, Chomei nudged it with his tail before looking over to Utakata, attempting to have Saiken persuade its Jinchuriki.

"Still as self serving as ever, Kurama," Saiken muttered. "The only reason you're doing any of this is out of self preservation, don't try to deny it."

Narrowing his eyes into a glare, Kurama let out a low growl, before calming down. "If it'll get this thing moving along, I'll admit it, I am doing this out of my own self interests," He replied, glancing towards me. "But it just so happens that those interests align with others. You can believe what you want about me, but that doesn't change what's going on out in the world. Don't believe me? Go take a look for yourself."

Getting in between them, Chomei attempted to prevent a fight from breaking out between the two siblings. Despite Saiken's gelatinous body, the slug was surprisingly hard headed while Kurama, as strange as it may seem, took a less aggressive approach, opting to simply stating his opinion.

"This is getting us nowhere," Utakata sighed. "I believe that it's time for me to leave… Thank you for letting me know about the Akatsuki, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them in the future."

"You're not going to come to Konoha, are you?" Fu noted a little sadly.

"I'm not," Utakata shook his head. "With my history, I wouldn't be well received in any village, let alone a major one. The better option would be for me to continue what I've been doing and evade the Akatsuki by myself."

He wouldn't be able to evade them forever, that much I was completely sure of... But, I wouldn't be able to convince him to return to Kiri… At least not right now.

"I hope that you'll eventually change your mind," I said, stepping forward. "If all of us had to work together, the Akatsuki would become a relic of the past."

"I don't doubt that," Utakata replied. "But what about what comes after? Once the Akatsuki is gone, the nations will no longer have a reason to band together. The desire for independence and power will drive them apart and a new war will inevitably commence."

He wasn't exactly wrong. There would always be some level of conflict in the world. Even if the villages all had to come together, somewhere down the line, whether it was ten years or even a thousand, someone was going to start a new conflict, but that didn't mean that peace in itself was worthless.

"I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree," I said. Offering him my hand, he eyed it warily before shaking it. "I hope we'll be able to meet in person sometime, Utakata."

"Perhaps," Utakata muttered.

Watching as his form faded from view, I let out a sigh and looked down at my hand. Despite meeting face to face, I wasn't able to place one of my markers on him, not that I was expecting it to work. This entire place was a mental plane after all.

"This sucks, " Fu whined. "I was really hoping that we were going to get another Jinchuriki to hang out with. We're not just going to let him go off on his own, are we?"

"No… No, we're not," I hummed.

Utakata might have a lot of experience with hiding, but I had something that would render that experience almost useless… I'd memorized his Chakra signature. It might take a few days, but I was certain that I would be able to find Utakata's location.

"Good," Fu nodded. Pausing for a moment, her mood suddenly brightened. "Hey, Chomei... Do you think you could bring the Kazekage here? I didn't have the chance to meet him last time."

"I'll give it a shot!"

"No, wait!"

Before I had the chance to stop them, Gaara suddenly appeared, looking incredibly confused and even a little concerned while Shukaku's form looming behind him.

"Naruto?! What is this place?"

"Hey Gaara," I sighed tiredly. "I'll explain where we are in a minute, but first… Fu's been wanting to meet you."

I gestured towards the green haired Kunoichi that was practically bouncing on her heels in excitement. In hindsight, cluing Fu in to this place's existence might not have been such a good idea.

"What's going on here?!" Shukaku's shrilly voice sounded throughout the mental plane. "You're throwing a party and you didn't think to tell me?!"

Kurama groaned while Chomei just laughed. Fu on the other hand was so excited about meeting Gaara that she barely noticed Shukaku's loud shrilly voice.

Sitting in the dark of his cave, Obito stared at the wall that once contained all of the eyes he'd harvested from his clansmen, contemplating his next move.

Originally, he was just planning on letting things progress organically, not wanting to rush things and lose another Akatsuki member while gaining nothing in return, but it seemed that was no longer an option.

Kiri had just reclaimed one of their Biju. It wasn't that big of a problem… In fact, it made the Akatsuki's job easier. Now all they had to do was collect the Biju from the weakened village.

The only problem was… They'd been in contact with Konoha who, in turn, had sent Uzumaki Naruto to help deal with the Sanbi.

It was infuriating, that brat had been screwing up his plans since the moment he was born. From having the Kyuubi sealed in him, stopping its rampage through Konoha to brokering an alliance with Kumo… And now he's getting involved with Kiri… No doubt in an attempt to create another alliance.

The blonde Jinchuriki just couldn't keep his nose out of that which didn't concern him and it was making life harder for Obito.

If he had known that the brat was going to be this much of a thorn in his side, he would have gotten rid of him long before he took a single step into the Academy. Unfortunately he hadn't and now had to live with his mistakes.

It was that accursed technique of his that made him such a bother… The Hiraishin. Instead of using it for combat, like his Sens… Like Minato had, Naruto had been using it as a way to travel between nations.

The ability to instantly bring reinforcements was troublesome to deal with. Not even Obito was able to transport as many people as quickly as Naruto was able to. His use of Shadow Clones and his near bottomless reserves of Chakra only made him more of a threat.

Something needed to be done… Either Naruto needed to die or this peace that he had been fostering needed to come to an end… Preferably both. The question was, how would he do it?

He no longer had the Izanagi to fall back on and Senju Hashirama's cells were now a risk thanks to the biological weapon Tsunade had made. Going out onto the battlefield by himself was a massive risk.

"Um… How much longer are you going to stare at that wall?" The White Zetsu backup that Black Zetsu was possessing asked nervously. "You should probably try blinking… You wouldn't want your eye to dry out."

"As much as I hate to agree with this bumbling fool, he's right," Black Zetsu growled. "We need to come up with a plan now. If something isn't done, we'll risk losing it all."

Narrowing his eye at the duo, Obito stood, pushing off his seat. They were right. With Kiri looking to join the alliance, Iwa would no longer be able to ignore them. Something needed to be done… They needed to strike before a new alliance was officially formed.

"Have the Yonbi and Gobi Jinchuriki been found?"

"They have," Black Zetsu muttered. "The only issue is that the teams Nagato sent haven't found a suitable gap in Iwa's patrols. If they strike now, they'll have to face the wrath of an entire hidden village."

Considering what Zetsu had just said, Obito smirked behind his mask. "Then we'll make it work for us. Prepare to move everything we have to Iwa. We strike today!"

"I see," Black Zetsu said, a wicked grin forming across his face. "That should give us a perfect opportunity… Yes."

"See what?" White Zetsu asked. "I still don't understand what's going on! Explain it to me."

"Silence, you fool," Black Zetsu snapped. "You'll learn what's expected along the way."

"I'll inform Kisame and Itachi about the change of plans," Obito continued. "Zetsu… If this is to work, it needs to be believable. You'll need to choose carefully and not tip anyone off."

"I realize as much. I am not a child that needs you to hold my hand," Black Zetsu all but snarled. "Handle things on your end for once and I'll handle them on mine."

"Wait. Before we go, could someone tell me what we're doing?" White Zetsu whined. "C'mon, I'm the only one here that doesn't have a clue about what's going on."

Watching as the duo sank into the ground, Obito turned his attention back towards the wall that used to house his Sharingan.

"You may have thought that you've won, but one battle is hardly a war, Uzumaki Naruto," Obito muttered under his breath.

"You know, some people think that talking to yourself is a sign of insanity," Tobi spoke up. "Not me though… You can talk all you want with me around and I'll never judge you."

Right… He'd forgotten that Spiral Zetsu was still attached to him. Sighing to himself, Obito walked down the empty hallway. Activating his Kamui, the air rippled around him and he was pulled into his own personal dimension.

Things were about to change once more… He'd make sure of that.

"Man, this sucks," Deidara muttered, hiding in the foliage of his home nation. "When I joined the Akatsuki, the last thing I thought I'd be doing was hiding in a bush, watching Iwa Shinobi from afar… You know what I'm saying, my man?"

"No," Kakuzu answered.

Glancing over to his new partner in the shrub next to him, Deidara raised a single eyebrow.

"Weren't you ordered to abduct the Nanabi Jinchuriki back in Taki?" The blonde asked, eyeing Kakuzu's headband. "There's not much else to do here… Wanna talk about it?"

"You must have me mistaken for someone who gives a shit," Kakuzu muttered. "Your time would better be spent focusing on your surroundings instead of talking… You never know when something might sneak up on you."

Hearing the bush rustle behind him, Deidara turned to find one of Kakuzu's masks positioned behind him. A small amount of smoke leaked from its seams.

Placing his palm in his clay pouch, Deidara smirked as he began to knead Chakra into a small amount of clay. "The same goes for you."

"Then we understand each other," Kakuzu nodded, retracting the mask. "Keep annoying me and you won't live long enough to regret it… I wonder if I would be capable of using your Explosion Style if I took your heart."

"Who knows," Deidara replied, forming a small clay bird in his hand. "You wanna find out?"

It wasn't the right time for this, but neither really cared. Readying several smaller explosives with his other hand, Deidara stopped when a new presence made itself known.

"Ooh, are you two going to fight? I want to see," White Zetsu said cheerfully.

"They're not going to fight," Black Zetsu growled, shooting a hateful look towards the duo. "Not when we're this close."

"Zetsu," Kakuzu noted. "What brings you two here?"

"The plan has changed," Black Zetsu replied. "The two of you will capture the Gobi Jinchuriki today."

"Today?" Deidara almost dropped his explosives. "You do realize that would be impossible. This place is crawling with Iwa Shinobi."

"Deidara's right," Kakuzu agreed. "Even if Sasori's old poison works this time, fighting the Gobi Jinchuriki is bound to attract attention. We can't fight off an entire village while trying to capture a Jinchuriki."

"I don't really see the problem," White Zetsu commented. "Weren't you two about to throw your lives away to fight each other? Why is this any different?"

"If we had come to blows, only one of us would have died, however, if we attempt to capture the Gobi Jinchuriki, it's likely that both of us will die," Kakuzu explained, beginning to lose his patience with this whole scenario. "The best outcome is that we manage to flee from Iwa without the Jinchuriki… It can't be done."

Eyeing his partner, Deidara nodded. "Too much attention will attract the Tsuchikage and although he's old, he's far from harmless. If it comes down to a fight, I'd be able to fight him off… But only if he's on his own."

"Couldn't you just…" White Zetsu began.

"Enough," Black Zetsu cut him off. "Regardless of how you feel about this, you will be doing the mission… However, you won't have to worry about Iwa at all. We have a plan in motion… One that will be nothing but beneficial to the Akatsuki, but it does rely on you obtaining the Gobi Jinchuriki today."

"The last time the Akatsuki had a plan, it ended with one of our members being killed," Kakuzu muttered under his breath.

If anyone managed to hear what he had just said, they didn't outwardly react.

"Deidara, we will need one of your bombs… The strongest explosive you can make, it needs to be capable of vaporizing an entire battlefield," Black Zetsu explained. "We will handle it and let you know when it should be detonated."

Placing his explosives in a separate pouch, Deidara shot a wary glance towards Zetsu before placing his hand in his clay pouch.

Kneading a massive amount of Chakra into his clay, he pulled out a large doll with a pair of massive hands and a blank screaming face. His C3 would be more than strong enough for whatever it was Zetsu was planning.

Placing the bomb on the ground, he enlarged it to its full size. "Take extra care with it… This one is a bit more volatile than my others," Deidara warned.

"We will," Black Zetsu growled. "You two should get in position. Once everything starts, you'll only have a short time to capture the Jinchuriki."

Sprouting from the ground, several White Zetsu's appeared. Grabbing onto Deidara's bomb, they slowly retreated back into the ground, dragging the massive explosive with them. The original Zetsu soon followed, leaving the duo on their own.

"Okay, that was different," Deidara commented. "Was Zetsu acting a little strange or is it just me?"

Ignoring Deidara's comment, Kakuzu turned and began marching through the woods. "Hurry up, we have a job to do."

Stepping out of a tree, Zetsu found himself standing in a mostly empty mountainous valley . A few trees and stone cliffs acting as coverage for what was to come.

Waiting for a few moments, the trio of White Zetsu's climbed out of the ground once more, having completed their job and positioned Deidara's bomb nearby.

"Get out of here. We don't want any connection to this," Black Zetsu ordered.

Watching as the White Zetsu left, the ground rippled as thousands more began to appear, only this time, they'd take on the form of various Shinobi, with the Kiri uniform making up the majority of them.

They weren't strong and they likely wouldn't score any major casualties against Iwa, but they would serve their purpose.

A wicked smile crossed Black Zetsu's face as he let out a guttural laugh. This was certain to stir up the hornets' nest that was Iwa.

"Begin!"

With a roar, the disguised army charged forward.

And that's chapter 61.

Things are starting to heat up once more. Utakata decides to try and stay out of things. Fu finally gets to meet Gaara and Shukaku once more gets to act like the loud and obnoxious younger brother.

On the Akatsuki side of things, Obito comes up with a new plan that might work just as well as Shisui's Mangekyou would have and Iwa is invaded by the White Zetsu's they've been amassing.

Anyways, I'm up to chapter 68 on the spooky P word website.

P
A
T
R
E
O
N

I go by the name of ThatKircguy. Just copy the name and paste it in the Patty Rio On search bar. It'd help me out immensely, but don't worry if that's not your style. I will be uploading weekly, so it's not going to be stuck there permanently.

Also, I post my original stuff there as well. It's nothing much, just two short stories for now, but I'll post more as I write them.

The next chapter will be posted on the 28th of February.
See you all then dudes and dudettes.