AN: This chapter is a gift for all the patience you readers have given as I go through this editing process amid the many changes in my life. (Moving into my first apartment, going through the process of getting a job in my field, and working towards my Master's Degree). I know I said I would get this story done by August, but yeah major writers block happened as well as the above. Good news is that this Arc will hopefully be short followed by an epilogue, all combined might be seven chapters minus the one you are currently reading. Also, Arc 2 is fully edited for your enjoyment.

Well, here it is, the start of the final arc! I do hope you enjoy, and to the guest that reviewed the AN chapter, which I will be taking down at story's end, thank you for the kind words and realizing that life has a major impact on my update speed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I am not doing this for monetary gain. All rights go to their respective owner(s).

ITALICS – thinking

BOLD – demon speak/jutsu

Arc Four: The Akuma no Senshi

Chapter One

The day was like any other in Konoha. The shops were open, civilians went about their day as did the shinobi, and the faint sound of training could be heard in the air. Everything seemed calm and free from the throes of war on the outside, however, Nagato and the shinobi knew otherwise. They all knew it was only a matter of time before they were next on the list of villages to be exterminated. For the experienced shinobi, the Konoha 10, Hiruzen, the Sannin, amid others, they all had confidence in their training. For those still gennin and chuunin, for those who haven't fought in a war, they began to feel one thing that a budding shinobi always felt on their first major mission.

Fear.

Such an emotion would soon have to be pushed aside and lay forgotten as the alarms suddenly blared across the village. Instead of chaos ensuing, the whole village worked like one well-oiled machine. The gennin and chuunin quickly rounded up and started to escort the civilians into the now abandoned Root tunnels while Jounin and up stayed behind to ensure that the village Hashirama and Madara built would endure for the next generation.

As the populace moved about them, four people in the local tea shop looked at each other with sad visages. Yet another war had begun, one which they would be part of.

"And so the cycle continues." Hiruzen looked into his remaining tea and swore he saw his Sensei's smiling face.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya closed their eyes as they thought of the two wars they were in, one of which gave them the blasted title they were known as today. Although the silence between the four seemed to last forever, only a minute had passed in actuality. As one, the Sandaime Hokage and his students stood from their seats and gave each other a smile. With a nod, Team Hiruzen walked out of the shop and towards the front gates to show the enemy why Konoha was considered the strongest of all villages in the Elemental Nations.

Outside Konoha, Obito watched the Zetsu army charge forth towards Konoha from the safety of the Ancor Vantian. He would only intervene when the time was right.

"And thus my conquest begins." The Uchiha said as his EMS spun into existence before returning back to normal. "Though I wonder, would you have been proud at what I've become, Rin?"

Before Obito could ponder about his past, another headache formed, this one much larger than the last. The pain was so great it brought the mighty Uchiha to his knees. Once the pain had passed, Obito stood and was shocked to find that he started to bleed from the eyes, but he quickly brushed this aside as his mind focused on the task at hand.

"Once I succeed in destroying the biggest threat of them all, I can easily extract the bijuu from my pets and my pain will be no more."

Little did Obito know, however, was that his pain was not due to the strain on his Sharingan, but of another cause entirely.

"Matatabi, did you break free yet?" Saiken transmitted to his sister.

"No, but I was close…one more push should do it."

"Good, but wait until my signal." Saiken grinned. "I want to see the look on that bastard's face when he finds out he control's our hosts no longer."

Matatabi returned the grin though it quickly soured as she thought of what both would go through once the memories of what they did returned to them. Saiken felt these thoughts as well and, in all but a mental nod, they both vowed to help their hosts recover the best they could.

The Konoha 10 and some of the Konoha forces stood on the gate as they looked at the forest in front of them as well as one person whom they've grown to respect over the years.

Nagato Uzumaki, the Godaime Hokage.

There, just past the gate and near the tree line, Nagato stood without a hint of fear even though the approaching army hastened their speed. For Nagato and those nearby, they would be the first line of defense while others were scattered about the village to combat any that came from the air and/or ground.

The ground suddenly started to shake and the sounds of people moving about the trees started to get louder. Everyone on the gate tensed and hardened themselves the best they could as they knew that many would die today, both friend and enemy alike. The sound grew more deafening and, within moments, a wave of white plant like humanoids appeared from the trees like a plague of locusts. As the enemy drew closer, Nagato let a little emotion show by his lips curving into a small smile and his Rinnegan letting out a soft glow.

"You will know Kami, you will know pain, and thus YOU WILL BE HUMBLED!" Nagato shouted at the end, then thrust his hands towards the enemy and spoke two powerful words. "Shinra Tensei!"

The group on the gates watched in awe as the forest that Hashirama erected to protect Konoha was suddenly obliterated as was the incoming enemies. But even they knew that it wasn't over. Suddenly, the ground began to crack and, like ants coming out of their hole, white Zetsu creatures appeared all around Konoha; their sights set on anything that moved.

"May Kami bless us this day." Sai quietly said, though everyone on the gate heard it.

Hiruzen quickly summoned Enma whom transformed into the Adamanite Staff where, with hardened eyes and an emotionless face, the Sandaime put at the ready and led the war cry which was to be heard for miles around.

"For the Will of Fire, FOR KONOHA!"

With Naruto

Oblivious to what was taking place in Konoha, Naruto was currently searching Uzu for an artifact that the Sage of Six Paths left here.

"Are you sure it's here Kurama, I've been looking for hours?"

The bijuu knew what his host was implying and, to be frank, it irritated him to a great degree. "I may be old, but my memory is like that of a young kit's!"

Naruto sighed then looked at Yuki, "Find anything yet?"

"Yuki no find, Yuki keep searching."

"So what exactly does this artifact do, Kurama?" Naruto asked as he continued the search.

"I wish I knew, Kit." The bijuu replied, though let out an amused snort. "All father told us was that one of his visions prompted the creation of something for, and I quote, the one to end all wars."

"Great." Naruto began to mumble. "More mysteries."

Although the search continued, it wasn't long until Yuki let out a yip and started to dig around what looked to be an odd colored stone. Once enough of the stone was visible, Naruto focused his wind Ki on the object and made it levitate to his hands. The stone, which was a light blue, was only the size of Naruto's palm and was covered in what looked like fuinjutusu but much older. After studying the writing, Naruto gasped as he knew what this language was.

"The history book I read said this was a language known as Runic." Naruto scratched his chin in thought. "A language which is fuinjutusu today…can you understand this, Kurama?"

The fox looked through Naruto's eyes and started to decipher the ancient language and, after five minutes, couldn't believe what this simple stone would do.

"Kit, whatever you do, DO NOT let that fall into Obito's hands." Kurama sternly said which took Naruto off guard for a bit.

"Ok…" The Uzumaki started off slowly as he looked at the stone in his hands. "So, what exactly is this anyway?"

"That, Kit, is but our salvation."

With Shizuka

A blanket of calm reverberated about the salamander's realm once again as Shizuka attempted to access sage mode. Unlike six months ago where she couldn't even managed to start the transformation, this time gills started to appear on the sides of her chin and her skin turned a light olive green. The transformation continued to her hands where tiny slits opened and closed, sometimes spewing out a noxious purple cloud of neurotoxin. Her eyes were also affected to where they were like Ibuse; solid black and everything became a hazy blur. Although some might see this as a great disadvantage, Ibuse helped Shizuka learn and understand the chakra sonar technique and to feel for the changes of the wind when someone moved.

Transformation now completed, Shizuka let out a breath, which produced more of the purple neurotoxin, and started to run through her taijutsu whilst standing on the pool of poison. As she punched, kicked, and did some acrobatics, Shizuka occasionally thrust one of her palms forwards to send a jet of purple fog towards the invisible enemy. Sometimes even going so far as to roll forwards, then placing her hands on the poison pool to complete a mule kick. This combo finished with her completing a backflip and twisting in mid-air so that she could spew poison from her mouth directly into her opponents face.

For the salamanders, Ibuse in attendance, they couldn't help but to be proud of what their newest summoner had become. Not even Hanzo got this far with sage mode, in fact, he deemed the whole thing useless as he already produced toxins from his body. After 15 minutes of watching Shizuka dance about the pool, everyone noticed that fatigue was starting to set in. After another five minutes, Shizuka cancelled her transformation and quickly shunishined to shore where she collapsed to the ground with a huge smile on her face.

"A new record Ibuse." She said, her breathing labored from pushing herself so hard. "And I think I found a way to get back into sage mode without being fatigued."

"Oh?" Ibuse's interest was piqued. "Do tell, hatchling."

"Shadow clones." Shizuka sat up, her breathing starting to return back to normal, "I leave a few here to collect senjutsu chakra and when the time comes, I pop the clone to take away my fatigue and access sage mode once again."

Ibuse thought about the idea, though concern quickly came to his mind. "Remember hatchling, too much senjutsu chakra and you will turn into the salamander statues you see around the pool."

Shizuka nodded, "Hai, which is why I will take the rest of the year to figure out how much I can take."

If Ibuse could smile, he would have done so. "A wise hatchling you are, Shizuka."

Just as he was about to ask about her progress on the kusarigama, he looked down to Shizuka fast asleep. With a sigh, Ibuse gently picked up his summoner with his mouth and started the walk back to his cave.

"Sleep well, hatchling."

Back in Konoha

As the shinobi of Konoha fought against the white Zetsu for survival, above them, the three remaining Akatsuki members watched from Deidara's massive clay bird.

"They look like ants, yeah!" The ex Iwa nin said. "Ants that deserve to be blasted away by my art!"

Kakuzu and Sasori gave their comrade, said term being used loosely, an uninterested stare before they jumped from the bird and summoned their respective allies. For Sasori, it was the puppet of the Sandaime Kazekage. For Kakuzu, it was four of his five hearts; wind, water, fire and lightning. Although annoyed at being ignored, Deidara stuck his hands in his clay pouches where the mouths on his hands went to work.

"Fear my art, yeah!"

With that, the Mad Bomber took his hands out of the pouches and let loose a swarm of explosive Pidgeon's.

As the explosive birds approached, those with a high affinity for the Earth quickly erected a dome over the entire section of Konoha that would be affected. Although the explosions buckled and cracked the massive dome, everyone inside was still alive. Instead of collapsing like the final three Akatsuki members thought would happen, the exterior suddenly grew spikes. Ones which were soon launched their way by many Konoha Shinobi using Great Breakthrough.

Not deterred, Sasori used the Sandaime Kazekage's Iron sand to erect a wall mid-air in the hopes that it would protect them from harm. As the Earth Spikes hit the wall, they disintegrated much like when Kakuzu used his creatures to blast them out of the air. As the counterattack failed, Deidara swooped low with his massive clay bird and headed towards the Kage Monument in the hopes of destroying the one thing that brought the Konoha shinobi the hope to go on. Sadly for him, things did not go as planned.

Nagato's Asura Path, who had been tasked to watch over the area, changed one of his arms into a flamethrower and, with a shrug and a smug smirk on his face, let Deidara have it.

"Oh shit, yeah!"

With Nagato and Others

The Godaime smirked as he saw the Akatsuki member blow up, but quickly frowned as he saw that the bastard somehow was still alive. Having faith in his Asura Path, he quickly focused on the battle at hand and started taking out the white Zetsu with ease, much like those around them.

"This is much too easy." Shikamaru said as he connected his shadow with a bunch of Zetsu. "Troublesome if you ask me."

Shino nodded and swarmed the targets just as Shikamaru let go of his technique. Not long after that, a water bullet shot past his head which completely destroyed a Zetsu that attempted to creep up behind him. A nod between him and Hinata was all that was needed to show thanks.

Enemy still advancing, the Konoha 10, whom was spread out but close by to ensure that everyone was covered, saw Tenten grabbing one of her scrolls and throwing it into the air. Knowing what would be coming out of that scroll, Hiruzen quickly batted away a white zetsu with his staff before erecting an Earthen Dome around the Konoha 10 to protect them from Tenten's Twin Rising Dragons. For the Zetsu, they didn't stand a chance against the hail of various weaponry which descended upon them, but it was here that a new enemy decided to come into play.

Just as the Earthen Dome subsided, Yugito, whom was still under Tobi's control, suddenly appeared and planted a harsh haymaker on Tenten's left cheek before rounding her sights on the enemies in front of her. To make matters worse, Yugito quickly entered her version one cloak and started to advance towards the opposition. With but a nod, the Konoha 10 got to work.

While Ino tended to a wounded Tenten, Hinata was up first by unleashing a massive Water Dragon which was countered by a Mouse Hairball from Yugito. As steam blanketed the area, Shino let his bugs loose while Shikamaru extended his shadow in the hopes of capturing the jinchuriki. As Sai was making the finishing touches on the sealing tag, Sakura, Lee, and Neji noticed that Yugito was about to make a move.

Without hesitation, Lee unlocked the first two gates and quickly appeared in front of the jinchuriki where he kicked her in the chin, not once, but twice. As both were up in the air, Lee unwrapped the bandages on his arms, and willed them around Yugito before tightening them and going into a downward spin. With a crash and a kick-up of dust, the Primary Lotus was completed. Having saw Lee jumping away from ground zero, Sakura rushed in with her Chakra Scalpels while Neji went in with his clan's taijutsu. Knowing of the corrosive nature of the chakra, they simply acted as deterrents to let Shikamaru and Shino do their thing.

As Yugito, who was largely unharmed from the Primary Lotus, was dodging the two engaging her, Shikamaru's shadow was close to being connected, but it was suddenly halted when Utakata caught the shadow user in his Drowning Bubble Technique. The Nara wasn't in the technique for long as he substituted with a log, and appeared near Sai where he sunk into his shadow only to reappear behind Utakata and land a solid kick into his center back.

Shino, seeing the tactic didn't work, launched his bugs at Utakata in the hopes that he could drain enough chakra so that Sai could apply the seal. However, an explosion of chakra where Yugito was at, followed by the battered forms of Sakura, Neji, and Lee landing in front of him, quickly changed all that. Like Yugito, Utakata broke from Shino's hold and joined her by fully transforming as well.

The Konoha 10 gulped as they were now standing in front of not one, but two, bijuu, but that fear was quickly erased when Nagato and Team Hiruzen jumped in front of them.

"We'll deal with these two," Nagato started, "The white zetsu have stopped advancing and all rest inside the village now where the others need your help."

The Konoha 10 understood and quickly sped off in the hopes of ending the fighting inside their village.

"This brings back some painful memories." Hiruzen said as he, and the Sannin, got in a ready stance.

"Hai, but this time we come more prepared." Jiraiya replied which made the others nod.

Up in the Ancor Vantian, Obito couldn't help but grin at what was taking place, but it was soon erased when he saw a massive explosion take place where Deidara had been fighting the Asura Path.

With the Asura Path

Although the Akatsuki survived the first attack the Asura path gave him, the rest of the battle was downhill from there as no matter how much damage Deidara did to the path, it seemed to find a way to counter it by changing its body structure. It honestly pissed the Mad Bomber off, an emotion which was starting to blind him to how much clay and chakra he was using.

Attack after attack, Deidara's clay bombs were countered with the blast from a laser cannon, a flamethrower, or whatever device the path could conjure up in its mind. However, Deidara, in his rage, had enough of this charade and decided to use his biggest and best explosion he had in his arsenal.

C0

With crazed laughter, Deidara jumped away from an attack then took off his cloak to reveal a stitched up mouth over his heart. Knowing what this was, the Asura path attempted to stop him when White Zetsu appeared before him and started to engage. Grinning at the backup, Deidara undid the stitches and stuffed the rest of the clay inside the mouth and let it close up. With another bout of crazed laughter, Deidara's body started to bloat outwards into a massive ball.

Just as the size was increasing to the point where Deidara's body was starting to crack, the Asura path finished up with its Zetsu problem and carefully grabbed onto the Akatsuki member's body before using a Shunshin to appear far away from the village. It was just in time too, as Deidara's body exploded in a brilliant flash of light which made all fighting stop for a brief moment before it continued as usual.

The forest behind the Hokage Monument was all but gone as the explosion leveled an area of six miles. Amid this explosion, the Asura Path managed to get away, but was severely injured as a result. Luckily for him, the Naraka path used its powers to return it to full health before they vanished to join Nagato in the fight against the two controlled jinchuriki.

With Sasori

Thanks to the zetsu army, Sasori was butchering anyone in his path with his Sandaime Kazekage puppet and, for anyone that got close, were impaled by Hiruko's tail. As blood ran down the streets like a small stream, and painted the walls like a fresh coat of paint, Sasori was ready to add to it when he felt himself catch on fire, then felt Hiruko's head get sliced off by a Chakra Scalpel. With a curse, he ejected himself from the now destroyed body and revealed his true form to all after so many years of hiding.

"Ah, so the apprentice of Tsunade and the brother of Itachi have come to meet their demise I see." Sasori said, but got nothing in return. "Hmm, the silent types, perhaps you'll make great additions to my collection."

Thankful for the support, the Konoha Shinobi around the two shifted their entire focus to the zetsu army just as Sasori attacked Sakura and Sasuke with the Sandaime Kazekage's Iron Sand. As he attacked, however, Sasori started to feel the control on his puppet slipping as well as something crawling all over him. If the puppet user could've scowled, he would have done so as he knew who these small insects belonged to. Not deterred by this, Sasori controlled the Iron Sand to kill the bugs that had tried to invade his body while continuing to attack Sasuke and Sakura.

Shino, who hid in the shadows nearby, let out a frown as he felt some of his hive being destroyed, but that didn't put him out of the fight. Although still in the experimental stages, his hive had created a new one in his body; the kidaichu. Shino knew that if he could get a few on Sasori, he could overload them with chakra so that the bugs would eat him from the inside out. However, the Iron Sand was still an issue, one which Shino was soon to help extinguish. Sensing one of the Inuzuka members incoming, the Aburame made some hand signs and focused his jutsu.

For Sasori, he was internally grinning even though the Kaekage puppet had lost one arm due to Sakura's Chakra Scalpels. He seemed to have the upper edge on these two and was ready to make the final blow but, upon seeing Sasuke and Sakura smiling, he knew something was up. It was then, Sasori noticed a swamp appeared underneath him and he started to sink quickly. To make matters worse, the puppet user overheard Fang over Fang. But, to Sasori's shock, the attack wasn't for him, but the Sandaime Kazekage. Just as Sasori was to move the puppet, he felt more bugs crawling over him, ones which quickly burrowed into his wooden body and disrupted his chakra strings.

Angry at how his prized puppet was destroyed, Sasori decided to unseal a scroll from his back to initiate his Performance of 100 Puppets, but that was all but dashed as Sasuke acted quickly and destroyed the scroll with a blast of fire. It was here, that Sasori knew that Konoha had been informed of his techniques which is why he was beaten so soundly. This thought would be Sasori of the Red Sands last as the kidaichu reached the container which housed his heart and started to devour it piece by piece.

"Thanks for the help everyone." Sasuke said with a smile, though it quickly turned into a frown as he heard Lee's screams of pain. "But it appears that our other friends need help with the last Akatsuki member."

Just as they were about to leave, they heard cracking from Sasori's dead body followed by something starting to come out. With morbid curiosity, they watched as the bugs Shino had planted stick their heads out before violently exploding which turned Sasori into nothing but wood chips.

"Damn, Shino!" Sasuke yelled as he watched his friend walk towards him and Sakura. "Did you have to be that harsh, he was already dead?"

"My apologies." Shino replied as he fixed his shades. "The kidaichu were starting to become harder to control and had to be terminated lest Konoha be eaten alive."

The thought of those kidaichu growing any bigger than what they already saw sent shivers down their spine. The Aburame might be their friend, but their clan's techniques still creeped them out.

With Team Hiruzen, Nagato, and the Jinchuriki

While the Konoha 10 went to focus on Kakuzu, Team Hiruzen and Nagato were having the mother of all battles. While Nagato and his paths focused on Utukata, Team Hiruzen focused on Yugito, and so far both battles were going their way.

With a yell, Tsunade punched the ground which halted Yugito's charge, but it was enough for Orochimaru to unleash a Great Breakthrough just as Hiruzen launched his Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. The now enhanced flames split into three directions as they travelled; the left, right, and forwards. The white hot flames bombarded the transformed Yugito, but all knew that Matatabi was immune to most fire which is why Jiraiya followed up with a move he used on Kisame.

Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer

Instead of the usual massive green toad, Gamaken appeared and promptly sat upon the jinchuriki which made it roar in pain as dust was kicked up.

"Oh dear, how clumsy of me." Gamaken stated as he felt whatever he sat upon move, and promptly sat on Matatabi again before dispelling.

Seeing the jinchuriki getting up, the Sannin plus Hiruzen transformed into their Sage Modes without the help from their summons, and got ready for the battle at hand. However, they were in for a shock when Matatabi got up, shook her head, and looked around before setting her sights on those below.

"Ah, I must thank you for giving me the time to get my container out of that genjutsu Tobi casted upon us."

Nagato soon joined them and pointed over to Saiken who was free from Tobi's bonds as well.

"Sister, are you well?"

"As good as I can be, Saiken, but the same cannot be said for our containers as their grief is staring to overcome them."

As Nagato and Team Hiruzen was about to speak, Tobi, who felt his control over the jinchuriki slip, commanded the Zero-Tails to charge up the Ancor Vantian as it was time to strike. Soon, the super-weapon was ready, and a large beam was shot towards the Hokage Monument, where, if hit, would take out most of Konoha. Upon seeing this, Matatabi and Saiken went into action and quickly fired two Bjiuudama which combined in mid-air before hitting the beam the Ancor shot. The explosion produced was deafening, some even had to cover their eyes from the flash it produce, but it was not without damage. Even though the explosion happened in mid-air a short distance from Konoha, the shockwave of the blast leveled many buildings, broke almost every window, and cracked the Hokage Monument further to where chunks had started to fall off.

Obito cursed that the attack failed, even more so when he saw Kakuzu being killed by the Konoha 10 and the Konoha forces. Not deterred, he forced the Zero-Tails to charge up again, but this time aimed right at the jinchuriki he once controlled. The attack fired, and all watched with horror as it descended towards the ground, ready to end the lives of some of Konoha's most revered figures.

Nagato looked at Hiruzen then back at the attack coming towards him, and decided to do something he only reserved for dire situations like these. Absorbing his Paths, he made a clone which quickly grabbed Hiruzen and the Sannin and shunshined away before they could protest. For the two bijuu, they looked into Nagato's Rinnegan eyes and saw their father, the Sage of Six Paths, within them, as well as what he was going to do.

"If you see my cousin after this day, "Nagato stated as his chakra jumped higher, "Tell him that I enjoyed the time we had together, and sorry for having his heart deal with another loss."

The bijuu couldn't say anything as the attack from the Zero-Tails was right on top of them, but that didn't mean that they would try to save a person who had the heart of their father. Just as Nagato felt the heat from the attack, he poured what chakra he had left into one massive Shinra Tensei.

In Konoha, everyone watched as the ground their Godaime stood on heaved and buckled, while the attack that was to hit started to get pushed back towards where it was casted. As Nagato's veins and muscles bulged at the exertion he was exuding, he started to feel his chakra replenish thanks to Matatabi and Saiken, but it came too little, too late, as the Ancor Vantian let out another attack which hit the previous one it fired.

Again, a massive explosion took place, one which drowned out everyone's screams as well as the massive destruction it wrought to the front part of Konoha. However, it could have been worse if not for many earth users erecting a wall to not only protect buildings, but human life as well.

As the dust started to clear, Obito teleported via Kamui down to where the blast happened to see an almost dead Nagato stare at him with hate as he coughed up blood. How the Godaime wasn't missing any limbs was surprising, but upon seeing an unconscious Yugito and Utakata nearby, Obito realized that the bijuu threw themselves in front of the attack just before it exploded.

"Poor, poor, Nagato." Obito said as he bent down and pulled a scroll from his robes. "Some Kami you turned out to be, ne?"

Nagato couldn't move as the blast broke his back, thus paralyzing him like before, but that didn't halt the screams he made as the eyes that he had used for good intentions were surgically removed, and placed into a preservation jar that Obito had unsealed from his scroll.

"You think this is the end?" Nagato hoarsely said, his throat raw from screaming, "That we will still lie down and admit defeat so easily? No, when Naruto and Shizuka return they will see what destruction you wrought, what you did to their friends. Only then will you experience true fear."

"Fear?" Obito replied. "Please, I am the new Kami, and such an emotion has no control over me."

It was here that Nagato passed out and Obito went to reclaim his two pets, but the Uchiha had to quickly dodge as Kakashi came in with a fully charged Rakiri in his hand.

"Now, now, is that the way you treat one of your old teammates?"

"I know what's under that mask of yours…Obito." Kakashi responded back, his eye narrowing in anger.

"Oh, so it seems that Nagato told you about lil' old me, how quaint."

"Why, WHY!" Kakashi started to tear up, his anger vanishing. "You were eager to spread peace, not war…why?"

"You damn well know why, Kakashi!" Obito spat. "The love of my life is gone because of you, and once my plan comes to fruition, she will be with me once again."

"She wanted to die, she told me to do it, you don't know…" It was all Kakashi could get out as he was suddenly punched in the face, then kicked in the stomach.

"Don't you spread that bullshit, Kakashi!" Obito stomped on the downed Kakashi for good measure. "You did it out of spite, I know you did, why else would you kill her?"

"I killed her to free the three-tails, one which Kiri sealed inside her due to the Mizukage's orders at that time."

Obito, who was ready to kill Kakashi, stopped at his former teammate's words as he knew only one person who was Mizukage during that era.

"Was the one in the office just a figurehead, was Madara the one running the show behind the scenes all along?"

Obito's thoughts were broken by incoming Konoha forces, but his mind was still a myriad of confusion and self-doubt. Without a sound, the Uchiha used Kamui to go back the Ancor Vantian before commanding it to speed away.

For the Konoha forces, they all gathered around their Godaime and the two jinchuriki while also consoling a grieving Kakashi. Although Konoha had survived the attack, the village had suffered many casualties, both ninja and civilian alike, and had been dealt more damage than the Kyuubi attack. However, like before, the Village Hidden in the Leaves would repair and eventually get back to a semblance of normal life.

Iron Country

Mifune walked into the hospital with a frown on his face, one that looked like it aged a great deal since Naruto left for the Elemental Nations. For the past year, the leader of Iron Country has been having strange symptoms, some of which were alarming to the point where he had gone to get a medical check. As Mifune walked up to the receptionist, he paused and pulled a handkerchief from his kimono pocket and coughed into it. When he pulled it away, he sighed at the sight of more blood.

"Mifune-sama, the doctor is ready to see you now." The receptionist said with a smile, but Mifune could pick up on the worry in her mind.

"Thank you, and worry not for my health as a new leader will take over soon."

Upon entering the hallway, the doctor was there with a clipboard in hand, and a frown on his face.

"Mifune-sama, come with me as you need to be sitting down for this."

The Iron Country leader nodded and followed his doctor to his office and, once the door was closed, Mifune took a seat while the doctor did so right beside him.

"So, how bad is it?"

The doctor let out a sigh before he began, "I'm afraid that the cancer has spread to the point we can't operate, Mifune-sama, but we do have an experimental drug which might reverse the process."

"I see." Mifune looked at his calloused hands, but couldn't help but smile; his decision was made. "I thank you for the report, but the drugs won't be necessary as I've lived a good life and am ready to pass on."

"If that is what you wish, Mifune-sama, but please know that you only have about a year to live." The doctor responded after getting over his shock.

"I understand, thank you for your time."

Six Months Later

It was a week after Konoha was attacked, did they send word to Iwa, Suna, Ame, Kiri, Snow and Taki; the only villages left. It was due to this news that everyone in those villages trained harder than ever to ensure that by time the Kage Summit rolled around that they would be more than strong enough to face whatever lied ahead.

Speaking of training, Shizuka completed her Sage training earlier than she thought, so, as a reward, was sent to Uzu to join Naruto and see how his progress has been. Like her, Naruto finished early as well and was happy to be back in her arms once again. Both were equally powerful, at least that of Kage, perhaps slightly above when the situation called for it.

For Naruto, he fully mastered his Ki to where the technique that almost killed him could easily be used. On top of that, he refined his Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū to where his elements could be added to Honjo. Naruto also refined his Aikido to where he could produce attacks from his feet, hands, and mouth; hence the reason he was now barefoot.

For Yuki, her training with Elune payed off big time as she gained her second tail and was almost as powerful as the Nibi, but not quite. Her fire element was refined to a T as was her unique style of fighting. On top of this, Elune found that she could shrink or grow by accessing the special chakra within her, it was a process that took a while to get down.

For Shizuka, her Sage training was successful to the point where she could transform with little trouble, and keep the transformation for over an hour, even more if she used her clones. Although the Salamander's taijutsu style wasn't perfected, it was enough to make her a formidable opponent due to the poison she could spew from just about anywhere. The same result was with her kusarigama, but she could produce it at a moment's notice thanks to a storage seal on her right wrist which was covered over with a small sickle tattoo. Like Naruto and Yuki, her elemental affinities were mastered to the point where she rarely needed hand seals at all.

Although their time together was nice, Shizuka, Naruto, and Yuki, would be in for a rude awakening when they got back to Konoha. They would finally see what Obito had done, a sight that would make them more determined than ever to get to the summit and end the Uchiha once and for all.

Much like everyone else, Obito wasn't a slouch when it came to training once the Rinnegan was surgically placed in his eyes by Zetsu. He pushed himself to master as much as he could about the Rinnegan and, once he had enough practice, summoned the King of Hell to bring Kabuto back to health. Upon his reawakening, Kabuto and Zetsu set out to enact one of the final phases of his plan, one which would ensure his grasp on the jinchuriki; rather, the bijuu inside them. As Obito finished training for the day, he couldn't help but grin as today was the day for the Kage summit, but he was also contemplating on what Kakashi had said all those months ago.

"If what you said was true, Kakashi, then my revenge will be all for naught. I will be but a shame in everyone's eyes, even Rin's; not even Kami would take a tainted soul like I."

Shaking off these thoughts, the Uchiha left the training ground in his hideout so he could shower and get ready for the main event.

Konoha Gates

The sight of Konoha still in repair was a shock for Shizuka, Yuki, and Naruto once they got within eyesight of the village. The Kage Tower had scaffolding all around it much like other buildings, and the Hokage Monument was filled with workers so that it could be repaired. Wanting to get a better vantage, Naruto flew up and couldn't help but close his eyes in sadness, and clench his fists at what Obito had done. As he touched down, Shizuka clasped his hands and squeezed lightly which made Naruto smile.

"Thanks, but Nagato is expecting us as the Kage Summit is supposed to start later this week."

Shizuka nodded, and all entered the village which made everyone they passed stop and look. The looks of defeat and sadness quickly changed into ones of smiles, cheers, and relief upon seeing the trio return. Some even decided to stop what they were doing and ran off to spread the word that hope was still here, and that the war could be won. Seeing these sights brought smiles to Shizuka, Naruto, and Yuki's faces, but they didn't last long as Nagato greeted them about halfway to the Kage Tower.

"Cousin, your eyes!" Naruto exclaimed as he looked at the piercing blue orbs instead of the usual purple ringed ones.

"Hai, try as I might, Obito still managed to take what made me Kami." Nagato let out a sigh, then smiled as he patted Naruto on the back. "But fear not, as even six months of training is nowhere near enough time to master such a dojutsu, no, it took me many years to accomplish such a task."

"Good to know." Shizuka added, but she had some concerns as evident by her facial features. "But losing such a power is bound to hamper your fighting ability, right?"

"Wrong, Shizuka-san, as I still have the memory of using all the elements thus I can still use them, however, the sub-elements are now out of my reach."

Naruto nodded as he and the others entered the tower and climbed the stairs towards the office. Once there, the door was closed behind them and they sat down in the hopes of getting comfy, but with the next Shinobi War approaching it was impossible to do.

"Training aside," Naruto started, "The way Obito has gone about things makes planning all but impossible which will severely hamper most of our forces. Then again, knowing you and shinobi, I'm sure you have found a way to make some order out of the chaos."

"Hai, correct you are as we have set up a command base here where some of the Yamanaka and Nara will be coordinating attack plans once this war kicks off." Nagato replied as he leaned back in his chair.

"And say this command outpost is destroyed, if any of the remaining villages are destroyed, what then?"

"Ah, my cousin, you should know by now that shinobi never fight fair." Nagato let out a smirk which Shizuka and Naruto replicated. "We'll find a way, you needn't worry." A pause. "Now, about the Kage Summit."

Iron Country – Four Days Later

Although it took most of the time to travel to Iron Country, the leaders of the remaining villages were now assembled in the council chambers Naruto was in during the Civil War. Iwa was represented by Kurotsuchi and her bodyguards Han and Roshi. Kiri was represented by Mei Terumi and her bodyguards Zabuza and Haku. Konoha was represented by Nagato and his bodyguards Naruto and Shizuka. And Ame was represented by Konan and her bodyguards Yugito and Utakata, two people which Naruto and Shizuka were happy to hear were free from Obito's clutches.

The other jinchuriki as well as A, the former Raikage, were posted around the remaining villages to act both as guards and deterrents to attack. Then again, Obito had a habit of attacking whenever he wanted, so it was more precautionary then anything.

Leaders and bodyguards now inside, chat began to form on battle plans, how this war would affect the Elemental Nations as a whole, among other topics. That chatter ceased when Mifune entered the room with his ceremonial armor on him, not the usual green colored armor he wore for the civil war. For Naruto, he knew what this armor meant and sent a saddened glance at Mifune who simply returned an apologetic smile.

"It appears that today I will lose another one, Kurama, that aura is in the air once again."

"So it seems, Kit." Kurama sadly replied. "My condolences and congratulations in advance."

"I thank you, but today is not for celebration, but for preparation for what is to come."

"I thank you all for attending," Mifune weakly said as he sat down, his gaunt face making others wonder what happened to the once powerful samurai. "But I wish to make this quick due to my failing health. Let the Second Kage Summit Commence!"

At first nobody spoke as everyone had already agreed to come together as one to fight Obito, but finalizing the plans was another matter entirely.

"Nagato-san." Mei Terumi said as he looked the Uzumaki in the eyes. "I thank you for volunteering Konoha as Central Command, but are you sure you will be prepared?"

"Hai, Even though Obito took my Rinnegan and he dealt quite a bit of damage to Konoha," Nagato responded, a smile gracing his face, "I assure you that we are indeed ready to commit fully to this war."

"Good to know, but, if it's not too much to ask, what exactly can the Rinnegan do and why does Obito need them?"

"Cousin, if you will?" Nagato said as he focused on Naruto whom was standing to his right.

"Of course, but I want no interruptions whilst I speak as what Obito has planned is far direr then you think it is."

For the next five minutes, Naruto meticulously explained who the Rinnegan first belonged to and how the Sage of Six Paths acquired them. Continuing from this, Naruto explained how the nine bijuu came into existence and reiterated that they were protectors of this land originally, but Hashirama screwed that up by selling them off to villages only to be sealed and be used as weapons.

"This creature called Juubi, is what Obito is after and why he needs the Rinnegan in the first place." Naruto continued then looked at his cousin for an OK to reveal the next bit of information, one which he got by the nod of a head.

"Being the eyes of the Sage, they hold not only immeasurable power, they also hold great responsibility. One such responsibility is to ensure that the Juubi never comes into power again, but, in the wrong hands, they could use these eyes to summon the husk of the ten-tails themselves and seal the nine bijuu into it which will allow the beast to roam these lands once again."

"If that's the case, shouldn't we keep the jinchuriki away from this battle at all cost?" Kurotsuchi questioned only to get glares in return. "Ok, Ok, I get it, not the best idea!"

"All of us may be able to change into our bijuu at will, but it's only thanks to them agreeing to help us." Han added.

"Hai, but on a precautionary note, in case the worse does happen and Obito someone managed to master most of the Rinnegan in these six months, what happens if our bijuu do become unsealed?" Roshi asked which made everyone start to hum in thought, ones which ceased when Naruto dropped a blue stone on the table.

"Is that runic?" Mifune asked, before letting out a cough.

"Hai, Mifune-dono." Naruto nodded his head then picked the stone up again. "I won't divulge what this stone actually does, but know that if the worse does happen, I have a way to combat it."

"That stone…by Kami, what it does." Han, Roshi, Yugito, and Utakata said simultaneously as their bijuu informed them.

"I can see why you hold it then, Naruto-san." Utakata said in his usual monotone, but he let out a soft smile to ensure that he was alright.

"Now that we know a little of the history, perhaps now would be the best time to discuss battle plans." Konan said as she straightened the flower in her hair.

Just as they were about to do so, a Kamui opened up in the room which Obito appeared from, his head cocked to one side in innocence.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" The Uchiha's Rinnegan eyes glowed beneath the mask as everyone got into fighting position. "Now, now, there won't be any fighting here, I'm just a messenger after all."

"Calling bullshit!" Kurotsuchi retorted which made everyone let out a chuckle except the one who crashed the party.

"Hmm, not in a joking mood it seems." Obito mumbled to himself before he decided to cut to the chase and unleash a Shinra Tensei.

Unprepared for such an assault, the council room was blown apart and the occupants were blasted outside which made the bystanders scream in fright. Once up, those in the Kage Summit resumed their stances just as Obito walked out of the rubble like he owned the place.

"Thirteen against one? Now that hardly seems fair." The Uchiha smirked under his mask. "But then again, who cares, I am, after all, a soon to be Kami where all will grovel at my feet."

"And I thought I was bad…"Nagato said, then looked at Konan. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"Hell no, you were tame compared to this pompous ass in front of me."

Obito's right eye twitched at the comment and, in anger, stomped the ground to create a field of Earth Spikes which would hopefully impale those in front of him. Sadly, that wasn't the case as Shizuka used her mastery of the earth element to halt the attack, and use the molded chakra for one of her most prized Earth jutsu; Gaia's Wrath.

"Well, that's not fair at all." Obito whined as he watched a maw come from the ground, only to shoot spikes his way.

Just as Obito dodged, Naruto appeared next to him in a flash of yellow, and went for an upwards slash with a fire and wind Ki laced Honjo. Using the Asura Path, Obito hardened his skin to be like that of steel thinking he would be safe, but sadly for him the Honjo was a sword meant to cut through just about anything. And so, to Obito's shock, he found himself gasping in pain and clutching the stump of his right arm. The wounds being cauterized due to the fire Ki. In anger, Obito charged at Naruto so he could end one of the thorns in his side, but he was soon blasted away by one of Utakata's Explosive Bubbles then covered in an acidic mist courtesy of Mei. Having enough, Obito launched another Shinra Tensei, but it was blocked when Shizuka rose, to the surprise of many, a solid Steel wall. Such a sight was rare as one had to fully understand the earth element to create such a thing. However, using this distraction, Obito summoned the King of Hell and threw himself inside where, moments later, he reappeared with his arm back and wounds gone.

"And we're back to square one, just great." Kurotsuchi said in exasperation. "Got any bright ideas?!"

"Just one." Mifune said as he walked up beside Naruto and looked the young man in the face.

"Does it have to be today, Mifune-dono?" Naruto sadly replied, but upon seeing Mifune's eyes, he knew that the elder had accepted his fate.

"Cancer struck me not long after you left, Uzumaki-san, and I have but only a few short months to live." Mifune sighed as he watched the others start to fight Obito again. "I've lived a good life, but I think it's time for my family and past students to be reunited with me once again."

Knowing what needed to be done, Naruto got on his knees and bowed low to the point where his head was touching the frozen ground. As a crowd gathered amid the fight, Mifune happily unsheathed his katana and made his decree.

"To those in attendance today, know that I, Mifune, hereby relinquish my role as leader of Iron Country and hereby instate Naruto Uzumaki Harumasa as the inheritor of my will, and my title as leader of this great country." Mifune tapped his katana on Naruto's shoulders then placed it under his chin to make him rise. "Stand now, Harumasa-san, and take the mantle which you so rightfully deserve. Stand now, Harumasa-san, so that you may lead this nation to the greatness like those before you and, perhaps, to new horizons. All hail the new leader, all hail General Harumasa!"

"Hail, Hail, Hail!" Those around happily chanted, one's which Obito intended to stop.

Finally managing to shake off his opponents with another Shinra Tensei, the Uchiha shunshined right in front of Naruto in the hopes of grabbing him and taking him for extraction, but the opposite happened. Instead, Mifune had sensed what was coming and reacted just as Obito appeared. Not having his EMS anymore, he couldn't turn intangible which was the sole reason why the Uchiha was stabbed in the stomach by Mifune's blade.

Coughing out blood, Obito stumbled back, but Mifune wasn't done as he bear hugged the Uchiha and started to spike his Ki. However, he didn't release it, instead, he let it build. For Naruto and the others that sensed it, they never thought Mifune would go this far.

"No, not like this Mifune-dono!" Naruto yelled as he knew what would happen. "Release it, please, not like this!"

Mifune looked back and frowned at the tears Naruto was producing, "Dry your tears, Harumasa-san, for I wish to go out this way, but promise me that my sacrifice won't be in vain, promise me that you will lead this village to the best of your ability."

"H-Hai, I promise…" Naruto wiped the tears away from his face as Mifune's Ki spiked again and Obito was about to break from the hold. "Mifune-dono, forgive me for what I'm about to do, but to die by the blade is the highest honor a samurai could hope to achieve."

Naruto unsheathed his wakizashi and started walking towards Mifune who knew what Naruto would do. With a nod of acceptance, the previous leader of Iron Country closed his eyes just as the blade pierced his heart as well as Obito's. While the Uchiha spat out a wad of blood, his eyes wide in shock at what had occurred, Mifune spoke his last words before the Ki he held inside exploded.

"Yes, a fine death this has been."