Location: Deep inside Kawa no Kuni

It has been nearly a week since Naruto was given the mission of disposing of Kurotsuchi after what the Iwa kunoichi had done to his friend and teammate Rin by stabbing her in the gut with her sword. Other events that had occurred before their encounter in river country was their fight near the massive cliff side and they were knocked off by Naruto tackling the girl and both of them plummeted into the river below.

The view changes to show an unconscious Naruto on a muddy river bank, an imprint beside him in the shape of a feminine figure. A few more minutes would pass before the river's tide changed slightly and the cold water begin to splash it's way toward the blonde and when the water reached his face it caused him to flinch from it's frigid temperature and he began to stir awake but very slowly. When his eyes begin to open slowly and he was aware that he was awakening the blonde's eyes shot open fully in a second and he instantly sat up but when he did he felt an agonizingly strong headache hit him.

''Erm..damn, where am I?'' The blonde whispered to himself as he rubbed his sore head.

When the memories of the past few days came back to him he got up on his two feet and went to draw his kunai knives but he saw that his pouch was laying several feet away further up the bank and saw that it was opened and the contents inside were gone.

''Shit, the kunai must've been washed away by the river when I fell in.'' Thought the blonde.

The Chunin then began to look around to see if there was anything he could use in case he needed to defend himself and saw that there indeed was something, it was a simple kunai, unlike the one his father gave him, it's handle sticking out of the mud and Naruto went over and pulled the steel weapon out of it's imprisonment.

''This will have to do for now, who knows where I'll go if I use the FTG, for all I know all the kunai could've washed up somewhere in Iwa territory.''

Naruto then looked back at the feminine imprint in the mud and saw that there were footsteps leading into the nearby forest and the thing he notice about the footsteps is that they appeared to be dragged and that meant one thing to him.

''Kurotsuchi must've sustained some injuries from the fall, I'll have to find her right away and finish her off.''

He then looked at the area where Kurotsuchi had flayed his skin to take the jutsu formula off and noticed that it had healed almost to perfection and he knew this was from the Kyuubi.

The best estimate in time that has passed since they fought would've at least been a few days at most, maybe two or three. The thing that bugged Naruto the most though was that if Kurotsuchi came around first why did she just leave him there and not finish the job? Did she want to get home to the safety of her village? Nonetheless, if the former was true he really needed to get to the Iwa prodigy as soon as possible and complete the mission.

Despite being armed with only a kunai, the blonde followed the imprints in the mud and climbed up onto the grassy shore away from the river bank and saw brown streaks and knew that was from the mud that covered Kurotsuchi's body. He looked farther ahead and saw more streaks along the trees and some mud rubbed against the leaves of a few bushes, plus the grass looks like someone had stepped on it and knew this was the direction Kurotsuchi headed in and if he was correct this way would lead him in the direction of Iwa.

''I would use the Flying Thunder God but she probably changed her vest and threw it away and while I would go straight home I might be out of range to get all the way to Konoha in one go.''

The blonde then made his way through the woods following the streaks of mud and visible signs that Kurotsuchi had made her way through this area with the kunai in hand ready to fend off any threat that may come his way.

-Elsewhere in Kawa-

She was in pain, she was injured and she was tired. For the past couple of days Kurotsuchi had been trying to make her way back to Iwa or at the very least, to Iwa controlled territory within Kusa so she could reach safety. When she washed ashore alongside the unconscious Naruto she was torn between taking a kunai knife and shoving it straight through Naruto's heart killing the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki for good and taking out an HVI from Iwa's shitlist, or heading straight home as soon as she can and get medical attention and take the blonde out on a better day.

Kurotsuchi decided on the former because when she woke up first she saw that she one of her arms was broken in in place, several cuts and a few score 3 bruises on her back and chest and that was putting her in great pain.

''Fuck..I hope I'm headed in the right direction..I need medical attention ASAP!" She thought as she continued to shuffle through the forest brush.

Despite the pain she was in she made lots of effort to try and make her way home and she knew as soon as the blonde regained consciousness he'll come searching for her and ending everything. While she would fight back she knew that with the current injuries she had took a lot out of her and the only thing she did for herself was treat her cuts and one massive cut on her side stopped bleeding due to her placing pressure on it, but barely since she lost most of her stuff, including her katana when they fell in the river. She made her way toward a small cluster of bushes and having been on the move for almost two days now she knew that she needed to rest her aching and sore body otherwise she'd completely gas out.

The Iwa girl approaches the bushes and lays on it and instantly felt the comforting softness of the foliage easing her pain in a way.

''Fuck..at least I can take the moment to rest..'' Kurotsuchi whispered to herself.

She looks down and eyes her legs which were both bruised up and her right calf had a horrid cut on it as a result of the jagged rocks that plagued the river slicing clean through it but thanks to her minimal use of basic fire jutsu she cauterized the wound and now she can safely apply bandages to it. She could've done it earlier but she was dead set on getting as far away from Naruto as possible before she can continue patching herself up.

Taking out some bandages that miraculously survived the river's vicious flow she waited a few more minutes for them to completely dry before she began to wrap it around the cauterized wound and winced in pain when she did so. It took several agonizing minutes but she eventually completed the task and sighed in relief.

''Geez, that really fucking hurt!" The Iwa girl thought before laying back against the foliage for a moment of rest. ''I should've finished that asshole off but, I would've bled out if I didn't cauterize the wound.'' She then realized the consequences if she did manage to kill the blonde. ''Wait, why didn't I notice this sooner? What was I thinking? If Naruto dies then that means the Hokage will just unleash his rage against us on the battlefield, he might even have one of those Uchiha members control the Kyuubi and destroy Iwa. Fuck..guess we'll have to capture the guy then..''

The girl then heard rustling in the bushes and immediately she reacted on instinct by assuming a defensive stance and she feared the worse as she hoped it wasn't the blonde finding her. The rustling stop and a moment of silence befalls the Iwa girl and she looked on confused at the bush only for a few hogs to rush out squealing loudly catching her by surprise.

''Shit!" Kurotsuchi yelled as she barely managed to pull herself out of the hogs' way as they charged passed.

The quadrupeds ran passed the Iwa girl and she noticed that the smallest one of the pack wasn't paying attention to where it was going and instead of following after it's fellow hogs.

''I've got nothing else to eat, all my rations were lost in the river so I might as well get this kill.'' Thought the Iwa girl as she bent over to scoop up a medium sized rock.

The hog hitting the tree trunk was still stunned by the blow and shaking it's head it did not notice Kurotsuchi approaching it before it was too late. Summoning as much strength as she physically could. the Iwa girl swung her hand and the rock impacted the hog on the side of the head and the force of the hit was enough to send it flying away several feet. The animal howling in pain before Kurotsuchi walked over to it and silenced it for good by bashing it's head repeatedly with the rock. Kurotsuchi sighed in relief when she finally killed it with a final swing caving the head in and spilling some blood over herself but she didn't care as long as she had a food source.

''Thank Kami that was an easy kill, imagine if I had to try and kill a full grown one.'' Kurotsuchi whispered to herself.

Seeing that nightfall was approaching Kurotsuchi knew that she had to build a temporary shelter and a fire so she spent the next hour or so making the necessities. A few hours would pass and the scene transitions to nightfall and we now see that the Iwa kunoichi was sitting beside a fire with her hog roasting over it. It had taken a few tries to get it right due to her not possessing a natural affinity for fire but the Iwa girl finally managed to set the pile of sticks ablaze with a minor fire jutsu that she learned from reading books back home. Turning the stick repeatedly until she felt that the hog was fully cooked she takes of off the fire and blew it several times before taking a bite out of it and she smiled in delight at the fresh, gamy flavor of the pork.

''Tastes really good for food fresh out of the wild. Can't wait to get home and eat my favorite foods again.'' Kurotsuchi thought as she continued to bite into the pork.

Unknown to her however, she was being watched from the treetops and it is revealed that the person she was being watched by was none other than Naruto himself. The blonde holding his kunai knife in hand ready for action. Placing a hand on the kunai's handle he made a jutsu formula appear on the weapon knowing that Kurotsuchi will have a hard time keeping up with him due to being injured.

''Found you, I won't let you get away this time Kurotsuchi.''

As she was eating her meal she swore she heard some rustling in the trees above her and looking up she saw some birds take off and she immediately became cautious.

''Most birds aren't active at night, why are they flying away?''

The girl then sensed a presence in the trees and instantly knew that she wasn't alone. Setting her food down she picked up a rock that she had taken the time to sharpen to act a personal defense weapon in case she needed it and the situation was calling for it now with the presence she felt.

''How about you stop hiding Naruto and show yourself?'' Kurotsuchi said irritably.

Naruto then threw the kunai he had and the weapon sailed straight at Kurotsuchi and thanks to the girl's good hearing she turned around and spotted a glint showing exactly where the kunai was and before she can bat it away Naruto used the FTG to appear right in front of her with a rasengan in hand ready to plow it into her face.

Due to their various encounters in the past Kurotsuchi knew Naruto would try something like this and the moment she saw the flash of yellow she knew she had to make a split second decision. Dodge the attack or try and a blow on her enemy.

As Naruto came close to shoving the rasengan in her face Kurotsuchi managed to dodge the attack by ducking her head down about a foot or so and shoved the sharpened rock in Naruto's side making the blonde dispel his jutsu and he landed on the grass clutching his side.

''Ugh, fuck.'' He grunted.

She knew she couldn't fight Naruto in the state she was currently in so using the energy she had she formed a few dozen mud clones to try and distract Naruto while she made a get away.

''You guys gotta take him down while I make an escape.'' She ordered the clones.

Naruto recovered from the wound and looks up to see the Kurotsuchi mud clones coming for him. Looking over the small crowd he saw Kurotsuchi limping away and knew she was using her clones as a means of trying to escape.

''This girl and her mud clones. Screw it, these are just gonna get in the way and with her injuries she won't be getting far so I'll just deal with these guys quick.''

The blonde then proceeded to summon his own group of clones and another brawl ensued as the blondes battled it out with the Kurotsuchi mud clones. Turning her head around as she attempted to get away the Iwa Jonin saw the fight between the clones and knew that she wouldn't have much time left to make her getaway.

''I gotta get as far away as I can.'' She thought as she continued on.

For extra measure she summoned another group of mud clones and activated a rock shelter jutsu large enough to contain both her clones and Naruto so that he would have to break through the jutsu to continue chasing her.

As the blonde noticed the earth shaking slightly around him he looked up to see a medium sized dome of rock and growled in annoyance as he knew Kurotsuchi was using every measure to make sure he can't follow her right away.

''Ah great, more mud clones.'' The blonde thought noticing the new group of said clones.

The blonde and his clones wasted no time in trying to take the platoon sized element of Kurotsuchi mud clones and it took a good twenty minutes before the last of their clones knocked each other out. With the area cleared Naruto knew he couldn't just dig his way out of the entrapment as it would take too much time and his target might be long gone by the time he made it outside. So forming a rasengan in his hand he shoves it straight through the rock wall as hard as he could and he struggled at first to break it but after putting in more energy he managed to smash a hole in the wall and he quickly stepped outside into the forested area.

''I last saw her heading northeast, Iwa must be in that direction.'' Naruto said to himself.

He scooped up the kunai he had thrown at Kurotsuchi and ran in the direction he last saw the Iwa prodigy.

About an hour would pass since they met again and Kurotsuchi had used up all the energy she had for the time being trying to escape Naruto. Part of the reason she was tired out was because as she was making her escape she had used minor earth jutsus to alternate the landscape and as such, the dirt was rearranged and her foot steps were concealed. She also made sure to fix the grass she was running through to hide her track as well as cover herself with some mud to hide her scent in case Naruto was able to pick it up like an Inuzuka.

''Fuck, so damn tired. Hopefully I don't see that guy again.'' Kurotsuchi panted as she tried to catch her breath.

''Sadly I'm right here!" A voice called out and she recognized it as Naruto's.

She looked upward and saw Naruto descending upon her with a rasengan in hand and even though she was tired she knew she had to make a move.

''Dammit does this guy ever give up?!''

Kurotsuchi got up in pain and kicked Naruto away as he came close but when the blonde impacted with a tree it dispelled in a puff of smoke.

''What?! A clone?!''

She then felt the ground beneath her shake violently and from the ground emerged the real Naruto. The blonde breaking through the dirt with a rasengan and having already used that quick burst of energy to kick the clone away there was no way she could dodge this attack unless she wanted to overexert herself.

''Nice job taking my clone out! Take this!" Naruto shouted as he rises from the ground and comes to face level with his opponent.

He then shoves the rasengan into Kurotsuchi's chest and the girl cried out in pain as she could do absolutely nothing but take the hit hoping it wouldn't kill her.

''Agh!" She yelled as she was then sent flying through several trees and landed on the ground with enough force to kick up a pile of dirt that gathered as she soared through the ground.

The dust clears and reveals that Kurotsuchi was laying motionless in the small dirt mound that was created. She then coughed signifying that she survived the attack and more bruises and cuts became more visible on her body and she tried in vain to slowly get up but the pain was just too great for her. As she barely managed to stand on her two feet she fell onto her knees and began to cough up some blood. A kunai lands right in front of her and looking at it she saw another flash of yellow and Naruto had appeared before her looking down on her.

''You fucking asshole..'' Kurotsuchi panted.

''There's no way you're getting away now Kurotsuchi, after what you did to Rin, it was totally uncalled for.'' Naruto said coldly.

The blonde's words only served to make Kurotsuchi laugh despite the obvious pain she was in. ''Man, you Konoha shinobi are so funny. Rin got what she deserved for being idiotic enough to fight me. If she had just obeyed like the good little medic she is then she'd still be walking right now.''

''If you listened to my father's words and surrendered to us like a reasonable kunoichi you wouldn't be in this predicament right now. Being a prisoner of war sucks but at least you get to go home once the war is over regardless of who wins it.''

Naruto then raised the kunai and prepared himself to kill Kurotsuchi but the Iwa girl decided to taunt him about the one thing shinobi from his village were known for.

''So you're just gonna kill the girl you claim to fancy just like that? What kind of man are you Naruto? I've read that shinobi from your village have high morals when it comes to war. Moral number one, never kill an enemy shinobi who is gravely injured, moral number two, a Konoha shinobi must always treat their enemies with respect even in times of war. I've also read in our bingo book that you tend to be very friendly toward foreign ninja and that you'd never hurt one, let alone a wounded one like what your morals are because it would only make you seem like you pick on the weak and not someone who is capable of fighting back. Guess you're not really a man who upholds the morals you value so much huh Naruto?'' Kurotsuchi explained.

Her words made Naruto freeze in his tracks. What she said made him realize that he was being overtaken by his intense emotions to get revenge in Rin's steed and end her life for putting his brown-haired friend in the hospital. He was always known for never wanting to hurt a foreign ninja from any village, even Iwa. He understood that Kurotsuchi was considered a dangerous enemy for what she did to Rin but he knew that killing her here would make him go back on his morals and he didn't want to be known as the man who killed the Tsuchikage's granddaughter.

''You realize that killing me will only intensify the hatred between our villages right? Who knows what my gramps will try to do once word of me being killed by the Yellow Flash's son gets to him he'll just unleash his rage upon your military, the same can be said with the Yellow Flash.''

Kurotsuchi saw that Naruto's face was scrunching up with mixed emotions and she couldn't tell what he was feeling or thinking.

''If you want to kill me now asshole then just fucking do it! I don't fucking care, let my gramps join the war and kick your asses.'' Kurotsuchi spat. ''Or would you rather have me kill you right now? I'm in a lot of pain but I can still fight.''

The blonde gritted his teeth in anger as the Iwa girl was right about him always upholding his morals and he knew it would be against his ninja way as he promised to never go back on his word, especially his morals and rules he set for himself.

''Fuck!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.

The blonde then turned and threw a punch at a nearby tree and left a hole in it's trunk from the force of his fist and Kurotsuchi cringed at the sight. In actuality she only brought this up to Naruto for two reasons. Reason one was to try and survive so that she may recover in a Konoha prison and then she can make her move by assassinating the Hokage if the chance presented itself. The other reason was although she came off as rude, impulsive and very anti-Konoha she felt that a shinobi who betrayed their standards, morals and self-imposed rules regardless of who it is weren't true shinobi. She knew it made her a hypocrite as she said she'd rather die than become a prisoner for Konoha, but if it meant that she'd be able to deal damage to Konoha later on then so be it.

''What's your..''

Before she could even finish her sentence Naruto had punched Kurotsuchi right in the cheek sending the girl flying a few feet. The Iwa girl grunted in pain as she landed on her back on the dirt and Naruto took his kunai and held it against her neck.

''Let's see if you're man enough to kill the Tsuchikage's granddaughter.'' She spat condescendingly.

Naruto slowly slid the kunai across her throat and Kurotsuchi went wide-eyed from the pain, but she noticed that he wasn't putting enough pressure to severe her carotid arteries or jugular vein and instead opted for only drawing a small amount of blood from her.

''What you said had me thinking, my dad did order me to take you out but I'd be doing you a huge favor by letting you die. I'm gonna take you back home and once I explain to dad he'll understand. Instead of just killing you and ending your suffering, you're gonna rot in a cell. I think the notion of you knowing your village lost this war against mine would only bring you more anguish and anger and I want to see you kill yourself mentally from that. I want to see you break down and scream from the thought of your village losing but try not to go deaf from hearing your own screams cause I want you to hear yourself.'' Naruto growled before getting up.

He takes some rope bindings he had hidden in his kunai holster and began to tie Kurotsuchi in a way that she couldn't try any means of escape. He then threw her against a tree trunk roughly causing her to grunt loudly in pain.

''Damn you you blonde asshole.'' Kurotsuchi growled.

If there was one thing Kurotsuchi could gain from being a POW, it was that she can possibly learn the layout of Konoha, locations of where they keep their resources and patrol routes and if she could escape she can give it to her grandfather.

-Hokage's Office, same time-

Minato was going over reports of several Konoha military outposts being destroyed by sudden wild attacks in these past few days. Normally he would think Iwa was responsible due to their relations with one another but the thing that didn't add up was that these outposts were located in allied countries such as Suna, Kiri and Tetsu. What made it even worse to determine the perpetrator was that none of the outposts had survivors and several shinobi and samurai from the host villages and Tetsu were killed. There was also a few reports of his shinobi coming across Iwa encampments but the areas were destroyed and Iwa shinobi were found killed with multiple kunai stabbed into their bodies with no sign of struggle other than said shinobi.

''There's no way Iwa forces could've made their way into these nations because then Suna and Kiri would've declared war on them as well. I highly doubt Onoki would be foolish to attack two other great villages, even he knows he can't stand against a combined Kiri-Suna-Konoha alliance and the fact that Iwa camps have been wiped out makes it even more mysterious..'' Minato wondered.

Just then the door to his office and in ran Konan and she appeared to be very exhausted and had multiple cuts on her body, they weren't serious but it was evident she had lost some amount of blood from the injury.

''Hokage-sama!"

''Konan? What's going on?''

''We were on patrol in eastern Kusa and came across a battalion sized element of Iwa Jonin and we had a skirmish.'' She said, clearly out of breath.

''That should be normal considering we're at war Konan.'' Minato said with a blank expression.

''No Hokage-sama, while we were battling the Iwa shinobi we were attacked from the air and kunai were raining down on us and the sheer volume of kunai killed everyone else but me, Shisui and Anko.''

Minato listened intently to Konan's story and what she was telling him was raising his curiosity levels to an all time high. ''So you're saying that it was like an air raid?''

''Yes Hokage-sama, all the Iwa shinobi we confronted were killed as well as our fellow shinobi but me, Shisui and Anko who are both at the hospital right now.''

''Hospital you say? I need to go see if they're alright, come Konan you can explain with them.''

The two shinobi then left the building after Minato had a shadow clone take his place.

-Tsuchikage's Office, same time-

Onoki, the third Tsuchikage was going over current battlefield conditions and so far his forces were having minor success in penetrating further into Kusa to lay siege to Konoha at the border. However, with the recent reports of Konoha's own God's Angel and several members of the Uchiha clan such as Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke joining the fray their forces were forced back a few miles and now the current situation was that his forces weren't gaining ground and instead were losing it at a brisk pace.

He growled to himself and rubber his wrinkled forehead with his fingers. ''Kurotsuchi, please hurry up with that Rin girl so we can unleash her upon Konoha and win this war.''

Just then, someone barged through the door and it's revealed to be his son Kitsuchi who also happened to be Kurotsuchi's dad.

''Hey dad I have some news from our reconnaissance teams!" Kitsuchi shouted as he ran up to the Tsuchikage's desk.

''Hm? What is it Kitsuchi I'm going over very important documents can you see?'' The elderly Kage said irritably.

''It's urgent, you know those camps we have scattered on our side of Kusa as well as several within our border region near Grass?''

''What about them?''

''They were destroyed and casualties number several hundred.'' Kitsuchi said.

Onoki's facial expression changed to one of anger. ''What?! This must be the Yellow Flash's doing!''

Kitsuchi knew his dad would automatically put the blame on Minato but being the honorable shinobi he is he had to calm his father down.

''Dad relax! It was not caused by Minato.''

''Then who could possibly want to wipe out several of our camps and kill our shinobi?! That blonde bastard Minato that's who!"

''Stop it dad! As much as I don't like him either he is not the one who did it. The recon team managed to find a survivor among the corpses.'' Kitsuchi said calming his father down.

''A survivor? Then we must speak to him and get some information now.'' Onoki said floating up from his seat. ''Where are they now?''

''They've just arrived at Iwa General Hospital in critical condition and multiple wounds from kunai. We should hurry because we might not have enough time.''

The two then exited the office and hurried over to the village's main hospital to meet with this survivor.

-Konoha General Hospital-

''Hold still Anko for Kami's sake, you need a sling because you won't be using this arm for a few days to a week at most.'' Shisui Uchiha said as he tried to place Anko's crippled arm in the medical device.

''Shut up! With an arm broken this way I can move around like a snake and I like snakes.'' Anko pestered.

Shisui only shook his head in annoyance at his colleague's stubbornness but nonetheless he succeeded in putting her arm in a sling. The injuries he sustained from the surprise attack they came across during their clash with the Iwa shinobi only left him with a few gashes across his body as well as a busted lip so he wasn't in any serious condition. The door to their room opened and in walked Konan.

''Hey Konan, how are you feeling?'' Shisui questioned.

''I'm okay, just need these bandages for a few days and I'll be in tip top shape.'' Said the blue-haired woman.

''How come I took a slight beating but you and Shisui have the littlest of boo-boos? That's so not fair.'' Whined the purple-haired woman.

Minato then made his way past Konan and almost immediately Shisui and Anko stood up. ''Relax you guys, there's no need to get so formal because it's really annoying. Konan here told me what happened so now I'd like to hear your side of the story.'

Shisui and Anko looked at each other before looking back at the Hokage.

''Well Hokage-sama, I'm pretty sure Konan told you the same thing but when we were fighting those Iwa shinobi in the middle of the brawl we saw shadows hovering over us and everyone looked up to see what appeared to be a platoon sized element of shinobi above us.'' Shisui began.

''Yeah, it appeared as if they were using gliders to fly over us. I've never seen shinobi do that.''

''Let me get this straight, the unknown shinobi that took out our men and Iwa's were using gliders to fly in the sky?'' Minato asked incredulously.

Shisui, Konan and Anko all nodded.

''The Iwa shinobi ran away but were taken out while we tried to fight back but we just couldn't with the sheer amount of kunai these airborne shinobi were launching at us. From what I saw they weren't throwing it with their hands but rather with a device and they dropped explosives on us.'' Konan continued.

Something was giving Minato a lot of suspicion and he knew that these weren't shinobi from any other of the great villages. He had a feeling he had learned something about what his shinobi were talking about so he motioned for the three of them to follow him out of the hospital.

''You three, come with me I have to show you something.'' Said the Hokage.

After leaving the hospital Minato had taken them to the basement of the Hokage's tower where there was an archive of information only the Hokage and his council will know. They enter the room and the three Jonin were surprised that their Hokage would take them to a place even where shinobi of their rank needed special permission from the Hokage to enter.

''Hokage-sama why have you brought us here?'' Konan questioned.

''Yes, no one but those with special permission can come in here.'' Shisui said.

''What can be so important that you bring us to this place?'' Anko asked.

Minato did not answer the Jonin and just motioned them to sit at the table. He headed over to a shelf of books that contained written accounts and the entire history of the shinobi world from the formation of the great villages to war stories from the previous conflicts. The Hokage took out a certain book that detailed events from the Second Shinobi World War and walked over to the table the Jonin were seated at. He places the book on the table and the Jonin eyed it with confusion.

''Hokage-sama, why are you showing this to us?'' Konan asked, her curiosity at it's peak.

''You all mentioned that the shinobi that attacked you appeared to be using gliders and looked like they were flying correct? Turn toward the section of the book that details of an enemy our village and Suna confronted near the end of the war after neutralizing Iwa.''

Shisui took the book and opened it as the two female Jonin huddled around him to look at the contents of the pages.

''Konoha and Suna conducted a campaign against an unofficial sixth great village called Sora no Kuni, it was a large country located quite a distance away from where the five villages were. The shinobi in this village were able to mold their chakra into mist to be able to fly. After Iwa was defeated by the combined strength of Suna and Konoha the two villages set their sights on the real enemy, Sora no Kuni who had instigated the conflict with the Land of Fire. Sora proved to be a very powerful adversary that even Konoha could not stand against but with the efforts of the third Kazekage and Hokage the two villages were able to secure victory ending the war in their favors, however the casualties for both villages were incredibly high and as a result Sora was left a barren wasteland.''

The Jonin takes their eyes off the book and look up at their Hokage.

''Weren't you just a kid when the last war was happening?'' Anko asked.

''Yes, I remember most events of the war, especially when the third announced the war was not going to end yet until us and Suna defeated Sora. While we were at war with Iwa at that time Sora was notorious for launching air raids on us and almost drained us of our manpower. Every time Sora attacked an Iwa outpost Onoki would always blame us for it even though Hiruzen-sama tried to explain to him that it wasn't us but that old fencer still refused to listen and believed that our campaign against Sora was fabricated to cover up a secret war being waged between us.''

''Why am I not surprised that old geezer thought it was a cover up, he should know that Suna and Konoha are close.'' Anko quipped.

''So, Hokage-sama, did you happen to encounter any shinobi from Sora during the last war?'' Konan asked.

Minato shook his head. ''No, but I've heard of sudden, wild raids on Suna and Konoha outposts that began during the middle stages of the war and Lord third and the Kazekage thought it was Iwa at first since they waged war against the both of us. Iwa did take responsibilities for the attacks but the Hiruzen-sama knew it was from someone else.''

''What a piece of shit, first he killed our shinobi from the prisoner exchange we had now he claimed to have conducted raids against us? Onoki truly is scum.'' Konan said angrily.

''Sora no Kuni was thought to have been destroyed has it not Hokage-sama? That's what is says in the book here. If it's true that they were the ones who attacked us then maybe they..''

Shisui couldn't finish his sentence as Minato had raised a hand up silencing him.

''I know Shisui, their country was reduced to ashes thanks to our efforts with Suna but judging by what you've told me, I have a feeling that they truly weren't defeated and may have been in hiding these past years.'' Said the Hokage.

''Do you think it was Iwa that took out that outpost in Kusa or do you think it was Sora that did it?'' Anko asked.

''Evidence found from the ANBU suggests it was Iwa but it's still possible Sora had their shinobi disguised as Iwa shinobi and did that attack.'' Minato answered.

''I would have to agree with that, but what about the Iwa camps our forces came across? If they're attacking the Stone too doesn't that mean we have a mutual enemy?'' Shisui inquired.

Minato nodded. ''Yes, it would seem so but I highly doubt Onoki would want to have a ceasefire agreement so we can investigate these killings and confirm that it was Sora doing this.''

''We're ahead of Iwa in this war anyway so we might as well call for a ceasefire Hokage-sama and take the victory as ours.'' Suggested Anko.

''That's if Onoki even wants to agree to a ceasefire even if some of his forces have been killed by the perpetrators. It's going to take a lot of convincing for someone as stubborn as that old man.'' Konan interjected.

''That is very much true Konan, though despite the ill-feelings I have toward that old man it would still make me the better of the two Kage for reaching out for a ceasefire. We'll have to make sure and confirm that it was Sora doing this to us before we make a move.'' Said Minato.

Konan nodded in agreement. ''You're definitely right on that one Hokage-sama, for now though what would our move be?''

Minato placed a finger on his chin and thought about all possible solutions to Konan's answer. ''I would say we'll simply have our ANBU operate behind Iwa lines in Kusa, maybe even keep recon teams positioned at Iwa's border with Kusa to keep tabs on what forces are coming in and out of the village. I'll let the Kazekage and Mizukage know of our decision since they lost some of their shinobi in these raids as well. For now, you guys must rest and we will call for a ceasefire then a Kage summit shorty after. The minor villages of Ame, Taki and the samurai country of Tetsu will receive word of this as well. The big problem with the possibility of Sora is that we don't know where they're operating from now since their land was destroyed.''

''That sounds like a reasonable plan, and if Iwa doesn't accept the ceasefire?'' Said Anko.

''If Onoki doesn't want a ceasefire if these killings are Sora's doing then so be it, we'll deal with them with Kiri, Suna and Kumo. For the time being please rest as much as you can you three. You are dismissed.''

Anko, Konan and Shisui get up and bowed in respect for the Hokage before they proceeded to leave the room. That was until Minato stopped Konan.

''Konan wait a moment please.''

''Hm? What is it Hokage-sama?'' The blue-haired woman asked.

''I'd like to talk to you in private please, if you're not in a hurry to go anywhere.''

''Of course, I'm always available if you need me for something.'' Said the blue-haired woman.

Minato smiled at his friend. ''That's good, it's about..the mission I sent your team on..'' He said in a somber tone.

The tone in the Hokage's voice made Konan feel a bit worried as she remembered her students went on that mission, just the three of them to destroy the Kannabi bridge to halt Iwa's only viable supply route into Kusa after Konan was summoned to the front lines.

''What..what about it Hokage-sama?'' She asked worryingly.

''Naruto, Kakashi...and Rin encountered Kurotsuchi a few nights ago and Rin ended up being kidnapped by that girl.''

Konan gasped. ''Are you serious?! Where are is she? Does Kurotsuchi still have her?''

''No, Rin is in a safe place.'' Minato said.

The Jonin sighed in relief and placed a hand on her chest but her moment of ease was ruined by what Minato said next.

''I detected Naruto's chakra emanating from one of my special kunai knives and I used my teleportation jutsu to head to Kusa and I met up with the boys. We searched for Rin deep in grass country and we eventually managed to find Rin and Kurotsuchi and we learned of the reason why that Iwa girl kidnapped Rin in the first place.''

''W-what would that reason be?'' Konan, now nervous questioned.

Minato steeled himself for the words he wanted to say as Konan had no clue what has been going on since she last saw her team and she grew increasingly nervous.

''It seems that Iwa is planning on using Rin as the Jinchuuriki for the Yonbi and once they sealed the beast in her they'll send her back to our village and once she steps foot at the main gate the beast would be released from her body and as a result our village would be lost bringing about Iwa's victory in this war.''

''But you said Rin was in a safe place right? Where is she now?''

''She..she is in the hospital in critical condition from a stab wound to the stomach from Kurotsuchi.''

Konan felt small tears begin to form in her eyes and being the strong woman that she was she was able to prevent herself from crying. The emotions coursing through her body were mainly anger and sadness hearing this news.

''Who would want to hurt such a kind, sweet and loving girl as Rin...?'' She asked.

''Kurotsuchi...I'll never understand why she's so stubborn. Thank Kami we managed to get her back home before she bled out..'' Minato sighed.

Konan closed her eyes and the moment she did that the tears that were building up in her eyes began to fall slowly onto her face. ''Where is Kakashi and Naruto now.." She questioned in an almost whisper-like voice.

''Kurotsuchi made a run for it after she tried to kill us all with a rock breaker jutsu. So I sent Naruto on a mission to track down Kurotsuchi and assassinate her to prevent her from doing more damage as that single display of brutality on Rin was enough to make me change my mind on having her as a prisoner at most. Kakashi was sent on that same mission a day ago by request to assist Naruto.''

Konan merely nodded and the two shinobi stood there in silence for a moment before Konan spoke again.

''I want to see Rin..''

-Kawa no Kuni, w/Kakashi-

On the muddy banks of the river from where Naruto and Kurotsuchi had washed up Kakashi and Pakkun land beside Naruto's imprint on the mud and the little dog began to sniff it to determine how old the scent that the blonde Chunin left behind was. After doing so the dog waddled over to Kurotsuchi's imprint and did the same thing.

''Anything Pakkun?'' Kakashi asked.

''Yeah, I'm picking up a strong scent trail and it's going northwest toward Iwa. That doesn't seem good to me at all.'' Said the dog.

''Shit, Kurotsuchi must be making a last ditch effort to get home and if she does that's big trouble.''

''With the way the scent is I can tell Naruto is chasing after her, look at the brush.'' Pakkun said pointing at said foliage.

Kakashi looked over and the two made their way toward the green bushes and saw signs that two people had made their way through it as well as the muddy footprints both Naruto and Kurotsuchi had left behind.

''Jackpot, I can tell these aren't a day old yet so we'll definitely catch up to them within the hour.''

''I agree, though with the way Kurotsuchi's scent is irregular I can tell she was staggering, that girl is wounded.'' Pakkin inquired.

''Good, it means Naruto would have no problem catching up to her if he is in good condition. Let's go Pakkun we're gonna back Naruto up just in case.''

''You got it, when I see that pink-eyed girl I'm giving her a killer bite.''

The two then made their way into the forested area to continue their chase for Naruto and Kurotsuchi.

-W/Naruto & Kurotsuchi-

''So excited about rotting in a cell Kurotsuchi?'' Naruto asked.

Since he had captured Kurotsuchi in a final stand off between them the blonde was now making his way back toward his village with the girl tied down onto a makeshift rack made from large leaves, grass and large branches being carried by two clones. Despite the toxicity between them Naruto knew that if the roles were reversed she would practically drag him on his ass back to Iwa so he was showing her that he was the bigger person in all this by making sure she would at least be a bit comfortable until they arrived in Konoha.

''Fuck you asshole, once gramps learns that I've been captured by Konoha all hell is gonna break lose and you bet it'll be much worse than if I'm dead.'' Spat the pink-eyed girl.

Naruto and his clones only snorted at the girl's words.

''Man you think everything is gonna go well for you Kurotsuchi, that's what I noticed. It makes sense your gramps would try to mount a rescue of you if he found out you're our prisoner but how is he going to do that once your military resources are depleted? Iwa has always been the only village to play offense and that's what costed you the last two wars.''

''Offense is the greatest defense you trash, try playing our game we'll see what happens. I know that your village is defensive right now but you know that with every battle the greatest defense won't last.'' Kurotsuchi growled.

''Yeah it will, look at how what your village has achieved so far, nothing but dead shinobi after dead shinobi compared to our casualty list. So shut it.'' Naruto retorted.

Kurotsuchi knew that the blonde was right and before she could try to think of something clever to say back a shadow of what appeared to be a flock of birds loomed over head. By instinct Naruto, his clones and Kurotsuchi look up and saw what appeared to be people hovering above them and in almost an instant a barrage of kunai fell upon them at a rapid pace taking the two clones out and cutting the bindings holding Kurotsuchi down setting the Iwa Jonin free from her restraints.

''What the fuck is that?! What's going on?!'' Naruto shouted in confusion as he ducked for cover behind a tree.

In the same situation as Naruto Kurotsuchi performed a rock shelter jutsu and created a shield of the earthly material protectively around her. ''What do you know? My comrades have found me! You're fucked now blondie.''

Kurotsuchi's smug grin would soon disappear when she smelled what she believed to be smoke and peeking out of the shelter she saw several sparks descending upon her and she knew those were paper bombs. She jumps out of her shelter in time to avoid being killed in the following blast and she lands, albeit still in some pain on her ass and she barely had time to dodge another barrage of kunai from above.

''Wait..we've never had units trained to use gliders in combat..what the fuck was I thinking...who are these people?'' Kurotsuchi thought in utter confusion.

She failed to notice the airborne shinobi had tossed several round gas balls that detonate and she was caught in the heat of the blast. The girl began to feel dizzy and realizing it was chloroform bombs she tried to get away but she soon fell over unconscious.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he tried his best to shield himself from the hailstorm of kunai launched at him and hearing something his the floor he looked in Kurotsuchi's direction and saw the girl knocked out.

''Fuck, what the hell are these people and why are they attacking us?'' Naruto thought with his teeth gritted.

Realizing that he just couldn't hide he decided to try and fight back so jumping out of cover he goes to perform a shadow clone jutsu.

''Alright assholes, shadow clone...!"

The airborne shinobi launched several chloroform bombs at the blonde and much like Kurotsuchi he began to feel dizzy and it would take a good ten seconds before he finally collapsed unconscious on the grass. With the two shinobi knocked out several of the shinobi guided themselves to ground level and several of them stood beside the unconscious forms of Naruto and Kurotsuchi. The uniform these men were wearing were not the standard uniforms of any of the five great villages. It was a white in collar and they appeared to have masks over their faces and their vest was purple in color. The symbol on their headbands unlike any of the major villages.

''Well how often is it that we'd find the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and the Hokage's son in the same place? I tell you we hit the jackpot didn't we?'' One of the mysterious shinobi asked.

''I agree, considering that their villages are at war now.'' Said another.

''Alright, let's get them loaded up and locked up and we'll watch what happens when the two Kages find out their flesh and blood have disappeared from the battlefield. What makes it even better is that we have ourselves a Jinchuuriki.'' A third one said.

''Oh man, that's gonna be really exciting as it would only intensify the war.'' The first one laughed.

''Can't wait to launch a raid on Iwa and Konoha themselves, it's gonna get bloody.'' A fifth one cackled.

The unknown shinobi scooped up the unconscious teens and with their gliders flew away into the night.