Disclaimer: Not mine. Period.

Warnings: Violence, bloodshed, and so on.

Author's note: I apologize for the long wait. I GOT LOST IN THE K-POP HELL. FOLLOW ME DOWN, EVERYONE!

Please enjoy!

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"Once I knew only darkness and stillness... my life was without past or future... but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living." - Helen Keller

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Sweat was rolling down his back, his face, his arms and legs. He was exhausted beyond measure, and wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep. He wanted to curl up to a ball and make himself as comfortable as possible to sleep for as long as he wanted, with no one waking him and demanding that he rise. He wanted to catch some relaxation, some time to not spend on training, learning or pretending.

Then again, that was exactly what he'd had before, and he hadn't been happy with it either. No, the way things were now was just fine. And he really wanted to keep it that way.

Twenty more.

Naruto groaned inwardly.

He'd already done fifty sit-ups, and his muscles ached and protested every time he moved. Still, he brought his head up from the ground until his nose almost touched his bend knees, then slowly sank down again. The demon had explained that if he just let his torso fall down, the whole work-out would have only a pseudo effect – tiring him, but not exercise his muscles correctly. He was glad that Kyuubi had told him, though – he was sure that at the academy, the teachers wouldn't have bothered to correct him. They hadn't even commented on his lack of ability to read or write properly, which had been one of the first things the demon had decided to ensure he learned.

How the demon had learned to read, or write, was beyond him, but since it could talk and knew the basics of Shinobi education, as well as a large number of Jutsu, Naruto didn't care. As long as Kyuubi taught what it knew to him, Naruto was perfectly fine with remaining unknowing.

The only thing that was bothering Naruto a bit was that the demon told him most of what it deemed necessary for Naruto to know during the time the boy worked hard to build up what he lacked in mass.

The Bijuu, also known as the Tailed Beasts, are nine living forms of chakra. I and the other eight Bijuu are differentiated by the number of tails we possess. The more tails the Beast has, the more chakra it possesses. We have immense reserves of chakra, which we can freely contribute to whoever we choose. As beings of enormous power, we have been pursued since the beginning, and, in order to exploit our power, been sealed into human containers, the so-called Jinchuuriki. The Jinchuuriki often have a connection to the Kage of their village to ensure their loyalty, though few manage to gain absolute control of the Bijuu sealed within them. During times of extreme emotional distress, exhaustion or peril, it sometimes happens that despite of the seal placed on the human vessels some chakra merges with the container. This chakra is capable of healing, as well as of lashing out, and it empowers the Bijuu to influence their Jinchuuriki for a short period of time. In some cases, the Jinchuuriki deliberately choose to remove the seal holding the Bijuu in their body in order to gain absolute control over them. This seldom ends well, since few are capable of overpowering a Bijuu. Yet, sometimes the Bijuu chooses to give its power to its vessel, for whatever reason, be it for personal gain or – like in your case – an arrangement of mutual…well, whatever you may wish to call this.

Got it. Kyuubi had told him that it unnecessary for Naruto to speak when he wanted to talk to it, since thinking sufficed and the demon thought it unwise of Naruto to just answer it verbally. It would seem strange should they communicate in public, where anyone and their mother could see Naruto seemingly talking to himself.

Since the day he'd first visited Kyuubi in his mind, the demon had been training him to get his body fit enough for fighting. He'd acquired quite a bit of muscle, but was, in comparison to other kids his age, still scrawny and underdeveloped. At first, he hadn't even been able to do twenty sit-ups before he'd collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Kyuubi had quickly concluded he didn't have enough energy to do exercises because he didn't have enough food, so the demon taught him how to steal food unnoticed. Training was easier since he'd started to eat on a daily basis.

Very well. Up until now, you have simply allowed yourself to be beaten and humiliated in order to survive. You are, however, my host, and as such above that kind of measure. You are going to enter the academy in three months and by then, you will already be able to do simple ninjutsu as well as some taijutsu.

But I can't even use chakra yet! The fox must know that, right? There was no way he didn't, being with Naruto since god knows when.

Keh. No-one ever bothered telling you, hm?

Naruto knew, by now, that Kyuubi liked playing mind-games with him when he caught some of Naruto's more depressive thoughts. Especially if they involved the circumstances of his birth.

No, they didn't. I guess you won't tell me either, right? He could feel the tears prickling behind his shut eyelids. He hated it. He hated how weak he was, how easily pushed around and beaten. He hated that he had no friends, and he hated that he had no family. He hated that he lived alone, he hated that he was shunned by the adults, he hated that there was nobody that cared for him, he hatedhtedhatedhatedhatedhated everybody in this damned village!

They will never accept you. The demon's voice was a gentle whisper in the back of his head, unobtrusive, yet unyielding and honest.

I KNOW! I know that already, shut up! I know! It hurt, admitting it, but he'd always known.

Naruto heard Kyuubi chuckle darkly.

Don't forget it.

"My, Sensei. If that isn't a touching reunion."

The kid cocked an eyebrow at them, his body posture relaxed, if not bored. "You are the best Konoha has to offer? They must be short of Shinobi, if all they got is you." Coming at them in a blur, he added: "Hopefully you won't go down as easily as the others."

His foot connected with Guy's chest in a vicious kick that would have sent every other man flying with broken ribs. With an experienced taijutsu user like Guy, whose reflexes were honed through years of training and battle, it merely resulted in him being flung backwards into a tree, removing him from the battle long enough for the Jinchuuriki to turn to Anko, Kunai in hand and coming at her fast as lightning.

Snake. Tiger. "Sen'eijashu!" The snakes shot out of her sleeves, hissing and spitting, going straight for the kid's head with the intent to kill. For a split second, she thought she had him, until-

He was over them, airborne, his tone and expression solemn. "Nice try, Mitarashi-san. But I was trained to be better than that." Anko had no idea how he managed to move so fast, but the second he stopped talking, he shot a torrent of Shuriken at them, and was out of sight just in time to dodge Guy's Konoha Senpū.

"Chidori!" Kakashi charged, Sharingan exposed, straight at the tree the kid had stood on just a short while ago, apparently over his shock. Damn, but that guy sure knew how to keep track of an enemy.

"Fūton no Yoroi" An armor composed of wind chakra surrounded the Jinchuuriki's body, nearly nullifying Kakashi's attack. Grabbing the Jounin's outstretched arm, the kid used Kakashi's momentum against him and sent him crashing through the trees behind them.

Anko grit her teeth. This was quickly starting to look bad for them, worse, it appeared that the kid was even stronger than the reports said. Then again, he is the previous Hokage's son.

Summoning her snakes, Anko leapt into the air while simultaneously going through several handseals. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" The fireballs would be strengthened by the wind chakra armor and force the rogue nin to release his technique to avoid being reduced to ash, subsequently creating an opening for Guy's next attack, as well as hopefully allow Kakashi to get back on his feet.

"The seventh Gate: Open!" Guy placed a palm facing forward in front of his face with one hand and then tapped it with his other hand which was closed in a fist. Landing behind him, Anko could only watch in awe as Guy shouted "Hirudora!" The air around him turned green with the steam being emitted from his body,creating a giant tiger which rushed towards their opponent with rapid speed, cracking the earth and uprooting trees left and right. Just before colliding with Naruto, Anko saw his nostrils flaring and eyes widening almost imperceptibly his hands flying through a seals and-

The tiger hit the boy full force, engulfing everything in a bright light, forcing Anko to protect her face with her sleeve as the "You are making this rather enjoyable, Guy-san." The kid stood right in front of them, his red eyes gleaming. "I did not anticipate such an invigorating battle."

How did he escape that technique? It's a one-hit win!

"Sadly, I cannot afford to play around any longer. I have orders to kill the three of you, you see, and I have yet to fail a mission."

"And I have yet to be killed." Kakashi's Kunai was pressed to the kid's throat, a small trickle of blood making its way down to the Jinchuuriki's collarbones. "Where is Sasuke Uchiha?"

A smirk formed on Naruto's face. "Beyond your reach."

The clone puffed out of existence, leaving only smoke behind. "Farewell, Kakashi-sensei. And if you see my father in hell, tell him I say hi."

"Futon: Akumaarashi Yashi!"

Naruto's face blurred as he accelerated. The air around him compressed, creating a slashing effect just from the movement of the air, rending open Kakashi's chest and painting the ground scarlet.

Gaara looked out over the endless dunes that formed the Land of Wind. Here was his home, he supposed. This was the place he had been born sixteen years ago, and the place he had terrorized ever since.

It didn't make any difference to him, he supposed, what he destroyed, as long as he had enough sand to keep on destroying whatever he chose to. Naruto was most likely right. There was nothing here for him but violence and hatred. The fear in the eyes of those he was supposed to protect, the unadulterated loathing. He understood it, to a degree. Humans fear what they don't understand, what they can't control. To them, he was a ticking bomb that could go off any second.

Joining Naruto, on the other hand… It wouldn't matter that he couldn't control Shukaku properly - that he didn't even really want to. He wanted to destroy the world, and all the humans living in it. He wanted to see them scream in agony as he tore them apart limb by limb and crushed them like the bugs they were. He wanted to see how their eyes would widen when their final moment came, the fleetingly endless second before they were claimed by death. Yes. That was his wish. Nothing else but -

Footsteps getting closer. The sound of a person taking a calming breath. The same person, clearing their throat. A knock on his door. A heartbeat accelerating as the door to his room is opened carefully. "Gaara-sama, the dish you requested." Cautious foot-falls. The sound of a bowl being placed on the table. Footsteps. A door creaking first open, then sliding closed. A breath.

Hey, brat! Quit ignoring me!

Internally, Gaara sighed as he approached the table and sat down to eat. He did not like to talk with Ichibi while he ate.

You going, or what? I want another try with that fucker from Konoha!

Gaara continued to eat. He didn't remember ever being so…so…

Lonely. Yes. That was it, he was lonely. There was no other but the Ichibi and him, bound until Gaara's death, not able to tolerate each other yet unable to part. Naruto must know that feeling, the utter helplessness a Jinchuuriki felt when they first realized that the one thing they were hated for was the one thing they couldn't change about themselves, that they'd never be accepted. That they'd be forced to live with those demons inside of them that wanted nothing more than to see them dead, for the rest of their lives, with no one to ease the pain, with no one to understand.

Since Gaara's early youth he'd known he was different. He'd known by how the villagers reacted when they saw him, the poorly masked disgust and distrustful glances. He'd known by the way his siblings would flinch when he raised his voice, by the way his father ignored him. He had always been different from them.

At first, he'd tried to make them like him. He had been friendly to everybody, desperate to be liked, no, not liked, accepted. He had tried to make friends, but in the end, he'd ended up injuring them all, and understood that he differed from them: He would never be the same.

Knowing that, he had started to lash out, trying to make them feel the same suffering that he did. And they paid him back in kind. Stones thrown at him from a distance, rotten fruit, kunai. Poisoned meals. Six failed assassination attempts.

Over the course of the years, both attacks and insults had stopped. The first sooner than the latter, his sand not waiting for explanations or allowing escape or success both of Anbu and villagers. Controlling his sand was second nature to him now, he didn't need to think about it any longer. But when he'd been younger and a lot more innocent – no, even then, the sand protected him without fail.

Yeah, yeah, I know that some shit happened in your insignificant life. What makes you think that I care?

On the contrary, I know you do not, and did never, care. This is why I am going to leave by dawn. And, when I have arrived in Amegakure, I just might give you a chance to fight Naruto again.

The Akatsuki, Fuu found, were a strange bunch.

First of all, none of them seemed to get along. They were separated into pairs of polar opposites, and if she hadn't seen them fight, she's have thought the formation foolish.

Second, they were plain crazy. Every single member of the organization. They weren't just crazy the way almost everyone was, with their quirks and streaks, not simply bloodthirsty – though they were that, too – they were downright insane.

Not a surprise, actually, with a leader like Pain. That was the name he introduced himself with, anyway, and she thought it suited him. When she'd looked into his eyes, she'd found a gateway to a world of sorrow, but also a world of determination. Most were destroyed by pain – and others lived with it, strengthened and with a new view.

Or, in his case, a vision. A vision of a peaceful world that would continue to exist even when they had all died, even when their grandchildren – provided that they ever have them, of course – were no longer.

When Fuu and Konan had first arrived in Amegakure, she had been disappointed. There was only steel and rain, a dull and boring countryside. The only thing that had struck Fuu as somewhat enticing was the wide open sea, roughened by wind and whipped by the endless rain.

But then, when they had entered the city, Fuu had to re-evaluate. Despite the terrible weather, people had laced the street they had come on both sides, men carrying their young sons, young girls wearing flowers, while the women wore kimono, beautiful in their simplicity, with flowers in their hair. As they had walked by, the children had thrown flower petals whilst the adults bowed, a deep respect showing not only in the gesture but their postures. They hadn't done it out of fear, but out of a true feeling of admiration.

She had never felt so happy and confused at the same time in her entire life.

"It is because you are a Jinchuuriki, you know?" Konan had asked with the ghost of a smile on her lips. "They recognize your sacrifice, and they honour you for it. They are not afraid of you."

Ever since then, Amegakure had begun to feel less like a place she fled to, but like a home. When she visited the small coffee shop at the foot of the tower she lived in – apparently Akatsuki's base – she regularly had to force the owner, an elderly woman, to take her money, because she kept on insisting that Fuu already paid enough. When Fuu had asked when and what she'd paid, the woman had answered 'since you became a host, you paid in tears and blood'.

"Hey, Fuu! Where are you wandering off to?" Utakata, the Jinchuuriki of the Six-Tails, came up behind her, smoking the same old pipe. He had been the first other Jinchuuriki she had ever seen, and had seemed very interested in her. Not like a man was interested in a woman, but like a brother was interested in a long-lost sister.

"I'm going to the training base. I want to watch Hidan kicking ass."

Utakata laughed his melodious if rough laugh. He'd explained that his laugh sounded weird because he hadn't laughed in a while, but with her, he couldn't help it. The thought made her smile.

"Are you sure you don't go because of Deidara? He and Hidan are a catastrophe waiting to happen."

"What, you mean like every other combination of Akatsuki members?" She laughed. "Just imagine a stare-off between Sasori and Kakuzu. Is there anything more frightening?"

"Yes." He deadpanned. "A stare of between Pain and Uchiha-san." He shuddered exag eratedly.

"Why are you calling him that? He said that just 'Itachi' is fine."

"Because he always calls me Utakata-san. It feels wrong to drop the honorific if he doesn't. Unlike some, I have a certain sense of courtesy."

Fuu gasped. "Utakata, how can you insult me like that? I thought we were friends!"

Bantering like that, they made their way down endless stairs, until they reached the basement that acted as a training field.

Since the tower wasn't just tall, but was build up from several miles underground, every single underground level was used for training – unless Deidara wanted to try out his newest bombs. There was an extra floor on the highest level for testing purposes designed especially for him. Deidara had not yet allowed her to enter, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

"What are you doing here?" A low voice asked. It belonged to a mountain of a man with blue skin and gills on his cheeks. He wore the cloak all Akatsuki members wore, red clouds on a black field.

"Who are you?" Fuu asked back, not turning around, noticing that Utakata had moved behind the giant without making a noise or getting noticed and was pulling out a dagger to aim at the man's throat.

"I'm Kisame." He grinned lightly. "And your friend is not very subtle."

"Oi, Sharkboy, cut the shit!" Hidan yelled from down the hall. Fuu felt relief bubble up inside her chest. She would've felt bad killing one of Akatsuki's members. He jogged up to them. "That's Fuu, and the other fucker, who's currently contemplating dismembering you, is Utakata." Fuu had to hold back a laugh at Hidan's seemingly unchangeable habit of cursing while talking.

"Ah, I see. Sorry, then. No hard feelings, right?" Kisame grinned at her, and all she could see were rows of pointy white teeth. She had a sudden urge to poke at them, but quenched it.

Utakata slid the dagger back up his wide sleeve. "Of course not, Kisame-san. Welcome back."

Kisame laughed. "I like him!" He exclaimed. "I was gonna get some exercise, so excuse me, ne?"

And with that, he disappeared behind the same door that Hidan had just exited. "Lemme guess, you also wanted to watch the fucking freak show?"

"Yes!"

"Fine, bitch, but I'm warning you, this shit is gonna end in blood!" He laughed his manic laugh, and Fuu smiled. Utakata shook his head, "You're such children."

When Sakura opened her eyes, she was blind.

The world around her was pitch black, even though she felt the warmth of sunrays on her face. For a few seconds, she waited for the nightmare to fade, before her mind was able to comprehend that she was, in fact, not dreaming, but wide awake.

Her heartbeat sped up, her hands got clammy, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Her body began to shiver, and a sob broke free of the seal of her lips, tearing apart the silence that had enveloped her. Her unseeing eyes burned with the sting of incipient tears.

"Sakura? Are you awake?"

That was Neji's voice, she realized.

"Sakura, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath. Yes, like that, keep breathing." She obeyed him, and with the slow heaves of her chest, the panic began to ebb away, leaving her with a dull hollow where her voice ought to be. She couldn't speak, and when she kept on trying, she eventually realized that the croaking sounds that left her throat still resembled sobs.

She heard faint rustling.

"Sakura, listen. I don't know where exactly we are, but we're not in Sunagakure anymore. You were knocked out for the past two days, so you're dehydrated, that is why you can't speak properly."

"I-I-hm-"

"Sakura, stop. Save your energy. Kiba will need it."

She couldn't speak, but she remembered the emergency codes they had been taught at the academy. She tapped out 'why'.

It only took Neji half a second to understand. "They are torturing him. Until now, they haven't asked him any questions yet, so we don't know what their objective is, but I'm afraid we'll find out soon enough. There must be a reason why you were taken off the sedatives."

A loud creak interrupted their one-sided conversation, and the sound of a body being dragged over stone made Sakura hide her face in her hands. She could make out the sounds of heavy boots, no ninja sandals, and when she listened closer, she could tell that two people were dragging the body – no, Kiba.

The sound of their footsteps came closer and closer, and a cold feeling of dread settled heavy like lead in her stomach. She felt the air gush into her face as Kiba's body hit the ground – and the wet sound of blood that accompanied it.

When the creak sounded again, Neji cursed. "Damnit. It gets worse each time. Sakura, do you have enough chakra to heal him?"

She nodded, and tapped out 'yes' as an afterthought. "Good. Get to it."

She wanted to tell him that she couldn't, but she didn't know the code for that. So she tapped out something else, 'Obscured'.

"What do you mean, obscured? He's right in front of-"He suddenly grew silent. "You can't see him."

Sakura started to cry.

Jiraiya looked at the letter in his hands, earnest for once.

"Che. That Tsunade…all that time passed, and she can't even ask personally."

I have a book to write, the hermit thought, and research to do. He shook his head and folded the paper, putting it in his sleeve. He could think about its contents later, when he wasn't so busy, when his inspiration faded. Not that it did so often, but his money did.

"Jiraiya-chan!" Miko tossed her long honey-blond locks.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Eto fluttered her long lashes at him, big brown eyes looking at him innocently.

"Jiraiya-san!" Hana slid her hands up his torso.

"Why do you keep us waiting?" They giggled, and Jiraiya was lost. "I'm coming, my darlings!"

The letter was forgotten, to be remembered at a later point in time.

Jiraiya,

I know that this is sudden and unexpected and you know I wouldn't write unless it was truly important. The Five Great Shinobi Nations have formed an alliance against the Akatsuki, a criminal organisation that threatens all of us. Your former student, Uzumaki Naruto, has joined them.

The Alliance doesn't want to involve you, but sooner or later they'll regret that. So I'm asking you to return to Konoha. I'm aware that I'm asking a lot, but it is your home, and you even went so far as to bring me back to become its Hokage, so don't even try to think up some flimsy excuse. Get your ass moving.

Tsunade

Author's note: Thank you so much for reading!

I know that Fuu's description of the Akatsuki may sound domestic and cute, but please keep in mind that Pain has a plan. Also, everyone knows that you'll fight harder for people you want to protect than for people who treat you like shit (unless you're the Naruto from the manga, but my version of him is more…realistic, I think). Also, once the war begins, you'll see how badass they are – but let's face it, Kishimoto's description of the Akatsuki wasn't exactly only scary with them being intimidating as fuck – they were also shown to have funny and absolutely normal sides…as normal as people who kill for fun get, but that's part of their charm :p

Also, I've been contemplating to include Orochimaru into the story. What do you guys think?

Please leave a review!

~ Dark