Chapter 18

3rd person POV

Kurama skidded to a halt, wide-eyed. 'How is this possible?' the fox thought, guiding Naruto's clone to stay in the shadows. Although his eyes saw a man that looked exactly like Itachi Uchiha, the immensely powerful and strange chakra on his fists made the fox hesitate.

That man blocked a water gun jutsu with that strange nature chakra, vaporizing the liquid before it even reached the blaze itself despite clearly including fire. A redhead kunoichi had bruises, scrapes, and burns all over her body and her eyes reflected frustrated fear as she fought the relentless Itachi-esque man.

Closing the distance to the redhead in an instant, the ravenette struck the kunoichi with a quick jab. Although the kunoichi kawarimi-ed before the strike hit her, she let out a scream of pain. "Heh, heh. Seems like you haven't figured out how to counter the kekkei genkai, Fuka. My main question is, though, why are you working for Orochimaru?"

'It's definitely Itachi, no question about it. But how does he have that bloodline? The one that only Minato came close to unlocking in the past century,' Kurama thought, troubled by this revelation. The Kyuubi's close proximity to Minato via Kushina allowed him to sense the ability barely dormant during the last months of the Hokage's life. Only Minato's and Itachi's common ancestor and his two sons were able to use the lost kekkei genkai in recorded history, so that Itachi awakened it was indeed a surprise.

While the fox was thinking, Fuka replied to Itachi: "Why you ask? He pays well, he gave me a purpose in life, and he saved me from certain death. That's why I am loyal to the Sanin."

Itachi just laughed. Who did this kunoichi think that guy was, an honorable criminal? "Looks like I need to explain something to you, Fuka. You don't owe him anything. On the contrary, he owes you. That albino pedophile has no honor. He only uses people," Itachi replied, launching a volley of shuriken, coating them in the unique chakra.

Fuka, hyper-aware of her opponent, dodged the shuriken with ease. 'Damn the Uchiha, what's he trying to pull?' she thought, a little shaken by his words. "And how would you know this, Itachi Uchiha?"

"Because the snake bastard betrayed his fellow teammates and turned on his own village. And, as if that wasn't enough, while with Akatsuki, he betrayed his teammate, Itachi, despite the fact that the Uchiha saved his ass multiple times," one of Naruto's clones growled as it came stepped out from the shadows behind Fuka with Kurama's and three others. Balling its hands into fists, the clone continued, "He preys on the insecure yet talented striking a deal he has no intention of going through with to serve himself. So you tell me how Orochimaru really deserves a fraction of the loyalty you give him?"

Kurama just shook his head every so slightly, amused at the boy's speech, waiting to see if Naruto would start making good on his promise.

Fuka shot her head to side, wide-eyed with surprise. "Y-you! The other person possessing the lost kekki genkai, Naruto Uzumaki, the jailer of the Kyuubi," Fuka spat in surprise. The uncertainty on her face revealed the wavering attitude she held about remaining loyal to Orochimaru. That teen's voice was just so sincere, convincing, and righteously angry that there had to be at least a smidgen of truth.

"And so, what am I supposed to do, huh? Return to my village where I face execution? Become a fugitive where I'll be hunted by everyone? At least I am more safe under him than anywhere else. He was the only one who believed in me and helped me when everyone else was against me and you're saying that I should betray that person?!" Fuka retorted with a half-hysterical bark.

"Sure his motives concerning me may be far from pure and he may only care for his interests, but it's the best of the options I have," Fuka continued, "There is something you must understand, kid, sometimes fate hands you shitty choices and you pick the best path."

Rather than excepting that, the Naruto clone's eyes flashed with much greater resolve, completely ignoring Itachi, who was now healing a crippled Ayame. "I'm sorry for what you may have faced, Fuka, but you're wrong," the clone said, approaching the kunoichi slowly and determined, "If that was true, I'd have betrayed my village. You can make your own path, Fuka. If there is anything that I learned from my experience and terrifying childhood, it's that nothing is set in stone."

As the clone told Naruto's story and came within reach, Fuka retreated back, her face expression kept shifting from uncertainty to fear to pity to regret to anger to sadness. There was an overwhelming light of hope, perseverance, and wisdom(?) that shone from the tall blonde teen. Fuka wanted to run away and accept what he said at the same time. She felt a connection with the boy that both repulsed and intrigued Fuka.

When the blonde finished, her back hit a wall of the corridor. Cornered, yet unsure whether to fight, the redhead asked the boy, "Why do you want to change and help me? I am your enemy!"

The blonde just shook his head. "No, you aren't. I can sense a light of goodness beneath the darkness. You have the potential to help people and change your life, Fuka. Just let me help you. Yes you have committed evil acts, but you can still atone for them. Let me bring you to the leaf and I'll convince the Hokage to let you become a shinobi of the village if you want," the clone said, his soft smile emphasizing the kindness in his voice. Seeing the uncertainty in the kunoichi's eyes and how she seemed to shrink, he did the only thing that came to mind.

Naruto (the clone) embraced Fuka in a warm, comforting hug like one he would use to reassure a friend. All the good-natured kindness the boy was showing towards her was just too much and she broke down in his arms. The offer that he gave coupled with the kind, comforting gesture was enough to convince her. Had she known such kindness had existed in the world, Fuka knew she wouldn't have followed the path she'd taken. After all, she faced a living, breathing person who had undergone worse than she had yet had the purest heart out of anyone she met.

Sticky tears still running down her cheeks, Fuka looked into those honest caerulean orbs and gave her affirmative answer.

'I didn't know you had it in you, Naruto. How you're able to do what you do is beyond my comprehension,' Kurama thought, smiling inside. It looked like the brat wasn't ever backing down on his promise to unite the Shinobi world. To him, it was evident that Naruto could, though whether he would actually attempt it remained a mystery for the skeptical fox.

Itachi and Fuka meet up with the second group, I will heal up Ayame's injuries so get a move on, Kurama said to the two S-ranked shinobi before making his way to the bleeding brunette.

The ramen chef's daughter looked up warily at the clone of Naruto that approached her. Something seemed off about it, considering the abnormal dark emotions exuded and the discolored, strange eyes. 'It has to be a henge, Naruto doesn't carry himself this way,' Ayame thought. As the strange clone approached her, Ayame drew a kodachi while launching herself back.

You have great instincts, little one, Kurama said through the clone, his deep rumbling voice, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. But don't worry, I can't really do anything as a clone that Naruto wouldn't allow.

Ayame just nodded, not in the least concerned by this. After all, with the frequent surprising news she had heard over the past year or so, this wasn't particularly surprising. "Alright, but I thought Naruto couldn't use medical jutsu?" Ayame asked, laying down to relax as she exposed her wound.

He is, however, well versed in fuinjutsu and refined Itachi's emergency healing seal, Kurama replied as the clone next to him laid a seal on Ayame and released it. Kurama noticed the smell of fresh blood and pain fading with each passing second that Ayame's deep wounds healed.

"Alright let's go," Ayame said to Kurama after her wounds had been healed and she felt almost good as new. With that, the clones and the brunette rushed towards their comrades to complete the mission, or more like shunshined to their comrades' position.

The vault that contained the scrolls themselves was giant, filled with rows of bookshelves that reached the three person tall ceiling, which had a white plaster coating similar to the walls. Moreover no one had bothered to hide the forbidden scrolls that sat on what could have been mistaken as a shrine's altar. Just a couple steps inside stood a platinum blonde, a grinning teen, a handsome yet shady ravenette, a blade-carrying brunette, and a redhead.

It had taken sometime for the group to slightly trust the aforementioned redhead, for she had attacked them, but after some convincing from Naruto they decided to let Fuka help. The redhead warned them to be on guard because none of the guards knew whether anyone guarded the inside of the vault.

"Well, that certainly reduces security risks," Itachi murmured in response to Fuka's comment, though a pinging on his senses cut him short. He felt the presence of power and chakra, but couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. In fact, the only thing he could comprehend is that the signature approached them.

"GET DOWN!" Itachi shouted loudly, pulling Ayame and Ino down with him, knowing that they wouldn't be fast enough to do anything about it. Fuka melded into the stone of a wall, while Naruto got in the way of Itachi and the kunoichi whilst flaring up a vermilion chakra cloak.

Just in time too. The next moment the ground erupted with a crack that sent shards of earth flying throughout the room, obliterating entire shelves of the library in a rain of debris and paper. In the massive hole stood a giant white snake as thick as an ash tree, while two cloaked people stood on its head.

Unphazed by the explosion or the giant snake, Naruto stood firm in the same place as before, chakra cloak active. "Orochimaru," he snarled, mismatched eyes glaring murderously at the taller figure.

"Hm? Well its nice to see you healthy and alive, Minato-san," Orochimaru asked, hissing, "But how have you cheated the Shinigami and managed to become younger."

Everyone in the room sweat-dropped at the Sanin's stupidity. "Ugh, Mr. Retarded Pedophile, you're talking to his son," Naruto retorted, speaking quite slowly as if Orochimaru wouldn't have understood otherwise.

"How dare you insult my sensei, Dobe, know your place!" the second figure spat, his voice and arrogance bearing an eerie resemblance to a certain someone. Before the figure could do anything, however, Orochimaru silenced him.

"Not yet, Sasuke-kun," the snake Sanin said, moving his arm in front of the Uchiha.

Hearing this, Itachi leaped to his feet and looked right at the face of the cloaked figure. "Otouto?" Itachi asked with incredulity, "What are you doing here?"

Ignoring Itachi's emotionally strained voice, Sasule turned to face his teacher and said "Orochimaru-sensei, please allow me to help dispatch the traitorous scum and his followers over there?"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT TO ITACHI-NII!" Naruto roared, his anger boiling up into a frenzied maelstrom. Before anyone could react, he launched himself at Sasuke at his maximum speed.

The sonic boom stunned Sasuke for a fraction of a second too long, completely losing sight of the blonde. As he registered the sound, a crushing blow to his back sent paralyzing pain radiating through his back and forced the air from the Uchiha's lungs as he careened from the snake's head to the ground.

"Ku ku ku, looks like you did get quite more powerful in your training and my gift, boy. Never had I thought that this would happen, though," Orochimaru hissed through a grin.

Naruto was utterly caught offguard with that statement, causing him to free mid-step. Seeing this, the snake sage thought that now would be the best time to strike.

"Hell no you don't," a pissed off Ino muttered under her breath, "Water Release: Sea Serpent Roar!" An intensely pressurized lance of hot foaming water collided with the Sanin's shoulder, ripping apart the clothing and skin while sending him flying through the air and into a fallen shelf.

Meanwhile, Naruto just stared at his chest wide-eyed at the realization that his shirt and armor was torn clean through and a long shallow cut ran along it. The golden hilted unmistakable katana lay on the motionless snake's head its gleam wicked. Suddenly, it began to rattle and shakily levitate upwards. Before it could do anything, however, Naruto rocketed forward and grabbed the legendary Sword of Kusanagi in his left hand, since his right had the other katana.

"Why you...! Give my fucking sword back you sniveling shit!" Orochimaru roared as he sprung at the blonde jinchuriki. Ripping a large boulder from the ground, Orochimaru roared "Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!" as he launched it at Naruto, hoping to crush the chunin.

'What an idiot' Naruto thought with a smirk, tracking the jutsu with the sharingan. 'Wind Release: Flying Swallow!' Naruto thought as he warped a pair of giant blades of jagged wind and fire chakra. As the rock reached the blades' range, Naruto shredded the basalt rock into three pieces, one of which crashed into the snake's head with a wet thud. Said albino snake collapsed to the ground, knocking the spiky blonde off his perch, albeit unharmed.

The snake sanin's eyebrows ticked in frustration for the smallest instant before he regained his creepy composure. "Nicely done, boy. My hypothesis was correct. It seems your abilities in all areas have grown."

"Shut up, Freak. My cousin isn't your opponent psycho, I am," Itachi growled, appearing a half dozen meters from the Sanin, his body blocking Naruto. The older Uchiha's fists were shrouded in the strange kekkei genkai.

Orochimaru hissed in muderous rage as his nemesis radiated new levels of awesomeness and power that shouldn't be possible due to his fragile condition. "So you were able to unlock that kekkei genkai. The one called Solar Release, although it was later called Dragon Release."

Itachi just shrugged. "Nice to know. Oh, and your experiment with Naruto...it was successful. He has the single most powerful sharingan since Indra (albeit only one) and the Solar Release."

"Heh, heh, heh. So that would make him more powerful than you, wouldn't it, considering the condition you had?" the albino taunted. However, the laughter from Itachi was not what he had expected, throwing him around the loop.

Rather than her boyfriend replying, Ayame jumped in. "Before you decide to attack a person make sure that you know the most recent events. Let's just say Itachi is healthier than ever," she commented offhandedly, while she prepped bolts in her repeating wrist crossbows.

"Rrgh, you will suffer!" Sasuke roared, his forehead streaming with crimson blood, a jagged piece of wood impaled in his left arm digging deeper with each movement. Eyes crazed with bloodlust and pain, Sasuke was a wild animal frothing at the mouth. Eyes drawing to Ayame, the younger Uchiha charged the brunette blurring with speed.

However, the Uchiha had to roll back just as Ino slammed her heel into the ground, executing a flying ax-kick. "Tsk tsk, Sasuke-baka, you aren't going to attack Ayame-nee without paying for it dearly."

"Bitch, get out of the way and maybe I'll fuck you," Sasuke spat, drawing his chokuto.

"Ugh, I knew it, you're just a fucking arrogant bastard. Oh, and newsflash, Naruto and I are a couple. After all, he's better looking than you, more powerful, and infinitely kinder," Ino replied, letting the comment bounce off her, "In fact, I love him more than life itself."

The ravenette, ever pissed off, picked up on the last part of the sentence. "Well, let's test that theory," he replied with psychotic glee. 'First, I'll attack Ino so Naruto'll try to save her. He'd probably sacrifice himself, then Ino would break down and I'll kill her.' With those quick thoughts, Sasuke channeled a chidori through his sword with lightning speed.

Just as he predicted, Naruto dashed to Ino. However, like last time, his sharingan barely detected a blur, so when the real Kusanagi cut through his blade, fear wracked his system. "DON'T. EVEN. TRY," Naruto spat, a catlike pupil and a purple, silver-tomoed sharingan piercing through to the Uchiha's soul. 'If he threatens the life of my friends and villagers, I have to end it. But I must try to change him'.

"Die, dobe!" Sasuke replied darkly, switching with a log before launching a hail of shuriken at the blonde.

Hearing the incoming weapons, Naruto switched with the back most shuriken, closing the gap and -before Sasuke could counter- launched three kunai at the ravenette. Nonetheless, the target just rolled under the knives and exhaled a blast of flames at Naruto.

"Wind Release: Serial Vacuum Wave!" Naruto shouted, exhaling a dozen blades of wind. Rather than canceling the jutsu, the sheer power of the attack forced the stream in on itself blowing up halfway to its target. Although half the blades dissipated, the remaining six rocketed towards the Uchiha, who could only lift his arms and minimize his surface area to keep the minimum damage from being incurred.

Unfortunately for Sasuke, all this achieved was a smattering of gashes across his arms, sides, and legs, deep enough to cause significant streams of blood to flow down his body. His cries of pain were enough to make Naruto wince, knowing just how much cuts from wind chakra hurt.

"Is that all you got?" He grunted, getting up from his kneeling position, first level curse-mark flaring to life. "This should even the odds, Fox," he sneered.

"Psh, you wish, but I could go at this all day. It'll be good exercise," Naruto yawned, lowering the amount of the Kyuubi's chakra considerably. "But if you want to fight on the same terms as before, be my guest."

The nonchalance infuriated the Uchiha heir beyond belief, destabilize his logic. What he wanted to do now more than ever was rip into that blasphemers chest with a chidori before placing one through his head. Then he would murder his traitorous brother who definitely killed his clan, since he was the only other survivor.

Naruto, noticing that Sasuke wouldn't attack first, decided to take the initiative, yet rather than try to drag this out, Naruto simply decided to go ham. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto said, spawning eleven clones. 'With six nature transformed rasengans, I should be able to defeat Sasuke quickly even if he takes out four.

"Fire Release: Rasengan!" "Wind Release: Rasengan!" the clones shouted in unison, their hands glowing with either a blazing sphere or a translucent bladed sphere of chakra. Barely a blur seen, the six clones rocketed towards Sasuke, attempting to flank him.

Catching sight of this, the Uchiha prepped a move he developed under Orochimaru, electricity quickly building up within him. 'The Chidori current should be able to take them all down without needing to move,' Sasuke thought quickly, completely unperturbed by the remaining six Naruto's in front of him. Unfortunately, just as Sasuke thought he had won, the six blondes in front of him began flipping through a quick series of seals.

"DAMN IT!" He shouted, fearing his destruction, "Lightning Release: Chidori Current!". As the teen roared, a blast of concentrated lightning expanded from his body catching five of the six clones and instantly dispelling them.

However, at that moment Naruto and the non-attacking clones let loose their jutsu, roaring: "Wind Release: Serial Vacuum Spheres!". The six streams of rapid-fire bolts of wind struck the Uchiha battering him to near unconsciousness, while fracturing bones and cutting him until his clothes were rags and his skin was more red than white.

"Sasuke, now do you see the truth?" Naruto asked almost pleadingly as the remaining rasengan clone held a fire rasengan next to his back. 'He was defeated so he should see the truth now,' Naruto thought.

'I can never let that fox brat best me. How is it possible that he out-read and out-smarted me? It's not possible! I won't lose to this child who is beneath me!' Sasuke's rage broiled as he cooked in his thoughts. 'I am not out of chakra yet and damn the consequences, I'll take this bastard child with me if it's the last thing I do!'

While Sasuke thought this, Naruto had approached Sasuke convinced that he had beaten him. After all, the man was battered to near death and slashed up badly, only someone crazy would be able to continue, and yet Naruto knew Sasuke had a lot of chakra left, about the same as him if you got rid of the curse mark and the kyuubi.

"How dare you flaunt around a sharingan like an Uchiha. You trash our name with your presence and so does Kakashi!" Sasuke growled hoarsely at Naruto charging up slowly to prevent Naruto from detecting the build up in chakra.

Naruto just shook his head sadly before steeling his face in a wicked grin. "You know, Sasuke, you should thank Orochimaru for that. It was a sealed kekkei genkai that I possessed in my DNA from my father's side, who just so happens to come from the brother of your great-great-great-great-grandfather. And guess what, Sasuke? I bet my one sharingan holds at least as much power as both of yours," Naruto goaded the ravenette.

At this point Orochimaru and Itachi had turned from each other and were watching how their students would do. Ino, despite herself, let Naruto fight while Ayame was ready to kill Sasuke because he seemed utterly rabid. Fuka, though, began noticing an increase of static energy within the area surrounding Sasuke. 'I wonder what that boy is up to?' she thought, not daring to blow her cover.

Sasuke just looked at Naruto with a murderous glare and immediately released the chidori around him as he reached full. Having noticed the murderous glare and predicted the arcs of lightning with the sharingan, yet despite his amazing speed, he still got caught by four bolts of blue electricity. Each shock made his teeth ache and his head and nervous system to burst like thousands of knives had stabbed the blonde. Numbed, when Naruto lifted his arms, they moved at a fourth their usual speed.

"Tch, of course you aren't paralyzed, but at least you are slow enough for me to see and process your movements," Sasuke grumbled, "Now its time for the real deal. Sword of Kusanagi: Chidori Katana!" Sasuke added, channeling lightning through his chokuto before launching himself at deadly speeds at Naruto despite the pain from the fractures.

Slowed down to Sasuke's speed Naruto knew what Sasuke wanted to test and he would give it to him. Channeling chakra into his heirloom, the blade burst in a fusion of wind and flame and met the stab of the lightning chokuto in a blinding flash.