Hello everyone. Let me start off by saying how sorry I am that it has taken me this long. Eight month? Really?! I know, I know. I have only myself to blame. I'd just finished Violence, then I went back to college, and I had so many other stories to work on, and Fraud was such a difficult chapter... Time just got away from me. And I'm sorry. Let's look at some reviews and I'll talk to you all afterwards:

Rictor Yagami: Glad you liked it; and I suppose there are some minor characters I forgot about that I could have had Naruto absolve as Lost Souls, but this late in the game... I may just come up with an excuse for why they aren't all there.

death Nightwalker666: We will see.

Dark Lord Namikaze: Glad you liked it. Ah, my slight ignorance of Asian culture is showing. I figured it was called something like that. I suppose it is a type of suicide, but at the very least, a heroic one. As for Pein and Konan...

Leaf Ninja 91: Thanks.

airnaruto: Whoops, my bad.

cmcwiki: We will see.

J.T: If you liked THOSE monsters, wait 'til you get aload of what Fraud has in store...

Trey of the rebellion: Thanks

Killjoy92: Thanks. Tsunade? Oh, she's around... somewhere... Your vote has been considered, read on to see what happens...

darkvizardking69: Thanks. I know this isn't as soon as you might have hoped, but I hope it lives up to your expectations.

Baron von Nobody: Thanks. Man, those ten pockets were more troublesome then any other chapter...

Darke G. Reaper: Thanks. I really don't have a 'Beatrice' in mind, but as for what I've got planned for the 9th circle, oh, it's gonna be fun.

Ex10: We will see.

YoukoTaichou: Well, I did consider doing a series of one-shots describing how Naruto's friends came to be as they are. It would cover the time after their death, but before Naruto meets them (which can be as long as I want, since I've established that time moves differently in Hell).

Guest: Huh, to be honest I haven't given Kabuto much thought. As for Pein...

Anni Caib: We will see.

Madness Abe: Glad you liked it, hope this one is just as good, if not better.

There, now that that's out of the way, let me just say what I thought (and what most people thought) about the level of Fraud when playing the game: THIS! LEVEL! SUCKS!

Yeah, the level is terribly uninspired, and doesn't make for a good fic adaptation. Was I supposed to write Naruto having to kill so many enemies in a time limit, or stay in the air for a certain amount of time? LAME! So, that wouldn't work, which meant I needed to do a complete overhaul, and in so doing, I turned to my greatest source, the original Divine Comedy. Reading about the Eighth Circle, I have to say this would have made a great video game level. Each Bolgia (the ditches that make up this level) are each filled with an individual type of sinner, and a different punishment. It would have been great.

From a writing standpoint, this was hard because I had to come up with a new set of enemies, as well as how to get Naruto through them. I think I did alright with it, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that.

And with that, I will not let you all do what I know you've wanted to do for Eight Months now: Dive head long into the next Chapter!

-Naruto In Hell-An Unpleasant Welcome

After sliding down the bone for a while, Naruto eventually dropped onto a large platform. Now usually, every time he was on a large platform, something popped out and tried to kill him. So to say he was pleasantly surprised when that didn't happen would be an understatement. Instead, the platform just slowly moved him downwards towards the next circle.

After about five minutes of this, the platform ground to a halt in front of a narrow pathway. Naruto took this to mean he was at his stop, and prepared for the next phase of his journey. He shivered, rubbing his arms to warm himself. This was a surprising turn from the blistering heat of the sands above he'd experienced a moment ago.

As he walked through the dark tunnel with only his Amulet to light his way, he heard all around him a strange hissing noise. He looked around for its source, but before he could find it, the floor a head of him and behind him burst into flames, trapping him. Naruto raised his Amulet, ready for battle.

"Naruto…" a voice said. Naruto's eyes widened as he instantly recognized the voice.

"Sasuke!" he shouted, looking around him for his one time friend.

"Why are you still here Naruto? Why do you insist on continuing this terrible journey?" Sasuke asked, invisible to Naruto, but a sound like sadness and desperation in his voice.

Naruto frowned "You should know by now Sasuke. I'm here to save those precious to me, no matter what!" he said with conviction.

"You're right, I do know that" Sasuke said, and Naruto got the feeling the Uchiha was rolling his eyes in the dark "But that still doesn't answer my question: why are you STILL HERE! You've traversed nearly the entirety of the Inferno at this point, there's no one left to save!" Sasuke said, his voice raising in volume with each sentence "You could go now! You could leave this place with that Amulet of yours, and go to Paradise to be happy. If you continue onward from this point, death is all that awaits you! Please Naruto, for once in your life… just let it go." Sasuke said, and for a moment, he sounded exactly like Naruto remembered him from all those years ago. Before the war, before the years of training, before Orochimaru. This wasn't Sasuke the revenge loving lunatic, but his friend from so long ago.

And yet…

"I'm sorry Sasuke, no can do." Naruto said, giving the shadows his foxy grin "I've come this far, I'm not stopping now. There are surely at least a few people I can help in this circle, and I can't just leave them behind." he said honestly, feeling a bit silly explaining himself to shadows and flickering flames "Besides…" he said, his eyes narrowing slightly "I keep bumping into people who seem really keen for me to turn around before I reach the bottom of the Inferno. And somehow… I doubt you're doing it out of the goodness of your heart." he said, his voice hardening, his eyes narrowing in an attempt to pierce the darkness "Something is going on down here, and I intend to find out what it is! So either come out of hiding and face me; or get the hell out of my way!" he shouted, the Amulet flaring up and dispelling the fires around him.

The air was silent, and Naruto wondered if this was the part where Sasuke attacked him. When nothing was said for several long moments, Naruto shrugged and began to walk forward, assuming Sasuke had gone back to wherever it was he really was.

"Stupid dobe…. you never listen" Sasuke voice sounded thick with anger and resentment now. "You always think you know everything… that you can solve everything with one of your stupid speeches about peace and friendship… you make me sick." the voice kept deepening, and Naruto thought he heard something rustling in the darkness, as though something was coming closer and closer "You want to die so bad dobe?" Sasuke questioned mockingly, the rustling now a rumbling that was like standing in the middle of a thundercloud "Then allow me to oblige you! KILL HIM Geryon! KILL HIM NOW!"

And just as Sasuke shouted his command, something relatively large shot from the darkness and tackled Naruto, sending them flying down the tunnel.

Geryon was a strange creature that guarded the entrance of Fraud. His head was that of a human man, and topped with a mop of brown hair. He had kind eyes and an honest smile, which Naruto had to admit, really threw him for a loop. But from there, everything was non-human. From the neck down Geryon was that of a wyvern dragon, coated in steel hard scales. Both arms, while vaguely humanoid, bore a greater resemblance to lions paws. And at the very end of the body was a long snake-like tail, with a wicked looking stinger on the end.

Geryon gave another flap of his leathery wings and tried to bite into Naruto's throat, but Naruto's armor was enough to stop the surprisingly human teeth Geryon had. Naruto got one arm free from Geryon's grasp and decked him across the jaw, dislocating it with a sickening pop. Geryon responded by dipping low and scraping Naruto across the rocks, a painful experience even with holy armor. Naruto tried to punch the creature again, but Geryon grabbed his arm with monstrous strength, and with a flick of his tail, lashed Naruto across the back, making him cry out.

As the two traded blows back and forth, part of Naruto took note of the large stone ditch they were flying over. He saw what looked like two lines of shades that seemed to go on forever, walking in opposite directions of each other. Each line was surrounded by demons, whipping the shades as they passed and ordering them to march faster. These were the panderers and seducers. Just as they had used the passions of others to drive them to do their bidding, they are themselves driven by the demons to march for all eternity.

Naruto, tired of the whipping, summoned the Mask to his face. The appearance of the glittering adornment confused Geryon long enough for Naruto to drive pure fear directly into its animalistic brain. He had hoped it would make Geryon release him, but instead Geryon locked up with fright, and the two of them were rapidly falling downwards towards the earth.

Thinking quickly, Naruto slammed his covered face into Geryon's, making the monster reel back, and loosening its grip. Freeing his metal arm, Naruto reeled back and aimed for where he assumed the creature's heart would be. Then, channeling chakra into his arm, he slammed it into its fleshy underbelly. Unlike the top of Geryon's topside which was covered in nearly impenetrable scales, like most dragons, his underside was far weaker. As such, Naruto's fist not only broke through the skin, but also the ribs protecting the vital organs. The force of the blow caused Geryon's heart to explode, and the monster died in mid-flight.

As its body went slack, Naruto twisted and jerked the body around, pointing the harder part of Geryon towards a spot on the cliff that looked like it had a path. To gain a bit of added momentum, he used his Amulet to blast himself back into the air a little. From there, he did his best to coast to his goal.

Then, with a mighty crash, he slammed Geryon's body into the side of the cliff. The scales held, and Naruto was protected (though he had added a bit of divine protection as added insurance). Slowly, the body slid down the cliff to the path, where he hopped off and away from the fallen demon. Not sure what to do with the body, Naruto just gave a nod to his fallen foe and then turned back to the path.

Naruto didn't know it, but he had just completely bypassed the first Bolgia, and was now on track to the second.

-Naruto In Hell- Hell is the shits

Naruto was able to smell the second Bolgia before he saw it. A smell not unlike that of a thousand unclean bathrooms, multiplied a billion fold hit him like an Akimichi's fist to the face. And as he turned the corner, he saw why.

Below him was the second Bolgia, where the Flatterers spent their eternity. As far as the eye could see, was a thick layer of excrement, which represented the words they produced. Like the Panderers, these people had used their skills in the art of language to exploit others.

Naruto retched, not want to be any closer to the smell. But he knew he would have to cross the ditch to continue onward, so he would have to manage. Looking down, he fired his amulet, creating a clean spot for him to land as he jumped down. Right about now he really wished he had an air freshening power.

As he landed, he saw some of the shades look at him, before looking away. They didn't seem to be doing much here, except standing around. Of all the punishments he'd seen so far, this one didn't seem very severe. Rather uncomfortable, he'd give them that, but not exactly tortuous.

"The blessed light! Oh thank the heavens!" cried a voice to his left. Naruto turned, and saw a shade crawling through the muck towards him "Oh wonderful, gracious savior! Truly thou art a kind man, yes? Please, I beg of you to help me!" as the shade got closer, Naruto could swear he recognized the voice. Turning the light of his amulet on the shade, Naruto started as he got a clear look at the spirit. It was Sai!

Sai had fallen on hard times it seemed. His hair was matted and greasy. His eyes had dark bags under them, as though he had gone months without sleep. His whole body was stained with… well you know. He looked sickly and emaciated. And as he recognized Sai, Sai recognized him.

"Naruto! My first and only true friend! You have come for me! You truly are a pure spirit!" Sai sputtered happily, his voice cracked, as though it wasn't used to being used. Naruto could tell just from looking that Sai wasn't all there mentally. He had to wonder what had done that to him…

"It's okay Sai, I'm here now. I'm gonna help you, and then I'll save the others alright. Your problems are solved."

Sai looked ready to cry "Oh how wonderful! Thank you! You don't know what it's been like down here! With my death, I could finally feel again… just in time to end up in Hell. It was not a pleasant experience." Sai chuckled darkly, weirding Naruto out. He wasn't used to seeing Sai emote.

"Well don't worry Sai, I'll send you on your way… then I think I'll get the hell out of this circle" Naruto said, casting a disgusted eye at the filth around him.

Sai cocked his head to the side, as though listening to something "Alright… but let me show you the true exit before I go." he said, steadying himself on his feet.

"True exit?" Naruto asked, frowning.

Said nodded vigorously "You don't think that the exit is some big obvious crack in the wall do you?" he asked, ignoring the chastised look that came over his friends face "If that was the case, then anyone would just walk out. Thankfully, I was able to scout out the location of the true exit. Looks my Root training came in handy after all."

Naruto raised an eyebrow "If you found the exit, why haven't you left yet?" he asked

Sai sighed "That answer is two fold. One, the exit I found only leads to the next Bolgia, which is the exact opposite direction I want to go. Two, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly at my best here." he said, looking down at his rather decrepit form. He looked back at Naruto "You on the other hand, still have all your strength, so perhaps you'll survive the trials ahead." he started hobbling away, clearly expecting Naruto to follow.

Naruto sighed, if they went at Sai's pace, they'd be there all millennium. Ignoring the urge to gag, he hoisted Sai onto his back, and gave a chakra enhanced leap in the direction Sai indicated.

-Naruto In Hell-

After several minutes of chakra hopping, Sai had lead Naruto to a narrow looking cave. Setting the painter down, Naruto stepped closer to the cave, trying to see beyond the darkness before him, to no avail. "Sai, are you sure this is the way?" he asked.

Sai just stood up shakily, his spindly limbs looking ready to break under his weight. He gave that creepy, insincere looking smile he'd always worn in life "Yes Naruto. This is definitely the way you are supposed to go." he said.

Naruto turned to face Sai. Something about the way he'd said that put him on edge. "So this is the way out of this Bolgia and into the next… right Sai?" he asked slowly.

Sai's grin just widened "Naruto, I can't believe someone as trusting and intelligent as you would doubt me! After all, you're always going on about trusting others, and the goodness in all souls. Truly you are a wise-"

Naruto raised his amulet, eyes narrowed "Alright, who are you." he asked sternly "Sai never complimented me that much… ever. So drop the disguise, and maybe I won't atomize you."

'Sai' chuckled "Atomize? What a big word. I never expected to hear it out of your big mouth Naruto." the ground suddenly shook as something in the cave behind Naruto stirred. "To bad you never learned to keep your voice down." the creature in the cave roared. Naruto turned on reflex to see if he was about to be attacked. When he looked back, 'Sai' was gone.

All around him, the dung heaps stirred, shaping themselves into more and more recognizable shapes. Soon, Naruto was surrounded by the most disgusting army ever.

They looked like snowmen, but with thicker arms and legs… and they were made of the available material. Naruto gagged. This was just… gross. Blood and fire were one thing, this was just nasty for the sake of nasty.

A roar reminded him of the biggest problem. From the cave had emerged a larger version of the soldiers around him. And by larger, he meant it was the size of a large house.

Naruto blinked, before pulling out the Gourd "Oh no. We're not doing this." he said, his calm demeanor taking the creatures by surprise "Demons are one thing. My friends are another." he popped the cork on the Gourd "But I am not wasting my time fighting giant crap-monsters." he ended with a shout, making all the creatures lunge at him. It didn't matter though…

From up on a hillside Sai watched an explosion of ice encase the entire battlefield, freezing everything in place. The ice was nearly as tall as the walls around them, and easily encased the demons like flies in amber.

A moment later, the ice shattered into a trillion tiny bits, taking everything inside with it. For a moment, Sai just watched the snow fall, its presence so alien in this place only adding to its majesty. Sighing, he turned to run, only to freeze in place as something grabbed his mind. He struggled to resist, but he was weak. He had always been weak mentally, and he was paying for it.

Grunting in frustration, his body filled with malevolent energy before flying back towards Naruto.

-Naruto In Hell-

Naruto felt the disturbance in the air, and managed to duck and roll out of the way just in time. He saw from the corner of his eye a mass of midnight black ink soar over head, before hitting the ground with a splat. Immediately, two tigers formed from the mass, and charged him.

Summoning two clones to deal with the pussycats, Naruto launched his Kama blade, electrified with a Divine Tempest, right at the main body. The clones used basic rasengans to destroy the tigers, then sat back and watched the bolt of lightning collide with the inky mass.

With a clap of thunder the blob was blown in multiple directions; but as soon as it touched down it coiled like a spring and shot towards Naruto, straightening in the air into a javelin. Thankfully with his metal arm he was able to knock the few that came close away (he did not want to know what those things could do to his insides).

Hearing movement behind him, Naruto turned and caught the rope of ink, only to realize he had been tricked. The ink wrapped around his hand and Naruto found himself jerked into the air, only to be slammed down behind the vaguely human shaped Ink-figure. Spinning on its faux ankles Naruto was slammed with his back to a nearby rocky protrusion, the ink on his arm turning into a pair of pythons that constricted around him. As the two heads turned their attention to his neck, Naruto pumped chakra through his arms, then tore through the black snakes like paper, his hands grabbing their heads just as they were about to bite him. The dying snakes writhed for a moment, before Naruto popped them like grapes.

Just in time too, cause Sai was charging right at him. But Naruto had had enough, and with a thought, his Golden Mask was in place. He felt his power surround Sai's mind, and he mentally squeezed it with all the sadness, shame, and guilt he could.

The creature that was Sai halted its charge and collapsed, and instead rolled about on the ground, its form losing shape and spazzing out. And as Naruto focused more, it seemed to shrink, becoming more human in appearance. Finally, after a few moments, it was Sai again.

Naruto gave a sigh of relief, and walked towards the downed Sai "Alright Sai, hold still and I'll fix you up." as he walked towards his downed teammate, he lifted the mental lock he had on him. Big mistake.

Sai sat upright immediately "Naruto…" he gasped, his voice gargling up through an ink filled throat "Follow me" and with that he shot off.

Naruto gapped for a moment before groaning in frustration. Getting a quick idea; he slapped the Amulet to his chest, channeling chakra to it as he did. The Amulet shined and formed a cone of holy energy around him as he ran, protecting him from any lurking fiends or shades. For any who saw it from a distance, it would seem as though a shooting star were moving across the field of damnation, lighting the way to the lost. All who were near it felt more at ease, as though the light itself were cleansing their sins.

But no matter how fast Naruto ran, the inky mass that was Sai was always just a bit faster. After what seemed like hours of running, Sai flowed through a thick crack in the side of the wall, just big enough for Naruto to follow. The last he saw of Sai was him disappearing down a hole in the ground. Without hesitation, Naruto followed.

Naruto didn't know it, but he had just left the second Bolgia, and was on his way to the third.

-Naruto In Hell- Oh hi Kyubi...

Naruto landed with a thud, before rolling to a stand. Looking around, he saw no sign of Sai anywhere, just a long dark, stone tunnel; which looked like every other dark stone tunnel he'd seen down here. Brow furrowed in annoyance, he cautiously made his way through.

A few moments later, he came out into a large open area, which was surprisingly well lit. As he looked around, Naruto felt his eyebrows go up as he tried to figure out exactly what he was looking at…

"There you are!" a familiar voice snapped behind him. Turning, Naruto saw a very angry Kyubi leering down at him, her body looking like a strange candle; with her reddish orange body and soft blue head.

"Where have you been?!" she yelled "Why did you leave the path? Do you have any idea what might have happened to you?"

Naruto held his hands up in defense, futilely trying to stem the Kyubi's wrath. He explained that Sasuke had sent some demon to attack him, and that he hadn't intentionally left the path. Kyubi still didn't look happy, but at least the slight look of panic she'd had was fading.

"Fine" she sighed, running a hand through her hair "At least you've managed to make it this far." She started walking across the field, being careful where she stepped, with Naruto following right behind her. "This here is the field of Simony." she said, waving her hand at the land around them. Everywhere Naruto looked, was one of the more… bizarre punishments.

It looked like people had been buried alive… upside down. Only their feet were really visible. Seeing his confused look, Kyubi sighed "What are they teaching mortals today… simony is the act of paying for sacraments, like confession." Seeing that Naruto still wasn't getting it, Kyubi tried again "Essentially they tried to buy their way into Paradise."

"Oh" Naruto nodded, finally getting it. "What about those first two circles?"

"Bolgias" Kyubi corrected, not slowing in the slightest. The brat was already behind, and she wanted him to move on as quickly as possible "The first one is for the panderers and seducers, and the second one is for the… well the bullshit-ers." she said, turning to give Naruto a predatory grin "The circle of Fraud has ten Bolgias in total, each punishment more brutal then the last." She suddenly grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his neck and leapt the rest of the way to a small little alcove with a ladder running down. "This is the quickest way to the next Bolgia. I expect you to start running through these a bit faster. We're so close to the end and I can't have you mucking things up because you were strolling when you should be sprinting." she said, before proceeded to drop him down the shaft and disappearing.

Naruto groaned, easily catching the ladder and making his way down. Why was Kyubi so random? Sometimes she acted like she liked him, and others she acted like she wanted to wring his neck… Oh well, best do as she says and get on with it…

-Naruto In Hell- Keeping your head on straight

The next Bolgia was dark… pitch black in fact. Naruto raised his amulet, and cast its glowing light on the fields around him. So far, he hadn't seen anybody; which he knew was probably a bad thing. Even with the light though, it was hard to tell if he was going straight or not, and Naruto so did not want to get lost down here…

Wait! What was that… Naruto looked around, sure he had heard a sound… it was like a moan, not unlike the one the shades made that he judged. Naruto shook his head, he couldn't afford to get distracted now…

There! There it was again… closer this time. A moaning, groaning sound, was making its way towards him. And there was more then one source to, now that he focused. It was coming from all directions. And there, in the distance, Naruto thought he could make out a group of shambling figures. That, combined with the noise, made Naruto wonder if… maybe… these were….

"ZOMBIES!" Naruto screamed in fear, his voice rising several pitches. Even with all he'd seen, old childhood fears die hard.

And there, shuffling out of the darkness, came hordes of decaying bodies. Their arms outstretched, they stumbled over one another as they approached. Only… something was off. Naruto squinted to get a better look at them through the darkness, and saw something that shocked him: their heads were on backwards! That was why they were stumbling so badly, they were walking backwards. For whatever reason, though their heads faced him, their bodies were facing away.

And that wasn't all. Each face was crying its eyes out, with tears so thick, Naruto wasn't sure they even were able to see. Just what the heck were these things?

What Naruto didn't know, nor likely ever would know, was that he was in the Bolgia of the Sorcerers and diviners. They had tried to use their magic to pierce the veil of time itself, and see into the future, or gaze backwards into the past. Now, they were eternally punished for their transgression, with their heads twisted backwards and their eyes blinded with tears, they would never again see forward or backwards.

Just beyond Naruto's reach, the suffering sorcerers stopped, their hands outstretched. Before Naruto could say anything, he was blasted from all sides with bolts of energy. He leapt away, but his body was still sore from the assault. As he landed, he saw some of them calling forth fiends to attack, while they hung back blasted him with magic.

Naruto whipped his chained Kama about, the blade taking the legs right out from under two of the fiends. And his Golden Prayer beads took out all but one. That last one leapt at Naruto, aiming to tear his throat out with its teeth. It's mouth latched around his fist… sadly for the demon it was his cestus covered fist. Naruto buried it, and the creature into the ground, crushing its skull.

He used his amulet to create a shield to protect him from the magic blasts, but found he couldn't dodge. Looking down, he saw roots had grown up and ensnared his legs, and were pulling him down. He had to think of something, and fast.

He thought of using his Gourd, but realized he'd have to lower his shield to aim it properly. Same went for the Beads. That left.. the Mask! Closing his eyes, Naruto channeled power to the strange Mask, and focused on penetrating the minds of those that would seek to penetrate the sands of time.

Pain. That was all he found. Pain, agony, and unbearable sorrow. They hurt so much, and had been hurting for so long, that they no longer really knew where they were, or why they were there. All they wanted was for the pain to stop. But it wouldn't, and they knew it wouldn't. And that made them so angry. Angry enough that they would take out their frustration on anything that came close to them, that wasn't like them.

Naruto nodded his head, the solution here was easier then he thought. He reached out, the proper emotion in mind, and granted it to each and everyone in range: Peace.

One by one, the attacks stopped. The roots binding him to the ground receded, and the blasts of energy quite banging on his shield. The sorcerers lowered their arms, as for the first time in a very long time, the pain that had racked their very beings went away.

Naruto knew this was as good a time as any "Excuse me, do you know the way to the next… bolgia?" he asked, remembering the word Kyubi had used.

As one, the diviners nodded, and pointed with their decaying fingers in one direction. Naruto raised and eyebrow and fired a bolt of Holy Chakra in the direction directed. As the white light flew over the field, a small cave halfway up the cliffside was revealed. That was the exit. Naruto looked back at the undead surrounding him.

Slowly, he raised his amulet high above his head. Closing his eyes, Naruto prayed to Kami that what he was about to do would work. The amulet glowed, and a pulse of energy was sent out in all directions. As soon as it touched the undead sorcerers, their heads snapped back into the proper position with a loud cracking sound, and their eyes flew wide open, dry and fresh. Each gave a loud gasp as the might of Kami flowed through them, before vanishing with a pop towards Purgatory to finish the rest of their sentence.

With his path cleared, Naruto quickly charged the cliff, firing blasts of holy energy whenever he spied a sorcerer on the edge of his vision. Reaching the cliff, Naruto quickly scaled it with chakra, and entered the cave. Casting one last look behind him, he ran forward into the tunnels towards the next ditch.

-Naruto In Hell- Tarred and Feathered

"Woah…" Naruto said under his breath as he looked below him. Frankly, it was all he could think of at the moment to describe the… bizarre scenery that lay before him, especially considering what the first four Bolgia had looked like.

Unlike the others, Bolgia 5 was far more industrial looking. Looking left or right of Naruto's position, for as far as the eye could see were miles and miles of catwalks. Patrolling these catwalks were various arch demons, each carrying a wicked looking whip and scimitar.

Below the catwalks though was where the real action was. Packed wall to wall were gigantic vats of boiling pitch. The tar was black as night, and so hot that it made the fourth and fifth circles look like the arctic. And oddly enough, the tar seemed to be moving back and worth, swirling about as though it were a living, breathing thing… come to think of it, it most likely was.

And there, stuck in that horrible molten tar were the condemned. Corrupt politicians, immersed in the lake of boiling pitch as punishment for their sticky fingers and corrupt deals.

Carefully hopping down to the catwalk, Naruto ran as fast as he could. Sadly, since there was little cover, he knew he'd be spotted almost immediately.

The demons didn't disappoint. As soon as they spotted him, they roared and started working their way towards him. One of the closer demons lashed out with its whip, which wrapped around Naruto's cestus arm. The demon pulled, and Naruto nearly found himself air born. Thankfully, a last second application of chakra stuck him fast to the platform. A flick of his wrist sent a wall of beads at the demon, perforating his body before he knew what hit him.

However, demons weren't the only ones that could be surprised. Naruto was suddenly struck by an agonizing pain in his right shoulder. Turning his head slightly, he saw to his horror that an arrow had been embedded in the flesh. From across the expansive network of platforms, an arch-deamon archer was taking potshots at him!

With a yank that resulted in a small scream of pain, Naruto pulled the arrow from his shoulder, and took off running. The demon was too far away for him to fire back, and he knew that it was just a distraction for the other demons to overtake him and corner him over the boiling pits.

But fate was feeling fickle today, as a chakra signature made itself known above Naruto. Looking up, he saw an inky black eagle flying high above his head. The bird swooped low, its wings outstretched, and flew right through a half dozen of the chains that held the platforms up, and kept them from plummeting into the tar below.

Though its substance appeared to be made of ink, the birds wings must have hardened to be razor sharp, because they cut the steel chains quite easily. The whole platform Naruto was on shook and tilted, which only increased the blondes fevered pace.

But he could already tell it wouldn't be enough. Time for drastic action. Quickly, he leapt over the side of the railing, allowing gravity to briefly drag him down towards the vats of tar. At the same time he hurled his Kama at a nearby catwalk, where it wrapped around and held fast. This allowed Naruto to avoid death, and instead swing his way, just inches above the tar, to safety.

As he reached the height of his swing, he channeled lightning down the chain to the platform, where it electrocuted all the demons in the immediate area, leaving it safe by the time he landed.

And that was when he heard the chanting.

Turning, on the opposite end of a large vat, a Pagan of all things stood, spellbook open, chanting over the vat. Said vat of tar began to glow with ominous power. Quickly, Naruto used his Golden Mask to convince the demons that they were furious with the Pagan, and had them tear him to shreds.

But it was too late, the spell was already complete, even as the undead spellcaster's head was torn from his shoulders. Before Naruto's very eyes, the tar rose from its vat, and began to take the crude, rudimentary shape of a man; with a gaping mouth and giant arms. It looked at Naruto with wide, empty eyes, and roared. It swung its arm in a slow arch, planning to crush him flat.

Naruto ran, and unleashed a volley of holy blasts at it. Each blast struck the monster with the force of a bomb, blasting off chunks of it, and sending its boiling mass flying everywhere. But the creature just drew from its massive reserve of tar beneath it and kept coming. Naruto tried reaching out to it with the Golden Mask, but there was no mind there for him to influence.

The tar monster stretched out its arm, and Naruto used the Kusanagi's power of elongation to slice it off at the shoulder from a distance. That didn't even slow the monster down. It didn't even seem that annoyed.

Figuring a Divine Tempest might do the trick, Naruto hurled his Kama into the beast. It struck it in the forehead, but the creature didn't seem to mind. Then Naruto sent the shock down it. Electricity sparked all over the monster, but it wasn't phased in the slightest. Naruto growled in frustration, and pulled his Kama back.

Or at least, he tried to.

The Tar monster was now wearing something close to a smirk as Naruto tried and failed to remove his Kama, which was firmly stuck in the monsters tarry substance. Then, with a quickness that was surprising at its size, the monster jerked its head back, reeling Naruto towards it like a fish on a line.

Naruto was stuck, he was about to land in the center of the boiling tar monsters mouth, and he had no idea how to escape. Well… maybe… it was a long shot, but what the heck, if he didn't try he was going to die anyway!

Halfway to the creature, Naruto popped the cork off his Gourd, and aimed it at the creature "I fear being frozen!" he shouted, feeling a powerful tug on his chakra so fierce he almost blacked out.

A beam of concentrated magic shot from the Gourd and struck the back of the monsters mouth as it opened wide to receive its prey. It didn't seem to strike very hard, but the effect was obvious. From the point of impact, a web of ice quickly spread out, encompassing the monster from the inside out. The monster's eyes widened at this sudden change in temperature, just as they were frozen in position along with the rest of his body. The ice quickly spread down and froze the entire vat and everything in it to solid ice.

Still being carried forward, Naruto held his Cestus hand out in front of him like it was a shield, and waited for impact.

With a sound similar to breaking glass, Naruto shattered the monster into tiny bits, freeing his Kama blade. From there, he used the falling blocks of ice as stepping stones back to the steel platform (or at least what was left of it) and dusted himself off.

Looking around, Naruto saw, to his amusement, the rest of the demons backing away from him slowly, as a frightened animal might an apex predator. Naruto smirked; that worked out just fine for him, thank you very much.

Naruto walked uninterrupted the rest of the way out of the Bolgia, and continued on his way to the next ditch.

-Naruto In Hell- Get the lead out!

Naruto stopped at a ledge overlooking the next Bolgia. It wasn't very high off the ground, but that didn't matter. This ditch was surprisingly well lit from an unseen light source. Littered around the area were detailed statues that looked like they were made from solid metal. They were all frozen in various poses, with various expressions.

Naruto squinted, before he gave a soft gasp. Those weren't statues. They were the occupants of this Bolgia. It was hardly noticeable, but each statue was moving very, very, slowly. Naruto nodded to himself as he worked it out. Somehow, the inhabitants were turned into metal… most likely lead by the look of it. All in all, it wasn't so bad… he supposed it was likely uncomfortable, especially since this Bolgia was even hotter then the last one. For that matter, he didn't see any other demons here!

Well, as long as he avoided whatever turned these guys to lead, he should have no problems! This ditch would be a breeze!

And with that self assured thought, Naruto leapt down and began to sprit towards the other side.

Barely a hundred feet later though, he felt himself slowing down. Every step he took became noticeably harder, and his legs were starting to ache. Looking down, Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

His feet had turned to lead. Each time he made contact with the ground, they flashed slightly, and the encroaching steel inched further up his body. The curse was already halfway to his knee, and he wasn't even half way across this pit.

Naruto began to panic, and pushed himself to run even faster, but it didn't seem to be making a difference. But he wouldn't stop trying. The alternative was to wait and be turned into a tin lawn ornament!

However, Naruto's mood wasn't helped by a fact that was quickly making itself apparent: He wasn't the only thing moving. The other lead statues were slowly turning towards him, and actually managing to pick up speed!

Even if they weren't very good fighters, and even if they didn't managed to catch him at all, he couldn't afford to have them blocking his way! Any time taken to avoid them would be time the curse would have to make him like them!

With a wave of his amulet and never breaking his quickly slowing stride, Naruto unleashed a vast wave of power that slammed into the encroaching statues. Some were knocked back, but most stayed where they were, completely unaffected by the blast.

Okay, that didn't work… but that didn't meant the tool was wrong! Thinking up an idea, Naruto turned slightly and took aim, not at the statues, but at the ground beneath him, and fired.

The blast rocketed him sky high… or it would have, had his lower half not become metallic. Still, he managed to gain some impressive air time from the one blast. Sadly, gravity still functioned in this part of hell, and he was quickly making his way back towards earth. And the statues. They were reaching towards the sky, looking to catch him before he landed.

Naruto wouldn't have it. Spinning was difficult in mid air, but he managed it. He tossed his Kama blade towards the center of the gathered mass as hard as he could, the blade impaction the center statue on the head. As soon as it struck, Naruto unleashed a furious Divine Tempest, the volts jumping from one statue to another as they traveled over the conductive metal.

He ended the electrical blast as moments before he made contact with the ground (no reason to electrocute his own metal legs… and now lower belly). As soon as he landed he fired the amulet again, but his aiming this time was slightly off, and all he managed was to skid along the ground slightly. On the plus side, due to the way he'd been facing when he'd fired, he managed to do even more damage to the statues.

As he skid to a stop about two hundred feet from the face of the cliff that marked the opposite end of the Bolgia, Naruto saw the cave exit about halfway up the rocky face; and knew he'd never be able to scale it as he was.

So, once more, his Kama came to the rescue. Twirling it like a lasso was hard now that his shoulders were slowly stiffening (oddly, the curse seemed to have skipped over his heart, likely saving it for last) but he managed to toss it up to the exit. Like a grappling hook, it buried itself into the stone, and Naruto began to climb upwards.

But just as he left the ground, something grabbed his ankle and tried to pull him down. One of the statues had gotten a hold of him, and was desperately weighing him down.

But Naruto couldn't lose! Not now! Even as his neck became stiff (and his arms up to his elbows had gone grey), Naruto channeled chakra into his second most used jutsu…

"Rasengan!" he managed to say, despite his tongue feeling like lead. The the swirling mass of chakra impacted the head of the statue, shattering it to bits, and releasing it from the torment it had been in.

But it may have been successful in one respect. Naruto was having trouble holding himself up. His fingers would no longer bend or unbend, meaning one hand could not let go of the chain! Just as he started to fall backwards from his chain, he held on with his teeth. Using what strength he had left, Naruto used his other hand to dig into the cliff side and pull up, using his teeth to tug himself up the chain. He did this as fast as he could, but it was hard to tell if he was making progress, as the edges of his vision had started to blur. He thought maybe he felt a ledge, but he couldn't be sure! Oh Kami, what if he ended up a statue right in front of the exit, frozen forever and unable to save his friends!

A lead tear formed at the edge of Naruto's eye as he moved his hand forward one last time…

And just like that, Naruto blinked. His vision was clearing! He saw that his hand was indeed on the edge of the exit! He also felt the amulet of Kami giving off a gentle pulse of energy from his side, warming him, even when encased in metal.

Slowly, he managed to haul himself the rest of the way out. Every inch over the threshold seemed to release another inch of him from his prison. Until, at least, he finally crossed, and was free! Naruto gave a shuddering breath as he tried to calm his swiftly beating heart. Despite all he had done, that was one of the worse experiences he'd felt while here.

For what seemed like a long time, Naruto just sat there, on the border between the Bolgia. Finally, he managed to get to his feet, and trudged forward, eager to be far away from the valley of statues he was leaving behind…

-Naruto In Hell-

Naruto slowly made his way down the tunnel, his experience in this circle making him especially weary. Just as he turned a corner, with his amulet throwing giant shadows on the wall, the familiar sound of crying reached his ears. It was another shade that needed his help.

Slowly approaching the weeping shade, Naruto saw that it was covering its face, making him unable to recognize it. "It's alright" Naruto said, reaching out with his amulet "I'm here to help you…"

"I know" the shade said, its voice instantly recognizable. Naruto's eyes widened but before he could jump back the shade lashed out, its arm stretching in length. It hit him in the stomach and slammed him into the tunnel wall. He blasted at it with his amulet, but the shade, now revealed to be Sai in disguise, dodged.

Sai's inky mass bulged, and two lions formed, charging right at Naruto, fangs bared. He tossed his Kama at one, the blade glowing with electricity. The volts boiled the oil and evaporated the monster in the blink of an eye, but that still left one. Naruto tried to swing the Kama, but Sai interfered, and pinned the chain down with a block of hardened ink.

The lion leapt at Naruto, who just managed to put up his Ninjato in defense. The lion bit down, not quite strong enough to bite through the enchanted steal. Thankfully, despite the thrashing of the lion, Naruto still had his Cestus arm. A solid blow from the metal hand to where the lion's ribs should be sent it crashing to the floor, dissolving back into ink.

But it had served its purpose as a distraction. Sai's body became like a wave, and smashed into Naruto, tossing him about and slamming him into walls. Finally, Naruto was pinned to the wall, the ink rendering him immobile.

Before his eyes, Sai formed, one arm still connected to Naruto's bindings. The other arm, formed a sword that Sai leveled at Naruto's face. "Sorry Naruto" Sai said, giving that phony smile "But it looks like the fun ends here…" Who knew Sai could be a gloating prick?

Sadly, that moment of arrogance would cost him. The moment before Sai plunged the blade into Naruto's cranium, Naruto's Ninjato blade extended, breaking through the ink, and piercing Sai through the chest, right where his heart would be. Now, while Sai made be made of ink, that didn't necessarily make him immune to the Kusanagi's supernatural poison, as he soon found out.

The wound glowed purple, and cracks began to spread along Sai's body, causing him immense agony. Sai's body began to lose definition, and when he tried to stab Naruto in retaliation, it was more like getting hit by a water ballon.

As he stepped back, writhing in pain, Naruto uncorked the Gourd. No matter how big a bastard he was, Naruto wasn't just going to let him die. Unleashing a blast of ice from the Gourd froze Sai in place, halting his disintegration.

Carefully, Naruto pressed the Amulet against the ice, letting its healing magic permeate the frozen structure, and heal what damage had been done. It wasn't just a physical thing though. The power of Kami would also heal the damage that had been done to Sai's mind, finally erasing the last of the Root training taint that had stuck around after his death.

The ice cracked and disappeared, leaving Sai crouched on the ground, back to normal, with the portal swirling behind him. Standing shakily, he looked at Naruto as though really seeing him for the first time.

Then, the oddest thing happen, which was saying something considering where Naruto was and what he'd been doing. Sai hugged him. Actually, honest to Kami hugged him. Naruto felt a few tears fall on his shoulder, and realized Sai was crying.

Sai stepped back, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Naruto." he said, his voice no longer murky or burbling. "I am finally… free." he straightened up, looking Naruto in the eye "You… are truly a great friend Naruto." he said "And I thank you. If there is anything you need from me, do not hesitate to ask." he said seriously.

"Uh… yeah. No problem Sai. You're welcome." Naruto said, rather stunned by the abrupt change in Sai.

Sai smiled, a true, honest smile, and stepped back into the Portal. Just before he left, he gave a slight smirk "Guess you've got a bigger one then I thought." he joked, making Naruto gap "I mean you must, taking on all of Hell just for some of your friends." he gave a short laugh, then disappeared, leaving Naruto alone in the tunnel.

Naruto sighed, rubbing his forehead. He really needed a nap to deal with all the weird shit he'd been through today. But sadly that would have to wait, and with that thought he trudged down the tunnel, ready to face the next trial.

-Naruto In Hell- A Den of Thieves

Naruto looked to his left, then looked to his right. Nothing. No monsters. No statues. No souls. Nothing.

The tunnel let out about thirty feet above ground. The ground itself was the same grey stone that composed everything else, with the only difference being a complete lack of… anything. It was also the smallest Bolgia he'd seen. With only about a hundred feet from one side to the other. The other side though, had a cliff that seemed to go upwards quite a ways… and Naruto didn't see an exit anywhere near the ground level.

Hopping down, Naruto carefully crossed the floor, keeping his eye out for any curses that suddenly started changing him. Now all he had to do was not think about it… don't think about it…

Naruto opened his eyes (which he totally hadn't closed out of fear), noting he was halfway there, man this wasn't so bad-

KAMI DAMMIT!

As soon as (and he did mean as soon as) he had that thought, the ground began to shake, as from around the corner, a centaur with a scimitar came barreling towards him at high speeds.

Not wanting to be split by the crescent shaped blade, Naruto jumped over the horse man and landed on his back. When he did, Naruto made the startling realization the Centaur wasn't running towards him, but was leading… well…

"Snakes… why did it have to be snakes…" Naruto shuddered as what he saw gave him horrific flashbacks of a certain snake Sannin.

Charging directly behind the Centaur was a horde of snakes. They were so thick they made the ground beneath them invisible. They came in all shapes and sizes, but they all looked mean as hell (no pun intended). Oddly, an occasional human would appear in the middle of the crowd of snakes, but they would quickly disappear to be replaced by another human. Frankly it was bizarre, even for where they were, but Naruto wasn't really observing that hard, given that not only did he have a crowd of snakes to possibly contend with, but the Centaur had taken notice of him and; assuming he was meant to be amongst the horde of snakes, was trying to dislodge him.

The Centaur grabbed a serrated knife at its belt and stabbed behind it trying to hit him, forcing Naruto to duck and weave while holding on for dear life. Finally, he'd had enough, and just leapt off the damn thing towards the wall. He actually jumped with such force that the Centaur was plowed into the ground. The snakes quickly ran over their former oppressor, hissing and spitting with pleasure as they dug their fangs into him.

But the Centaur did not die; oh no. He was one of the few wardens in the Inferno that actually COULD NOT die. And as he forced himself up, his eyes blazed with hatred. Some filthy mortal wretch had dared attack HIM?! Oh, he would pay for that insult! He had been ordered to make sure none who entered this place left, and he was not going to fall down on the job now!

Taking careful aim, he hurled his knife at the boy as he scaled the cliffs, and watched with satisfaction as his aim was true…

Naruto froze as something hard struck his back with the force of one of Gai's punches. It wasn't enough to pierce the armor given to him by Kami, but it sure was enough to crack a few ribs and knock him lose from the wall. As he fell, he had to split his focus between healing his back and hooking his Kama onto the wall so he didn't hit the ground.

Turns out he could only do one.

The Kama blade didn't bury itself in deep enough, and with that one failure, he crashed into the cold hard ground. Groaning, he rolled over, channeling Kami's power through himself in an effort to heal his injured body.

Just as he managed to stand though, he felt something bite him in the ankle. Damn snakes…

Wait… why did everything look so blurry? Oh shit! What if that snake had been poisonous! Of course it was poisonous, that was just his luck wasn't it?! Oh Kami this couldn't be the end, not now after coming so far; to die because of a single snake bite would be the ultimate disgrace!

Naruto doubled over, his body burning from within like the noonday sun as the venom spread rapidly through his veins. His vision blurred, and his whole begin felt like it was melting, yet becoming smaller somehow…

Then, with a gasp, his eyes snapped open. He blinked, everything was weird… and their were snakes everywhere! Oh Kami they were moving all over him! He tried to brush them away, but realized he couldn't feel his arms or hands! Blinking, he looked down, and immediately screamed… which came out as a hiss.

His body had been changed into that of a medium sized snake with orange scales, with gold scales near the top of his head.

"He he, tough luck kid" he heard, seeing a human suddenly appear immediately to his left "But I guess that's hell for you." he finished as he took off running. Naruto followed, his body moving on instinct, while his brain tried to process what had happened.

He got his answer soon enough. With his eyes locked on the human who had appeared, he watched as the man was bitten after taking less then ten steps. He fell and as he did his body shifted into that of a snake, while the snake that bit him turned into a human female. Naruto did the best approximation of a gasp as he realized what he needed to do to get his body back: Bite another human.

This was the punishment of the seventh Bolgia; devoted to the thieves. As they had stolen from others in life, their very identity and humanity was subject to the same.

Doing his best to catch the human was tough though, as he was not used to his new snake body. He could move, but that was about it; and he was falling further and further behind. He was near the end of the pack of snakes when he considered simply stopping and waiting for the heard to come back around, but something in him said that was a bad idea.

This idea was compounded by the sound of flapping wings he heard in the distance. Turning his head slightly, he saw a humungous shadow on the walls of the Bolgia behind him. The shadow had large bat-like wings, but a distinctly reptilian head, similar to that of a dinosaur…

Naruto shook his head, decided it would be best to just try and catch up then let whatever was behind them catch HIM.

He ran-er-Slithered as quickly as he could, trying to catch one of the humans who appeared only for the briefest instant before turning back into snakes. It shouldn't be so hard, given that anytime a human disappeared, a new one would show up, but there were so many snakes all vying for a chance to be human that it seemed impossible to catch one. And even if he got his human form back, how long could he go without being bitten again?

No! He could not lose faith! He would not!

And as if in answer to his faith, a human appeared to his immediate left. Naruto jumped with all the reflexes a trained ninja should have a managed to plant a bite on the human's arm a split second before any of the other serpents could.

Once his fangs sank in, he felt his body begin to shift. As it did, he knew he wouldn't have long before the snakes were on him again. He'd have to act fast.

As his body assumed its natural state, he felt for his chakra and grabbed a hunk of it to throw into his technique, completely disregarding any form of control. Thankfully he still managed to conjure enough clones that he could use them as a springboard to leap into the air.

Though the clones were torn apart by the snakes, Naruto was able to make more in midair that tossed him to the wall, where he stuck to it with chakra. He climbed like the wall might rot beneath him.

Just as he was about to reach the top, he heard the flap of wings get very close, and felt heat beneath him. Looking down he saw a massive winged… thing that looked like a cross between a lizard and a bat glide beneath him, urging the snakes forward with gouts of fire that sprung from its mouth. It cast a glance upwards, and Naruto got the feeling it was scanning his soul to make sure he wasn't an escaping shade that might make a tasty snack.

Thankfully it seemed it was more concerned with its job then hunting a fresh meal and turned back to the snakes. With a sigh Naruto released the breath he didn't even know he'd been holding and finished his climb. At the top was nothing around but flat rock, with the only the snake ditch surrounding it.

But, there in the center of this bizarre island like structure was a man-sized hole, with a dark tunnel leading down. Naruto shrugged, figuring this was the best indication to the next Bolgia he was going to get.

He lapt down, hoping he wouldn't land on his bitten ankle.

-Naruto In Hell- Dark Fire, Hellfire.

Naruto blinked as he approached the large steel blast door. Weird; this was the first time he'd seen any actual barrier between one Bolgia and the next. What was on the other side? Stepping closer Naruto winced as he put weight on his ankle. Specifically the ankle that snake thief had chomped. Oddly, even though it should have healed by now, it was still incredibly sore.

Forming a Rasengan Naruto blew the door off its hinges, watching it fly into the darkness. Stepping forward, Naruto saw that there was no light at all here, and he could barely see a foot in front of his face. Stepping through the hole, Naruto was forced to use Kami's amulet like a flashlight to see, even though the holy light was only able to pierce about ten feet in front of him.

Hearing a creaking sound, Naruto instinctively ducked just as the large door he'd destroyed flew back at him. It passed harmlessly over him, and hit the passage it had been guarding. With an ominous sizzle and click, the door reattached itself, sealing Naruto in.

As Naruto turned away, he could already hear a sizzling crackling noise, like logs on a fire. Likely whoever occupied this Bolgia.

"Ya know what?" Naruto said to himself, even as he saw orange spots of light walking towards him "This circle blows. Every ditch is a new enemy I have to fight, each with their own backstory and weakness… what happened to good old fashioned fiends?" he asked no one, even as he ran to find the exit.

As he ran, he briefly pondered what exactly these guys had done to spend an eternity on fire… then stopped pondering because he had to leap over a massive wave of flames that the burning men had thrown at him.

These were the fraudulent advisers and evil counsellors. They had not given false advice, but instead used their position to advise others to engage in fraud. Now, as they once cloaked themselves in their positions of power, they would spend the rest of time cloaked in fire.

And clearly, they were not happy about it.

Leaping over a fireball, Naruto turned midair and returned fire with a blast from his amulet. The wave of holy energy struck the burning figure with such force that its flame went out, revealing the burnt husk of a shade beneath. Unlike other shades however, this one had a little something extra. Buried between the center of its chest and its stomach was a glowing red stone, which at the moment was barely lit. But before Naruto's eyes the stone flickered, then flared back into life, and with it came the flame that covered the shade.

Huh, neat trick. Aiming his other arm he fired a wall of Prayer Beads at the oncoming swarm of firry consultants, each one a sure hit on the jewel… Only to have the beads pass through them like a knife through water.

Naruto blinked, then hurled his Kama blade, electrified for added pain, at the specters. The same thing happened. Then he used his Gourd to summon a wall of knives to skewer them where they stood; same thing! What the hell?! These freaks could attack him but he couldn't hurt them?

Maybe… he tried to grab hold of them with the Mask, but felt himself pushed back with surprising force. Looks like even in death, the mind of a politician was something to be feared.

Okay… so he couldn't hurt them with his sword, his Beads, his Gourd, or his Mask. But he'd seen the amulet work so…

Quickly he released a blast of energy that hit several phantoms, snuffing out their flames and freezing them in place. Then, he released an even more powerful blast, expecting that to do the trick. It did not. All it did was knock the light out of their jewels. Naruto growled in frustration, and fired a bead at the stupid red thing.

To his surprise, it broke the jewel with a sound like shattering glass, and flew out the fiends back. A split second later, the fiend burst into ashes.

Naruto blinked. Oh…. OH! A feral grin grew on his face. Now that made sense (even if it was a little gimmicky), and now these freaks were gonna know why it was wrong to mess with him!

He glanced left and right, making sure he had plenty of space. He summoned a bubble of holy energy around him and charged the mass of burning shades. Wherever the flames licked at the shield, they turned blue and rebounded on the shades, snuffing out the flames. But there were so many, with more coming all the time, and Naruto couldn't get them all…

Well, that wasn't entirely true, he just couldn't get them all with this method. Once he had determined he reached the center of the scalding mass, he deactivated his shield. A split second before the fires closed in on him, he released a powerful, widespread pulse of pure holy energy that spread over the vast crowd like a wave. Everything the light touched froze as the flames around him were doused.

But that was only phase one. Phase two was going to be much less pleasant. While all around him the shades stood frozen in place, he reached down to his belt and grabbed the weapon that he could honestly say was his least favorite. Gripping the Tanto firmly, he charged as much energy as he could in the time he had, carefully lining up the strike. Then, clenching his eyes shut, he stabbed himself right where; had he been a shade, his jewel would be.

The pain was unbelievable; but effective. As his eyes flew wide from the mystical pain that laced through him, he saw the pulse that flew out and encompassed nearly all the shades in his vision. Then, with a sound like a hundred mirrors breaking, each jewel broke; and every last shade only had time for a sharp intake of breathe before they turned to dust.

Naruto sunk to his knees, rubbing his chest wound, and pressing the amulet to it. It was healing it well enough, but the magic of the Tanto made the pain stick around. From the corner of his eye he could see a few Advisors hanging back, looking unsure of what to do next. Forcing himself to his feet, Naruto raised the Tanto as if to stab himself again (as if!). Seeing this, the Advisors turned and fled. They knew when it was time to cut their losses; they were former politicians after all.

Naruto smirked, then walked the opposite direction. Now that he'd scared the population of this Bolgia, he could take his time finding the exit. Which was good, because he really wanted this wound to heal first.

-Naruto In Hell-

Naruto's dark tunnel was interrupted by a by now familiar reddish glow. There before him stood Kyubi, who was casting weary glances all around her, as though expecting something to leap out at her from the darkness at any time.

"Kyubi?!" he practically yelled, making Kyubi jump as her eyes focused on him. Before Naruto could think about that, he was overcome with anger "Where the HELL have you been!" he shouted stomping closer to her "I haven't seen you in hours! I thought you were supposed to be helping me!"

Kyubi's eyes narrowed "I have done the best I can to fulfill the orders given to me brat. I have told you things about the inferno that no other living mortal knows." she shuddered, and her whole body seemed to flicker like a candle in the wind "But I cannot bare to linger this far down in the void… I… I do not know how much longer I can help you." she gave a shuddering breath "I know I must get you to the ninth circle, and I will… but you are not exactly moving quickly!" she bite out.

Naruto's brow ticked in annoyance "Well maybe I would move faster if you would tell me what was coming! That way, I could, you know, prepare for it!" he pointed out.

Kyubi's body tensed, and she looked down the path Naruto would have to proceed down "Down that path weep the Sowers of Discord, and beyond them the Falsifiers beg for death" she said, her words once more mysterious and somewhat unhelpful. She turned to face Naruto once more "In the next Bolgia you will find several guardians who hack at the sinners; they cannot be killed by any weapon you possess." she warned. "They possess magic far beyond that of normal demons, and their madness is not something you do not want focused on you."

Naruto's eyes went wide "Then how am I supposed to beat them?" this was bad; he'd only gotten through before because of his ability to hack and slash his way through any obstacle.

Kyubi was about to answer, when the whole circle suddenly shook…

-Naruto In Hell-

'So close now… ever so close…' these were the only things passing through Zetsu's mind as he was forced to grow larger and larger. It hurt him… it hurt him a lot, passing through all the various tortures of the various levels of hell. How had the Uzumaki boy done it?

He had just finished growing through the various cogs and gears of the Fourth Circle and was just about to-

BOOM!

There, he'd broke through to the Circle of Gluttony. He saw the surprised looks the Cerberus worms were giving him, but he could not stop. No matter how much he wanted to, he could not stop for anything. Even though he was so hungry, and so tired, and in so, so much pain.

But it would be okay… he was almost there… almost there…

-Naruto In Hell-

"What the heck was that!" Naruto said, holding his sword in alarm.

Kyubi waved her hand, dismissing his concerns "Likely nothing. Probably just some demon getting over zealous in their work. They will not bother you. You are not their property" she said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Kyubi's lack of concern, but didn't call her on it. "That never seems to stop any of the other demons around here" Naruto commented with a raised eyebrow.

Kyubi snorted "True, but I assure you that these demons will ignore you. They are highly magical, and quite insane, but they tend to stick to their work, such as it is. You have nothing to fear from them… so long as you do not draw their ire." Naruto blinked, surprised he'd gotten an actual warning.

"So… what exactly will 'draw their ire'?" he asked. Kyubi just smirked, then vanished in a puff of smoke, the last thing to vanish was her cheshire cat like smirk…

Naruto frowned, before making his way down the tunnel. Despite Kyubi's warning, something in the pit of his stomach told him this wasn't going to get any easier…

-Naruto In Hell- Wrecking Havoc

It was, in a word, pandemonium.

The ninth Bolgia was like some sort of open air pavilion, with all the various souls running about in a blind panic. It wasn't hard to see why though, as demons ran amok with glee, their weapons stained red with the blood of the tortured. And every time one of the shades was hacked to pieces, they'd just get back up and start running again.

Overhead, chimeras flew through the sky, occasionally swooping down to snatch up a shade and viciously torture it with their bare hands (though in one case, that was bear hands).

Using all the stealth available to him, Naruto crept across the the battlefield; constantly ducking behind rubble or dashing past fights. Whenever he was spotted by a demon, a quick headshot with his Golden Beads was usually enough to silence them.

He'd just made it to the center of the madness, with battles going on on all sides when he heard "WelL wEll WhaT have WE hErE?" a deep, amused sounding voice asked. Looking up, Naruto saw two chimera's lying on the air like it was solid ground looking down at him.

The one on the left had the head of a dog, but the eyes of a cat. It's mouth was shaped like the maw of a spider, with poison soaked mandibles poking out as the creature grinned. The whole of its body was long and serpentine like, covered in fish scales ending with a monkey's tail. The left arm was a tentacle, similar to that of an octopus; while the right arm was like that of a scorpion. The right leg looked like a bear's leg, while the other bore a striking resemblance to a kangaroo. On its back it had two wings that were keeping it aloft, one belonging to a dove, the other to a pterodactyl.

The second had the head of a goat, with two twisted looking horns coming out of its forehead, and vicious snake fangs in its mouth. It's eyes were gold and red, and burned with insane glee that would kill a lesser man of fright. Like its companion it had a snake like body, but coated with sleek brown fur and a tail like a lizard. It's left arm was an eagle's talon, while the left was a lion's paw; and both had claws that looked razor sharp. It's right leg looked like a raptor's, while the left was a horse's. On its back were a bat and bird wing, which flapped lazily.

Naruto cleared his throat, determined not to show fear. Kyubi had said they would have no interest in him, so he just needed to not insult them, and he could pass. "I'm not looking for trouble…" he said cautiously "I'm just passing through." he gave a nervous smile. The two chimera just shared a look; and something told Naruto they weren't buying it.

"I don't really belong here you see" he explained, holding up Kami's amulet, and letting a trickle of its power shine out. "I'm on a mission from Kami."

"reALLy?" the spider-eyed chimera said, each eye blinking in turn "You Don'T sAy?" it turned to its companion.

Naruto just nodded, a bit of confidence returning "Yes, I'm telling you the truth. Now please, let me pass."

"Hmmm… he's got a point." The one with the goat's head said, scratching his chin with his lion's paw. Then his lip twitched into an unpleasant looking smirk "Allow me to counter with a point of my own" he said, before waving his hand in Naruto's direction.

As soon as he did, the air rippled as a wall of blades flew down at him with such speed Naruto barely had time to form a barrier to block them. "Hey!" he cried as the blades sank into his bubble "What's the deal! I thought you were gonna let me pass!"

The goat's head let out a bleating laugh as it hefted a boulder with its eagle talon, tossing it with ease, where it landed on top of the already fragile barrier. "Yes, yes you did." he said,rolling his eyes in two separate directions. "But you see…" he leaned down to look at Naruto "We don't care." he laughed at Naruto's stunned expression "So what if you're a pure soul? That'll just make killing you all the more entertaining!" he giggled insanely.

Naruto could hardly believe what he was hearing! This wasn't how this was supposed to go! Kyubi had said that they wouldn't-

That thought was cut off when the cat-headed Chimera lashed out with its scorpion claw, the the clamper putting more stress on the barrier then it could take, making it shatter into a thousand pieces. Naruto had to dodge to avoid being crushed by the boulder that came tumbling down.

The claw came at him again, but by now Naruto was ready. He may not be diplomatic, but he could sure as hell fight. Popping the cork on his Gourd, he let a stream of lava flow out, coating the pincer in boiling liquid rock.

The Chimera fell back screaming in agony as the lava burned at its skin. Were it not immortal, the shock of the pain might have made its heart give out.

But Naruto didn't stop to admire his handy work. If these things couldn't die, then the only thing he could do was try and get out of here as fast as possible.

The goat headed chimera was to fast though, and landed right in front of Naruto and tried to sweep his feet out from under him with its tail. Naruto leapt over it, then fired a blast of holy energy at it, but it slithered like a snake out of the way.

It leapt at him, fangs bared, venom dripping from its fangs, but Naruto raised his cestus in defense. His confidence was not misplaced, because even as the chimera latched onto his arm, it was the creature's teeth that chipped, not his arm.

But the creatures eyes gleamed and it didn't seem to be in that much pain. Quickly, it wrapped its body around him and flew into the air in an arch eerily similar to a move Lee had been fond of performing in life.

Thinking quickly, Naruto coated his body in electricity, causing his captor's body to let go of him in reflex. Though Naruto struck the ground hard, he was able to rebound and get back on his feet just as quickly.

Until webbing wrapped around his feet that is. He was flung by the second chimera into a wall, its eyes blazing with fury. Before Naruto could dodge, it slammed its tentacle into his face, pressing hard and trying to smother him.

Naruto set his Kama blade alight, and sliced upwards through the tentacle, leaving the chimera with one bloody stump and one burnt limb. Even if they would heal eventually, the creature had obviously had enough and fled, leaving Naruto with only one of the things to deal with.

Wait a second… where was the other one?

"SURPRISE!" the creature shouted, grabbing Naruto by the back of the head and hurling him through a stone pillar. Even before Naruto stopped, the creature had caught up to him and slammed its foot on his face, breaking his nose. Naruto sent his Kama blade slashing upwards, but the most he managed was a nicked chin and slicing its goat beard off. He tried to punch it in the knee, but it vanished into smoke before he made contact.

Naruto growled, feeling anger bubbling up inside him. Forming a Rasengan he waited until… there!

At the first sound of movement behind him, he fired the Rasengan like a missile. But as soon as it left his hand, he saw that instead of a Chimera, it was just more of the shades trying to flee their fate. The Rasengan struck the ground in front of them, exploding in dome of chakra, reducing the shades to a fine pink mist.

Naruto blinked… that felt so… satisfying. Turning, he fired several Golden Beads at passing shades, snickering when their bodies twitched and spasmed as they dropped to the ground. He made his Ninjato blade stretch as he swung it in a wide arch, watching as the steel cut down all in its path. It was wonderful to watch. These pathetic little shades, running around… no power at all, nothing to stop him as he blasted them left and right with every weapon in his arsenal. Why, he could take over this whole Bolgia and no one could stop him! He'd never have to leave! And why should he leave? This was so much more fun!

Wait… that didn't sound right…

Look at the flames dance, look at the lightning crackle! Explosions everywhere!

Wasn't he… wasn't he supposed to be doing something?

Run little shades! Run from your master! None can stop me! Behold my power and tremble!

Naruto narrowed his eyes… something… was… wrong!

Raising his amulet (the only weapon he hadn't used in his 'fun') he bathed the whole area in divine light, letting wash over every shade and chimera in the Bolgia.

Hearing a slight hissing noise he turned and stabbed at the space just behind his head. He was rewarded with a yelp of pain as the goat-headed chimera reappeared. It frowned at him, even as its wound healed up.

"That's cheating." it grumbled. Then it tilted its head, as though hearing something Naruto could not. "Ah, I guess that's all the fun we have time for today my little… friend." he grinned, creeping Naruto out "Now why don't you run along now. Some of us have work to do." he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, before backhanding Naruto hard enough to send him flying.

Naruto hit the ground hard, but retained consciousness. Shaking the stars from his eyes, he quickly healed himself and stood. He was about to go give that damned chimera a piece of his mind, when he felt the amulet grow warm in his hand. Looking at it, he felt a certain… pull towards the border of the Bolgia. As soon as he reached the rock, he placed the talisman against it. There, with a hiss and a click, part of the wall melted away, revealing a secret tunnel. Naruto smiled down at the amulet. Kami be praised.

With that thought, he started down the very long flight of stairs…

-Naruto In Hell- You guys again?

Naruto heaved as he desperately sought to catch his breath. Good lord that was a lot of stairs. But at least they had given him time to heal, and time to think.

Hadn't Kyubi explicated stated he wouldn't have to worry about the guardians of the Bolgia? How could she have made such a massive mistake! The next time he saw her, he was gonna sock her right in the kisser!

"Hello… is someone there…" a voice called out in the darkness. Naruto stopped his internal ranting and turned to face the voice. It was right in his path so he couldn't avoid it if it was another trap. Cautiously he stepped forward.

"Please… help us…" another voice, this one lighter and more feminine called out. Naruto frowned, Amulet ready. Either this was another trap, or there really were two shades ahead that needed his help. If that was the case, then it was his duty to aid them. Taking a deep breath, he used the amulet like a flashlight to illuminate the path ahead.

Before him was the smashed skull of Charon. Amazingly, the severed head was still alive! It was cracked and broken from the long fall, but Naruto could see and hear its ragged breathing. And right beside the face of the aged ferryman, was Konan. She didn't look much better, and her face was just as bruised as Charon's. Her body was ragged and half formed, and large quantities of paper would slide to the floor with every move she made.

Both went silent as the light fell on them. Naruto watched as the hope in Konan's eyes turn to fear, as she moved away from him, pressing herself against Charon's rocky flesh in an attempt to stay as far away from him as possible.

"No! Not you! Please, not again!" Konan sobbed with fear.

"Haven't you done enough?!" Charon growled "Have you come to make sure you finished the job?" further questions were cut off when Charon descended into a coughing fit that kept him from speaking.

Naruto was surprised at the animosity they showed him, but he guessed it made sense. He had torn off Charon's head… and then chucked the two of them into the abyss without a second thought. Thinking back, he may have overreacted.

Looking back, Charon wasn't really guilty of any crime besides trying to slow him down, something Naruto wasn't going to stand for. But Naruto remembered Charon asking him to move aside… guy was just trying to do his job.

As for Konan… she had tried to kill him! But, she was angry about what had happened up on earth. When she had been alive, she had never been outright hostile towards him… often. Aw geez…

"Um…" he started sheepishly "Do you two need some help?" he asked.

Konan glared "From you?! Haven't you helped enough?!"

Naruto winced at that "Look, you were trying to kill me! I reacted pretty well given the situation I think!" he retorted "I was asking if you would like me to absolve the two of you now. I really don't want another fight, and it's clear to me you two have suffered more then enough." he gave his best charming smile, and reached out a hand towards Konan "So what do you say? Why not let me take you out of this horrible place?"

Konan looked pensive, and looked at Charon for advice. Charon was busy looking at Naruto's eyes, as though reading his very soul. Hell, maybe that was what he was doing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity they nodded with each other, seeming to come to a consensus.

But just as Konan opened her mouth to deliver the verdict, Naruto felt himself get lifted off his feet, and was slammed into the wall. Both Konan and Charon started at this, as Naruto was suddenly slammed into and through the opposite wall, being pulled headlong into the tenth and final Bolgia.

Naruto's head rung like a bell as he flew through the air. He only stopped flying when his face collided with something that felt suspiciously like a fist punching him in the face. His body flipped and fell to the ground with a hard thud, knocking the air out of him.

"Hello again Uzumaki" came the voice of his attacker, but Naruto couldn't get a good look at them since his vision was still catching up with the blows. However, from the voice, he had a pretty good idea.

"Na-Nagato?" he said, trying to push himself up.

"Please Naruto… my name is, and always will be… Pein."

"Aw crud…"

-Naruto In Hell- To battle the man who would be god

Naruto wasn't going to let Pein get the drop on him again, so he whipped out his Gourd and unleashed a wall of katanas at him. As the blades of steel flew at the former Akatsuki leader, Naruto was running through any attack plan he could use that would work against him.

Before he could come up with anything solid, Pein raised his hand and and sent a wave of force that knocked the swords away, sending them falling (relatively) harmlessly around to bury themselves in the ground.

But Pein wasn't done yet; as the raised hand suddenly morphed into a multi-barreled Gatling Gun similar to something another one of his bodies might have used. As the barrels began to spin Naruto had only a split second to raise a shield before he was suddenly pelted by balls of metal; which thankfully pinged off the surface of his shield like raindrops.

Not wanting to stay on the defensive, Naruto aimed his Ninjato and watched it shoot forward like a spear, the blade crackling with electricity. Pein tried to move but he still got a slight scratch, the lightning making him twitch awkwardly and stumble. Naruto took that as a chance to blast a nearly house sized ball of holy energy at him.

Pein counted by slapping both hands on the ground, summoning the Gates of Rashouman. The Demonic Gates groaned and buckled under the holy assault, the divine power of Kami rusting away the supposedly impenetrable defense. Still, it was enough time for Pein to get his bearings, and by the time the blast had died down he had slapped the ground again and summoned a pack of Demons.

Naruto quickly opened fire with his Prayer Beads, but most of the demons raised shields to deflect them; with only one dying thanks to a headshot. They charged, and Naruto spun in place, letting the full length of his Kama chain flare out, the blade burning like a comet. He ducked low, allowing the blade to sweep his enemies off their feet; by completely taking off their feet.

Naruto would have finished them, but was forced at the last second to dodge a boulder thrown by Pein, which still managed to clip his side, sending him spinning to the ground. He felt himself being pulled towards Pein, and saw the would be god produce a black sword similar to the ones he'd used in life. He made to stab Naruto but the blonde threw up a shield at the last second. It shattered on impact, but then so did the sword.

Naruto lashed out with a kick that struck Pein in the gut, making him double over. But Pein grabbed hold of the leg and used his other hand to slap Naruto on the side of the head. When he did, he used the powers of the Human Path to infiltrate Naruto's mind and attack it from within. Even though it was only for a second, it was still enough to send Naruto reeling.

As Naruto struggled to organize his thoughts, Pein blasted him backwards with the full force of the Deva Path, slamming Naruto into a wall so hard, that Naruto blacked out for a second. As he tried to push himself off, Pein grabbed his throat and slammed him back again.

Naruto growled, it had been a while since he'd had a fight like this. Grabbing the Tanto from his belt he stabbed Pein in the gut and twisted the knife, briefly relishing in the grunt of pain he got. Then, once he was sure a connection had been made, he pulled back on the blade, intending to tear out the rinnegan user's soul.

Pein must have realized what was going on, because for the first time since the fight started, he got a panicked look on his face. Grabbing a fist full of Naruto's hair, Naruto felt like something was digging around inside him, before Pein started to pull back, taking something transparent with him: Naruto's own soul.

Naruto couldn't believe he'd forgotten about that power! He pulled harder on his Tanto, which made Pein pull harder on the soul in his hand. But as both resisted, neither could form the strength to tear out the opposing soul.

Deciding to take a page out his opponents playbook, Naruto locked eyes with Pein and dove into his mind with the Golden Mask, and channeled all the fear and loathing he could into the man's mind.

The pseudo-god reeled and let go of Naruto's soul. But before Naruto could complete his deed Pein let loose another repulsion blast and blew himself away from Naruto and the knife, leaving his soul intact.

Naruto fired off several holy blasts, hoping to inure Pein while he was stunned, but it wasn't to be. Pein just glared at the oncoming projectiles and held out his hand. The energy seemed to warp and twist before being sucked into Pein, courtesy of the Preta Path. However, it looked like Kami's power didn't sit well with Pein, as the hand he'd used was burned slightly.

Forming a signature cross signature sign Naruto summoned a horde of clones to swarm both Pein and the few demons who were crawling about. While they dealt with that, Naruto snuck around to flank him.

But the clones didn't last long. With a glare, Pein's forehead opened slightly and released a veritable death ray of chakra that flash fried everything in its path, clone or demon. But as the smoke cleared and he saw no body, Pein knew he had been deceived.

Turning at the sound of a battle cry he saw a massive wave of holy chakra coming towards him. Grimacing slightly, Pein none the less raised his hands to absorb the chakra. Seems the boy planned to take him down by inches. It wouldn't work.

However… that was not Naruto's plan. Just as he was absorbing the last of the Holy Chakra a dozen golden objects came hurtling towards him. Pein's eyes widened; because they were not chakra, he could not absorb them, and because he was in the process of taking in this chakra, he could not repel the beads.

This was rammed home as the twelve beads slammed into him, a few even managing to tear right through him. The two that struck his knees were especially painful, and brought him to a kneeling position.

The boy ran at him, but Pein would not perish again! When the fool was in range, he channeled the power of the Asura path into his hands, the skin morphing away into a nozzle; which released a gout of flame guaranteed to burn the skin from his bones. Sadly the boy's reflexes were better then expected, and he rolled to the side just in time to only get a bit of burnt hair.

Naruto rolled out of the way of flames and leapt at Pein, who grabbed his black sword and swung upwards to meet him. The two blades rang out like a struck bell, as did the next blow, and the next.

Pein went in for a stab, which Naruto sidestepped. Naruto grabbed the chain on his sword and slashed with the Kama, but Pein leaned backwards and the sickle went harmlessly by. Pein raised his hand just as Naruto's grabbed the Gourd from his belt. Pein opened that hand just as Naruto said three words as fast as he could.

"I fear light."

The arena was filled with a blinding light, forcing Pein to slam his lids shut with a cry of agony. That didn't stop him from blasting Naruto across the room though, where he collided with the wall with a meaty thwack.

Pein stumbled around, desperately trying to rub the spots from his eyes, but everything was still a blur to him. He heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him and turned, sword raised. He used his ability to attract objects to bring the boy close to him, and was rewarded with a shocked gasp as the body was impaled on his sword.

He grinned viciously "I… win…" he said, his breath ragged. "You should have known… that you can never beat a God!" he roared, grabbing the boys throat and squeezing, wondering if the boy would bleed out or if his neck would snap first.

And then he heard a chuckling… his vision, finally clearing up revealed the boy was grinning like he'd just won the lottery. "How about tricking a god instead?" a voice from behind him asked. Pein's eyes widened as he realized the deception: A clone packed with extra chakra meant to resist heavy damage!

The clone grinned and raised its Gourd "I fear explosions." he said simply, the Gourd already glowing.

Even as the clone disappeared, the explosion was already set. And due to the disruption of chakra and magic brought by the clones death, the blast was all the more unstable.

BOOM!

The blast kicked up a cloud of debris which obscured everything around. Then, slowly, a figure shambled out of the dust. It was Pein, blood running down his face, and most of his hair gone. One hand was missing, and all visible skin left was charred. And boy, was he mad.

"UZUMAKI!" he roared, doing his best to draw all his power to his still working hand. He would show that brat what it meant to battle God! He would turn the entire Eighth Circle into a moon, and crush that blonde headed moron with it! He would not be defeated! He was the God of the Eighth Circle! No! The entire Inferno would be his Kingdom!

But before the insane wanna-be god could make good on his plans, he found himself bound in chains. As the rest of the dust settled he saw he was surrounded by five Narutos, each one having wrapped him in a layer of chains. He tried to summon enough power to shove them off, but two of the swords stretched out and impaled him, forcing him to bite his tongue to hold back a scream.

A scream which he couldn't hold in as the five clones electrified the chains. After the explosion and the impalement this was definitely the most agonizing thing to happen to him today. He tried to struggle, lash out somehow, but nothing he did worked.

Naruto watched as Pein writhed about, and knew it was time to end this. Running past his clones who were keeping up the charge he raised his amulet, the power of Kami flowing through it. The last thing Pein would see would be the glowing light of Kami's grace.

Then he was struck in the head by Naruto, and the power entered into him, destroying Pein once and for all, leaving only Nagato behind. With a flash of light, the the process was completed, and the clones were dismissed. Nagato's hair grew back, as did his hand and skin. The stab wounds and broken bones knit themselves back together, leaving Nagato healthier then before.

His eyes slowly flickered open, the traces of insanity that had been in the concentric circles before now gone. "Wha… what happened?" he asked, pressing his hands to his head.

"Nagato! You're you again!" a voice cried, before a graceful female form swooped down and captured Nagato in a hug. Konan held him tightly, her eyes freely spilling tears. "I'd thought I'd lost you! I thought I'd never see you again!" she cried, her body no longer able to contain the torrent of emotions she'd felt since her death.

Nagato blinked and rubbed Konan's back "There… there…" he said, looking at Naruto for help, who just shrugged in response.

After letting the two get reacquainted Naruto informed them that he could send them onward to a more pleasurable afterlife.

"I'm… not sure." said Nagato, oddly reluctant "After all we've done, do we really deserve anything better?" he asked.

Naruto searched his mind for an answer, finally saying "Well… if you really feel that way, then look at it like this: You can use this opportunity to redeem yourself, and maybe do some real good from now on. I'm sure Kami would be more then happy to have some help." he said, shooting off a winning smile.

Nagato and Konan shared a look. In the look, a whole conversation passed, one which Naruto was not privy too. Finally, they looked back at him "We'll take it." they said together.

"Cool." Naruto said, before remembering something important. "Just hold on one sec!" he turned and ran back to where Konan had been hiding.

There, the head of Charon lay alone. Upon spotting Naruto, the head raised a single eyebrow in askance "I beat Nagato, and now him and Konan are being sent to Kami." he explained "Would you like to come along?" Charon opened his mouth, likely to argue, but Naruto cut him off "You've been doing this job for a long time… I'm sure hell can learn to get along without you. You deserve to rest now, don't you think?" The ferryman closed his mouth, seeming to think it over. Finally he nodded, making Naruto grin.

When Naruto returned to the anxious Nagato and Konan, he brought with him an impossibly old looking man. He stood taller then either Nagato or Naruto, and had a beard that nearly went to his knees. This was Charon, in the human form he had possessed eons ago when he'd first taken up the position.

Getting Charon to stand next to the others, Naruto asked if everyone was ready. Getting a round of nods, Naruto opened the portal of redemption.

Charon cast one last look at the boy "You truly are a remarkable child, young Uzumaki. I will remember this day, and know that Charon does not take his debts likely." he said with great severity before disappearing.

Konan just offered one last thank you before following stepping back for Nagato to have his say. The only other apprentice of Jiraiya gave a long look at his defeater "I never really stood a chance." he said quietly "It's so obvious, in retrospect." Naruto raised an eyebrow, not sure where this was going. Nagato chuckled "Never give up Naruto, you are the one. If anyone can accomplish this, it was always going to be you." he said. Then, taking Konan's hand in his, he stepped through the portal and vanished, leaving Naruto alone once more.

Once they were gone, Naruto's shoulders slumped. He was exhausted! He sincerely hoped this circle was over soon. He really needed to rest!

-Naruto In Hell- A surprise

Naruto stumbled, finally feeling the exhaustion he'd been putting off after taking on everything that had been thrown at him recently. But up ahead… oh it was worth it! There before him stood the door that lead from the circle of Fraud to the Ninth and final circle! He was so close… he was almost done with his mission!

Nearly collapsing against the door, Naruto was struck by how cold it was. Even the faintest hint of a breeze that whispered through the crack in the door was enough to chill him to the bone. What exactly lay on the other side…?

Pressing himself against it, Naruto pushed with all his might to move it forward. With a great heave, the door slowly scrapped forward, the rusty hinges screeching as ages of rust cracked and fell.

With one final heave, Naruto forced his way through the door, and was immediately blinded by a heavenly white light. He felt once again as though he was standing in the presence of Kami, but that couldn't be right… could it?

The angel (a pure one this time, not like the Tenshi from the upper circles) floated down on pure white wings. It was decked out in white from head to toe, the only splash of color being its oddly orange hair… huh. As it landed the light dimmed somewhat, allowing Naruto to see it was actually a man.

"Naruto." he spoke, power in his voice "You have served Lady Kami well. She has watched your progress with great pleasure and attention." he grinned at Naruto, and suddenly Naruto felt bashful to know his deeds were being personality monitored by Kami herself. The angel's smile turned into a frown "And it is because she cares for you that she has sent me with a message. Long have I tried to reach you, but the forces of evil have been rather adapt at keeping me at bay." Now it was Naruto's turn to frown. What would warrant a personal message from one of Kami's angels?

The angel must have read his face, because he stepped forward, raising his hand, and placed it on Naruto's head "Close your eyes Naruto Uzumaki and know… the truth."

End Chapter 9

-Naruto In Hell-

Limbo: Konan

Rock Lee (absolved)

Hinata (absolved)

Lost Souls:

**Homura (Absolved)

**Kaiza (Absolved)

**Hanabi (Absolved)

Lust: Ino (Absolved)

Jiraiya (Absolved)

Orochimaru (Punished?)

Lost Souls:

**Ebisu (Absolved)

**Anko (Absolved)

**Mei Terumi (Absolved)

Gluttony: Choji (Absolved)

Zetsu (Punished?)

Lost Souls:

**Jirobou (Punished)

**Koharu (Punished)

Greed: Kakuzu (Punished)

Shino (Absolved)

Tsunade (?)

Lost Souls:

**Taki (Absolved)

**Gato (?)

**Shizune (Absolved)

Anger: Temari (Absolved)

Shikamaru (Absolved)

Kiba & Akamaru (Absolved)

Lost Souls:

**Tayuya (Absolved)

**Kin Tsuchi (Absolved)

**Doto Kazahana (Punished)

Heresy: Tenten (Absolved)

Hidan (Punished)

Neji (Absolved)

Sasori (?)

Lost Souls:

**Third Kazekage (Undecided)

**Dosu (Punished)

**Amachi (Punished)

Violence: Kisame Hoshigaki (Punished)

Suigetsu Hozuki (Punished)

Sakura Haruno (Absolved)

Kankuro (Absolved)

Deidara (Punished)

Gaara (Absolved)

All The Other Jinchuriki (Absolved)

Lost Souls:

**Zabuza Momochi (Absolved)

**Gato (Punished)

**Sakumo Hatake (Absolved)

**Kakashi Hatake (Absolved)

**Haido (Punished)

**Granny Chiyo (Absolved)

Fraud:

Sai (Absolved)

Nagato (Absolved)

Lost Souls:

**Konan (Absolved)

** Charon (Absolved)

Treachery:

People still in Hell: Itachi, Sasori, Orochimaru, Zetsu, Sasuke, Tsunade

And there you have it people, that was Fraud. Was it worth the wait? I hope so. It took a long time to come up with a monster for each Bolgia, and to make the Sai and Pein fights acceptable, but ultimately I'd like to think I did an okay job. There aren't as many big boss battles in this one, but I don't think the chapter suffers for it. If anything else it's still likely to be better then the level in the game.

Also, as you all saw, I listened to your votes and as you can see Nagato and Konan have been released from hell (Charon to, but no one voted on him). Seems everyone wanted to give them some forgiveness. That still leaves me with two questions though:

Is Itachi really evil, and if he isn't does he deserve redemption?

What should happen to Sasuke?

That's right you have one final chance to cast a vote: What should happen to these Uchihas!

If you thought this chapter was good; please say so in a review. If not, I'm sorry to hear that. You may leave some constructive critiques if you like, but do avoid flames please.

It's almost over guys. Next Chapter will be the last chapter; unless I decide to do an Epilogue, where everything comes to a head. I hope you've enjoyed the ride, and I hope you'll stick around to enjoy it a little bit longer (Hopefully it won't take me nine months to write this next one). So before I close out this 18,520 word long chapter, let me leave you with one last preview of what's to come:

And so, after many harrowing trials, Naruto emerges from the Circle of Fraud victorious! Though he faced many dangers in each of the Bolgias, he has conquered them all, and now readies himself to move on to a greater challenge. Nearly all his precious people have been saved, yet still many questions remain; questions with dangerous answers.

Next Time: Oh Naruto, you should feel so proud! You have traveled long and far to reach your destination. You have faced horrors and monstrosities beyond human imaginings, and come out the other side whole. But now your epic tale nears its end, as you near the final circle of hell. Questions will be answered, plots will be revealed, and you... you Naruto will have the fight of your life as you enter the realm of the Traitors! You must brave the icy wastelands to battle the slayer of kin. Face betrayal from those closest to you; and endure. All this, before facing your final challenge: You shall face he who would betray Kami herself. And when you look into the eyes of ultimate evil... when you learn the truth behind the lies... you will face a choice. And you will know what you must do. Be warned Naruto! If you fail; if you die... then you have doomed us all.

Until Next Time...