Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other series that I might use for inspiration

Fate or Chance Encounter

"I thought I told you to stay in bed, Kakashi! And you, Yamato, why are you helping him defy my orders!" Tsunade shouted as she walked down the passage towards Kakashi's hospital room, who was leaning on Yamato's shoulder as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Forgive me, Tsunade-sama, but he was worried about Sakura's condition, I figured that he would willingly rest only if he were to get some re-assurance that she is going to be okay...she will be okay...right?" Yamato replied hesitantly.

"She will be just fine, she's suffering from severe chakra exhaustion, but that's nothing that Tsunade-hime couldn't handle, you should know better, Kakashi." Jiraiya replied in Tsunade's steed.

"She's resting right now, but her life is no longer under threat, her body will now recover naturally. I've sedated her for the time being." Tsunade replied as she and Jiraiya stopped right in front of the two elite jonin.

"I...I see, thank goodness." Kakashi replied his head bowed down with gratitude.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Kakashi, these things happen. Your students are growing up and that means that they will have to overcome some hardships. Protection is important, but there are some things that a person must learn on their own. Besides, no matter how strong you become, you're still only human, you can't protect everyone all the time, sometimes, you will be the one that needs protection. Beating yourself up and feeling guilty about it is an insult to that young girl's efforts." Jiraiya lectured with a healthy dose of wisdom.

"Her efforts...?" Yamato asked nervously.

"We already know that Sakura summoned Katsuya, after all, Katsuya was the one that delivered you three to Konoha. Katsuya gave us a mission briefing too, so we know about Uchiha Sasuke's jutsu, kirin is it?" Tsunade asked, already knowing the jutsu's name from Katsuya but just checking to see if Yamato and Kakashi can collaborate her story.

"H-hai. Kirin is the name of the jutsu, it's a jutsu that allows Sasuke to take control of the natural electrical currents generated by storm clouds and use them for his jutsu, but..."

"But what?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

"There were no thunder clouds when the battle began, it wasn't even raining or cloudy for that matter, he created the thunder clouds with the heat of his fire techniques alone." Kakashi explained with a grave undertone.

"W-what? You can't be serious, Kakashi! I found it hard enough to believe that he could control storm clouds, but now you're telling me that he can create them by himself, not only that, but during a sunny, cloudless day? That's impossible! Even if it was Orochimaru who was training him, he couldn't have become that strong already!" Tsunade argued vehemently.

"I'm not too sure about that anymore hime, I mean, look how strong Naruto has become over the same period of time. He completed the rasengan by infusing futon chakra into it to create the rasenshuriken, and he was able to make a cho oodama rasengan without an external source of chakra, actually, his shadow clone was able to manifest a cho oodama rasengan. He defeated Kakashi and than went on to defeat Akasuna no Sasori of the Akatsuki singlehandedly..." Jiraiya trailed off with a thoughtful expression.

"Sasuke was always ahead of Naruto up until he defected when he defeated Naruto at the Valley Of The End. It is entirely possible that Sasuke is still stronger than Naruto, and if you look at it from that perspective, then Sasuke's feats suddenly don't seem all that farfetched, he is Uchiha Itachi's brother after all, the man who singlehandedly slaughtered his entire clan at the age of 13." Kakashi added with a voice of reason, causing Tsunade to sigh in exasperation, concern, and frustration, realising now just how much of a threat this Uchiha Sasuke could...had become all of a sudden.

"Okay, fair enough, there might be some logic behind this when you phrase it like that. But what I want to know is, what kind of fire technique could be that powerful, powerful enough to create thunderstorms? Do you have an answer for that you two?" Tsunade asked retorically, knowing that ofcourse they would have the answer, having probably been at the receiving end of it.

"He used a space-time fire technique that transports heat directly from the sun itself, he then moulded his chakra into the summong seal that summons the heat in order to mould it into a fire technique just before the seal releases the heat. He and Kabuto had been standing on higher ground than us in front of a cave entrance, so when he applied the seal on the side-surface of the cliff, the fire came straight for us, covering everything above, below, and arround us. There was no way to dodge, so I had to use kamui to save myself and everyone else. The second time he used three shadow clones to attack each and everyone of us at close quarters, when we defeated the clones, he used the residue chakra of the clones to mould the chakra into three distinct and smaller summoning seals below each of us. We managed to escape the fires coming from below us thanks to Yamato's mokuton substitution, but..."

"But the flames flew straight into the sky and created the thunder storms, right?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"Hai..."

"Okay, you know what, I want you to tell me everything now from the beginning to the end." Tsunade ordered authoratively.

"Before that, you should know that Naruto is..." Yamato said, only to be cut off mid sentence by the Hokage.

"We know, we know that Naruto has been left behind in the battlefield, Katsuya told us the situation, Sasuke gave her no choice but to leave him behind, she made a strategic decision to retreat. I've already sent teams out to look for him, hopefully...hopefully nothing has happened to him." Tsunade said with a sombre expression, trying to maintain a strong front but unable to stop the slight stutter in her voice at the end.

"If he had not disowned me and the toads, I would have reverse summoned him to this location, and the toad register would have helped to determine whether he was still alive or not. However, things have changed, now we'll just have to wait and see." Jiraiya said with a stern expression, trying to mask his concern for the blonde Uzumaki.

'Minato-sensei...how did things turn out like this? I'm sorry sensei, I have failed you and Obito once again, if only you were still alive, things would have definitely been different, maybe Naruto would have also turned out differently." Kakashi thought regretfully.

"Anyway, in the meantime, I want you to give us as much information as you can, tell us everything that happened from the second you saw Sasori's spy up until Katsyuya arrived on the scene!" Tsunade ordered.

One Hour Later: Hokage's Office...

"It's been almost a week now since Katsuya arrived, and still no word from the teams that were sent out, do you think something happened to them, do you think something happened to Naruto, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked on the brink of tears.

"Naruto has a strong will, and he is also powerful and skilled in his own right, he should be fine." Jiraiya answered as he and the Hokage stood watching over the village from the balcony at the Hokage Tower.

"But you heard what Kakashi and Yamato said, he was fighting Orochimaru all on his own, we both know what that means Jiraiya! He may have surprised Sasori, but even if he surprised Orochimaru, Orochimaru is not that simple to kill and you know it. He's got this reincarnation and immortality thing going for him. It takes one fatal hit for him to realise exactly what he is up against and start taking things seriously." Tsunade argued.

"I know, but I spoke to Naruto before he departed, he said that he had made plans and contingency plans to deal with Orochimaru, and he said he had done his research and preparation. He promised that he wouldn't leave anything to chance. Even if he failed, I'm quite confident that he had an escape plan. He's probably hiding out somewhere, maybe in the summoning realm... maybe in the chameleon summoning realm." Jiraiya trailed off with a dark undertone, a hint of anger and frustration slipping into his voice and tone.

"Chameleon? Did you just say Chameleon?" Tsunade asked hastily.

"Yes, I talked to the toads right after Naruto's battle with Kakashi. Told them to gather intel about the other summoning ninja villages and find out exactly who Naruto is aligned with. Of course, infiltrating a summoning ninja village is practically impossible, there is no way a toad can pass itself off as say, a slug, a snake, or a chameleon. So sometimes it can be impossible to get information from other summoning villages unless they want to give it to you." Jiraiya explained carefully.

"However, the toads had me and Minato as their summoners, and because of that, they have always held an esteemed reputation in the summon ninja system, as can be expected, this hasn't settled down well with their summon rivals, more specifically the chameleons. The chameleons have apparently been bragging about a new summoner since around about the time Naruto disappeared. They have refused to disclose the name and affiliation of their summoner, but it is said that most of them, when asked about this mysterious summoner, make a point to compare him to me and Minato, bragging that if he hasn't surpassed both of us yet, that he will very soon." Jiraiya explained patiently.

"That's interesting, but not conclusive Jiraiya, of course they would compare their summoner to you and Minato if they were talking to the toads." Tsunade argued.

"That's the thing though, that doesn't happen only when they talk to the toads, it happens even with other summoning species, the toads have confirmed this." Jiraiya retorted.

"Still, Minato had a flee on sight order on him, the only shinobi to ever garner such a reputation in the bingo books. And you were his master, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they would compare their new protege to you two. However, I also think you're right about this one, we'll evaluate his reaction when I tell him that I know about his chameleon summons. His response will tell us what we need to know, I just hope he comes back alive, I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't, Jiraiya." Tsunade said with a worried expression.

"He's alive, I'm sure of it." Jiraiya said with conviction.

"I hope so...?"

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked with concern and curiosity.

"Do you think it's true what the chameleons said? That Naruto has surpassed both you and Minato?"

"Well...he completed the rasengan, something that I have never been able to do. Minato was probably going to complete it if he lived a little longer, but still, the fact that Naruto did means that he surpassed us at least on that field of ninjutsu. But beyond that, no, Naruto still has a long way before he can lick Minato's toes, and he is a hundred years too young to defeat me." Jiraiya declared confidently.

'I wonder about that, Naruto is keeping a lot of secrets, and we don't know exactly what happened between him and Sasori beyond what he told us, there were no witnesses, and the only one who saw part of it forfeited her life to ressurect the Kazekage. The chameleons may be arrogant and overflowing with pride, but they are not stupid. I don't think they would make such comparisons lightly. The Uchiha brat has also taken his shinobi prowess to a new level entirely from what he was before he left, to think that he defeated Kakashi, Yamato, and Sakura without using the cursed seal, to think that he defeated all three of them in the first place should be a warning sign in itself. I need to call in an emergency council meeting immediately, this situation is going to require the whole village's co-operation in order to resolve before it's too late.' Tsunade thought to herself.

72 hours earlier...

'What the hell is that! It feels like...!'

"The chakra of a bijuu, that is is without a doubt the two tails Matatabi's chakra! Her jinchuuriki must be in battle right now!" Kurama said with feigned nonchalance and apathy, although Naruto, having spent the past three years in constant communication with the fox, was able to detect the tiny veil of concern in the fox's tone.

"So the nibi's name is Matatabi huh? If I'm not mistaken, Kumo's Nii Yugito is her jinchuuriki." Naruto said as he came to an ubrupt stop.

"How would I know that?" Kurama snapped at his jinchuuriki.

"I dunno, maybe because the communication link between us was open when I was doing research on the other jinchuuriki!" Naruto replied mockingly.

"Hn, I must have been sleeping..."

"You're lying...!"

"Whatever! More importantly, what are you going to do, Naruto?" Kurama asked with a dark undertone, although that really didn't mean much considering that his voice always sounded dark and full of malicious intent to Naruto.

"Well...from what I can gather from the sheer volume and potency of the chakra that she is using, it seems like Nii Yugito has entered a full tailed beast transformation. Also, there are two very powerful chakra signatures eminating from where she is right now, those guys, considering that they almost obviously aren't Senju or Uzumaki, without a doubt have to be able to fight at the level of a Kage if they have that much chakra to blow. Which means..."

"Akatsuki...!" Kurama growled out hatefully.

"Yes, Akatsuki...!" Naruto trailed off with a contemplative expression.

"This could be your chance to take out two of them. Nii Yugito is an elite jonin and former A.N.B.U of Kumogakure no Sato, and she is Matatabi's jinchuuriki. There are two ways that you can do this. You can hurry up and team-up with her to defeat the Akatsuki together. Or, since they have to bring her alive, it is almost guaranteed that they won't kill her immediately even if they defeat her. They should be tired and weakened at that point in time, which means, you can wait for that moment and take advantage of Nii Yugito's work." Kurama suggested with the wisdom of a thousand year old sage.

'Heh, this guy, acting all tough and pragmatic, as if all he cares about is getting rid of the Akatsuki, you just don't want to admit that you care about Matatabi-san do you, Kurama.' Naruto thought to himself.

"I can still hear you...idiot!" Kurama growled.

"Oh...hehehehehe! My bad, forgot to cancel out the communication link." Naruto replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in a pathetic attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"Whatever! We'll discuss that later, more importantly, which plan are you going to execute?" Kurama asked authoratively, the blonde Uzumaki wondering at the back of his mind who died and made the fox his leader.

"Neither. Yugito is from Kumogakure, a ninja village notorious for its power hungry warmongers and responsible for many alliance betrayals in the past. Also, this is the same village that has desired and attempted to capture you on more than one occassion . I won't be able to trust her enough to partner with her in battle , I won't be able to fight at my best while looking over my shoulder wondering if my ally won't literally stab me in the back." Naruto explained, pausing slightly to make sure that Kurama took in and understood everything he was saying before carrying on where he left off.

"The other plan of yours sounds safer and more promising, however, fighting two of the Akatsuki at the same time, tired or not, is ridiculous. It was nightmare fighting Sasori on his own, going up against two would be tentamount to suicide. It's not worth the risk." Naruto said, causing a mixture of strong and dangerous emotions to filter through Kurama's heart, rage, anger, insanity, fury, heartache, pain, feelings of betrayal, those being just a few words to describe what he was feeling right now.

"So what! Are you just going to turn a blind eye to this, Naruto! Are you just going to walk away like nothing happened?" Kurama exclaimed furiously.

"Ofcourse not, don't be ridiculous." Naruto replied passively.

"Why you, If you do this I'll...w-what?" Kurama stuttered uncharacteristically.

"I'm going to go there and save Nii Yugito..."

"But you said..."

"I know what I said, but that doesn't mean I'm going to desert her. I'm going to go there and watch the battle under the comourflage of my chameleon nature assimilation technique. This is so that I can use Yugito to deduce hers and the Akatsuki's strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. After the battle, I'll wait for the opportune moment to snatch Yugito away from them and initially use swift release to outrun them. When I'm far away enough from them, I'll use the demonic ice crystal mirrors to escape to my hideout in the Moon Country so that the Akatsuki cannot track me down. Once I'm there, I'll heal Nii Yugito's injuries and escort her back to Kumo. Once the gates are in sight, I'll leave her side and return to Konoha." Naruto explained to his life-partner.

"That's a decent enough plan, but I still don't understand why you don't just kill them. They'll be tired, and you have my chakra to leech from if you find yourself in a bind. There is no better chance than this one!" Kurama yelled in frustration.

"There is no need to rush things, haste only makes you lose sight of yourself and your surroundings, and when that happens, failure becomes emminant. These guys are S-ranked criminals who have been training and prepairing for years to take out people like us. Lets not underestimate them, after all, who says that they don't also have contingency plans for situations like this?"

"..."

"You must also remember, Yugito will be vulnerable at that point in time, it won't take a genius to figure out that I'm trying to save her by defeating them, otherwise I would have not gotten myself involved in the first place. This means that they will be able to use her as a distraction or bait during the battle. Right now, all we have to do is to record their abilities and save Yugito, then, based on the information we have on their abilities, we can assign the Akakitsune team best suited to take care of them. I'll also leave a chameleon behind to track them until such a time arrives. That way, we might also get some information about Akatsuki's plan, their hideouts, and even their other members." Naruto explained, causing Kurama's eyes to widen exponentially at the blonde Uzumaki's ingenius mind, unable to believe how short sited he was all this time.

"Okay, I concede, your plan is better than mine. But there is something I want to know, why not recruite Nii Yugito into our fold, she is a jinchuuriki just like you and Fu. You should be able to empathise with each other and come to some sort of understanding. I know that you hate Kumo for what they, along with Kiri and Iwa, did to your true home village, but Nii Yugito wasn't even alive when that happened. I used to hate you for what your mother and great grand aunt did to me, but I realized that you were different from them and were not to blame for their actions, I was able to forgive you and come to understand you. I know it can't be easy, but all I'm saying is, at least think about it." Kurama explained, causing the blonde Uzumaki to sigh at the fox's persistent disagreements with his plans.

"Damn...you're just like Fu-chan, but you're right, I am kinda acting like a hypocrite aren't I? But you must understand, the reason that I'm acting like this is not out of hate, spite, or anything like that. If this was only about me, I wouldn't have any reservations about your suggestIon, it's just that I'm now responsible for a lot of people, every decision I make will have a direct and significant impact on all of those people. I can't afford to be careless. However, I will seriously consider what you have said, I'll have a word with Yugito when we get to the hideout, and if I think she can be trusted, I'll do my best to get her to join our side, I promise." Naruto said with a small smile, causing a matching smirk to appear on the Fox's facial features.

12 Hours Later...

"It's over, I can't believe that these guys were able to outlast a jinchuuriki, it's almost like there are no limits to their chakra capacity." Naruto thought to himself, standing against a big oak tree with his nature assimilation technique activated, rendering him completely invisible to the naked eye.

"Those are not normal humans. Their bodies seem to be indestructable, how else would they have taken so many direct blows from Matatabi and managed to get up and continue battle afterwards. They shouldn't have been able to get back up again period, much less continue to fight as if nothing at all happened." Kurama replied with equal surprise, still shell shocked even after watching these guys in action for the better part of five hours.

"The one with the mask, Kakuzu, is using some kind of earth shield, or rather, iron skin technique, to protect himself from sustaining any damage. I saw him mould the hand seals for earth style just before Yugito landed her first blow on him and I can sense the chakra circulating throughout his skin. His skin also turned a little darker when he activated that jutsu.'"Naruto explained as Kurama listened patiently.

"I venture to guess, but if what we just witnessed says anything about that technique, I would say that his skin right now is just about as hard as diamond, if not even harder than that." Naruto explained to Kurama.

"I see, however, how would you explain his ability to use all five nature transformations at that level, and his seemingly endless chakra reserves and stamina?" Kurama asked curiously.

"To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how that is possible. But he seems to be a former Takigakure shinobi. Do you remember that special water that they had...?"

"Yes I remember that, the hero water that forms under the giant mystical tree every one hundred years or so. You think his limitless chakra might have something to do with that?' Kurama asked.

"The hero water had extremely severe and even fatal side effects last time I checked, but I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way around that. This guy is an Akatsuki, if Sasori and Orochimaru are anything to go by, than anything is possible with these guys." Naruto replied with a thoughtful expression.

"Okay, so we have a working theory on his limitless chakra pools, but what about his ability to master all five nature transformations?"

"I think that has something to do with those threads that came out of his body, the ones that he used to hold Matatabi down. Part of the reason for his endless reserves might have something to do with that as well. Those threads seemed to be emitting a chakra of their own, a very sinister and disgusting chakra might I add. His body is not normal, but either way, his ability to resist the hero water, assuming he used the hero water, might have something to do with those threads, so does his affinity for all five nature transformations. I believe those threads are the key to everything about this guy." Naruto explained carefully.

"Very well, that's a decent enough hypothesis. Now what about the other guy, what's his story?" Kurama asked.

"Well, his chakra reserves are nothing really special for an S-rank shinobi, his chakra is comparable to the standard Kage. However, it's the speed at which his chakra is replenished that is noteworthy. His chakra coils are refilled almost as soon as he uses his chakra, and he has a very strong body durability and regenerative ability. His injuries heal very fast and his body seems to be naturally blunt trauma resistant. That's all there is to it." Naruto explained.

"I see..." Kurama trailled off thoughtfully.

"What is it, Kurama?" Naruto asked with concern.

"I think you were right earlier, we shouldn't take both of these guys on at the same time unless we absolutely don't have a choice, it's too much of a risk. Their powers are unnatural, and, as you said, they have probably been preparing for years to take on people like us. It is better for us to go and regroup and cook-up a solid battle strategy for them. Besides, I doubt we've seen everything that they can do as it is, I'm pretty sure that there is more to them than what we have already seen. Nii Yugito and Matatabi pushed them, but I don't think these guys were pushed to their limits, not even close actually." Kurama voiced out.

"I agree with you, however, I think I can take out one of them, look...that guy, Hidan, just pinned himself to the ground with a pike. He's a sitting duck right now. I don't know what kind of sick ritual he's performing, but I'm about to remove his head from his shoulders right now." Naruto said with excitement.

"Hahahahahaahaha! Yeehahahahahahaha! Jashin-sama! Jashin-sama! Jashin-sama! Behold your most loyal and faithful...gwaaah!" Hidan cried out as his head was swiftly and cleanly removed from his shoulders, causing Kakuzu, who had been brooding silently on a rock to jump up to his feet ubruptly, adopting a battle ready stance as he prepared to face this seemingly invisible foe that was able to sneak up on them, more specifically, him, without notice.

'One down, and one more to go.' Naruto thought as he prepared for his next attack, now crouching against another tree on the opposite side of his previous position.

"I thought taking on two Akatsuki at the same time was too much of a risk?" Kurama asked curiously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I only see one living Akatsuki." Naruto replied with a mental smirk, causing Kurama's eyes to widen in surprise before settling on a bemused but satisfied smirk. However, what transpired next would remove any traces of self-satisfaction, happiness, and joy that the two friends and partners by circumstance might have enjoyed, or thought they would enjoy, as something straight out of the world of fiction, at least, according to their now proven limited knowledge, occured right in front of their eyes, putting a whole new meaning to the idea of hearing the voices of the dead.

"Oooooi! Kakuzu you sinful piece of shit! What the fuck are you doing meditating at a time like this! Hurry up and stitch my head together before I decide to run up there and crush your nuts with my foot!" Hidan exclaimed angrily.

"..."

"Oooi! Kakuzu! Are you ignoring me? That's so childish of you, Kakuzu-kun..." Hidan trailed off with a taunting smile, only to be met with another round of silence.

'That idiot Hidan, I can't believe even he can't even tell that I'm trying to locate our seemingly invisible enemy through sound alone? Does he really have to scream so loud at a time like this?' Kakuzu thought irritably.

"Kakuzu, don't tell me you're wetting your pants because some laim invisible sucker played a prank on me! The identity of the culprit is obvious, leader is the only one in the organisation who knows how to turn invisible, and we both know how angry he is at us since what happened last time with the nanabi. This is his sick twisted way of getting revenge on us." Hidan said in an attempt to immitate Kakuzu's usual calculating and intellectual tone.

"Hidan, Leader is neither that juvenile nor stupid as to pull of something like that. Deidara, maybe, Kisame, outside possibilty, you, definitely, but Leader? Hn, don't make me laugh." Kakuzu said as he walked slowly and purposefully towards the incapacitated Hidan.

"Heh, at least my hypothesis got you talking to me again, I guess it's not as stupid a hypothesis as you initially thought if it managed to trick you into doing what I wanted, is it now, Kakuzu?" Hidan asked mockingly.

"Don't flatter yourself, I just need someone to serve as a distraction, that's the only reason that I'm stitching you up." Kakuzu answered, finally opening his eyes so that he can stitch Hidan up.

Naruto, meanwhile watched in morbid fascination as threads came out from the stitches on Kakuzu's forearm, the threads connecting with Hidan's lower and upper neck as his head was swiftly stitched back together again. Equally interesting was how quickly Hidan's regeneration factor kicked it, the tissue and muscle in his neck almost instantly merging back together as the S ranked criminal twisted and moved his neck from side to side in a stretching out excercise.

'I don't believe this! Is that guy really immortal?' Naruto thought in surprise.

"That appears to be the case. However, there is a clear and visible flaw in his immortality, that is, he is unable to put himself back together once dismembered without the help of his partner. In other words, he loses control of his movements completely once his head is seperated from his body" Kurama said analytically.

"You have a point. It will do me a world of good not to forget that little bit of information." Naruto replied.

"So, how do you suppose we handle this, Kakuzu?" Hidan asked curiously, more than a little dose of excitement and even insanity evident in his tone.

"Well, it's actually quite simple, we just have to weed out the coward with large scale ninjutsu." Kakuzu replied neutrally.

"Which just so happens to be your specialty, I hope you're not just trying to hog all the fun to yourself, Kakuzu-kun, this cock sucker slit my throat you know, I deserve some retribution.." Hidan retorted.

"You can torture him after I capture him, right now you need to make sure that the jinchuuriki doesn't get caught in the crossfire. Leader would have both our heads if we allowed her to die." Kakuzu ordered.

"That's sounds like a good plan, you're such a nice guy Kakuzu, letting me play with our little pet before we put him down." Hidan teased.

"Whatever. Just go and...shit...!" Kakuzu muttered under his breathe, his blood boiling from rage at the sight that his eyes were forced to behold, having turned his head to the direction south east of him.

"What is the...fuck!" Hidan cursed out loud.

"Kakuzu! What the fuck happened to that cat bitch? I thought you said she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon!" Hidan exclaimed furiously.

"Don't be an imbecile, Hidan! Your skills of reasoning, observation, and deduction are so lacking it's quite ridiculous. That woman didn't leave on her own, she was bleeding profusesly from the stab wound on her stomach, yet there is no blood trail beyond that puddle over there, and our invisible opponent has not attacked since he slashed your throat. It's obvious that his intention was to distract us so that he can steal the jinchuuriki while we weren't looking." Kakuzu replied, wondering to himself why he had to be stuck with an idiot who couldn't be shut up or even killed.

"Even if he was invisible, she clearly was not and neither was her blood, shouldn't there still be a trail of blood if he had carried her away?" Hidan asked in a surprising moment of intellect.

"That is true. Which means that either the enemy was somehow able to stop her bleeding in an instant, which is quite unlikely, or he used a space-time technique to escape with her." Kakuzu explained.

"Okay, so that just about narrows it down. Who do we know of that is a master of space-time ninjutsu?" Hidan asked.

"Unfortunately, there hasn't been any such person since the Fourth Hokage, however, having said that, any summoner of any type of creature could have...that's it!" Kakuzu exlaimed, well, not really exclaimed by general standards, but definitely by Kakuzu standards, at least Hidan thought.

"What is it, Kakuzu?"

"An invisble summoner, think about it, the only clan that has such a specialty is the chameleon clan." Kakuzu reasoned.

"So I was right after all! It was leader!"

"No you imbecile!" Kakuzu said irritably.

"Huh? Then who else could it be, do you know anyone else besides leader who fits this profile, huh, Kakuzu-teme?" Hidan retaliated childishly.

"No. But...there is another chameleon clan. I once fought their summoner some twenty years ago. The boss summon went by the name Shiromari if my memory does not betray me." Kakuzu replied.

"So we have a lead?"

"Yes, yes we do..." Kakuzu trailed off darkly, all the different ways that he would mutilate this guy for the humilaition of having to explain to leader how and why he lost the jinchuuriki filtering through the missing nin's mind as an unhealthy rage and hate built up his heart, or rather, his hearts.

"So ummm...you know where the chameleon clan lives? Or how to get there?" Hidan asked curiously.

"I have no idea, as unfortunate as it is, we are going to have to seek Leader's council on this matter. If he can give us all the knowledge he has about chameleon abilities, their behaviour and their natural habitat, it might make it easier for us to track down and defeat this imputent chameleon summoner." Kakuzu explained.

"I see..." Hidan said with a deep frown.

"In any case, let us survey the area thoroughly, in case our hypothesis is wrong and also in order to find any clues that might have been left behind." Kakuzu ordered.

Three weeks later:

'This has to be, without a shadow of doubt, the most stubborn person I have ever met in my life, probably the most stubborn person to exist since the beginning of time.' Naruto thought in frustration.

"And yet despite that, you seem awfully calm about the situation." Kurama cut in.

'There's no point in fretting too much about something that is beyond my control, in any case, three weeks have gone by now since we came to Moon Country, that's too long even for a jinchuuriki to go without food or water.' Naruto thought with concern.

It was not misplaced or unwarranted concern either. Yugito was lying face up on his bed, but not of her own free will, as she was chained up by Naruto's chakra supression chain technique. Naruto hadn't intended to hold her prisoner though, at least not initially, it was just that he hadn't known when she would wake up and he didn't want her to surprise attack him when she did, nor did he want her to leave before they could have a proper conversation. So he'd chained her up with the intention to release and escort her home once they'd had their conversation.

The problem was that Yugito absolutely refused to speak even a word to him when she'd come to, assuming that she was a prisoner and that Naruto was an Akatsuki member probably, since the last memory she had was of her battle with Akatsuki. Naruto had tried to explain what had happened, even going so far as to explain that he too was a jinchuuriki. Ofcourse, Yugito had noticed the strange whisker marks and animalistic traits, and she'd also noticed the Konoha headband, but she refused to say a word until she was sure about what was happening exactly, as she was completely confused right now, and she refused to accept any food or drink from Naruto. She would starve herself to death if she had to, as long as she didn't give away any information to her captors, that was fine by her.

Naruto's patience was also wearing thin, he'd been missing in action for over three weeks now, he'd probably be presumed dead very soon. But then again, that wasn't too much of a problem, in fact, that would make everything so much easier for him, he'd just have to contact Neji and Yakumo to inform them that everything was still going according to plan. But then again, his original intention in going back to Konoha was to make sure that there was a reason for Konoha and Akatsuki to clash and take each other out, and he had no idea where Kabuto was holed up right now, he'd told him to contact him but how would he do that if Kabuto didn't know where he was? Sure, they could communicate through Neji, or through Fu-chan and Uzu, but he'd much rather prefer a direct line of communication.

'The current situation is not bad, we made provision for an untimely defection, Yakumo and Neji will stick with the plan I'm sure, so why am I hesitating? Is there something that I'm overlooking?'

"You're not overlooking anything, you're just too attached to your comrades. You're afraid of leaving Neji and Yakumo alone in enemy territory, you want to be there in person to act as a buffer or a shield should anything go wrong." Kurama pointed out, causing Naruto's eyes to widen in sudden realisation.

"You're...you're right...!" Naruto stuttered, unable to believe that Kurama could know what he was thinking even before he himself did.

"Ofcourse I am, stupid!"

"..."

"So...what are you going to do?" Kurama asked curiously.

"I'm going back to Konoha!"

"Huh...?" Kyubi inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm goin back to Konoha. I'll stay there until Kabuto makes contact. After that, I, Neji, Yakumo, and the branch Hyuga family will defect from Konoha and join Uzushiogakure Sato officially and permanently." Naruto declared with absolute conviction and determination.

"That's what I wanted to hear, kit! However, what about Nii Yugito, you haven't been able to get her to say anything to you, are you just going to keep her as your prisoner forever?"

"I'd have liked to have spoken to Matatabi directly since Yugito is refusing to co-operate, however, I'd have to remove the suppression chains in order to communicate with her through the bijuu communication link..."

"And if you did that Yugito would attack to kill or execute the escape plan she's no doubt planned out in the three weeks that you've kept her prisoner." Kurama cut in as if reading Naruto's mind.

"Exactly. So I'll just tell her everything and then release her. She can make her own decision after that."

"That's quite reckless, even for you. I know that I was the one that insisted on recruiting her, but this is one risk you don't have to take and by all rights, shouldn't have to take. It's okay Naruto, you don't have to do this just for my sake..."

"No! It's not just for your sake, I also want to recruite her. Besides, it doesn't matter right now if Kumo find out about Uzushiogakure, actually, it doesn't matter if even Konoha find out, no one will be able to link Uzu to me anyway until I actually take my position as leader. We've amassed enough strength to defend ourselves and Akakitsune will also come into operation soon to deal with the shadow that is Akatsuki. Its a risk worth taking, and besides, I won't be able to face Fu-chan if I don't even make an effort to get Yugito.' Naruto explained.

"Hn! You've got some guts Naruto! Even if we end up getting destroyed in the end, you're one host that I'll never forget, and I'll be proud to have been your partner."

"It's unbecoming of the great and mighty Kyubi to talk about losing and getting destroyed, Kurama." Naruto retorted as he turned around to face Yugito, walking back to his seat next to the bed, Yugito still refusing to show any emotion or sign of acknowledgement, simply staring at the blonde Uzumaki expressionlessly.

"Listen, Nii Yugito. I don't care anymore if you don't reply or acknowledge me. I want you to know that I'm going to set you free today, but only under the condition that you allow me to escort you back to Kumogakure no Sato. I'd hate for me to save your life only for Akatsuki to capture you again on your way back home. But before that, I'm going to tell you everything about me and my plan and then ask for your help, after which it will be your choice whether to help me or not, or what to do with this information. " Naruto explained, the blonde, voluptous beauty from Kumo still refusing to respond, although it was quite clear to Naruto that she was now listening attentetively.

"..."

"Okay. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, my mother was the former jinchuuriki of the kyubi, Uzumaki Kishina, and my father was the Yondaime Hokage, otherwise known as the yellow flash, Namikaze Minato." Naruto explained, causing Yugito's eyes to widen in sudden realisation, finally understanding why the boy in front of her looked so familiar, and why him being a jinchuuriki of the kyubi bothered her so much, also showing emotion for the first time since she woke up from her slumber three weeks ago.

"Now, about my plan. I have rebuilt Uzushiogakure no Sato, and I am the Kage of that hidden village. Alot of clans have joined my village, the Hoshi clan, formerly known as Hoshigakure no Sato, the Oto clan, formerly known as Otogakure no Sato, The Fuma clan, the Iburi clan, the Kamizuru clan, the Sora clan, formerly known as The Hidden Sky Village, the Nadeshiko clan, formerly known as Nadeshiko Village, and last but not least, the branch house of the Hyuga clan. There are also various other strong shinobi that have joined the village, such as the jinchuuriki of the nanabi, Fu-chan, and the heiress of the late Kurama clan, Kurama Yakumo. Last but not least, there's an organisation that I have established specifically to deal with Akatsuki, that organisation is known as Akakitsune." Naruto explained, taking in the stunned expression on Yugito's face with a healthy dose of self-satisfaction, happy that he was finally starting to break through the hard shell that was Yugito's determination to remain stubborn.

"The intention behind my rebuilding of Uzu, beyond family pride and honouring my ancestors, is to create a haven for all of the outcasts in the world. People who have known true pain and loneliness, people who know persecution and rejection, people who know what it feels like to be hated for something beyond your control, and generally, anyone who needs a home and a place to belong to, a place where they can find love and acceptance. This is meant to be the place for such people. Nii Yugito, I want you to know that, should you find yourself alone in the world, and needing of love, acceptance, and acknowledgement, that Uzushiogakure will accept you with open arms. That's all I wanted to say to you."

"..."

'No response huh? I guess she's not interested then.' Naruto thought sadly.

"Anyway, I'm going to release you now. In the time that you've been here, I've had an exact replica of your outfit made and it's right now hanging on a hanger in the bathroom. I also bought some toiletries that I thought a kunoichi like yourself might need. You haven't bathed or showered for three weeks so feel free to take your time. I'm going to escort you home when you're done so please don't try to escape me. Even if you hate or distrust me, it's still better for us to stick together for the meantime, two jinchuuriki is better than one against Akatsuki don't you think?" Naruto said softly.

"But doesn't that mean that you'll have to travel back to Konoha on your own?" Yugito asked, leaving Naruto with a slightly agape mouth, his eyes wide in surprise, not only surprised by the fact that she actually spoke, but also by the melody-like sound of her voice.

"What's wrong with you? You didn't really think that I was mute did you?" Yugito asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"No! I mean...ummm...no it's just that, well, you have such a beautiful voice Yugito-san, I totally didn't expect that at all!" Naruto replied sheepishly.

'What's with this guy? Why is he so carefree and easy going all of a sudden? And...is he actually flirting with me?' Yugito wondered.

"Thank you for the compliment Naruto-san, now, can you please release me from these chains so that I may regain some semblance of my feminine dignity." Yugito replied stoicly, the two tails jinchuuriki successfuly containing the blush that was threatening to adorn her facial features thanks to her emotion control training, which was thanks to growing up in Kumo's black ops department

"Feminine dignity?" Naruto asked with a confused expression.

"I want to take a shower Naruto-san. I may be a kunoichi, but I'm still a woman after all." Yugito replied.

"Oh...yea...sure." Naruto said dumbly, the young Uzumaki adopting a one handed ram hand sign as he dispelled the chakra chains around Yugito's body, a tense silence settling between the two blonds, one contemplating whether to attack or not and the other wondering if his life was now endanger, both their senses at an all time alert at the moment.

"Don't do anything stupid, Nii Yugito!" Kurama said with a threatening undertone, Yugito tensing slightly, fear and confusion threatening to overwhelm her reasoning capacity, wondering why and how there was such a sinister voice inside of her mind.

"W-who are you? And how did you get inside my head?" Yugito stuttered.

"The boy in front of you is my jinchuuriki, and he has taken a liking to you! If you hurt him, there will be consequences..." Kurama warned, Yugito's eyes widening in complete and utter shock, her emotional control training flying out of the window in that moment.

"K-kyubi!"

"That's Kyubi-sama to you...!"

"Kyubi-sama my ass! Kitten, don't let him intimidate you, he's always been a bully!" The two tails Matatabi said frostily.

"It's nice to see you too, Matatabi!" Kurama retorted sarcastically.

"I don't like where this is going. Can we please stop fighting. Matabi-san, Kurama cares a great deal about you, he's the one who insisted that we come and save you, he even wanted to cry when he thought I wouldn't help you." Naruto said, causing the mighty Kyubi to blush like a teenage girl, thankfully not having to suffer the embarrassment of it because of his red fur.

"Tche! As if anyone, much less Matatabi would believe such a stupid lie." Kurama said irritably.

"But it's true! Don't let his hard exterior fool you, he's actually quite a softy inside, and he cares about you!"

"Naruto...!"

"Ahahahaha! Oh my! I certainly didn't expect this, wow Kurama, you don't say?" Matabi laughed, causing Kurama to grit his teeth in anger.

"N-nibi...! Your name...why didn't you tell me you had a name all this time? Why does he know your name when I didn't even have a clue until now?" Yugito asked with a tearful expression, unable to believe that the one person she trusted the most in the world would keep something so important and intimate a secret from her.

"It's simple kitten, you never asked." Matatabi replied, causing Yugito's eyes to widen in horror and realisation.

"Oh my God! Nib...Matatabi, I'm so sorry...!" Yugito cried painfully.

"It's okay kitten, I forgive you." The fiery cat replied with a tender and comforting tone.

"B-but why! H-how can you forgive me so easily?" Yugito asked in confusion.

"Don't be silly kitten, what kind of mother holds a grudge against her own child?"

"Ni...Matatabi!" Yugito cried, jumping into the fiery cat's arms as the two comforted each with a fierce embrace.

"That's mother to you Yugi-chan!" Matatabi said with mock anger, the two laughing together as Yugito apologised, enjoying the feeling of having a mother for the first time in her life.

"I really don't believe this! Is this really the same hardcore kunoichi that took on two Akatsuki without a blink of an eye and handled a three week hostage situation like a boss?" Naruto thought in dismay.

"This is what a life and death situation can do to people. Realising how close they were to being seperated must have made them realise just how important they were to each other." Kurama replied.

"Guess you're not the only one with a fake bad ass exterior" Naruto snickered

"Yeah I guess n...Naruto!"

3 days later...

"So...I guess this is where we go our seperate ways. The gate is only twenty metres away right now, so there's no way Akatsuki could capture you from here." Naruto said with a cheeky smile.

"Tche! Just because you saved me once doesn't mean that I'm some kind of damsel in distress you know." Yugito replied with a light punch on Naruto's shoulder, the two having become good friends over the last three days that they had spent travelling together, both Yugito and Matatabi having in fact expressed their utmost gratitude for meeting Naruto, as their relationship as jinchuuriki and bijuu, as friends, and as surrogate mother and daughter had become infinitely stronger as a result.

"Hahaha! I know I know! I saw you fight the Akatsuki, so I know you're nothing of the sort. I just can't help but worry you know..." Naruto trailed off.

"I know what you mean. I don't fully understand these feelings yet, but I'm more worried about you now. You still have to travel all the way to Konoha all alone. Wait...maybe Raikage-sama...!"

"No!" Naruto said hastily.

"B-but why not!"

"Because, Yugito-chan, remember the offer I made to you? It's not really fair for me to ask him to risk the lives of his men for me when I tried to persuade one of his most valuable shinobi to defect not so long ago. Besides, I don't trust the raikage anyway." Naruto said with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I see..." Yugito trailed off, her eyes facing the ground as she contemplated the situation.

"Anyway, I was wondering, since you rejected my offer, does that mean that you're going to tell the raikage about me and Uzu?" Naruto asked curiously.

"..."

"I'm not trying to pressurise you into keeping my secret, nor am I going to think any less of you if you tell the raikage. I was just curious that's all. You don't even have to answer my question and I still won't change how I feel about you. Just because we're friends now doesn't mean you have to leave everything you have behind for me, nor does it mean you have to betray your loved ones." Naruto explained.

"You...you'd still consider me your friend even if I betrayed you?" Yugito asked with a confused expression.

"That's the thing though, it wouldn't be a betrayal since you never allied yourself to me or made me any promises to begin with. I can't hate you for fullfilling your duties as a Kumogakure jonin." Naruto replied.

"I see. Well I..."

"Yugito-san! Are you alright?" C asked as he, Dodai, Bee, Mabui, Samui, Karui, Omoi, Darui, and the Raikage arrived at the gates with a shunshin technique.

"C...Ei-sama!" Yugito replied with a startle, quickly going down on one knee in respect and submission to the raikage.

"Yugito-sama! Where have you been! We searched everywhere for you! We thought you'd been captured by Akatsuki!" Karui cried.

"K-Karui...!" Yugito trailed off in surprise, not quite sure how to feel about Karui crying for her, not having expected anyone at all to really miss her, honestly, she'd thought their major concern would have been the loss of the two tails rather than her as a person.

"Nevermind that, Karui! She's alive and well, that's all that matters isn't it." Samui said with usually stoic and emotionless expression, although one could hear the relief and joy in her voice if you listened carefully.

"Yugito, are you alright?" Ei asked with a fatherly tone.

"H-hai, Raikage-sama! I was attacked and captured by Akatsuki, but this young man right here saved my life." The 25 year old jinchuuriki replied.

'It seems like I was wrong. Maybe not every jinchuuriki has it quite as tough as I imagined. True, Yugito does seem kinda lonely, very lonely actually, but at the same time, it seems like there are people who genuinely care about her wellbeing here. I guess I will have to bare the burden of possibly facing off against her on the battlefield in the future.' Naruto thought sadly.

"Not that I'm not glad that you're safe, Yugito, because God knows how truly happy I am, but why would the Yondaime Hokage's son risk his life to protect you? What kind of history do you have between the two of you?" Mabui asked suspiciously, causing both Naruto's and Yugito's eyes to widen in surprise, Yugito at the insinuation that she might be a traitor and Naruto at the fact that this woman knew who he was, even though he'd even gone as far as to remove his headband before entering Kumogakure territory.

"Ahem! There is no history between us. I didn't even know that the Yondaime Hokage had a son until roughly three days ago when he told me who he was, and I only met him three weeks ago when I came too after I had lost consciousness in my battle with Akatsuki." Yugito explained.

"Yugito! Don't tell me that you and the Yondaime Hokage's gaki took it down low? You couldn't get enough of nine-o so you stayed for three weeks coz you needed more, is that not so?" Killer Bee asked, confusing everyone with his rap slang except for Yugito and Naruto, who somehow were able to immediately discern the meaning behind Bee's slang.

"Hahaha! Wow you're quite a strange fellow aren't you? Don't worry, I'd never defile Yugito-chan like that, although, it would be incredibly difficult to resist a stunning beauty like her if she came on to me I have to admit at least that much." Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sh-shut up! Naruto...! Don't entertain his nonsense!" Yugito exclaimed indignantly, a heavy blush spreading across her facial features.

"Yugito-sama, you've taken a liking to Konoha's jinchuuriki haven't you?" C asked with a surprised expression.

"That and there's also the matter of you spending over three weeks away from the village with him." Dodai added.

"Don't be harsh on her. I had her chained up for the majority of that time." Naruto replied, only for his own eyes to widen considerably as he realised how his words were misinterpreted given the pop-eyed expressions that we meeting him right now.

"T-That's not what I meant! I was afraid she'd mistake me for Akatsuki and attack me as soon as she came to. After that I kept her chained up because she refused to co-operate. I couldn't trust that she would not turn against me if I let her go and it took a while to get her to agree to allow me to escort her back home. If you're wondering why I insisted on escorting her back home, that is because I was weary of a repeat Akatsuki attack, it would have made my efforts to save her quite literally useless if she had been captured again." Naruto explained hastily, the raikage and his entourage all exhaling a heavy breathe in relief.

"Yugito-sama, how many Akatsuki members attacked you?" Omoi asked curiously.

"There were two of them, their names were Kakuzu and Hidan." Yugito replied.

"I was watching the battle from the shadows, I have some intel on their abilities." Naruto added.

"Thanks, but if Yugito fought them then she should have enough intel on them too. If you were hoping to get some kind of leverage with that then I'm sorry, that isn't going to work." Samui said confidently.

"I wasn't trying to get any leverage. I want Akatsuki gone just as much as anyone out there, after all, I'm a jinchuuriki too. I'd give intel to anyone for free if it meant that they would have a better chance of taking them down." Naruto explained.

"Nevertheless, I can't imagine that, at your age, you'd have better control of the kyubi than Yugito has of the nibi, and even if you did, the skill difference should be incomparable. You must have had an accomplice or two in order to take down two Akatsuki members. Who are they?" Ei asked, actually, more like demanded.

"I never said I defeated Akatsuki. I simply outsmarted them. I had the element of surprise and my goal was not to defeat them but to save Yugito-chan. Anyway, there are some things that I know about their abilities that Yugito-chan might not know, reason being that it is easier to make an analysis from the sidelines than it is during battle, and also because I did in fact clash briefly with them, and I made a discovery that I know she definitely did not during her battle with them." Naruto explained.

"And what do you want in exchange for this information?" Ei asked with narrowed eyes.

"I thought I told you that I don't want anything did I not?" Naruto asked retorically.

"Then spit out!" Ei exclaimed furiously.

"Hn, alright then. The Akatsuki member, Hidan, is...immortal." Naruto said dramatically, immediately sensing the aura of incredulity that was now permeating the atmosphere.

"Is this some kind of joke? Coz...it's a really lame one." Darui deadpanned.

"Actually, there might be some truth to Naruto-kun's words. I landed many attacks that should have been fatal to those two, but they just kept getting back up and carried on fighting. There's also the fact that they outlasted both Nibi and I in terms of chakra and stamina." Yugito explained.

"Raikage-sama has the same feats against you and Nibi though, that doesn't mean that he is immortal does it?" C argued.

"Yes but..." Yugito trailed off, not knowing how to respond to that line of questioning.

"Listen. That guy, Hidan. He has some sort of religion, he praises some kind of evil god, Jashin is the name I believe. From what I heard in his argument with Kakuzu, it seems like it is considered a sin to leave an enemy alive after battle. In order to atone for this sin, Hidan performed a ritual after Yugito lost consciousness in which he stabbed himself through the chest. It seemed like he had stabbed himself through the heart too, but as he continued to pray as if nothing had happened, I came to the conclusion that he might have missed his heart after all." Naruto explained, pausing momentarily to make sure that everyone was still listening before carrying on where he left off.

"I had also noticed during his battle with Yugito that his chakra reserve replenished itself almost immediately after expanding chakra and that he had a high speed regeneration of cells, so I concluded that even if he'd stabbed himself through the heart, he wouldn't die immediately and he'd have time to regenerate the injury after he removed the pike from his chest. So, I decided to remove his head with a surprise attack. I had realised that he wouldn't be able to move out of the way without first removing the pike, as he was lying flat on the ground on his back." Naruto explained, once again taking a momentary pause before continuing with his explanation.

"I removed his head and hid in the shadows again, watching and waiting to see how Kakuzu would react. You can imagine my surprise when I heard Hidan screaming at Kakuzu to stitch his head back together again. Yes, he was still very much alive, even with his head a few metres away from his body." Naruto explained.

"That's...nonsense!" Samui rebuttedmatter of factly.

"I don't blame you for thinking that way. I wouldn't believe you either if you had been the one telling the story, but nevertheless, it is the truth. The Akatsuki have insane powers, Orochimaru could spit out a new and healthy body no matter what kind of fatal injury you inflicted on him, Sasori turned his whole body into a puppet and could jump from one puppet body to another everytime I destroyed one. But ofcourse, up until Hidan, I had not encountered a true form of immortality. Orochimaru's immortality was false, his snake shedding jutsu took a heavy toll on his stamina and chakra, and he would die if he ran out of it. A wide scale technique that could eradicate every cell in his body could kill him too. Sasori had a weak spot in what he refered to as his heart box. Chakra is required in order to live, and chakra is connected to living flesh. So in the end, Sasori could not completely become a puppet and always had that one piece of living flesh as a weak spot. Hidan however is truly immortal, his cells regenerate immediately so his body can't be completely destroyed. His chakra replenishes instantly so he can never run out of chakra. And he lives even when his head is severed from his body, although he can't move in that condition." Naruto explained, the stunned silence making him slightly uncomfortable.

"Are you telling us that you killed Akasuna no Sasori and survived a battle against Orochimaru of the Leaf?" Darui asked in surprise.

"Both Sasori and Orochimaru have died by my hand. I had just disposed of Orochimaru actually when I sensed Yugito-chan's chakra, or should I say, the nibi's chakra." Naruto replied, causing everyone, including Yugito's eyes to widen in surprise, Naruto remembering just now that he hadn't actually told Yugito what mission he had come from when he encountered her.

"Anyway. You now know about Hidan's abilities, oh wait! I almost forgot, don't let him draw even a single drop of blood from you. He'll curse you." Naruto warned with a deathly tone.

"Curse you? What is this, witchcraft?" Mabui asked skeptically.

"I dunno what it is honestly, it doesn't seem like any ninjutsu I've ever heard of. However, I know that that is how he defeated Yugito-chan, he drew blood from her with his scythe and then ingested the blood. He then drew a symbol around himself made out of blood. At this point, his skin colour hade become completely black with a white skeleton design. He then stabbed himself though the torso, and the injury he inflicted on himelf was transfered onto Yugito-chan. In other words, he linked himself to Yugito-chan by ingesting her blood." Naruto explained.

"So that's what happened back then! I remember now, although I had no idea why and how everything was happening the way it was. So he linked himself and I together huh?" Yugito said with realisation.

"Y-you can't be serious, Yugito-sama! You mean this is not some kind of fairy tale story?" Karui asked with a fearful expression.

"No, it's true. I felt a sharp pain and started bleeding though my abdomen when he stabbed himself. I remember him ingesting my bood and his skin colour changing, and he did draw the symbol on the ground." Yugito confirmed, a shiver running through everyone's spine at Yugito's confirmation, even Ei himself getting goosebumps at that, although he'd never admit to it even under excruciating torture.

"Anyway, Kakuzu seems to have an affinity for all five elements. Don't ask me how that is possible, I don't know. He also uses an iron skin technique to make his skin impenetrable and indistructable. I believe his skin may become even harder than diamond when he uses this technique. This would be the reason Nibi and Yugito-chan's techniques didn't work on him. He has a ridiculous amount of chakra too, comparable to that of a bijuu. I believe the reason for this is the heroe's water of Takigakure no Sato. The water grants someone an immense power and chakra increase, but at the expense of their life. However, if someone could find a way around that drawback, they'd basically have an unlimited amount of chakra, well, not really unlimited, but alot. I've also discovered that there is some kind of...entity that lives within Kakuzu. It seems to be entirely made of these threads that contain a rather large and sinister chakra themselves. This could be his way around the drawbacks of the heroe's water, assuming he did use the heroe's water that is. Anyway, these threads are long enough and strong enough to hold down even the nibi herself, so be careful of them." Naruto warned.

"..."

"That's all the intel I have on those two. I'll be on my way now, but before I go, I'll leave you with one not so friendly warning. Make sure you protect Yugito-chan. If she gets captured by Akatsuki again...I'll destroy Kumogakure no Sato!" Naruto said with a dangerous tone, leaving the Raikage and his entourage with no illusions as to whether Naruto was serious or not, Yugito herself looking like a dear caught in headlights, not knowing whether to be horrified or flattered by Naruto's declaration.

"Is that a threat, Kyubi no Gaki?" Ei asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's a promise." Naruto said confidently, turning around and walking away from Kumo and her people without even saying his farewells.

"You disprespectful brat!" Ei exclaimed, activating version two lightning armour in an instant, in other words, preparing himself to attack at full power and speed.

'What an incredible amount of chakra!' Naruto thought in surprise, instantly flipping around to face the raikage and his entourage, immediately realising that this was a foe he didn't want attacking from his blind spot.

"Ei-sama! Please...!"

"Silence!" Ei exclaimed furiously, causing Yugito to cower away in fear, knowing full well just how dangerous the raikage could be when he became like this.

"It's not that I'm not greatful for your safe return, but it is my duty as raikage to eliminate any potential threat to Kumogakure no Sato. I won't let anyone get away with threatening my village...!" Ei trailed off darkly.

"Attacking the kyubi jinchuuriki could be considered an act of war. Are you sure you want to do this, raikage? Think of the number of people that will die if war breaks loose." Naruto warned.

"Hn! Konoha's military prowess will be greatly reduced if I kill the Yondaime Hokage's heir and take the kyubi for Kumo. Going to war with us after the fact will be suicide on their part. Also, I can always justify myself, after all, you did enter Kumo territory without permission from the daimyo or the raikage, and you just threatened to destroy Kumogakure no Sato. I have every reason to attack you!" Ei exclaimed as he charged the blonde Uzumaki, moving at an unreadable speed with his lightning enhanced shunshin and his lightning quick reflexes and reaction speed, aiming to take Naruto out with one knock out punch

'He's fast!' Naruto thought in surprise, his eyes widening to epic proportions as he, in a split second, activated his swift release: shadowless flight technique, the blonde Uzumaki dodging Ei's knock out punch from point blank rage.

Shockingly, the force and pressure from Ei's punch was so powerful that, even though he neither made contact with his opponent or the earth itself, a great deal of dust and debri kicked up into the air as cracks and breaks formed on the earth's surface. However, despite how amazing that feat alone was, nobody even paid the slightest attention to it as, even more incredibly shocking, was the fact that the blonde Uzumaki had somehow managed to move faster than the raikage at his full speed, the blonde Uzumaki now standing back to back a few metres away from Ei, facing Yugito and the raikage's entourage.

'Impossible! Did he just dodge my attack? Did he use flying raijin...no! He didn't place any markings, and I definitely saw a glimpse of his movements, he actually dodged with speed alone!' Ei thought in surprise, unable to quite ingest what had just transpired.

"That was quite impressive, Raikage. I never expected that you'd be anywhere near that fast. You have my respect, at least as far as speed is concerned." Naruto complimented, not even turning around to face the raikage, who himself was still facing the other way.

"H-how did you do that! That was no normal shunshin, was it even a shunshin?" C demanded.

"If I tell you, will you allow me to take my leave peacefully, Raikage?" Naruto asked diplomatically.

"Only if you apologise and rescind the threat that you made, that is, after you tell me the secret to your technique." Ei countered, turning around to face the blonde Uzumaki, who was still giving him his back.

"Are those your only three conditions?" Naruto asked.

"Yes." Ei confirmed.

"Fair enough. My jutsu is a kekkei genkei technique that combines the wind and lightning element. It's called swift release. I'll be taking my leave now." Naruto said briefly, finally turning around to face the raikage as he prepared to make his departure.

'There. They've already seen my technique so it doesn't matter if I tell them about it or not. What I'm more afraid of is allowing an actual battle to take place as that will force me to reveal even more of my secrets. If telling them about what they have already seen will help me keep my secrets, then so be it.' Naruto thought strategically.

"Where do you think you're going? You have yet to rescind your threat nor apologise for it. I won't let you go back on your word, Uzumaki Naruto!" Ei said forcefully.

"That condition is invalid. I told you earlier didn't I? That was not a threat but a promise, it is impossible for me to rescind or apologise for something I didn't do. You have to let me go now, I won't let you go back on your word, Raikage..." Naruto trailed off with a cocky smirk, using Ei's own words against him, causing Ei's eyes to widen in surprise, the raikage not knowing whether to be furious, amused, or impressed, the end result being one of the funniest expressions Naruto had ever seen in his life, although he did well not to show any emotion whatsoever.

'Snorty little brat!' Ei thought irritably.

"Tell you what, gaki! Why not stay in Kumo for a while, give me a chance to draft a reasonable alliance treaty for you to take back to Konoha with you?" Ei asked diplomatically, everyone of his entourage's breath hitching in surprise, none of them having even remotely expected this turn of events.

'Raikage-sama! What are you thinking right now?' Mabui thought with trepidition.

'A kekkei genkei centered around speed and reflexes? Utilizing lightning and wind to create this effect? It's not fair! It's not fair for Konoha to be the ones who have this kekkei genkei! This ability is far more suited for Kumo! I won't allow it to slip right through my fingers!' Ei thought furiously.

"An alliance treaty huh? What makes you think Konoha would ever trust you after the Hyuga incident? Or the number of times you tried to capture their jinchuuriki?" Naruto asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"It's not neccessarily about trust. It's about compromise and understanding. Also, this time the alliance will be sealed in blood, a marriage alliance between you and Yugito, that will work out just fine for you won't it? You two seem to have grown fond of each other."

"R-raikage-sama! You can't be serious!" Mabui exclaimed indignantly.

"I see. So you've decided to use different tactics to get the Uzumaki bloodline this time around? I'm assuming that the treaty will stipulate that Kumo get to keep the first born, and that Yugito-chan is to be returned to Kumo in her old age for the extraction and return of the nibi. Did I miss anything, Raikage?" Naruto asked retorically.

"..."

"I wonder what prompted this drastic decision, does my kekkei genkei have anything to do with it?" Naruto hummed thoughtfully.

'Stupid gaki! He saw right through me!' Ei thought furiously.

"I guess I should be flattered that you value my bloodline so much that you'd willingly sacrifice possession of the nibi for what...fifty years just to get my bloodline into Kumo's possesion. Hmm...I guess it's a worthy sacrifice, child of two jinchuuriki, descendent of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato. Makes sense I guess." Naruto thought out loud.

'I doubt there's anything genuine about his offer though. Most likely he would ask Yugito to escape from Konoha as soon as I impregnated her and decide to keep everything. But if he intends to fulfill the conditions of the treaty, Yugito would have to remain in Konoha and Kumo would get our first born child. I wouldn't be willing to allow that to happen and if Yugito has any maternal instincts, which I'm sure she does, she will not want her child to be raised by anyone either than her. Spending time together will increase our bond together, sex will deepen it and having a child together will solidify it. At that point, I could use our bond and her maternal instincts to convince her to defect to Uzu with me. She'd take to the idea like a kid to candy. Kumo would sense foul play and go to war with Konoha, and I'll get to keep my first born while successfully recruiting Yugito at the same time.' Naruto thought strategically.

'No! That's not a very good idea, well, it kinda is but I don't want to stay in Konoha for that long. The longer I delay things the greater the risk of being found out. Worst case scenario is that I get found out without even being aware of the fact that I've been found out. That would put me at a major disadvantage, it would be a situation similar to the truth behind the Uchiha massacre that Kabuto told me about.' Naruto thought wearily, making sure to remind himself how incredibly cruel and evil Konoha could be when the wanted or needed to.

"So what do you say, Uzumaki Naruto?" Ei asked impatiently, not caring anymore whether Naruto had seen through his intentions or not.

"Well, Yugito-chan is one of the most beautiful and sexually attractive women in the world, and she's an incredible shinobi and an even greater person. Any man would be lucky to have her as his wife. The decision is not mine to make though, that's for the Hokage. I'll stick around for a bit, and I'll take the paperwork to the Hokage. That's all I can do really." Naruto replied, his response causing Yugito to involuntarily blush furiously, althoug not quite sure whether she was ready for marriage or not, or how she felt about being given away as a pawn in the raikage's plans.

"That's a good response, gaki. Now if you will go will with Mabui, Samui, Karui, and Yugito. They will escort you to a suitable hotel in the center of town." Ei said, giving the silent order to said kunoichi to organise accomodation and escort for the blonde Uzumaki.

'Four beautiful women? Hn, this guy has no shame...!' Naruto thought with an exasperated shrug of the shoulders, eyes closed and head shaking in dismay.

"I guess I have no choice." Naruto replied.

One week later...

"And that's everything in nutshell." Naruto said with finality.

He'd arrived roughly six hours ago, and he'd almost immediately been ushered into the council room where he was to do his debriefing in front of everyone. Tsunade would have prefered that she'd had a one on one with him before sending him to a council meeting, just in case there was information that needed to be censored. But as ever that thorn in her butt Danzo had anticipated her, barging into her office almost as soon as Naruto entered her office and telling her how everyone was waiting for them in the council room, Tsunade wondering how on earth he'd gathered everyone so quickly, or how he even found out that Naruto was already back.

Anyway, seeing as she couldn't really do anything about it, she'd decided to call the rest of Naruto's peers again, since they'd decided that they would involve them in everything that concerned Naruto from now on. Their senseis ofcourse had also been invited. Naruto had been quite surprised and even vocalised said surprise, asking why they had been invited to the meeting. Tsunade had explained that they knew everything about the kyubi and the Akatsuki, that they had been briefed in a council meeting that took place prior to his departure. Everyone had expected a number of different reactions from him, but none had even remotely expected him to just brush it off as something of no consequence, the blonde not fazed at all by said information.

"So...Uzumaki Naruto...?" Danzo trailed off darkly.

"Yes, Danzo-san?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Can you provide any proof that you killed Orochimaru? And can you tell us what technique you used to kill him? You see, I happen to know that Orochimaru cannot be killed by ordinary means" Danzo said suspiciously.

"I used a technique that disintergrates all creation to kill him. As for proof, here it is." Naruto said, with a puff of smoke releasing the sword of kusanagi that was stored on a seal on his forearm, Naruto channing chakra into the sword with the result that the sword levitated as he moved it slowly around the the council room before grabbing the hilt with his right hand.

"As you may or may not know, this is Orochimaru's sword, the sword of kusanagi." Naruto explained.

"Well, I guess it's my sword now." Naruto declared, causing eveyone's eyes to widen slightly in surprise, everyone wondering not only why Naruto wasn't giving the sword to the Hokage to keep as a Konoha heirloom, but also when he developed an interest in swords as said item seemed to not mash well with his fighting syle.

"Ummm...Naruto kun, do you realise how much that sword is worth? You could make alot of money out of it you know." Koharu said persuasively.

"I know. But I'll have to respectfully pass on that offer this time around, I do however expect full compensation for the bounty on Orochimaru's head." Naruto declared with a no nonsense tone, causing Danzo's lone eye to narrow dangerously at Naruto.

'That's it! Something's up with the kyubi jinchuuriki,. It seems like I might have to take extra measures after all.' Danzo thought maliciously.

"Naruto, I couldn't help but take note of your description of the jutsu you used to eliminate Orochimaru. What's the name of that jutsu, and how does it work?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"I'm afraid that's a secret, after all, aren't you the one that taught me that a shinobi never reveals all of his secrets?" Naruto asked retorically, causing Kakashi's lone eye this time to narrow dangerously at Naruto, Naruto meeting Kakashi eye to eye from the corner of his right eye.

"The rule is that every technique developed in Konoha must be recorded by the Hokage in the forbidden scroll of techniques. You don't have a choice in the matter Naruto. Speaking of which, I need to record that rasenshuriken technique as well." Tsunade declared authoratively.

"Unfortunately for you, that rule does not apply to clan members. Therefore, I am not obliged to disclose anything to you beyond the bare minimum." Naruto retored.

"Who died and made you a clan member?" Tsunade asked furiously.

"My mother, Uzumaki Kushina!" Naruto said with a dark undertone, completely shocking everyone in the council room, more especially Tsunade.

"N-Naruto! How did you..."

"The raikage had alot to say about my parents, especially my father..." Naruto trailed off, a tense atmosphere taking hold of the council room, so much so that it was practically tangible.

"N-Naruto! W-we were going to tell you, we were just waiting for the right time!" Tsunade exclaimed with uncharacteristic hysteria.

"Whatever..."

"Naruto! Show some respect for your superiors! That is the Hokage that you're talking to!" Kakashi warned.

"You know, I liked you alot more when you were bed ridden, but anyway, I think I've answered every single question and provided alot of intel and goodwill for the village. One of Konoha's worst criminals since founding has been eliminated, intel on two members of Akatsuki has been provided, and a possible alliance treaty with Kumogakure no Sato has been secured. Is there really anything else you can ask for?" Naruto asked with a bored tone.

"Just a little respect." Koharu said bitterly.

"That's going to be difficult, that has never really been my strongest personality trait."

"You can at least try."

"Who said I wasn't?" Naruto asked retorically, silence the only response to meet his retorical question.

"Anyway, are there any more questions?" Naruto asked with a somewhat mockingly tired tone.

"What else did the raikage tell you?" Shikaku asked curiously.

"Nothing I want to talk about...nothing I am obliged to talk about as the sole heir of the Uzumaki clan living in Konoha." Naruto emphasized.

"You're going to keep playing that card on us aren't you?" Shikaku deadpanned.

"It's not good to temper with a winning formular." Naruto retorted.

'He's been acting very antogonistic since he came back from his three year trip. Is it just a phase? The side effects of puberty? Or is there something more sinister to this?' Shikaku pondered with concern.

"Naruto..." Tsunade trailed off with a blank expression.

"Hokage-sama?" Naruto answered.

"You may be dismissed. I'm sure you're tired from your journey. I'll call on you when I need you again." Tsunade said with a stern tone, her eyes so blank at the moment that most people could not detect any emotion from her, except for Naruto ofcourse, who had the benefit of negative emotion sensing thanks to Kurama.

"Thank you for your kindness, Hokage-sama." Naruto said with a small bow before making his way out of the council room, uproar erupting in the council room as soon as he was out of earshot, Danzo demanding twenty four hour serveillance on the blonde Uzumaki and discretion to deal with him in whatever way he saw fit, Shikamaru expressing how he told them that keeping that kind of secret from Naruto would backfire, and Koharu igniting a conspiracy theory about Naruto collaborating with Akatsuki, stating how suspicious it was that both Orochimaru and Sasori's death were not confirmed with an actual human body for verification, a host of other arguments taking place as the council room became a temporary war zone. It would take another five hours for everyone to come resolution, and even then, only because Tsunade had stamped her authority and overuled everyone.

0000000000000000

'Kuso! I was too antagonistic in that council meeting! I know that I had come to terms with the fact that I can't help myself when it comes to Konoha and decided to use myself as a smokescreen to divert attention away from Yakumo-chan and Neji, but I'm afraid it's getting a little too out of hand now. I'm going to have to speed things up before it's too late. Yugito-chan...I guess you and I won't be getting married after all.' Naruto thought as he reached his apartment room, using his sensing ability to ascertain whether there was any danger or not and entering the establishment went he realised that there were no intruders, only for his eyes to widen in surprise when he found that there was not only one but three intruders inside his apartment, two that he didn't recognise, and one that he knew all too well.

"Y-Yakumo-chan...!" Naruto stuttered involuntarily, internally cursing himself for showing just how much he was rattled

"It's been quite a while, Naruto-kun. Would you like some coffee?" Yakumo asked casually, pushing the extra cup that was on the table towards the other end, silently inviting Naruto to sit down with her and the strangers inside his house.

'I was sure there was no-one inside before I entered, actually, I was sure there was no powerful presence within a two hundred metre radius of my apartment. There's no way that they could have entered my apartment within the time it took for me to open the door even if they had been just outside the apartment much less two hundred metres away. Which means...'

"An illusionary parameter that can conceal even chakra signatures? You've gotten stronger, Yakumo-chan." Naruto said from his standing position, pushing the door closed with his left hand but still refusing to take even a single step forward.

"Amazing. To think that you completely dissected my jutsu in a matter of seconds. You never cease to amaze me Naruto-kun." Yakumo said with a big smile.

"You flatter me Yakumo-chan. That was just a wild gues, that's all there is to it." Naruto said robotically.

"So you're the great Uzumaki Naruto, or should I say, the great Uzukage-sama?" The taller of the two hooded figures said with a strong but affeminate voice.

'A woman huh? It's difficult to tell her age just by listening to her voice, but I don't think she's over the age of twenty.' Naruto thought.

"..."

"Oh I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself have I? My name is Oto Guren, I'm a member of the new Oto Clan of Uzushiogakure no Sato. It's an honor to be at your service, Uzukage-sama." Guren said as she removed the hood from her head, revealing a spiky and purple haired woman, a very beautiful woman at that Naruto thought, and just as he predicted, definitely not above the age of twenty, probably eighteen as far as he could tell.

"This is my surrogate brother, Oto Yukimaru-kun." Guren said, wrapping her right arm around the thirteen year old looking boy possessively as he also removed his head, revealing his light blond mane and magenta eyes.

"It's nice to finally meet you Uzukage-sama, you're much younger than I thought you would be though." Yukimaru said with an innocent smile.

"I hope that won't be a problem for you Yukimaru-san."

"Ofcourse not! Actually, it's kinda cool!" Yukimaru said ernestly, causing a light smile to break into Naruto's face.

"In that case, I'm glad to meet your acquintance Yukimaru-san, you too, Guren-san." Naruto said with a small bow of the head.

"Modest, respectful, and humble too. I can see why everyone is so drawn towards you Naruto-sama. You have great charisma, and great power too from what I've heard of your defeat of Sasori and Orochimaru-teme!" Guren said, ending her sentence with a bitter tone at the mention of Orochimaru's name.

"Speaking of which, what's Orochimaru doing in my apartment? And how is it that he is still alive in the first place?" Naruto asked with a sinister undertone, his killing intent flaring up all of a sudden, although trying his best to contain it so as not to alert any patrol units and draw them to his apartment.

"My my, nothing gets past your incredible senses huh, Naruto-kun?" a voice that Naruto would never forget sounded from the other room, another hooded figure appearing in the doorway between Naruto's dining and living room, Naruto however unable to see his face as the hooded figure kept his eyes on the floor.

"K-Kabuto! Is that you? You feel different, alot like.."

"Alot like Orochimaru, well, that would be because of the Great Snake Sage's dna that I transplanted into myself." The hooded figure said as he finally met the blonde Uzumaki eye to eye.

"The Great Snake Sage huh? Hey Kabuto! Look out! There's big snake behind you!" Naruto exclaimed frantically, causing Guren, Kabuto, and Yukimaru to stare at Naruto as if he just grew a second head, or even a third eye on his forehead.

"Ummm...Naruto-sama...! That's actually not a snake, well it is but...it's part of Kabuto-sama." Yukimaru replied.

"You mean part of him as in part of his body? Like an arm or a leg?" Naruto asked.

"Ummm...yeah." Yukimaru stuttered.

"I...I see." Naruto stuttered, almost wishing the ground would just swallow him whole right now, anything to get away from this embarrassment.

"I think I've just changed my mind about you, you're just an idiot aren't you?" Guren asked incredulously, causing a tick mark to appear on Naruto's forehead.

"Hahahahahahaha! Ahaahahahahahahahaha! Wow you don't pull any punches do you Guren-san?" Yakumo laughed hysterically.

"Tche!" Guren grunted.

"Well, I'll admit he can act like an idiot at times, but he's actually one of the most intelligent people you'll ever meet, just give it some time and you'll see." Yakumo said confidently.

"Tche! I'm not sure I'll ever believe that after what I just saw..."

"Anyway!" Naruto cut in irritably.

"Why have you left your residence Yakumo-chan? And what are you guys doing here? I know I said to contact me when you've organised everything, but I didn't expect you to come here in person, Kabuto." Naruto asked, eyes narrowed in displeasure.

"There's no need for such a scary face Naruto-kun, I just wanted to show you my new look that's all. You like?" Kabuto asked, Naruto not sure whether this guy was being serious or sarcastic.

"It looks great, scarier than Orochimaru." Naruto replied simply.

"It's not just scarier than Orochimaru though. I was able to use my knowledge of micro-biology to implant other dna sources and assimilate them with my own, that includes the Ryuchi clan, who have the ability to continuously and passively collect nature energy, the Hozuki clan, who have the ability to liquify their body at will and even subconsciously as a defense against physical attacks, and the Uzumaki clan, who have the type and size of chakra and life-force required to balance and control nature energy. I then trained with the Great Snake Sage and mastered Dragon Sage Mode." Kabuto gloated, taking a small and dramatic pause before carrying on from where he left off.

"Furthermore, I was once again able to use my micro-biological knowledge to activate Manda's cells and artificially create Manda 2, bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter, with power rivalling that of the bijuu. And that's not all, I also implanted all of the sound five's dna into myself and I can use their powers, including Orochimaru's as if they were my own. Last but not least of all, I have mastered edo tensei at level superior to even Orochimaru and the Nidaime Hokage himself. In a way, you could say I am now the closest being to the sage of the six paths." Kabuto continued with a proud smirk.

"S-sugoi! I knew you would surpass Orochimaru if you believed in yourself and applied your talents properly, but not even I expected something of this magnitude. Kabuto, you're some kind of super genius aren't you?" Naruto asked with stars in his eyes, unable to believe just how much Kabuto had achieved in such a short span of time.

"I could not have achieved any of this if you hadn't freed me from my shackles, and certainly not without your guidance and faith in me Naruto-kun, no, rather, Uzukage-sama!" Kabuto said, surprising Naruto even more as he went down on one knee and bowed his head submissively.

"Everything I have is yours and I exist only to serve you and Uzushiokagure no Sato. I am at your disposal and will do everything within my power to fulfill your dreams." Kabuto said, Guren and Yukimaru following in their clan head's steed as they too went to ground and declared their faith and loyalty, Naruto unable to stop himself from being overwhelmed with emotion, a lone tear falling from his right eye.

'Mom! Are you watching this? People from all walks of life, people with great power and charisma, people with unlimited talent and potential, and people with amazing bloodline limits, all bowing down before the name Uzumaki, all wanting more than anything to become part of that legacy. It's finally happening mom, the only thing that is missing is you.' Naruto thought nostalgically.

"Are you okay, Naruto-sama?" Yukimaru asked with concern.

"Y-Yes! I'm fine Yukimaru. I'm just feeling lucky to have comrades like you and your kinsman on my side. It's an honor." Naruto said with a small smile.

"Tche! He's a cry baby too. Some leader you are!" Guren said with a playful smirk.

"S-shut up!" Naruto retorted, causing everyone to laugh at his expense, even Kabuto.

"Wow Naruto-kun, you must be like the most kawai Kage in the elemental nations." Yakumo said, causing another ruckus of laughter to ensure at the blonde Uzumaki's expense.

'Kuso! They're mocking me!' Naruto thought furiously.

"Anyway, you still haven't answered my earlier question, why did you leave your residence Yakumo-chan? I don't want Konoha coming after you..."

"It's okay, I have enough chakra to make a convinving shadow clone now, so you don't have to worry. Also, I realised that something big must have happened while you were gone for over four weeks, so I figured you might be the one in need of a smokescreen this time around. That's why I'm leaving for Uzu with Kabuto-san. Konoha will be too busy looking into my escape to pay much attention to you, after all, I'm considered a threat even greater than you by the higher ups, and they'll never be able to link me to Uzu." Yakumo explained.

"I see, but how did you come into contact with Kabuto?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I contacted Fu-chan because she is second in command in your absence. She gave me permission to commence with my plan and she connected me to Kabuto-san." Yakumo explained.

"I see..." Naruto trailed off thoughtfully, his eyes however widening in shock a moment later.

'Kuso! How could I forget about something like that. If Yakumo-chan goes to Uzu now then she'll find out about me and...'

"It's okay Naruto-kun, Fu-chan told me everything, because I asked her." Yakumo said with a serious tone and expression.

"Yakumo-chan I was..."

"It's fine, it's nothing I didn't suspect already, otherwise I wouldn't have had the presence of mind to ask her in the first place. And don't worry, I didn't tell her anything about us, if there even is an us..." Yakumo said with a sad and lonely expression, and expression that had Naruto literally in tears, because he never wanted to ever see that expression on her face again, and certainly not because of him.

"Yakumo-chan I..."

"You don't have to apologise! Nothing happened, and nothing ever will!" Yakumo said furiously, the happy atmosphere in the apartment having evaporited in an instant.

"I wasn't going to apologise, I can't apologise for falling in love with you. It's not as if I wanted to deceive you or anything like that, I just couldn't help how I felt about you and the connection that we have because of our similar pasts is not something that can be easily ignored. I know it's not normal to love two people in equal measure, and most people don't even believe it's possible. Maybe I'm selfish, but I couldn't bare the thought of hurting either one of you, even though, I guess in the end I ended up doing exactly that." Naruto said as with a heartbreaking expression, trying his best to contain the tears in his eyes but failing to do so.

"Naruto-kun..." Yakumo trailed off in surprise.

'So he wasn't just using me? H...he cares! He actually cares about me! No, actually, he said he's in love with me, so it's more than just carrying about me, he...he loves me!' Yakumo thought joyously.

Some might have found Yakumo's reaction to be a strange and even unrealistic one, however, those would be people who didn't understand what kind of life Yakumo had been forced to live. She'd been made to live a life were she thought that no one loved or understood her, that her parents had betrayed her and her family had abandoned her. She'd also been forced to live in isolation where she was told that she was a menace and danger to society. Even her sensei, who she had considered to be a sort of surrogate sister had abandoned her. It made matters worse that she had a disease that made it that her body was physical weaker than even that of a civilian, as that didn't do anything whatsoever for her self esteem. So for her, abandonment and betrayal were her deepest fears and having someone to love and to love her in return was her deepest desire, that's all she ever wanted, all she ever needed. Right now, it didn't matter to her whether there was another woman in Naruto's life or not, it didn't even matter whether she was first choice or not, what mattered to her was that Naruto loved her, that was all she ever wanted, someone to love her for who and what she is.

"It...it's okay, we can talk about it later, when you come to Uzu." Yakumo said with a cute pout, a failed attempt from her to stay angry at the blonde Uzumaki.

"Okay..." Naruto replied with a sniffle.

'My God he is such a cry baby, and damn player too!' Guren thought with a mental roll of the eyes.

"Ahem! Anyway I have more news for you Naruto-sama. We have located the sanbi on a lake south east of Kiri. To prevent Akatsuki from getting stronger, to strengthen Uzu, and to prove our loyalty to you and Uzu, I request that you permit Yukimaru and I to head to Kiri immediately. I will capture the Sanbi and seal it into Yukimaru, he has a special power that enables him to tame bijuu." Guren requested humbly.

"The ability to tame bijuu...?" Naruto trailed off thoughtfully, a more than impressed expression morphing into his facial features.

"Yes. It is a bloodline limit ability that he possesses. Also, may I request that you supply us with an appropriate sealing jutsu. We have one that we can use but as an Uzumaki, I believe that you might possess a more efficient seal." Guren added.

"I have five different tyes of jinchuuriki seals and I have one other of my own design. So I'm sure we can come up with something, and yes, you have my permission to go after the sanbi, however, I want you to take Kabuto and Yakumo-chan with you. Akatsuki work in two men cells and it is possible that they will have discovered the sanbi's location as well. You won't be able to fight the sanbi, subdue it, and seal it while fighting Akatsuki at the same time. Akatsuki work in two men cells, so Yakumo-chan and Kabuto will handle Akatsuki if they show up and you two will handle the sanbi." Naruto ordered.

'They have alot of chakra, and they must be quite capable if they believe that they can handle the sanbi between just the two of them' Naruto thought.

"Then we'll be on our way as soon as you give us the seal and order, we must act with haste." Guren said with anticipation.

"True, but before that, I have one more piece of information for you Naruto-sama..." Kabuto trailed off dramatically.

"I'm all ears.."

"I have reason to believe that your father, Namikaze Minato had a Hokage Platoon Squad consisting of the following members, Shiranui Genma, Iwashi Tatami, and Namaishi Raido. I have also reason to believe that your father taught them the Hiraishin no Jutsu. Ofcourse, their mastery of the technique is a far cry from your father's as I am aware that they need to combine their efforts in order to execute the technique, in other words, if even one of them is taken out then they lose the ability completely..." Kabuto trailed off, a sinister smirk forming on his facial features.

"In light of the situation, I have a little gift for you." Kabuto said as a small white snake slid out from under his right sleeve, the snake slithering on the floor towards Naruto's direction.

"A single bite from this snake will release a special poison into the blood stream of the enemy, the poison contains a chemical that induces a truth serum effect on the victim." Kabuto explained, watching intently as the small snake climbed up Naruto's leg and disapeared under the sleve of his hoari.

"You've done well Kabuto. I don't think I could have gotten my hands on this kind of intel on my own. Thank you." Naruto said ernestly.

"There's no need to thank me. You did the same for me when you freed me from Orochimaru's shackles, it's only natural that I'd do the same for you. We're friends now aren't we?"

"That goes without saying." Naruto declared, a sinister smirk morphing into his facial features, Kabuto also spotting a replica expression.

'These two are way too similar!' Guren thought with a mental roll of the eyes.

"By the way Kabuto, how did you get your hands on Uzumaki dna?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Aaah before I answer that, there's something you have to know. Remember you told me you wanted me to see if I could recruit more members for Akakistune?"

"Yes..?" Naruto prompted.

"Well, I was only able to recruit Guren, there were three other members that I had in mind, but as it turns out Sasuke beat me to them. I guess letting him live was not such a good idea after all." Kabuto said tauntingly, even though he himself was quite miffed at the fact that he never anticipated Sasuke having such a keen eye for talent.

"Who are these people?" Naruto demanded.

"Hozuki Suigetsu, Ryuch Juugo, and Uzumaki Karin...!" Kabuto said theotrically, taking pride in the fact that he was able to press so many of his new master's buttons in the space of an hour, something that he did for no reason at all either than the fact that it amused him.

"Uzumaki...!" Naruto asked forcefully.

"Yes, Uzumaki...!" Kabuto said with special emphasis.

'That twisted bastard, he's enjoying this isn't he?' Guren thought in bewilderment.

"Speaking of Uzumaki, you should hurry up and go back to Uzu, Naruto-sama. There are a few surprises waiting for you there as well." Kabuto said mysteriously.

"What are you talking about? Spit it out, Kabuto!" Naruto demanded.

"Just saying, you and Karin aren't the only Uzumaki alive you know, rumours of New Uzu have been whispered in the underworld, and naturally, survivors of Uzu's destruction who went into hiding have been drawn back to their homeland with hopes of a brighter future." Kabuto replied.

"Tche! You sadistic bastard! Stop raising his hopes so high, you make it sound like a whole clan's worth of Uzumaki have joined Uzu. It's only two Uzumaki so far, and there's no guarantee that they'll be more." Guren retorted.

"Two Uzumaki? Who are they?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"Uzumaki Fuka and Uzumaki Honoka. I don't know alot about them, actually, I only know their names." Guren replied.

"I see..." Naruto trailed off, a nostalgic expression taking form on his face.

'This is it! This is even better than I thought. I can't believe I never once considered that there could be other Uzumaki people out there. Anyway, I'll have to make a point to get this Karin away from Sasuke's clutches, and oh dear God please tell me she hasn't developed an infatuation for Sasuke like so many other foolish girls have.' Naruto thought with trepidition.

'Well, if she has, I'll just have to kill Sasuke. There's no way I'm allowing his blood into my clan, I'll even kill Karin herself if need be...wait! What am I so concerned about, there's no way a true Uzumaki would fall for that prick is there?' Naruto thought with a sigh of relief, mentally patting himself on the back for managing to pull himself back to his senses, not having a clue just how wrong he was.

"Speaking of Uzumaki again, Kabuto, is there any chance that you could do what you did with Manda with human dna?" Naruto asked curiously, causing Kabuto's face to split into a maniacal smile.

"I think our bond just became a whole lot stronger! I like the way you think, Naruto-sama!" Kabuto exclaimed just like the mad scientist that he was

"So it is possible?" Naruto reiterated.

"Yes, it is indeed possible. However, you must understand that this will only be a dna replica of the original, it won't have a soul or a mind of it's own, it will just be an empty vessel that can be programmed at my own discretion." Kabuto explained.

"That's just what I wanted to hear." Naruto said with a small smirk.

"N-Naruto-kun...what are you planning to do?" Yakumo asked with trepidition, not at all liking the direction that this conversation was going.

"My father sealed my mother's chakra and consciousness into me just before she died. If you remember I told you that I actually met her in my mindscape when I tried to take control of the kyubi. I made sure she didn't use up all of that chakra and stored it in a different part of my seal and mind scape. If Kabuto can create an exact replica of her body, I can transfer that chakra and consciousness into that body and she can come back to life. Her chakra and consciousness should be able to pull her actual soul back to her body from the pure world and into the impure world. Even if that doesn't work, I could use edo tensei to ressurect her and then directly transfer her soul from the reanimated body and into her new body." Naruto explained.

"Sugoi! You can actually do something like that!" Yukimaru exclaimed with astonishment.

"It's not something I could have done on my own, but with Kabuto's help, there's actually a chance we could pull it off. However, that's not something I think we should do quite yet. If we do it for me, then everyone else will want it done for them as well. In that case, it is probably better to wait until everything has stabilised and we have created peace in the world. It would be cruel to bring them back to life during a time of war" Naruto explained.

"Hahahahahaha! Ahahahaahaha! Naruto-sama. This is it! This is it! Naruto-sama, I'm going to enjoy working with you...!" Kabuto exclaimed in elation, everyone else wondering if mable a cable had broken loose inside Kabuto's head.

End Chapter