Itachi Uchiha: Turn Back the Pendulum

Chapter 8

Uzumaki vs Akatsuki

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"Shinra Tensei!" The two waves of gravity collided causing an enormous shockwave to tear through the cave, shattering the walls and roof into different directions.

Everyone barely managed to keep their footing as the shock wave dissipated.

"You seem to have grown accustomed to those eyes boy. Need I remind you, they were my eyes first?" Madara warned as he got into a battle stance. Nagato took on

a stance of his own, while Konan and the rest of the Akatsuki tensed up. Nagato and Madara continued staring each other down, neither one making a move. Madara

suddenly sprung out into hand seals and sent a torrent of flames at Nagato. Putting his hands up, Nagato absorbed all of the fire in one go before his arm unhinged

and shot out several rockets at Madara. Madara dodged them with ease as they set off several explosions on the ground. The two disappeared from sight and were

suddenly engaged in a taijutsu battle. Neither side seemed to have the upper hand as they fought with everything they had. Obito and the others attempted to step

in, but they were blocked off by what seemed like endless exploding tags coming their way. They were forced to dodge to the other side of the mini-battlefield as

Konan appeared in a flurry of paper. Kushina looked up at her from her restraints then looked back at the battle between Nagato and Madara.

"What the hell is going on…?" Kushina mumbled. Konan glanced down at her before forming a blade out of paper. Kushina glared at her as she watched her take a

swing at her. Suddenly the seals holding her bindings in place were torn apart as Konan returned her attention to her battle. Kushina looked surprised for a second

before grinning viciously. Standing next to Konan, she glared at the Akatsuki who seemed to be unaffected by this.

"What the fuck are we waiting for, we can cut these fucking bitches throats now!" Hidan shouted as he charged recklessly. His charged was met with intense pain as

he was skewered by several hundred paper shuriken. Kakuzu summoned his five hearts while Sasori summoned several puppets. Orochimaru slipped into the shadows

to observe the fight while Obito and Kisame stared down the duo.

"You don't honestly think you can beat all of us, do you?" Obito asked. Kushina glared at him.

"You are a disgrace to your sensei and your teammates Obito. I don't know why you became this way, and honestly, I don't care. You are a monster now, and I will

settle this before anyone else gets hurt! Dattebane!" Kushina shouted as she summoned several chakra chains out of her back. They tore through the puppets Sasori

sent at her and killed one of Kakuzus hearts. Obito charged at her, phasing through the chains and was upon her. He took several swipes to try and catch her, but she

dodged expertly. Obito growled as went to disappear, but was struck in the side with paper shuriken. He disappeared from sight after that, his chakra signature

completely gone. He appeared behind Konan and caught her wrist and twisted it behind her head as he placed a kunai at her throat.

"What does it feel like knowing you're going to die? That no one will remember you?" Obito whispered to her. Konan struggled against his grip as he laughed.

"You are going to die now." Obito said as he ran the kunai across her throat. Instead of coughing up blood like he had expected, the sound of shredding paper was

heard. Sighing her turned around to see a slightly panting Konan staring him down, while Kushina futilely fought against Kisame, Kakuzu, and Sasori.

"You're all going to die you know. Why do you continue to fight?" Madara asked calmly as he and Nagato continued their battle. Nagato stared at him with equal

composure.

"A boy once fought me… he was able to beat me. At first, it seemed unfathomable, a simple boy beating a god. Then I realized it. It wasn't about difference in strength.

It was what we were fighting for. He fought to protect those he cared for. I fought to instill pain in everyone. He taught me that my way wasn't right. So now, I will

stop you. Even if it costs me my own life!" Nagato shouted as he summoned several beasts. Madara stared at them bored before making his own hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Suddenly the area was will with dozens of undead ninja. Nagato, Kushina, and Konan froze as they saw how immensely they were outnumbered.

"Do you still persist to fight us? Even against these odds?" Madara asked, genuinely curious. Nagato steeled his gaze.

"Allow me to show you… my might!" Nagato shouted as he threw a chakra receiver at Kushina, piercing her arm.

"What the hell?! I thought we were on the same side!" She shouted. Suddenly she felt a pull on her as she appeared distance away next to the six paths of pain and

Konan.

"What just happened?" Kushina asked.

"I summoned you out of the battle field. You would only get in the way." Deva path said as he stared in the distance.

"So you removed your allies from the battle? Either you are very confident, or very foolish." Madara said as the Akatsuki and Edo Tensei ninja surrounded Nagato.

"I may be a fool. But I will not allow your plans to come to fruition. Prepare yourselves… Chibaku Tensei!" Suddenly a black orb shot up from Nagato into the sky and

began pulling everything in the area towards it. Nagato coughed up a small amount of blood as he used to the jutsu.

Madara stared at the jutsu in interest as all of his comrades were quickly being dragged into it. Madara smirked as a thought came to mind.

"Tengai Shinsei." A giant meteor formed in the sky and began to crash upon the slowly forming ball of earth. The jutsu clashed, creating an enormous explosion

sending debris everywhere. Nagato began panting heavily as Madara stared him down barely breaking a sweat.

"Do you see now how outmatched you are?" Madara asked. Nagato glared at him as the Akatsuki began to surround him. Glancing around himself Nagato took a deep

breath. He summoned his six paths and they each stared down one of the Akatsuki members.

"You think you can win fucker? We'll rip your fucking head off, then your fucking eyes out!" Hidan shouted as he charged human path. The path side stepped him and

swiped his legs out from under him. Placing a hand on the mans head, the path jerked its arm to the side, visibly pulling out Hidans soul.

"One down. Who's… next…?" Nagato panted out as blood slowly poured from his mouth. Kisame, Obito, Kakuzu, Sasori, and Orochimaru all tensed while Madara merely

stared him down with indifference.

"You managed to kill the weakest of us. Oh so impressive. You also seem to be a bit tired." Madara said sarcastically. Nagato leveled a glare on him. Killing intent slowly

began to rise off of the Uzumaki. There was a chill forming in the air, and Nagatos chakra was nearly visible with the amount he was pumping out. Madara looked on

curiously at this while everyone else developed a cold sweat. The chakra levels could be felt for miles.

"Shinra… Tensei!" Nagato shouted as he pumped all of his chakra into it. The resulting pulse of gravity was greater than any of them could have expected. Sasori was

shattered on impact, Obito managed to slip into his vortex in time, Orochimaru continually shed his skin, burning through nearly all of his chakra in the process, just

barely escaping. Kakuzu lost three of his hearts in one go. Kisame had his arm ripped off as he was sent careening through the air. The one who got the brunt of the

attack though was Madara. He was nearly crushed by the force, several of his bones shattering on impact. He was sent flying, tearing through the landscape itself. He

came skidding to a halt on his side and looked up, blood dripping from his mouth, bruises and cuts covering his form.

Looking around himself, Madara had to admit he was impressed. The amount of destruction that jutsu had caused was astronomical. The crater that was caused was

at several miles in diameter. Madara attempted to stand up, but fell to the ground coughing up blood. Now his anger began to boil. This pathetic Uzumaki, this traitor,

had nearly killed him. It was unheard of for anyone to even lay a hand on him, better yet put him at deaths door.

Standing in the center of the crater was Nagato. However he looked nothing like he did before, as his hair was pure white, his skin aged, and his body decrepit. He

was panting heavily before he fell to his knees, coughing up blood. He looked toward Madara in the distance and saw the nearly dead man. Using the last vestiges of

chakra he had left, he picked up sharp piece of rock and carefully aimed at the downed Uchiha.

"Shinra Tensei…" Nagato whispered as he shot the rock at Madara. Madara's eyes widened at the incoming object, but his body wouldn't respond to his attempts to

dodge. Suddenly the rock was sent flying off course Madara used his gravity control to send the rock off course.

"Damn it…" Nagato said as he continued coughing up blood. The air in front of him warped as Obito appeared in front of him.

"I told you I would have your eyes." He said coldly. Nagato glared up at the man, coughing up blood. Obito got a cruel look on his face as he reached out at Nagato.

"I hope you are able to handle pain, Pain." Obito mocked as he shoved his fingers into Nagatos right eye socket and ripped his eye out of his head. Nagato screamed

in agony as his eye was ripped out of his face. Nagato clutched his bleeding eye socket as he began to feel the chakra exhaustion setting in. Obito went to reach for

his second eye when he was forced to dodge back to avoid being hit.

"Get the fuck away from him!" Came Narutos voice as he charged Obito with a Rasengan. Obito allowed him to phase through before kicking him in the side of the

head from behind. Naruto rolled with the hit as he continued to assault Obito, spawning several clones to attack him from every angle.

"You won't win. You are weaker than me." Obito said coldly. Naruto glared at him before continuing his charge.

"That's where you're wrong. He has something to protect!" Hashirama's voice came from behind him. Obito tensed up as he phased through the two of them, letting

them nearly crash into each other. He hopped next to the downed Madara and placed a hand on him, absorbing him into his pocket dimension. Obito, however, chose

to stay.

"You all are becoming quite a thorn in my side. Why won't you just accept the peace I offer you?" Obito asked earnestly. Naruto glared at him while Hashirama relaxed

his stance.

"What you want isn't peace! It is pretty much slavery! That's not what ero-sennin would have wanted. Peace comes from understanding and forgiveness! Not from

some special eye thing! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted at Obito.

"You… you really are a fool aren't you? There is no such thing as true peace! You're al idiots if you believe that! I will personally destroy that faith you have in peace!"

Obito shouted as he charged Naruto. Naruto huffed then donned his cloak and met his charge.

"Naruto, no! It's a trap!" Hashirama shouted as he attempted to come between the two men. He wasn't fast enough as the two clashed and both disappeared into

Obito's vortex. Hashirama cursed as he couldn't sense the two. Kushina landed by his side while Konan was instantly by Nagato's side.

"Nagato! Nagato! Please don't die! Don't die, not now! I can't have lost you both!" Konan cried to her last friend. Nagato looked at her with a small smile on his face.

"Konan… Don't worry. My death is not in vain. Naruto is the hope of the future. He will be the bringer of peace. I gave it my all, but I still didn't have enough. He,

though, is more powerful than me. He can defeat those who oppose peace. He can be the bringer of Yahiko and my dreams. Konan, thank you for being my friend.

Please… don't die…" Nagato said as he drifted off. Konan silently wept as her friend stopped moving. Kushina and Hashirama were silent as they watched the woman

lament Nagato's death.

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The world spun for Naruto as he was thrown into an alternate dimension, and then was tossed into a desert. He looked up and saw Obito appearing out of his

dimension.

"What the fuck?! Why did you bring me here? So your goons can help you gang up on me?!" Naruto shouted. Obito glared at him coldly.

"No. This will just be you and me. I fully intend for you to learn how weak you truly are, by my hands alone." Obito said as he got into a fighting stance. Naruto glared

at him as he too prepared to fight. There was a moment of silence. Then the wind blew slightly, the sunning lightly burning their skin. There was several vultures flying

in the sky, looking for an easy meal. Everything exploded into action. Naruto charged Obito at high speeds. Obito matched his speed, shocking the Uzumaki. As they

were about to collide, Obito phased through Naruto and went to kick him in the back. He was blocked by a chakra arm appearing out of Naruto's back. Clicking his

tongue, Obito phased through Naruto's counter attack and slammed his heel into the Uzumaki's face. Naruto spun with the hit and attempted to bisect Obito with his

claws. Instead of phasing through this attack, Obito ducked under the swipe and slammed a fist into Naruto's stomach, sending the younger boy flying through the air.

"You hit hard…" Naruto said as he wheezed before standing back up. Obito started making hand seals before blowing out a giant stream of fire. Then he used his

Kamui to warp the flames into a spiral, increasing their strength and range exponentially. Naruto dodged into the air and formed a Rasenshuriken.

"Take this! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted as he through the jutsu at Obito. Obito looked at the incoming ball with disinterest. He moved at high speeds, dodging the

jutsu. He let a long black chain slide out of his sleeves and charged Naruto. Naruto made a Rasengan and met his charge. Obito smirked slightly as he phased through

the attack. Just as he made it through he wrapped the chains around Naruto's arm and wrenched it back, slamming the Rasengan into Naruto.

Naruto screamed in pain as his own powerful jutsu was used to tear into his shoulder. Obito didn't let up, as he spun Naruto around in a circle with the chain, building

up momentum. Naruto was about to counterattack, but just as he attempted to grab the man with his chakra arm, Obito became intangible, sending Naruto flying.

"That's really fucking annoying you know!" Naruto shouted as he landed on his feet and skidded back.

"Are you beginning to realize how hopeless this truly is?" Obito asked. Naruto glared at him and snorted.

"As if. You're just scared that I'm going to win, so you're trying to psyche me out. Dattebayo!" Naruto replied. Obito narrowed his eyes at this.

"Allow me to show you just how outmatched you truly are." Obito said as he made a single hand seal. Suddenly wooden spikes began to protrude from his right arm.

He pointed his arm at Naruto and the spikes shot forward, nearly piercing the Jinchuriki, who made a frantic dodge. Obito charged at high speeds to capitalize on

Naruto's surprise. He swiped at Naruto, slicing his chest with the wooded spikes on his arm. He whirled on his heel and slammed his foot into Naruto's face before

catching the airborne boy's ankle and slamming him into the ground. Not halting his attack Obito slammed a spike through Naruto's stomach. Naruto screamed in pain

before he punched the Uchiha away. He hit Obito just in time before he could phase through the attack.

Naruto let the Kyuubi cloak disappear and went still. Obito began stalking over and started to laugh hollowly.

"Have you finally given up? Do you see now?" Obito said as he stood over Naruto. His eyes widened as he looked at Naruto's face and he dodge the wooden spike

that Naruto threw at him. Naruto stood, with orange pigments around his eyes. When he opened his eyes he had horizontal rectangles for pupils, and his iris were

golden in color. Obito glared at him as Naruto stared across at him.

"Let's see how you do against a sage." Naruto said calmly. Obito looked on, slightly angered that the boy dare challenge him. Obito ran at Naruto and phased threw a

straight punch. Naruto waited until the last second of collision and batted away his hand and planted a foot into Obito's stomach, sending the man flying across the

desert ground. Obito rolled onto his feet, a bit of blood trailing out of his mouth, but generally looking unaffected by the attack.

"If that's the best you have to offer… Then you are pathetic." Obito said as he vanished into his vortex. Naruto closed his eyes and waited. Suddenly he felt a chakra

source appear behind him. Spinning on heel, Naruto backhanded Obito just as he appeared. Obito was knocked through the air by the attack. He landed on his feet

and glared at Naruto who had yet to move from his spot. Suddenly the Uzumaki disappeared. Obito was barely able to trace the movement and dodged to the left as

Naruto's heel landed where he had just been standing. Obito attempted to backhand Naruto who ducked and went to swipe Obito's legs out from under him. Obito

phased through him and kicked Naruto in the side of the head. Naruto barely felt the hit as he punched the Uchiha in the gut causing him to cough of blood. As if he

hadn't just been hit, Obito kicked Naruto in the stomach and stood across from him. The two were bleeding heavily at this point, but neither appeared to be in much

pain.

"I will admit Naruto. You are stronger than I expected. But you still won't win against me!" Obito shouted as he charged the Uzumaki. Naruto met his pace and created

a Rasengan. Obito narrowed his eyes as the two got closer. It all came down to a split second. Everything seemed to go silent. The two forces were inches from each

other. Just as they were about to collide sand wrapped around Obito causing his eyes to widen.

"What?!" Obito shouted as he phased through the sand and Naruto and jumped a distance away. Standing off to the side was none other than Gaara.

"You think I wouldn't notice a fight of this caliber in my desert? You are truly a fool then." Gaara said monotonously as he sent more sand at Obito. Naruto stared in

surprise at his fellow Jinchuriki. Obito glared at the duo before he began disappearing into his vortex.

"I told you Naruto, you cannot defeat me. It took your little friend to not die. Remember that." Obito said as he disappeared.

"Naruto. It seems that the Akatsuki are making their final move." Gaara said as he turned his head slightly towards Naruto. Naruto wiped some blood off of his face

before looking angrily at the place where Obito had stood.

"Yeah… They are trying to finish what they started. And I'm not gonna let them do it." Naruto said as he started wobbling. Gaara's sand caught him before he could fall,

then was used to carry Naruto back to Suna.

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"You lost Naruto?!" Sasuke shouted at the former Hokage. Kushina was with Mikoto, who was trying to console her.

"I don't know what happened after he disappeared. Their chakra signatures were just gone." Hashirama said solemnly. Sasuke was furious that his best friend was

lost.

"I'm going to find him." Sasuke said with finality. Itachi leveled a look on him before sighing.

"For once, I agree with this rash decision. If Naruto is captured, then hope may be lost. We are going to have to spread out and find him." Itachi said, determined.

"What would you have us do?" Hashirama asked.

"Get ready. You are going to go with Tobirama. Your job is enter sage mode, and then, with Tobirama's help, you are to move throughout the elemental nations as fast

as possible to try and sense Naruto Uzumaki." Itachi said from his desk. Hashirama nodded and left to find his brother.

"What do you expect me to do then? Just sit here and wait?!" Sasuke shouted. Itachi had a small smirk grace his face.

"What I expect you to do is to make a scene." Itachi said. Sasuke looked at him inquisitively.

"You, as well as Orochimaru and Kakashi are to hunt down every known location the Akatsuki have used. Raze the hideouts. I intend for us to flush them out." Itachi

said. Sasuke too had a smirk on his face now.

"Yes Hokage-sama."

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"That traitor managed to nearly kill us, and then that child nearly killed you. Apparently the Uzumaki are not to be trifled with." Madara said. He was currently in bed,

covered in bandages. Obito glared at the elder Uchiha.

"He did not almost kill me." Obito said sternly.

"Whatever you wish to believe. The fact is, the Akatsuki were nearly decimated by one man." Madara said. Obito went silent in contemplation.

"I have the Rinnegan now. They have no hope of defeating us now." Obito responded. Madara ignored him, instead looking at the ceiling above him. Obito glared at

the man one last time before leaving phasing away. He appeared in a distant forest and put his mask on. He made began to walk aimlessly reflecting on his previous

fight. The Uzumaki boy was strong. Almost too strong. But he wasn't strong enough to stop him.

Why did that irritate him? Why was he angry that Naruto wasn't stronger enough to defeat him? Obito couldn't quite comprehend this feeling. He expected to win, for

his plan to be successful. So why did he feel some form of connection to this boy?

Pushing aside these thoughts, Obito noticed he had entered a town. Tanzaku Town. He had not been here since he was a chunin. Oddly enough there was no

nostalgia that came with the return. Obito had no need for those feelings, they just left him feeling hollow and angry. He walked around the town, seeing happy

couples and children running around. He saw gamblers losing all of their money. There appeared to be a festival of sorts going on. Obito couldn't stand it. How could

they be happy when there was a war going on? How could they go on and enjoy life when people were dying? What was this? What was going on? This didn't make

sense. It almost seemed like they were… peaceful.

Denying these thoughts Obito began to feel his rage build up. This wasn't true peace, this was just a shadow of it. At any moment they could break out into violence

over a game gone wrong, over someone getting drunk and starting a fight. The eye of the moon plan was the only hope of true peace. Not some faith in some Uzumaki

who barely understood the concept of peace.

"Akatsuki!" A voice yelled. Obito glanced towards the voice and saw three four man groups of Anbu surrounding him. So, they were here to kill him? Fools.

Obito remained silent as he awaited the Anbu to make a move. There was a standoff, neither side making a move. The Anbu moved first, one charging in with a sword

drawn, another two attempting to flank him two jumping back out of the battlefield, and the rest preparing to make hand seals. Obito sighed in boredom as he became

intangible. The two flanking and the one charging him all clashed blades inside of him. They looked shocked as Obito slipped through the blades to the ground. Then he

became tangible and swiped out the legs of everyone surrounding him. Suddenly several fire balls and water balls were shot at him. He allowed them to simply pass

through him.

"I'm growing bored of this." Obito mocked as he easily weaved in and out of their coordinated attacks. Obito disappeared at high speeds and skewered one Anbu with

a wooden spike. The screams of all of the civilians were growing annoying. Four Anbu surrounded him and struck with their blades. Obito phased through the blades

and through one of the Anbu. He backhanded the man, piercing his skull. Not done yet, he slammed a palm onto the ground, causing several trees to grow and root

the Anbu in place. The trees then began strangling the three of them, suffocating their screams. Obito looked up to see a fireball coming at him. Using Kamui, he

absorbed the fireball, then proceeded to fire it back at the Anbu, incinerating three of them.

'Eight down. Four to go.' Obito thought as the last of the Anbu took up a defensive stance around their two medics. Obito laughed mirthlessly as he vanished using

Kamui. No longer able to sense his chakra signature, the Anbu tensed up. Suddenly it returned right in the midst of them. The two in front attempted to swing their

blades back at the man as he appeared. They were a split second to late, as they phased through him, cutting down their own comrades. Obito caught the wrist of the

man on his left, snapped it, and took the blade before cutting the arm off of the other Anbu. He wrenched the blade free from the falling arm, then sliced them both

across the chest. The two ninja hit the floor writhing in pain. Without even looking at them, he pierced their skulls with their own blades. The area was empty now, all

the civilians having run in fear.

"Fools. All of them. They think they stand a chance?" Obito said as he used Kamui to disappear.

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"This is really boring." Kushina said as she sat with Mikoto in her home.

"I know you want to be on the frontline, but seriously, do you think that's a good idea?" Mikoto asked with a small smile.

"Of course! I'm gonna kick those guys asses! They won't even see it coming dattebane!" Kushina shouted as she pumped a fist into the air. Mikoto sweat dropped at

her old friends habits.

"If you say so Kushina…" Mikoto said with a sigh. Kushina laughed at this, but inside she felt hollow that her son was missing. Mikoto noticed this and stood up,

grabbing her friend by the arm.

"Come on, we're going out." Mikoto said with a smile on her face. Kushina stared blankly at her before getting a grin on her face.

"Alright, let's go." Kushina said as the duo went out. They began walking through the village, making small talk. They were in the market when they began to overhear

some of the other villagers gossiping.

"Have you heard? The demon's gone!" One villager said.

"We're finally rid of that menace."

"Although… didn't he help save us during the last two invasions?" One villager asked.

"Who cares?! He is the Kyuubi incarnate!" Kushina began shaking in anger. She moved to lash out at the villagers, but Mikoto grabbed her arm and held her back.

"It's not worth it…." Mikoto whispered. Kushina glared at her before turning the stare to the ground.

"You should be thankful." Everyone looked up at the sourced of the voice to see team Gai, minus their sensei.

"You don't seem to understand how much Naruto truly cares for this village. He loves every one of you, he fights, ready to die, to protect you all. And this is how you

honor him? By slandering him for something out of his control. How he can find it in himself to forgive you all… I don't understand." Neji said coldly.

"Yosh. Your flames of youth are dim. Naruto is a hero, he sacrifices everything for you. How can you not understand that?"

"Yeah… I don't think you all comprehend just what he's out there doing." Came Shikamaru's voice from down the road as he walked towards the group with team ten.

"You guys are all idiots! If that's how you want to act, you don't deserve his protection!" Ino shouted. Kushina was staring at all of the teens, shocked as they

defended her son. More villagers began to gather as the scene grew.

"You brats have been brainwashed by that demon. Everything that has gone wrong is because of him. He is the one who brings all the destruction to this village!"

Another villager shouted as a mob began to form.

"You don't even know Naruto! How can you say he is a demon if you don't even acknowledge him!?" Sakura shouted as she walked up next to Ino. Chouji nodded his

head fiercely in agreement.

"The guy might be a dumbass, but he sure as hell is strong, and he ain't one to just give up when someone's life is on the line. Does that sound like a demon to you?"

Kiba said as he joined the crowd.

"What has he ever done for any of us? He skates by on the coattails of everyone else, he's just a dumbass brat.

"Shut up! He is someone who gives everyone around him confidence, his will drives everyone else!" Hinata shouted shocking everyone who knew her. The crowd

began to grow restless as they argued back and forth. Suddenly and intense killing intent was felt, filling the area. Everyone froze and looked up to see Itachi standing

on a light pole, staring down at them.

"I will not tolerate disorder of this level in my village. Disperse. Now." Itachi ordered as the crowd slowly broke apart and disappeared. After the crowd was broken up,

Itachi jumped down onto the ground and looked at all of the gathered ninja.

"I should punish you for losing your cool and getting into a petty argument… but I would have done the same if I wasn't Hokage, so all I can say is… I'm proud to call

you my Shinobi." Itachi said with a small smile. The younger ninja all grinned at their Hokage's approval before a happy look appeared on his face.

"We have received word from Suna. Naruto is with the Kazekage, he was found fighting Obito in the desert near the village. The Kazekage sensed the chakra of the

fight and intervened. Naruto is all healed up and will be returning in three days. I have already sent word to the Shodaime and Nidaime to have them return." This was

met with a round of cheers. Kushina got tears of joy in her eyes that her son was safe, and everyone decided to be there when Naruto came back.

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Obito was adjusting to his new eye. He Rinnegan was quite powerful he noted. He couldn't help but want to test out his new power. He glanced over his shoulder to

see the six former Jinchuriki the Akatsuki had killed. They each had a Sharingan and a Rinnegan. They all were silent, and moved at his mental commands. Obito

laughed sadistically as plans began to formulate in his head. Soon, the war would begin. All of the Bijuu had been sealed into their respective former hosts.

"Prepare yourself Uzumaki… Itachi… I will win." Obito said to no one in particular. Zetsu appeared out of the ground catching Obito's attention.

"Kabuto has done his job, however he is now dead."

"The summoning was a success."

"With all of the reincarnations we have, are plan is guaranteed."

"There is no chance of us losing now." The two Zetsu spoke back and forth. Obito smirked beneath his mask.

"Good. Let's go see our latest work." Obito disappeared into his Kamui. Zetsu melded into the ground, following his lead.

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"Back to the village! Come on let's hurry dattebayo!" Naruto shouted as he ran off ahead of the Suna transport team.

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"That's another hideout down. No one but a few spies in this one too. I wonder where the rest of the Akatsuki is…" Sasuke said as Kakashi, Orochimaru, and him stood

in front of a destroyed cave.

"It's better if we don't find them. We honestly don't stand a chance against all of them." Kakashi commented. Orochimaru remained silent as he contemplated what his

counterpart's next move would be.

"We need to get this done quick. I have a bad feeling about the other me." Orochimaru said. The other two leaf ninja nodded as they all disappeared.

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"Bee, I'm getting sick of the Akatsuki walking around like they are untouchable! It's time we make a move! I am ordering a Kage summit!"

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"Things are progressing at an interesting pace… I'm curious as to what is going to happen next." Madara thought aloud.

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"Where… am I?"