chapter 1

The premise of this particular fic is that after a successful retrieval of Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto is exiled from Konoha on the charges of attacking his teammate, attempted murder and etc. With practically all of Konoha and most of his friends turning on him, Naruto leaves the Konoha village, until 7 years later, he is once again needed to his village, but Naruto has drastically changed, in personality, power and abilities, and no longer needs neither the hat of Hokage, the title that he despises, nor to do anything with Konoha and its Shinobi. There will be dark secrets revealed about Naruto, Third Hokage and even Naruto`s parents, so you have been warned. And also, yes, I`ve pushed the timeline a bit, so instead of being 16 years old when Naruto comes back to Konoha, he`s around 21, and he has made himself a life.

Now, without further ado, enjoy the reading.

Konoha. Council Chambers. Several days after the success of Sasuke Uchiha Retrieval Mission.

Naruto Uzumaki stood right in front of the entire Council of Konoha, consisting of both Shinobi and Civilian parts, with three councilors Homura, Koharu and Danzo sitting right in front of him, with the current Fifth Hokage, Tsunade Senju, looking at him with tired, saddened and practically defeated look. Young Genin of Konoha felt of himself many glares and fury of the Council, from both the Shinobi and Civilian sides, with Civilians not hiding away the hatred, spite and some kind of sick satisfaction at seeing the Kyuubi Jinchuriki in bandages, with a sling and just barely visibly alive.

Sasuke has done a very great number on Naruto, piercing his chest, breaking his bones and injuring Naruto so badly, that if it had not been for Kyuubi and his chakra, he would`ve bit the dust before he had managed to knock that bastard out and drag him back to Konoha. And just as he did that, fatigue, bloodloss, torn muscles and broken bones finally forced Naruto to collapse at the gates of his village, and the last thing he saw before passing out was Sakura and Kakashi running towards them, followed by Tsunade-baa-chan and Shizune-nee-chan. With that sight, Naruto was sure that he had completed the mission and everyone would thank him, and with those thoughts, he passed out.

Unfortunately for the blond orange loving goofball, when Naruto woke up several days later, he found himself as an object of unified hatred and fury of practically all of Konoha. Not even an hour after he awoke, Sakura had come to visit him, and Naruto greeted her with a smile and cheer, but all he received were two punches in his face and a broken nose, followed by proclamations of hatred, endless berating and statements of Naruto breaking his promise to Sakura about bringing Sasuke back to her unharmed. Naruto didn`t have either strength, will, nor opportunity to answer back, before Sakura left Naruto, calling him a demon and a monster. That brought back bad memories of many, many times when Naruto had been called that way, and along with blood flowing out of his broken nose, tears came as well, the feeling of betrayal and suffer creeping its way into his heart again.

Over the course of the day, Naruto had received many guests, and all were worse than the last one. Shikamaru, the leader of the mission and one of the few people that Naruto saw as a friend, had berated the young blond on his recklessness, brutality and deceit that Naruto had used for so many years, as Shikamaru revealed to Naruto that now everyone knew that he had Kyuubi in him. This revelation came to Naruto as a shock and a stab in the heart, as Shikamaru called Naruto not only an idiot, but also a cheater, thinking that the reason for Naruto`s abilities was all attributed to Kyuubi. After he left, the rest of the teams also came in, calling out Naruto on him being a Kyuubi holder and his seeming cheating in everything. It hurt, hurt like hell for Naruto to hear them all call him out a cheater, traitor and worse, with the being convinced that Naruto had tried to kill Sasuke instead of bringing him back. They didn`t care for Naruto`s side of the story, none of them. With each and every berating and shouting, Naruto`s fragile believes in his friends, good of the people and even the Will of Fire crumbled and eroded away. By the time evening rolled in, almost every genin of his class had visited Naruto and gave him a lashing of his lifetime, with only those that were still critically injured and Hinata not paying him a visit.

When the evening came in, Naruto`s sensei, Kakashi has finally showed his masked face, and Naruto had hoped that at least he, the man that was responsible for Naruto, would explain to him what was going on and let Naruto speak up. But alas, Naruto`s heart sank even further and his beliefs were shattered, when Kakashi, with a tone of disappointment and harshness, told Naruto how he was disappointed with Naruto, stating to him that his mission was to bring Sasuke back unharmed, yet Naruto seemingly went out of his way to lash out on him, all because of the petty rivalry. Naruto listened as this man whom he considered to be the closest thing to an older brother and even father was verbally destroying him, revealing to the young blond the real colors of Hatake and his endless favoritism of Sasuke Uchiha. Kakashi ended his tirade about the importance of teamwork, how Naruto had went up agaisnt everything that he had taught him, and also agaisnt the teachings of Naruto`s favorite Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, with information, that Naruto was no longer his student, nor was his secret protected as Konoha Council finally revealed it to everyone in the open. When the cyclops had left Naruto, young blond looked worse than ever, with a feeling of his soul being torn to shreds and his heart crushed to nothing. For the first time in years, Naruto had wished that he was dead…

When the night rolled in, with Naruto hoping to at least lay down and sleep, he received the very last visitor- Jiraiya, the Pervy Sage and a man that Naruto had admired almost as much as the Third Hokage. By the end of his visit, Naruto`s opinion had changed drastically, as Jiraiya had expressed the very same disappointment and anger with Naruto as everyone else, with Toad Sage going as far as to admonish Naruto for using Rasengan on his friend to kill him and relying on the demonic fox to fight Sasuke. Just like all the others, Jiraiya cared not for Naruto`s critical condition and what Sasuke had done to him, instead focusing on Naruto`s "failures". Toad Sage had expressed to Naruto, that Lord Third and Fourth would be sourly disappointed with Naruto, especially the Fourth, along with informing young Genin that he was no longer a summoner for Toads, as Jiraiya had terminated Naruto`s contract. Everything that Jiraiya had said, Naruto simply took in with a blank expression, showing no emotion or anything, only letting his tears fall freely as the man he once respected was berating him for practically nothing. When Jiraiya left Naruto, young blonde simply had simply stared at the wall with the dead expression and not even will to move anything. Years of berating, beatings, isolation and hatred, and now all coupled with what he heard today from essentially the closest people Naruto had…

Everyone has a limit to how much pain and sorrow they can take, and no matter how strong your spirit is, how powerful your will is and how much light you have in your heart. Naruto Uzumaki had always clung to the belief in best of people and that he had those that cared for him, yet today… Today he faced the harsh and cold truth of his life- no matter how much he had tried, fought, bled and protected, people of Konoha will always see Naruto as a demon and trash. And with this realization, came the understanding that Naruto`s dream of becoming a Hokage was only ashes to him now, because with so much pain, suffering and sorrow that he had experienced, Naruto`s soul couldn't hold onto a hope of finding happiness in Konoha any longer. For the first time in his life, Naruto had let the long quenched and restrained hatred for Konoha gain a hold of his heart. It was always there, festering and expanding, like a cancer, with every glare, every beating, berating, bias and more and more. Naruto had tried as hard as possible to quench it, but now… He accepted the simple fact that he had realized when he was a kid: he hated this place, he hated the Konohagakure and he hated it`s people for all they`ve done to him. Naruto has had enough and the wall that held back his darkness finally crumbled, with the blond accepting the cold and harsh reality as it is.

The next morning Naruto was woken up from his dreamless sleep by Anbu and Shizune, informing him that he was summoned into the council chambers immediately. With the help of Shizune, Naruto was able to dress up and get to the place, where he stood now, feeling the collective glares, hatred and resentment from everyone in here, safe for Tsunade, Shizune, Kurenai, Anko, Hinata and Anbu guards that were here, as Jonins were also summoned here, along with Heirs of Clans and current generation of Genins, including Sasuke, who was looking at Naruto with a victorious smirk and arrogance that couldn`t be hidden away even by a Hokage Mountain. Out of everyone in the room, Kurenai and Anko Mitarashi were looking at the bandaged and battered boy with unhidden sadness and sympathy, with Kurenai, much to everyone`s surprise, practically having tears in her eyes, while Anko was supporting her, while Tsunade simply allowed her tears to fall. Naruto was surprised at looking at them all, but in his mind, he already knew what this was all about and he was already prepared to what was to come. He has had enough of Konoha already and seen how rotten it is for him, so there was little to nothing that they could to surprise Naruto at this point.

"Genin Naruto Uzumaki, in light of your atrocious behavior towards Konoha, dishonorable actions in the field, attempted murder of Clan Heir and fellow shinobi of Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha, usage of A-rank Kinjutsu and endangerment of Hidden Leaf Village by releasing Kyuubi`s Chakra, the Council of Konoha has found you guilty of all charges. You are hereby stripped of your status as a Genin and a Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, your property, valuables and money are stripped of you in order to compensate the damage done by you to Uchiha-sama and this village." Koharu read the verdict, with Naruto gritting his teeth from anger at how all of them have stripped Naruto of all that he essentially had. "In addition to that, the Council of Konoha has found your presence in this village and Land of Fire to be a danger to both the village and our country. Because of that, you are hereby banished from Konohagakure no Sato and the Land of Fire for life. Should you ever be found within the borders of Hi no Kuni, you shall be executed on sight as an enemy of the state and traitor to Konoha. You have 24 hours to leave Konoha and one week to leave the Land of Fire. Now, place your shinobi license and your headband before Lady Hokage."

Naruto`s bangs of hair hidden away his eyes, but his entire frame was speaking of one thing: unbridled hatred and fury. The sick satisfaction of civilians, Shinobi council`s smirks, the victorious looks of Sakura, Sasuke and councilors towards him, all and far more was making Naruto utterly furious, yet he contained it all in himself. This village has practically destroyed him, making sure to kill him since he was an infant and now… Now it had achieved what it always strived for, while he was stupid and idealistic enough not to see it from the day one. Slowly, with a pain in his muscles and bones, Naruto made his way to Tsunade, who looked at him without hiding away her own pain and suffering.

She had initially saw Naruto as small brother, but over a few months, her views on his changed, and Naruto became far more like a son she never had. Tsunade may`ve never showed it, yet it made her heart warm when Naruto called her baa-chan, occasionally even a kaa-chan when she was particularly caring towards him. Not long after Tsunade had returned to Konoha and saw just how horribly Konoha has treated Naruto, she tried to her hardest to ease the hidden pain and anger that Naruto had in him, helping him however she and Shizune could: restoration of Naruto`s apartment, good food supply, clean water, new and clean cloths and more. And now, this village has destroyed the young blond and everything that was good in him for this place, and it hurt Tsunade. Hurt even worse when she had lost Dan and even Nawaki, as to her, Naruto was her son, and she was the one to fail him. As she was absent, tending to Naruto`s injuries, Council took this as a golden opportunity and used it to the fullest, doing its best to exile and destroy Naruto, take away everything that he had, all right under Tsunade`s nose. Tsunade had never hated the village her grandfather and granduncle had built, but after this and what she had found out later on in Sarutobi`s files, Tsunade truly, for the first time in her life, felt an utter hatred towards this place.

Naruto saw the familiar pain in Tsunade`s eyes, and only gave her a sympathetic look. Young blonde may`ve hated this village now, but not Tsunade, nor Shizune. They were never the ones to hurt or betray him. No, they were about the only ones to truly help him, to care for him as he was and without any deceit. He may`ve looked like a fool, but even Naruto knew that this farce was fully on hands of the Council and not his surrogate mother and sister. With a free hand, he took off his head band and placed it onto the table, followed by his license on top of it. When Homura was about to reach it with her hand and a sickeningly satisfied look, Naruto slashed a kunai right into both of the, piercing the symbol of the village and his license, surprising and shocking everyone, as kunai went right through both objects and table, earning him even more heated glares. Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Naruto finally spoke up.

"Good riddance." Was all that he said, with a voice filled with coldness, hatred and resentment, one that was completely foreign to everyone`s ears, with Kurenai, Anko and Shizune breaking down at those words, while Naruto wobbled away from the chambers, not caring for the insults thrown towards him by his former friends and others.

"Naruto!" Right when Naruto was about leave the building, he was stopped by the voice of Tsunade, making him turn around and see her coming towards him. "N-Naruto, I am so sorry, I…"

"Don`t be." Naruto simply stated to Tsunade, surprising her a little. "You and Shizune-nee-chan had nothing to do with it, I know it. The Council, Civilians, Shinobi, advisers… I long knew that they wanted to get rid of me, I was just stupid enough not to accept it. I`m actually surprised they`ve even allowed me to live, I was ready to meet the executioner`s blade, to be frank with you."

"Naruto, don`t say it like that! It`s not like you!" Tsunade practically shouted at him in shock. "I know that what happened here was harsh and it was utterly atrocious, but don`t let it get to you. I-I will overrule them and they`ll regret ever doing such a thing to you, a-and you`ll be back i-in no time…"

"Kaa-chan…" Tsunade was immediately stopped when Naruto called her like that, looking at the greatly saddened face of her surrogate son. "…Thank you, you and Nee-chan for everything. I know that you mean well and want the best for me, but please… Just let me go. You and I both know that this village and all of those people, they`ll never accept me as you and Nee-chan had accepted me. To you, I am Naruto, but to everyone else, even Kakashi-teme and Jiraiya-teme, I am a disappointment, a cheater, a demon and only a tool to be used and tossed away like a trash. They, Sakura, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and everyone else have let me understand it all too well."

Tsunade was shocked when she heard of it, instantly understand what had happened. Naruto had been visited by all of them and must`ve received on hell of a verbal lashing out that it had finally broke her favorite blond. Tsunade was gripping her fists and stopping herself from going right towards all of them and snapping their necks one by one, followed by their parents and friends for doing such a thing. Hell, the first one on her list was her own former teammate, Jiraiya, whom she hated at his this moment more than even Orochimaru. He was entrusted with Naruto, had taken him as an apprentice and did this to him.

"Jiraiya, I hope you already left this village, because if not, I`ll personally send you to Hell for this!" Tsunade mentally swore to herself. "And you, Sarutobi-sensei, I hope your pitiful soul is suffering in Shinigami`s stomach for what you have done to my Naruto and allowed those bastards out there to do to him. If only my parents and grandparents had seen it, if only Minato, my boy, had seen all of you and this…" Tsunade thought to herself with deep sadness as she remembered the Fourth Hokage. "Argh, screw you all! You may take away everything from my Naruto here, but you won`t take away from him what belongs to him by his birthright, nor will I just abandon him, not the second time! To Hell with being a Hokage and all of you fucking bastards!" Tsunade wiped away the tears and looked at Naruto, pulling out of a pocket a green storage scroll and giving it to Naruto.

"Naruto, this storage scroll contains water, provisions, medicaments, cloths, money, books, scrolls and a map from Senju`s vault. This is all yours." Tsunade surprised the blond when she gave it to him. "The food and water will be enough for you to last at least a year, while there is also more than enough money to start a new life somewhere nice, while scrolls and books should teach you what those two bastards should`ve. Don`t worry or even think about returning any of it- all of that is yours and I won`t hear otherwise." Tsunade said to him with strength.

"B-but why?" Naruto asked with a shaky voice, shocked at Tsunade giving him so much.

"Because you deserve it all, Naruto." Tsunade simply said to him, kneeling down to him and pulling him into a warm, motherly hug, with tears again flowing out of her eyes. "Y-you just s-stay safe out th-there, okay? I-I`ll send out Katsuyu to you with l-letters and i-if you need anything, just ask, o-okay?" Naruto, with a shaky hand and small tears of his own, embraced his surrogate mother.

"O-okay… Kaa-chan, th-thank you." Naruto said to her, with Tsunade looking at her surrogate son with a small smile and tears speaking up to him.

"N-Naruto, i-inside the scroll, there is a map with a detailed paths and directions to a particular place I`ve marked for you. I want you to unseal it once you leave the village and far away from it." Tsunade instructed him. "When you are feeling well enough, travel to the place marked there."

"And what are that place?" Naruto asked of Tsunade.

"It is the Uzushiogakure, the Land of Whirlpools and ancestral home of Clan Uzumaki, your clan and clan of your mother and my grandmother." Naruto looked at Tsunade with wide eyes. "The place may`ve been reduced to rubble and ruins by Iwa, Kiri and Kumo many years ago, but they`ve failed to destroy what is hidden away there: the legacy of Uzumaki and Senju Clans. And I entrust it all to you, Naruto. Use it how you see fit." Naruto nodded to her with a smile, before Tsunade pulled out a two envelopes with the stamps of Hokage on first one and one of Clan Senju on another. "Naruto, when you get to Uzushiogakure, I want you to open them. I know you have many questions about both your parents, the Kyuubi and much more, and I hope that in those two letters, you`ll find your answers. I am sorry, I wish I could tell you all you wish to hear, I really do, but…"

"It`s okay, Kaa-chan, I get it." Naruto smiled to her, hugging her one more time before parting with her. "I think I will be on my way now. I don`t want to spend any more time here then I already have, and I don`t want to give them all another chance at lashing out at me. Can you tell Shizune-nee-chan goodbye for me?"

"Of course, gaki, I`ll even send her to you from time to time with Katsuyu." Tsunade smiled to him. "Take care of yourself, Naruto."

"I will, and… I am sorry, Kaa-chan." Naruto said to Tsunade surprising her. "I know how bad this village has treated you and your family, and I am sorry for forcing you to come here."

"Don`t be sorry for that, Naruto." Tsunade said to him. "Don`t worry, as long as I`m Hokage, I`ll keep those bastards away from you, so that they don`t get any ideas at getting you back. You just find yourself a life of your own and be happy, really happy, you hear me? Promise me to be happy, okay, Sochi?" Naruto was shocked when he heard the woman that had been like a mother to him acknowledges him as her son, before eagerly nodding to her and smiling with tears to her. "Good, now go. And I`m hoping for the good news in at least 3 years, gaki!"

"What good news, Kaa-chan?" Naruto asked of Tsunade confused.

"Oh, for the love of… I mean, about you getting yourself a wife and kids, you gaki!" Tsunade practically shouted at him, shocking Naruto. "I want to have grandkids to spoil rotten, and Senju with Uzumaki won`t get back without new members, you hear me?!"

"Y-yes, Kaa-chan!" Naruto almost winced when she shouted at him, but then he felt the warmth of Tsunade`s embrace and how she kissed his forehead.

"Goodbye, Naruto. Go, and live a happy life." Tsunade smiled to him, as Naruto parted away from her and exited the building. "ANBU!" Hokage shouted, as ten of Anbu Shinobi appeared before her. "Neko, Okami, you`ll escort Naruto out of the Village and protect him while he leaves the Land of Fire. Anyone who will try to attack him are to be executed, no exceptions. Make sure that he gets to Uzushiogakure safely."

"Yes, Lady Hokage, as you wish." Both Neko and her partner Okami responded with clear eagerness and enthusiasm, already leaving to do their duty.

"Lady Hokage, is it wise to…" Boar had tried to speak up, but he was met with a powerful glare from Tsunade and his comrades from Anbu. "I-I mean, wh-what will Council and Advisors say…"

"To fucking hell what they`ll say or suggest, I am a damn Hokage and I`ve had damn enough of their scheming bitching!" Tsunade responded to them. "Saru, find that traitorous frog of a pervert and get him in my office in five minutes! If he resists or refuses, then do whatever is needed to get him, safe for lethal force."

"Lady Hokage, a personal request, if I may?" Saru, a female Anbu clearly from Sarutobi Clan. "Can I at least break him a leg, or a rib? I promise, he will be in a coherent state upon delivery."

"Saru, I`ve already said to you: if he resists, do whatever is needed to get him, safe for lethal force." Tsunade could`ve sworn she saw in Saru`s eyes a murderous gleam, though she couldn`t fault an Anbu. "If anyone is killing that bastard, that`s gonna be me. Tora, Taka, you are now on surveillance of Sasuke Uchiha. He tries to even get close to any of the gates or shows any signs of leaving, I authorize you to detain him with extreme prejudice and sent him to prison, got it?"

"With pleasure, Lady Hokage." Both responded, feeling especially vindictive for the young blond who`s suffering they witnessed today, leaving already.

"The rest of you, carry on as you were." The rest of the Anbu nodded and disappeared, with Tsunade seeing Kakashi and Haruno Sakura already coming to see her. "Hatake, Haruno, what do you two want, and be quick about it."

"Lady Hokage, I wish to ask you to train my Genin Sakura Haruno as a Medical Nin, since…" Kakashi had begun with his usual eye-smile, but he was immediately shut down.

"Denied! I will never train this disgrace of a kunoichi in arts of medicine and surgery, never in my entire life." Tsunade harshly and mercilessly replied, shocking Kakashi and Sakura.

"B-but, Lady Hokage, I-I have a perfect control of ch-chakra, a-and my grades w-were at th-the top of the class, and Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura tried to defend her position, but Tsunade didn`t give her any room for argument.

"And I am your Hokage, Haruno, and if I say no, then it stands, period! And as for you two, and that 'precious' Uchiha of yours, your Team 7 will now be on D-rank missions for the entirety of the next 6 months, half of your earnings will be exempt from you in favor of the Konoha Orphanage, while Sasuke Uchiha`s earnings will be only one fifth from the missions. Additionally, you are prohibited from entering the next 2 Chuunin Exams. And as for you, Kakashi, all of your earnings from those D-ranks and your next 20 C-ranks, because you will only stick to them from now on, you earn will be sent to Orphanage, understood?!" Tsunade gave them the death glare, shocking them.

"L-Lady H-Hokage, y-you can`t just…"

"I can and I already did, Hatake, so shut it. And if you think the Council will be able to overrule me, think again. Suggest you spend this time teaching your Genin some actual training instead of those teamwork exercises, because Sakura Haruno is now on month of probation due to her poor record as a Shinobi. If within the said month she does not improve her skills, I`ll personally boot her out of the Shinobi program and deny any appellations about return. And until the probation is over, no other Shinobi of any specialization will give her any training. The criteria for completion of the test I`ll give you later, Hatake, so you best get to work, because if she fails, then I will consider it as an evidence of your incompetence as a Jonin Shinobi and there will be a suitable punishment for this for you. As for your favorite Uchiha, I`ll be placing a Special Traitor Mark upon him, so as to make sure that pathetic excuse for Shinobi doesn`t escape again, and if he does, you know what will happen with him, don`t you?"

"Lady Tsunade, you are taking this too far. What could`ve caused my Team to suffer such uncalled for punishments?" Kakashi asked of Tsunade, genuanly shocked at hearing this, knowing full well just what a Special Traitor Mark means in Shinobi World.

"Your blatant bias, favoritism and also your inadequate work as Jonin, Shinobi, and self-proclaimed best student of Fourth Hokage, Hatake. Had you really cared for Minato`s teachings and followed him, you would`ve known by now, that you`ve sullied his memory and legacy in the worst possible way. Now, get out of my sight!" Tsunade roared at them, making the two scatter away from her, while her thoughts were once again with her surrogate son.

"Take good care of yourself, Naruto. And I hope you are watching over him, Minato. I am very sorry I had failed you, and I hope you`ll forgive me, my boy." Tsunade thought to herself, as she went towards her office, where she was greeted already by the sight of Saru literally tying up Jiraiya to the chair, while the Toad Sage was struggling to get out, but it wasn`t easy with a broken leg and arm.

"Lady Hokage, as you have requested." Saru pointed at Jiraiya, with Tsunade nodding to the girl and letting her go.

"Hey, Tsuna-hime, what`s the big idea?! If you were looking forward to spending some quality time with me, you should`ve just asked me." Jiraiya spoke up in an insulted, yet perverted way. "Just tie me down and we`ll…"

"Jiraiya, I`m tired of all those hints of yours. Now, what you are going to do is tell me everything you and our bastard of a teacher have done to Naruto, and Kami save you, if you try to sway your way around, I will make you wish you died, understand?!" Tsunade cracked her fists and was ready to make her former teammate suffer.

"Ts-Tsunade, wh-why d-don`t you c-c-calm down and w-we just s-sit down i-in a bar, like we used to, a-and…" Tsunade`s right leg connected with Jiraiya`s broke one, and a single kick was enough to shatter the bone even further. "ARGH! FINE! Okay, I`ll talk, I`ll talk, just don`t…"

"Talk, and best prey to your Toads I don`t kill you afterwards." Tsunade threatened him with full seriousness.

7 years later. Land of Waves.

Land of Waves, once a destitute backwater country under the heel of a mighty tycoon, now is a prosperous trading nation, with ports and markets always bursting with dozens of merchants, businessmen and traders from all over the globe. In all of Elemental Nations, there is no better trading hub than this nation, no better place to buy something at the best price and quality. And to all of this Land of Waves and it`s people who are enjoying their golden age owe to Naruto Uzumaki, the unjustly banished Shinobi of Konoha and a Hero of Wave. When the news had spread about Uzumaki`s banishment, Konoha suffered greatly on a diplomatic arena, losing diplomatic relations with Lands of Snow, Wave, Waterfall and, most recently, Suna, all of whom had connections the knuckleheaded Shinobi and viewed him with great respect and admiration.

Especially sensitive and painful was the diplomatic blow from Suna, which had managed to regain and greatly strengthen its position after the failed invasion and manipulations of Orochimaru. Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, has taken up office about 5 years ago and has put every effort to regain positions of Suna and strengthen them, succeeding in it, along with proving himself as not just capable, but also respectable and strong Kazekage. He mended the relations between Suna and Iwa, opening trade with them and even signing up a defensive pact with them, effectively ending the previous one with Konoha in favor of establishing better relations with Iwa, Wave, newly reformed Kiri and even Kumo. That blow to the pride and prestige to Konoha is still very fresh and won`t be forgotten any time soon, that is for sure.

And while most of the Elemental Nations were enjoying a period of relative stability and peace, currently in the Land of Waves, things have suddenly taken a turn towards the slight instability, when two persons wearing black cloaks with red skies on them appeared in the capitol, causing destruction and chaos right out the bat, causing people to run for their lives or become a cannon fodder for the Akatsuki. Usually, members of the illusive Akatsuki act with restrain and stealth, yet this particular pair has traveled all the way to the Wave for a specific reason- collect a very hefty bounty on Hanzo Hattori, an S-rank Ronin, a Shinobi without a Village, but not a Nuke-nin, who had played a critical part in Kiri`s Civil War, as well as in Mizu`s Civil War, which swept through country when Fourth Mizukage murdered Daimyo and his entire family.

Once a relative unknown, Hanzo appeared in Kiri over 6 years ago and steadily became one of the deadliest allies of current Fifth Mizukage and current Daimyo of Mizu, Ieyasu Tokugawa, earning himself titles such as Kirigakure no Oni and Kage no Shi, first one earned after Hanzo single handedly killed over 150 Kiri`s Shinobi, within an hour, and second after he killed the Fourth Mizukage in single combat. The war had ended about 4 years ago, yet Hanzo continued his work as Ronin, providing his services to first the rebuilt Kiri, then Kumo, later Iwa, and then to Suna, earning himself a reputation as a reliable, honorable and resourceful Shinobi. Konoha had also tried to offer him to come to their Village and work for them, but, much to their dismay, Hanzo refused every time, stating that he wanted nothing to do with them. Toad Sage Jiraiya had tried to track down Hanzo once, but only ended up drawing to himself attention of Iwa`s and Kumo`s Shinobi Corps, who were all too happy to repay their debts to Hanzo. Only about 2 years it became known that Hanzo presides in Wave, which is where Akatsuki have decided to go and get the elusive Ronin

Kakuzu of Jiongu and Hidan had thought that Hanzo`s reputation was exaggerated and he would be taken down by them easily. They were proven wrong, badly, as Hanzo quickly appeared before them and somehow not only transported them out of the center of the capitol and onto a clearing, but was overwhelming the pair and driving them both to their ends. Kakuzu had already lost 3 of his hearts and was running low on chakra and endurance, while Hidan had been incapacitated by Hanzo early on by a very powerful Genjutsu of some sorts. Kakuzu had tried to get to Hidan and break it, but it proved futile as Hanzo intercepted him and it cost him 2 of his masks and hearts already. And now he is stood in his long range form with stiches all over him, while his opponent, dressed in a black sleeveless samurai shirt with red trimming on its edges, underneath which was an armored torso plating, with a black mesh body suit, shoulder and wrist guards on them, while hips were protected by samurai-like light armor with a black Anbu pants, leg guards and closed boots. On the back of the shirt was a symbol of a raging red tornado made in a way of red seven pointed shuriken surrounded by numerous handless blades. Hanzo himself possessed black, with a bit of silver, spiky hair, with a tail behind his head and two spiky bangs on either side, blue, closer to silver, eyes and a black featureless face guard that covered all beneath the eyes. In his hand he held a katana with a black handle and a slightly longer than usual blade, while the additional sword rested on his right hip.

Hanzo looked at his battered opponent, sheathing his sword and speaking up.

"From what I can tell, you only have enough chakra left for 4 more minutes in that form, no less." Hanzo noted out, looking at Kakuzu. "I can simply stall you until you run out, but that would be too risky on my part."

"True enough, and I can`t take any more risks!" Kakuzu sent out his stitched arms right towards Hanzo, using it as a diversion, while his hidden Lightning mask deals the finishing blow from behind Hanzo.

Hanzo saw the stretched arms making way right towards him, but he also sensed how Kakuzu`s last Mask was charging up its blast from behind and shooting at him. Deciding to finish this fight, Hanzo swiftly made a series of four hand signs, channeling out of his body chakra.

"Wind Style: Rasenkaze." Hanzo mentally said to himself, as the wind particles, charged up with his chakra began to spin around him, forming a dome of lightning fast microscopic blades that shredded Kakuzu`s arms and stitches into nothing, along with protecting Hanzo from the Lightning blast of Kakuzu`s mask.

Immortal bounty hunter roared in utter pain, as his arms were destroyed and he lost any ability to cast his jutsu. As the dome of Rasenkaze dissipated, Hanzo turned his attention to the last mask of Kakuzu, disappearing out sight for a second, and reappearing right in front of it, followed by a quick series of signs, charging up his chakra.

"Wind Style: Kaze no Yaiba." And from Hanzo`s palms flew out invisible small disks of wind, swiftly striking the Lightning mask and shattering it, with the rest it`s stitches falling apart.

Hanzo turned his attention towards Kakuzu, who was already trying to escape from seemingly unbeatable opponent, literally running in the opposite direction from him.

"Damn it, I haven`t been so soundly beaten since Hashirama Senju nearly killed me! That Hanzo is nothing like the Amekage one. It`s like I was fighting Itachi Uchiha without Sharingan, but with Kisame`s endless supply of chakra and speed of Fourth Hokage, damn it!" Kakuzu thought to himself, as he ran past his still entranced partner, leaving him to his fate. "I need to inform the Leader that we might have a serious problem with…" Kakuzu`s train of thought had been stopped, when he suddenly saw Hanzo standing right in front of him, and charging what seemed like a spinning ball of pure chakra with fire coursing through it.

"Should`ve ran when you had the chance, bounty hunter. Fire Style: Rasentaiyou." Hanzo simply said, as threw the flaming ball of chakra at Kakuzu.

Once the sphere had connected with Kakuzu, it immediately expanded around Kakuzu, engulfing him and burning away all that there was of him and everything there was in a radius of two meters, including grass, leaves, trees and even stones and ground, like a small miniature sun, in honor of which it was named. Once it had dissipated, Hanzo let out a sigh, seeing only the glass floor where once was Kakuzu and nothing more.

"One down, one more to go." Hanzo simply said to himself, moving towards Hidan, who still stood immobilized, with only his face giving away the twitches and micro spasms, with his three bladed scythe laying down. "Another one of Jashin fanatics… Like I haven`t had enough of you in Mizu no Kuni." Hanzo, in a swift motion, grabs his left katana and easily, with a speed of a lightning, slashes Hidan`s head off of him, breaking his Genjutsu and letting the dismantled body fall onto the ground.

"Wh… What the fucking shit piss did you do to me, you cocksucking bitch?!" Hidan immediately shouted at Hanzo, seeing his head laying on the ground and his body near him. "Do you know what I`ll do to you when I get my hands on you, you motherfucker."

"No, because you won`t have a chance." Hanzo took out of his shirt a black featureless scroll and opened it up, revealing a very accurate and strong sealing encryption on it, making a series of one handed seals. "Uzumaki Secret Fuinjutsu: Demonic Void Prison." And as Hanzo said that, a black demonic hand reached out of the scroll and grabbed a hold of Hidan`s head, pulling it inside of the scroll, with the symbol of Oni appearing in the center of a circle after the sealing was complete, before Hanzo closed the scroll and put a powerful protection seal upon it, so as to prevent its` opening.

Taking away the scroll, Hanzo let out a sigh that carried a bit of tiredness in it, as while it may`ve been a relatively favorable fight on his part, it was still a tough one none the less, especially considering that those two were from the Akatsuki. He was counting himself lucky today that he faced off against Kakuzu and Hidan, who had long managed to establish themselves a fearsome reputation in underworld and all across the Elemental Nations. It is always easier to fight off against the enemies that are famous, since their abilities are known at least in scarce details, and those two weren`t the stealthiest lot, so Hanzo, knowing that he would eventually become a target of the Akatsuki, prepared himself for an occasion. Still, he was extremely lucky that they not only were among the weaker Akatsuki, but also underestimated him, badly. However, while he may`ve won this match, their appearance here means only one thing for him and his family.

"There`ll be others, and next time they`ll probably send someone of a better skill, much better." Hanzo thought to himself, as he made a series of hand signs. "Fire Style: Ao Endan." With that, he spit out of his mouth a flame of blue fire and engulfed with it the body of Hidan, standing over it and watching how the dismembered corpse turned to ashes and never to return. "Considering that a single Ronin has managed to kill both Akatsuki members at the same time, they will most certainly send those that are the most proficient and dangerous to deal with. And since I don`t know who is at their top, yet, I can only prepare for the arrival of Itachi and Kisame, and either of the two could easily kill Kakuzu and Hidan, so it won`t be a walk in the park with them, especially not with Itachi. And worst of all this: we`ll have move out of here, and soon." Hanzo let out a second sigh, knowing full well what a pain it`s going to be for him and his family now. "Well, point standing around here. The girls must be going crazy with worrying out at home." And with that said, Hanzo disappeared in a flash of black.