Chapter 41: The Next Steps

AN: Hey guys, once again another chapter is out today! Yay! Thanks for the reviews as always.

To Reviewer Silver1997: Right, I thought that too when I wrote it. As shinobi Haku and Izaya have great physical stamina, but you know when you're really excited for something that you race with all your might and it becomes more of an unconscious gesture of expression than actual physical exhaustion. Anyways, that was Haku and Izaya getting excited for Maro's recovery. Hope you continue to enjoy :)

Chapter 41

Whiiiirrr!

A cold wind blew past as Naruto and I stood in the ruins of the paper tree that held Konan and Nagato previously. We stared cautiously at the masked Akatsuki member in the distance as he sat there nonchalantly on a tree branch.

"You! What the hell did you do?" Naruto said with a scowl.

"Hahaha! Well, I came to retrieve Nagato. After all, with Sasuke out of the Akatsuki it is best for me to secure as much power as I possibly can." Tobi said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. Tobi took a glance at Naruto before answering, "There's no need for you to know. For now at least." He then turned to me and said, "You sure placed some intricate seals and barriers around the body of Uchiha Itachi. Even I can't get through without paying some consequences. The Third Hokage must place a great deal of trust in your judgement."

I furrowed my brow and said, "So, you went after Itachi's corpse after all? Still planning to use that as leverage to win over Sasuke?"

"Hahaha! Well it doesn't hurt to try. But it seems I will have to give up on that avenue. In my current state I am not strong enough to bear the consequences of those protective seals on his body for now. I never imagined that Itachi would tell Sasuke the truth. I'm curious what Itachi showed Sasuke that he would be willing to put aside that heart of vengeance of his. I was quite confident in Nagato's ability to capture the Nine-Tails, but apparently I thought too highly of him. You also intrigue me Karasuma Izaya." Tobi said.

"Why so interested?" I asked.

"What is it you desire? I could use a man of your talents." Tobi replied.

"Unfortunately I'm not interested." I said.

"Oh? I assure you there are many things I can offer you that Konoha cannot." Tobi said testing the waters. I ignored his offer and said, "What I'm more curious about is that you actually visited Itachi's corpse meaning you bypassed Konoha's barrier without being detected. Itachi called you Uchiha Madara. I find that hard to believe however after so many years."

"Uchiha Madara? Who is that? And why did he visit Itachi's corpse? What the hell is going on? And what did you do with Nagato and Konan?" Naruto asked in frustration.

"This one has no patience I see. I took away Nagato's corpse. I also took away Konan. She'd end up as a thorn in my side after Nagato's death. I'm impressed that you both managed to convince Nagato to revive your fallen comrades in Konoha by sacrificing his life for theirs. What did you say to him to make him change his mind?" Tobi asked.

"Give Nagato and Konan back!" Naruto shouted.

"Hahaha! After I just grabbed them, of course I won't just hand them back. Well, if you're not going to talk then that's fine. I was just slightly curious, but since Nagato has failed I have many things left to prepare. Farewell." Tobi said as he vanished into thin air.

"That bastard!" Naruto fumed.

I let out a sigh. This didn't happen before. Events are definitely changing. I had at the very least wanted for Konan to join our side. I turned to Naruto and said, "Naruto. He's gone. There isn't anything we can do for right now. Let's return to the village first and help repair what damage was done."

"Tsk. Damn it." Naruto said as he clenched his fist.

Fwish!

"Oh? Naruto, you're back." Kakashi said.

"Mn." Naruto said with a complicated look on his face. He looked around at the devastation of the Leaf but let out a soft sigh of relief as he realized that Nagato had indeed revived the fallen. He then recalled the things Nagato had said and how he suffered and how he came to his answer. He thought about what he would have done if they had traded places and what he would do continuing forward. A large crowd soon gathered by Naruto as sounds of cheers could be heard when they saw Naruto walk out from the forest.

"Eh?" Naruto had a confused look on his face. Kakashi smiled and said, "They're cheering for you Naruto."

Tsunade smiled as well before saying, "Where did you go? The villagers that had died were miraculously revived. I assume you did something right? By the way, have you seen Izaya anywhere?"

Naruto looked around for Izaya with confusion but couldn't find him. Just as he was about to say something I flew to Tsunade's location and said, "I'm here."

"Izaya? Where did you go? Do you know what's happening?" Tsunade asked. I nodded my head and said, "I followed Naruto to meet the original Pain, Nagato. With his Sage Mode and my sensory skills we found where he was. After speaking with him we were able to come to understand his perspective of the world. He was different than the other members of the Akatsuki. After coming to an understanding he sacrificed his life to revive those that had fallen in Konoha. If anyone should be thanked it should be Naruto."

Tsunade closed her eyes for a moment to take in what I said while Naruto was majorly confused. He hadn't done much at all except get frustrated, sad, melancholy, furious, pained, he had a rollercoaster of emotions going on inside of him during the entire time they were speaking to Nagato. He didn't understand what Izaya meant with the explanation he gave Tsunade. Naruto looked at me with an expression that showed he was contemplating something really hard. He then said, "Izaya...Do you really think that there isn't anyway to obtain world peace?"

I paused in silence for a moment deciding how I should respond...Then, an answer surfaced in my mind. I looked at Naruto and said, "Does there absolutely have to be one? If you want my honest opinion then the truth is, I don't believe there is anyway to obtain world peace for everyone. But, just because there isn't a guideline or one absolute way to obtain world peace, that doesn't mean that you or I or anyone else has to stop searching for the answer. In a way, when people constantly search for the answer to world peace they are able to do good in the process. It's only when people look for an easier way out to obtain peace or give up and decide to forget about trying to make the world a better place, that is when the world falls into chaos. So continue looking for the answer. Even if you never find the answer, I'm sure that in the process you will be able to do a lot of good and affect the lives of many people in a positive way. Just like Lord Jiraiya. And you know what, I don't think anyone will ever find the answer, and I don't think that's a bad thing. Why? Because once you have an answer for what world peace is, then what? Do you just stop thinking about how to continue making the world a better place? Essentially, once you have an answer, you are prone to just stop at that point with no way to further improve. If we never find the answer to world peace, then that means that we'll just have to work harder and keep thinking on how to help improve and better the lives of people. I believe that world peace is a journey. And one that's never ending. However, I believe that you can definitely find an answer to your own personal peace."

Just as Naruto was about to speak up I interrupted and said, "Naruto. You are Nagato's junior disciple. In the end Jiraiya left his hopes and dreams with you. Nagato also decided to believe in you. His junior disciple. Kakashi also believes that you will one day surpass the Fourth Hokage. Tell me, what is your ninja way?"

Naruto stared at me for a moment before saying, "Never give up. Never go back on my word!" After listening to what Izaya said and reaffirming his resolve he had a brighter look in his eyes as I nodded in approval saying, "Mn. Good. Always look forward Naruto no matter how difficult the path you tread may be. Stand proud before the villagers. You deserve this much."

"Eh? But what about you?" Naruto questioned. I simply dragged him over in front of the villagers and whispered in his ear, "Naruto. You'll have to bear this burden for the both of us. Have fun!"

"But, you were the-..." Naruto started before I cut him off and pushed him towards the villagers. They proceeded to cheer and raise him in the air. I watched on silently. I recalled that I once told Yamato-sensei how I wanted to leave my mark upon the world. Whether that means gaining public recognition and approval I'm not sure yet. I was always used to never obtaining fame or glory in my past life for any of my missions that I completed. Perhaps my habit of doing things behind the scenes just suits me better I pondered silently.

Tsunade and Hiruzen walked over to me as they asked, "Izaya. If you went with Naruto to meet Nagato, where is his body?" I frowned at this moment and whispered back to them, "The masked man of the Akatsuki appeared out of nowhere and bombed the place we were at. Before we could take any countermeasures he successfully abducted Nagato."

"What? Tsk. It appears we truly have to hold a 5 Kage summit meeting soon." Tsunade said with gritted teeth.

"Mn. You should send out a letter Tsunade." Hiruzen commented. Tsunade let out a sigh as she watched Naruto in the cheering crowd and said, "That Naruto. He's truly grown up. By the way Izaya, what did Naruto say to convince Nagato to revive the villagers? In fact, what kind of technique even is it?"

I paused for a moment before replying, "He chose to believe in Naruto. He used a technique of the Rinnegan trading his own life for theirs."

"I see." Tsunade said as she recalled how she also chose to bet on Naruto. All the while Naruto continued to be thrown in the air by the cheering crowd not even getting a chance to say anything or having a chance to tell everyone about Izaya's part in all of this. Sasuke walked by me at this moment and said, "The village is in shambles."

I shook my head and said, "The buildings are material things. Easily replaceable. People are not. They survived. The village lives on. It just looks a bit messy. What are your plans?"

Sasuke took a moment to take in what I said. The village lives on through its people. Then what of a clan? Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Izaya replying, "Pain is defeated. I'll leave to find Danzo."

"Wait three days. I'll go with you. Give me a chance to help the village get a basic foundation going." I said.

Sasuke paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Three days..."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I looked to my left at Yamato and said, "Are you ready Yamato-sensei?" He nodded and said, "Mn, let's do this." Both Yamato and I weaved the signs of Dog, Ram, Snake and said, "Wood Style Row of Houses Jutsu!"

Fwish Fwish Fwish!

After we both performed our Jutsu Yamato turned and stared at me with a look that said unfair as I just smirked.

"Looks like I win again Yamato-sensei. You made 8 houses while I made 16."

Yamato's eyes widened in shock and said, "D-Double? You created twice as many houses as I did? Before you only won by one or lost by one! You played me didn't you?"

I just laughed and said, "Yamato-sensei, you clearly don't gamble much. You always have to give your opponent a bit of hope before you go all in." Yamato just sighed and said, "You grew up so fast. That's cheating Izaya-kun." I stretched my arms and said with a smile, "Well, how about instead of money we'll do it like this. You owe me one meal to ramen, one meal to Yakiniku Q, some ninja tools, and a few tickets to the hot springs." Yamato just face palmed and said, "D-Don't you think that it'd be okay to just choose one of those things? I mean, many of those places aren't even up and running yet."

"Heh. Yamato-sensei, you need to learn that when debt is owed then debt must be collected. Unless of course you are Lord Fifth. Then I don't have anything to say about gambling. I'll just come collect at a later point and time." I said proudly. Yamato just shook his head bemused. As I walked around town I took note of all the villagers working together to properly rebuild and help each other out in this time of difficulty...

Poof!

A cloud of white smoke appeared on the outskirts of the village revealing one Yuki Haku. "I'm finally back! Now I'll be ready to face Pain." He said as he took a step forward and looked at the village only to stop in his tracks the next moment in a daze. "Wh-What happened? No! Was I too late?!" Haku questioned as he ran as fast as he could towards the village. As he stood there in the middle of all the construction he had a look of shock.

"Haku?" Kimimaro said as he walked around the corner.

"Eh? Maro? Maro! What happened? Don't tell me I was too late?" Haku exclaimed. Kimimaro nodded and said, "Pain attacked a few days ago. But don't worry. It was handled. I know the village looks like it's in terrible shape right now but none of the villagers died."

"But...Eh? Really? Nothing bad happened to any of the villagers?" Haku asked suspiciously as he saw the state the village was in. Kimimaro just sighed as he proceeded to retell Haku of the events...

After taking a look around the town I ended up packing everything I needed to leave on my journey with Sasuke to find Danzo. The three day wait is up. I'll meet Sasuke outside the village I noted as I started my walk out. I stopped around the corner as I saw that Haku was back beside Kimimaro. Both of them were walking and stopped outside the Hyuga residence as they started talking to Hanabi. I smiled at the scene of the three closest people to my heart getting along.

"Hey." I said as I walked towards them.

"Big brother!" Haku exclaimed as he jogged towards me. "I feel ashamed. I left to go train under Mazu so I'd be strong enough to help out against Pain but I didn't even make it in time." He said. I poked his forehead and said, "There are greater enemies out there than just Pain. Don't stop training Haku. Don't get me wrong, we would have been glad if you were with us, but things turned out alright in the end. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"Mn." Haku nodded.

"Izaya!" Hanabi smiled at me.

"My lady." I replied teasingly as I bowed.

"Hmpf. Always joking around." She pouted. I smiled and said seriously, "It's actually a good thing the three of you are together. I have something to tell you all." The three of them focused their attention on me after the words left my mouth. I turned to look at Hanabi as I said, "I told you that if I were ever to leave for an extended period of time again that I'd let you know first."

After she heard me say that her heartbeat quickened. She and her father ended up delaying the trip to the Taketori Clan due to the attack and she hoped she could spend some extra time with Izaya before she had to leave for the trip but it turns out Izaya was leaving first.

"Where are you going exactly? Haku and I will accompany you." Kimimaro said.

"Big brother, although I just got back I'm ready to go anytime." Haku said.

I shook my head and replied, "I'm leaving on a journey with Sasuke. I'm not sure how long it'll take. Could be a week. Could be a year. This is a journey that Sasuke and I have to do on our own. It's personal. Please understand."

"Tsk. I feel like you keep leaving Maro and I out of things." Haku grumbled. Kimimaro nodded in agreement and said, "Right. We still haven't forgotten the Itachi incident when you just up and left."

I smiled saying, "That's because we're brothers. There's no need for too many words between us." Kimimaro and Haku just sighed defeated. It was their weak spot. Of course no matter what Izaya did, as sworn brothers they would always choose to believe in the decisions of their brother in the end. Even though they may end up not liking it.

I walked up to Haku and Kimimaro and pulled them into a tight hug and said, "Please don't worry about me. Just cause I'm not taking you guys with me doesn't mean I won't see you guys at all. You carry my special kunai after all. Keep training and become stronger. Remember all those years ago during the Chunin exams in The Forest of Death. What did I tell you both?" Both Kimimaro and Haku looked at me seriously as they recalled that memory and said at the same time, "We should always remember that the three of us are sworn brothers and will be there for each other forever. But we also need to realize that in order to grow stronger, sometimes we need to walk certain paths alone. As long as we do not forget where our heart is supposed to be, we will never lose our way."

I nodded in approval and said, "Haku, you are already beginning to find your path and in the end you are becoming stronger and stronger yet you never forget about us. You left to train and even came back as soon as you could. Continue doing what you are doing. You're on the right track." I turned to Kimimaro and said, "Maro. With the Pain incident over I assume Haku might return and continue his training from before. Take this time to find out how you'll develop your own ninja way. I'll be awaiting to see both of your progress the next we meet."

"Mn. Send for us if you need our help at anytime then." Kimimaro and Haku said. I nodded as I turned to look at Hanabi who had a frustrated look on her face. "Hanabi." I said softly.

"You idiot." She replied. I smiled at her as I said, "I'm sorry."

She pouted and turned her head away. "No. Stop saying that. You're always apologizing to me it doesn't sound genuine anymore." After a moment of silence she sighed and said, "I know I can't keep you here. You're a shinobi and have a lot of things you need to do. I've always trained hard because I am the next in line as the Hyuga Head but I feel like I'm lagging too far behind you."

"Heh. Don't worry Hanabi. We also feel like we're being thrown away." Haku said jokingly as Kimimaro nodded in agreement.

"Ha-haha….." I laughed awkwardly as I thought, Haku and Kimimaro are going to keep using the Itachi incident as a way to guilt trip me for a long time, aren't they.

In that moment Hanabi stepped out and embraced me in a tight hug. "Don't forget about me. I'm gonna train even harder now. Just you wait, next time we see each other I'll beat you to a pulp."

I wrapped my arms around her as we embraced for a few moments before we let go. I took off my necklace that had a small Flying Thunder God ornament on it and placed it around Hanabi's neck. "Hold on to this. I'll be back for it." I said as I disappeared.

"Hmpf. I said this before and I'll say this again. That guy really just demands stuff and then just disappears." She huffed before a smile graced her lips. She lightly touched the necklace and then turned to Kimimaro saying, "Maro. If Haku is going to train again then how about you and I train? I heard that you have a knack for Taijutsu."

Fwish!

Sasuke turned at this moment and saw Izaya. "I was beginning to think you decided not to come." Sasuke said.

"Ah sorry, I had some things to take care of first. Did you finish your goodbyes?" I asked. Sasuke paused for a moment as he recalled his incredibly super long goodbye to Naruto and Sakura.

Flash Back

"Sasuke, you just got back to the village! At least stay awhile first!" Naruto protested. Sakura momentarily paused in silence and in deep thought before saying, "Sasuke-kun...At least, let me come with you. I can help."

Sasuke took a look at Sakura as he thought about it. It was true that Sakura wasn't that weak little girl she was in the past. He didn't really know what helped her change so much but when he secretly watched her training the other day he was actually a bit shocked at her progress. Not only did she possess a monstrously overwhelming strength, but her Taijutsu skills were also above average. She could even perform some above average Genjutsu and her Medical Ninjutsu was even better than all of those. In fact, what shocked Sasuke the most was that her fine control over chakra was even better than his own. But in the end, Sasuke shook his head and said, "I appreciate the offer. But no. This journey of mine is personal. I need some time to think about what I want to do. I need to sort out my thoughts. Until I figure out my own feelings I think it's best for me to be away from the village for awhile. I'll travel with Izaya for a bit since we both have a debt to settle with Danzo."

"But...Tsk. Then let me come too! I'll clobber Danzo! I can't believe the things he's done." Naruto said through gritted teeth. Sasuke just sighed as he thought to himself, didn't he just hear what I said. I told him it was personal.

Sakura wanted to protest but held back. She looked up and said, "Sasuke. I've always believed in you. I'll believe in you this time too. I actually thought this might happen."

Sasuke was surprised at how accommodating Sakura was being right now. Sakura pulled out a box and handed it over to Sasuke. "What's this?" He asked as he grabbed the box.

"These are Soldier Pills. If you find yourself in a bind then use these. They can help replenish your chakra and stamina. A few are enough to last you three days and nights without rest. But make sure you find a safe place within those three days as you'll be exhausted after the effect wears off." She replied. Sasuke was surprised that Sakura predicted their parting and had prepared in advance. Naruto stared suspiciously at the pill box as he recalled eating some of Sakura's Soldier Pills before and remembered how terrible they tasted. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead but he elected not to say anything.

Poof!

White smoke appeared in the room as Kakashi appeared. "Yo." He said.

"Kakashi." Sasuke said.

"So you're going after Danzo eh?" He commented.

"So you knew." Sasuke replied.

"Well. It wasn't that hard to guess. Izaya is going with you isn't he." Kakashi replied.

"He is." Sasuke once again replied with short sentences. Kakashi let out a sigh and said, "I understand. Sasuke. Be careful. Don't try to do everything on your own. Team 7 will wait for your return." Sasuke paused in silence for a few moments before nodding his head and walked towards the door.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted prompting Sasuke to stop and turn around.

"What is it?" He asked.

Naruto put on a big goofy smile as he threw Sasuke's old Leaf forehead protector to him and said, "Heh, don't slack off!" Sasuke caught his forehead protector that had a scratch through the Leaf symbol and recalled his old rivalry with Naruto before smirking and saying, "Heh. Right back at you."

Sakura walked over to Sasuke with the best smile she could muster despite feeling dejected and said, "Sasuke-kun...Be careful." Sasuke stared in silence at Sakura for a moment before he poked her forehead and said, "Sorry. Maybe next time." He then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

End Flash Back

I stared at Sasuke for a long while as he seemed lost in thought. Guess it was quite a long goodbye I mentally noted. "Ahem. Well, seems like it went well. Shall we?" I said snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Ah...Let's go." Sasuke replied as we both dashed off looking for any clues of Danzo's whereabouts.