Chapter 98 :  The Will of Fire (1)

Sorry that this chapter took a little while to get here. I was really sick for a while there, and then we moved, so I haven't had a lot of time to write.

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Naruto took in deep breaths as he contemplated the new information given to him from Itachi.

He sat in his hotel room, the lights dim and the windows open wide, his empathy stretching the length of the village. Happy children clung to exhausted parents. Lewd and/or desperate women clung to unsavory men, and occasionally other women.

The festival was still going, and the influx of so many different emotions was slightly jarring. Joy, lust, exhaustion, greed, all these things were in huge amounts, and Naruto wanted to shut it out. It was strange, and annoying, he couldn't turn off his empathy. It was irritating at times.

He wished he could block it all out once in a while, but alas, the blessing was also a curse. Nothing was what it seemed in life, and there was no "easy".

Instead of getting upset with his "no off button" ability, he decided to go over what he had learned earlier that day.

His friend had sought him out when he was training with Sasuke and Gaara. The abrupt welcoming was so very Itachi-like, but everything after was not.

...

"Ah…" he chuckled, finally opening his eyes. "Itachi…"

They were connected, so Naruto and Sasuke could feel Gaara's shock. Uchiha Itachi was the missing-nin. He was a man even Suna knew to be extremely dangerous. Gaara had been told that if he ever met this man to let loose Shukaku and welcome death's cold embrace.

So to see him walk from the shadows behind his shishou with his crimson eyes blazing, it wasn't a surprise when the sand under their feet pulsed with life, ready to fight back the man who the monsters where even afraid of.

All but one…

"We need to talk, taicho." Itachi spoke, ignoring who was present. His crimson eyes gazed at the smirk on his sempai's lips, the bandages around his brother's eyes, the sand at his feet that circled him like a predator; all of this was taken in within seconds with the mighty Sharingan. "It is important."

Naruto raised a single eyebrow, curious with his friend's statement.

"You can speak openly here, Itachi." Naruto started. "What is so important you'd risk your cover to relay?" He asked. It wasn't like Itachi to "break character". He was a calm, analytical person, one who could keep a stoic face and slaughter his entire family. To see him even slightly nervous was something new.

He glanced at his brother, who stayed silent, not a trace of the egotistical revenge-crazed child he once thought would face him. Instead a calm, in control shinobi stood in his presence, confidence leaking off his flesh.

His brother was different.

"The Akatsuki…" he started, the words carrying an unknown weight to them. "They are here." His eyes examined his sempai's, the Sharingan deciphering everything. "But you already knew that, didn't you, taicho?" He shook his head. Of course his taicho knew. He knew everything, it seemed. "But do you know who all has come?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. Itachi was implying there was more than just him and Kisame. "Out with it then, Karasu." He used Itachi's ANBU codename, expressing his seriousness. He didn't want to joust with words this time.

Itachi involuntarily straightened out of years of habit, his ANBU days flooding to the forefront of his mind.

"Hai," he began. "Hoshigaki Kisame, Orochimaru of the Sannin, Sasori of the Red Sand, and myself have all congregated here." He looked his captain in the eyes, blood red meeting molten gold. "Our goal is to recruit Tsunade of the Sannin into the Akatsuki, and capture Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto was silent for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts at speeds that would baffle most. And then, he laughed.

"Your organization is so foolish, Itachi, it's almost comical." He shook his head. "I am perfectly capable of facing all of you myself, if need be, but I am not alone." He then smirked.

"Jiraiya is with me, and the two of us together are unstoppable. You cannot possibly hope to take on two master sages at once. Not even you are that thick. It's suicide." He then gestured to Gaara and Sasuke. "And these two are certainly not useless."

Itachi started. "We have been conditioning ourselves to withstand your chakra." He explained. "You won't be able to catch us like before."

"That is not a problem." Naruto replied. "Have you forgotten the power of a Sennin, Karasu? Have you forgotten what Jiraiya and I am capable of when we truly seek destruction?" Itachi involuntarily shivered at the memory of what the two could do together.

"Even if Tsunade were to join you, and if you fought like we were actual enemies, we would come out victorious."

"Arrogance does not suit you, taicho." Itachi said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I am not being arrogant, Itachi. I am merely stating facts." He finally stood from the ground. "I am more powerful than I ever have been. Jiraiya has also been studying and practicing my theories on Senjutsu. We are so much more than we used to be it even scares me at times."

That statement caused Itachi to shiver once again. "Nonetheless," he continued when he brought his trembling hands together to calm them. "You should be cautious. Those two with you may be strong, but they can't fight on equal ground with any of the Akatsuki, and you and Jiraiya may find yourselves overwhelmed."

Sasori was a man who could fell countries with his skills… every member of the Akatsuki could, actually, and there was four of them all readying to take Uzumaki Naruto down.

Naruto smiled. It was a monstrous, terrifying smile that would send lesser men running for the hills. "I can't wait." He stated in a voice that befitted a monster.

Itachi sighed, his eyes closing in frustration. He knew his taicho was incredibly powerful, outstandingly so, but there were, at the very least, four S-ranked shinobi, all of whom were borderline SS-class, ready to capture him. He wasn't truly Naruto's enemy, true, but he couldn't allow the others to question his loyalty. Their leader was too dangerous to cross, too powerful to openly defy.

Itachi decided to further his information giving. "The Akatsuki's leader has requested Orochimaru personally." He began. "I don't know why, but he believes the snake can give us something that will help us fight you on equal grounds."

He really had no clue why Orochimaru was requested, of all people, but he knew it wouldn't be pretty. The old hebi was brilliant when it came to chaos, and when he thought about Pain getting any stronger, he wondered if even Naruto could stand against him. Pain was the only man Itachi had ever been wary of.

Naruto was his friend, his taicho, there was no reason for him to fear the youngest ANBU operative in history.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, his face expressing his deep thought. Something felt… sinister, when he thought about Orochimaru being of assistance to someone powerful enough to cause his greatest agent even a sliver of fear. Itachi was a man who could and would do anything for his home, and the fact that this leader of his was strong enough to warrant a warning in person meant he couldn't be taken lightly.

He was powerful, and confident, but he was not arrogant, and his friend was trying to explain something he felt was of great importance to him, so he listened.

"Okay, Itachi," he started, "I hear you. I will not take the Akatsuki lightly." Itachi didn't show it – he didn't show much of any emotion – but he was relieved. "So let me tell you how this whole thing is going to go down." He stated in an excited voice.

Itachi knew that something glorious would transpire soon.

He could tell by the smile on the Kamikage's face.

...

Naruto took in another deep breath, holding in his smirk at his plan. It was devious, and he couldn't wait to wake up and have some fun.

After explaining his plan to Itachi, Naruto had ordered the Akatsuki spy to talk with Sasuke privately. They were true brothers, and they needed time to talk. The wounds that scarred their hearts and souls wouldn't heal unless they wanted it to, and with Sakura in his life, Sasuke no longer wished for death and mayhem.

He understood Itachi was not the one to blame, he was merely the tool.

Danzo… he was the one who would pay one way or another.

After the last Uchiha went to a private location, Gaara had gone to his own room, taking pleasure in something that was so foreign to him. He took a nap. Sleep was a privilege to the red-headed boy, and now that he could afford to close his eyes without fear of never waking up again, he slept whenever he was not needed. It wasn't the strangest hobby Naruto ever heard of, but it was up there.

Stretching his already massive empathy even further, he felt Sasuke and Itachi near their temporary training ground, both of the Uchiha expressing emotions that he had just recently come to know as well.

Acceptance.

Itachi accepted the new Sasuke, the monster who would one day surpass Uchiha Madara. And Sasuke accepted that Itachi was still his big brother, someone he still looked up to and loved more than most anything.

Older brother and little brother were once again reunited, and he could feel… something interesting. Yes, the Uchiha did react, even on a physical level, to highly strong emotional moments. Trauma seemed to awaken power, but love…

Naruto's smirk seemed to make the room colder.

The world would weep when the three of them were at their prime. The very thought sent shivers down his spine.

He then felt a peaceful Gaara, which was a stark contrast to what the boy used to be. In his sleep, Gaara felt pure, like he was still innocent, like he hadn't tasted the blood of hundreds. It made the blond smile.

The assassin's blade would become the monsters shield, and together they would be unconquerable. He was truly forging a formidable team.

He could feel Jiraiya, who was surprisingly not drowning himself in women and sake. No, his godfather was actually training. The raw power and determination his sensei was exuding was beautiful and spectacular. He knew that Jiraiya was powerful, but even then, whenever he felt the toad Sennin train or battle an opponent he was always so fascinated by it.

Jiraiya could be a lecherous bastard at times, but he was also someone Naruto respected and he recognized his power.

Tsunade was, as usual, with Shizune, at another pub. The woman seemed to drink more alcohol than Jiraiya, which was no small feat. He knew it was to keep her sanity, but it couldn't be healthy. Even with her insanely advanced healing abilities, her body would eventually give out.

A small tug pulled at his senses, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Kurama?" he asked.

'We need to speak with you, Naruto.' His very first friend's voice rang in his head. His tone was serious, and he knew Kurama wasn't in a joking mood. He could tell they needed to discuss something important with him.

Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift to his mindscape, where three giant beings stared at him. He looked at Kurama questioningly.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Naruto." Kurama began. "We just think we have discovered something you may be interested in."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he asked. "Do tell." He finished, curious at what they could have possibly discovered within his mind.

"You're power, it's unique." Son started. Naruto looked at him as if annoyed.

"Stating the obvious, are we?" He decided to tease the Yonbi.

"If you don't want to hear what we have to say, then just leave." Son replied irritably. Naruto held up his hands placating the lava-wielding tailed-beast.

"No, no." he began. "Please, continue."

Son looked annoyed but continued nevertheless. "As I was saying, you don't use chakra like normal humans." He started. "When I first met you, I dismissed it as a freak occurrence. You humans have a knack for developing skills that defy human possibility."

Here, Isobu took over. "Chakra was never meant to be used the way it currently is. Ninjutsu was forged in the corruption of our father's gift to the world."

Naruto was very interested on what his family had to say. "Ninshu," Kurama started the word with something akin to fond reverence, "Was the Rikudo Sennin's religion, his harbinger of peace. But like the fools they are, humans saw it as a means of power." Naruto could feel the Kyuubi's malice.

"The way humans currently use chakra is unrefined. It has no beauty to it, no purpose. It is inferior to the ways our father used it in every aspect." Naruto felt no malice towards him. It seemed the Bijuu held him in a separate category.

They didn't see him as human.

"There have been a few humans to tap into the real potential of chakra." Son started again. "The greatest example would be Senju Hashirama of the Mokuton." Naruto actually widened his eyes. The Shodai used chakra the way the Sage of Six Paths had?

"Mokuton is a very clever ninshu method." Isobu began. "It combined earth and water to create life. Life Energy, Naruto, is a key factor of ninshu." The pieces of the puzzle began to come together.

"With the Mokuton, Hashirama was able to subdue all nine Bijuu at once if he so wished. I thought he was the strongest human since the Rikudo Sennin." Kurama took up the conversation.

"I had never before seen someone with the same magnitude of raw life energy since our father." A monstrous smirk crossed the Kyuubi's face, mirrored by Naruto. Isobu and Son slightly shivered at how in sync the two were.

They were exactly alike, terrifyingly powerful and scary as all hell. "Until I met you, that is." He finished in a dark voice.

"So you're saying I'm like the Shodai?" Naruto questioned. "I use chakra how it was originally attended to be used?" This information was monumental. He loved to learn, and he was learning something so very delicious right now he was sure there was a stupid look on his face.

"Somewhat, yes." Son replied. "You of course use ninjutsu as well, but your core techniques, they are very reminiscent to our father's."

"We have watched you use your abilities, and we have come to a conclusion." Isobu started. "You weren't born with the ability to use and shape Natural Energy, or feel others with empathy. Those are but byproducts of what you were truly born with."

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the boy before them, a suspicious look marring his face. "You already somewhat guessed this, didn't you?" He asked. The other Bijuu looked at the two of them incredulously.

Naruto smirked at his first and best friend. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" He asked. He chuckled, nodding his head. "I knew that my Senjutsu prowess and empathy were derived from something, but what that something was I had not the slightest idea." He replied honestly.

He always knew there was something else, something below the Sage Dust and empathy, but he didn't have the information as to what it was.

"You already know the answer now, don't you." It wasn't a question. "Say it," he continued at the blond's nod, "Speak it into existence." The shared mindscape went silent, as if in reverence. The Bijuu waited with bated breath as they stared at what was possibly the most powerful mortal to ever walk the earth.

Naruto smirked, his excitement at what he was about to say almost palpable.

He opened his mouth, and spoke what he was truly a master of, what he had been born able to use.

It was almost ironic, really. Something that was a tool for peace and harmony was able to cause so much death and destruction that even Kage feared. It was chaotic harmony, and it was his to command.

"Ninshu…"

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