45

Chapter 44: Days of Strife

Naruto, decked out in his plain Root mask to protect his face, stared down Deidara who was apparently waiting for him to move from his position in the skies so that he could attack again, 'Okay first thing's first. Take that bird out of the sky and get him down to my level. I don't need him bombarding me from the sky again, I had enough of that the first time.'

In the air on his clay-construct bird, Deidara looked down at Naruto, still eager for an actual fight against the person that killed Sasori all on his own. All he got out of Naruto the last time around was a little scuffle that was more or less Naruto running away from his explosives while he attacked from a place that Naruto couldn't reach. While with that mask on his face he couldn't read Naruto's expression, the fact that he wasn't running and wasn't looking anywhere but up at him was evidence enough that Naruto was ready to gut this one out to the bitter end, and that just left Deidara in an all around good mood.

As far as he was concerned, giving someone who was already aware of his art's greatness a repeat performance was just fine with him. He would probably appreciate it more than any other would since he had seen its awesome power once and lived.

"I know that it hardly bears repeating after I know you remember this well…" Deidara said, reaching into his pouch for more clay, "But art is an explosion, un!" Naruto wordlessly began dashing along the ground towards Deidara, zig-zagging, but the man only laughed and flew higher into the air in case Naruto actually could jump high enough to reach him in one move, "What are you going to do from down there? I thought you had more moves to take me on with!"

Naruto didn't say a word, and the blonde, white-masked figure jumped off of the ground towards Deidara, only muttering one phrase, "Fuuton: Kaze Wakiokoru (Wind Release: Wind Burst)." Deidara's jaw almost dropped when Naruto jumped on the air and came towards him, full out running towards him.

'He can fly?' Deidara thought before realizing he was still in a fight. He jerked his bird hard to the side to dodge the incoming Naruto, but he didn't escape without some sort of loss. Naruto cut through the wing of the bird instead of Deidara, who he was aiming at. Still, Deidara's bird was no more good to him as it fell to the ground and lost its ability to fly.

After their first meeting a few years back, Naruto had honed his supplementary technique that initially allowed him to more or less get a second jump off of thin air to the point that he didn't even need hand-seals to pull it off. Since he knew that at least one member of Akatsuki could fly it was a technique that could be used to reach them on their level. It was a main project Naruto had been working on for years after being so outclassed by the long-range fighter Deidara in Uzushiogakure, and with the use of his clones to train he eventually became proficient enough to do so as if he were hopping from branch to branch in the trees, only he could select exactly when he needed to step on the branch, allowing him to avert his path in mid-air.

He was basically as close to flight as he could conceive, and it was something he was extremely proud of, especially when he tried to teach Temari how to do it during some time together and found that she couldn't do it even after working with her for an entire stay of hers in Konoha as Suna's liason. Mastering the jutsu that was the source of his brainchild technique was far too difficult to be done with just one short stay, and it was simply too tiring for someone that wasn't a walking battery of chakra.

However this took things a step further. Each step he took was now able to produce an air bubble underneath his feet, allowing him to literally run on the air instead of needing to jump, and even if the previously mentioned wind mistress had the energy, learning it would take years, just like it did to master with him, only it would take longer than 2 years since no one else could use clones like him.

A fighting style for use against those with flight capabilities… Hard work personified. Haretsu Seigan (Burst Limit).

An attempt to follow up came from Naruto who rushed towards a falling Deidara with his sword poised to take him out. Deidara quickly formed small clay spiders and threw them at the incoming Naruto who stopped in the air and allowed himself to fall to avoid the explosives that detonated in the air over his head.

As Deidara fell to the ground and rolled safely to avoid a flat-out fall from his position formerly in the air, he saw Naruto dart to the ground much the same way he got into the air to attack him in the first place. Deidara, instead of being angry or upset, merely smirked, "It seems you can teach an old fox new tricks after all, un? But then again they are known to be wily and resourceful so I guess it's not that much of a stretch." He dug back into his pouch and retrieved even more clay to go with the amount he had already placed in the mouths on his hand, "Amazing… You truly are a remarkable jinchuuriki."

Naruto didn't say a word, keeping the blank slate of the plain white mask on his face a reflection of stoicism and silence as his attitude overall. He simply stood in a ready stance with his blade, ready to continue.

"C1 isn't enough for you this time." Deidara sounded rather pleased about this fact, "No… I think it's time you see my more advanced art! Prepare for C2!" In his hands formed a large sculpture of a dragon that in a puff of smoke grew to a towering clay dragon that walked in front of Deidara and glowered at Naruto dangerously.

Naruto thought hard about what to do next. Unlike Deidara's birds this thing looked dangerous, 'I could summon Gamakichi. He's big enough to tangle with that thing… no. It can probably fly and 'Kichi would get picked apart from the sky. I can handle that thing.' He sheathed his sword as he felt he'd need his ninjutsu for this one more than the weapon.

Naruto formed several Kage Bunshin that chose to draw their swords in place of their creator and rushed towards Deidara.

"Even his clones are fast, un!" Deidara said as he jumped onto the dragon, "Let's begin for real this time, show me what you've got kid!" Deidara's dragon took off and spat out a smaller dragon made of clay that was still human-sized and relatively large. The mini-dragon smashed into the ground in front of Naruto's clones and detonated, taking them all out in the larger explosion.

Naruto didn't need to shield his face from the explosion as his mask covered his eyes for the most part. He was able to see Deidara's dragon take to the skies, and noticed that after forming that attack the tail of the dragon grossly shortened. And it shortened again as Deidara ordered his dragon to launch another mini-dragon, 'Tobi isn't here, so I can't set any mines, but once the kid sees them he could just stick to fighting in the air. Those would be useless against him. Unlike the last time I can't corner him and take him out. I'll have to outmaneuver him.'

'No Kyuubi's chakra.' Naruto said to himself resolutely, 'If I can't beat Deidara without it then I can't beat Itachi without it. He's even more of a poised, polished fighter than Deidara is. If I need to rely on it then I'll lose to him later even if I win here.' Naruto took off from his place on the ground and began using Haretsu Seigan to run in the air again in an effort to dodge the dragon that didn't keep flying at the place he was once standing it, 'You've got to be kidding me! It's chasing me?'

Deidara watched as Naruto ran across the sky, changing levels, doing whatever he could to shake the smaller dragon, however he was unable to, 'It's not going to stop until it explodes and takes him out.' A smirk came across the former Iwa-ninja's face, 'Sorry kid. You should know how the big leagues work by now.'

Naruto took a great leap and turned in the air making hand-seals before positioning his hands to snap his fingers, "Raiton: Kyuuzousekka (Lightning Release: Surge Flash)!" From Naruto's hands flew a volley of sparks that pummeled the dragon until it fell from the sky to the ground below with a crash. Naruto turned back around in the air and kicked off of an invisible air bubble to get his footing right again before rushing at Deidara again, "If I can't beat you as I am I don't deserve to be able to go head-to-head with Sasuke or Itachi! If it's power that we're testing I know I've got you beat! I'm testing my finesse!"

Deidara's eyes widened when he heard what Naruto said, "What did you just say?" He said, flying around aimlessly at this point.

"You heard me." Naruto said, "You're not stupid, and I know better. Itachi Uchiha is more dangerous than you and he's why I'm out here right now. I'm going to beat you, and then I'm going to beat him or his little brother." If Deidara could see behind Naruto's mask he would see a smirk, "Because that's how I roll."

Deidara growled and clenched his teeth, "Itachi is more dangerous than me? Itachi is more dangerous than me? I'll show you exactly how dangerous I am!" He shouted as his dragon fired off another missile Naruto's way.

"This again?" Naruto growled out as he made the seals for his last jutsu again, "Raiton: Kyuuzousekka (Lightning Release: Surge Flash)!" The sparks of electricity again pounded the poor projectile and knocked it from the sky.

'How is he doing that?' Deidara wondered about why his explosives weren't hitting Naruto anymore.

Naruto kept running trying to cut off Deidara in the air, eventually getting sick of chasing him, "Time to go a little old-school with a new-school twist." Naruto ripped the tape off of his left arm to reveal multiple tattoos in the fashion of seals going up and down the arm. Picking the one he wanted to use, in a puff of smoke he summoned a fuuma shuriken and threw it directly at Deidara.

Deidara smirked once he saw the spinning weapon coming at him, "You'll never hit me with a shuriken like that you idiot, un! Who do you think you're dealing with? Use some style!"

"Fuuton: Repuushou (Wind Release: Gale Palm)!" Before he could taunt Naruto any further, a hard gust of wind from Naruto pushed the weapon, but that wasn't all. The shuriken seemed to split off, one going in one direction and the other coming right at Deidara at a faster speed.

It looked like it was guided, almost like his dragon missile, by the wind itself, 'What?' He thought as it flew right at him.

"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shadow Shuriken Jutsu) and a Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Jutsu) sucker!" Once the shuriken got closer to Deidara it burst into smoke and turned into a Naruto that had an explosive tag in its hand that was almost burned down completely, "How's this for style?" Naruto taunted mercilessly, "Art is an explosion!" With that, an explosion rocked the skies.

From the cloud caused by the explosion, chunks of clay and Deidara fell from the sky, his cloak now gone and his black short-sleeved shirt revealed underneath, 'That crazy bastard blew himself up… amazing, but it's not over yet!' He thought angrily as he reached for more clay.

"I love my Kage Bunshin combinations!" Deidara heard Naruto shout from above him as Naruto fell from the sky with his right arm cocked back, "Now Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere) you son of a bitch!" Naruto grabbed the back of Deidara's neck and smashed the blue orb of chakra through Deidara's back. He then drilled all the way through, securing his death as his arm punched through the chest. However when he pulled his arm back it stuck fast, and at that time Deidara lost his color and turned solid grey-white, "Oh you've got to be fucking-."

From one of the falling globs of clay, Deidara revealed himself and made a single hand-seal, covered in scuffs and burns, but still with a look of victory on his face, "Katsu."

The clone detonated in mid-air with Naruto stuck inside of it at point-blank range in a fiery explosion.

XxX

Sai and Maki waited by a rock formation for Naruto to arrive. They had managed to blaze a trail right to the town they had intended to arrive at very quickly due to them flying through the air without dispute. It was clear that flying was definitely the swiftest way to get there, even if they had been seen somehow. Apparently Naruto didn't mind it anymore as he had directed them to do so, and they had beaten him there by a mile. So now they were waiting on their fearless leader to arrive so that they could re-coordinate their search efforts.

"Wow, you fly like Deidara-senpai!" Both young Root teens turned towards the rock formation they were resting near to see a man in an orange swirl mask sitting atop it swinging his feet, "I bet his art's better than yours though."

Sai and Maki immediately went on the defensive and drew their respective tanto, prepared for a fight. Sai narrowed his eyes, "Maki-san, go back and look for senpai."

"Why?" She asked, ready for any strike from the strange man that was waving at them both.

"Black cloak with red clouds." He said in response, "What did Naruto-senpai and I tell you that meant?"

"Then shouldn't we fight him together?" Maki questioned. Naruto and Sai had told her of how powerful each member of Akatsuki were. Some of the strongest ninja ever.

Sai shook his head, "They work in pairs. If this one is here then where would the other one be right now?" She gasped and her eyes widened, "With Naruto-senpai. So go find him and make sure he's alright."

"Tobi can't let you do that!" The man on the rock said before dropping down onto the ground, "Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu (Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Jutsu)!" Maki tried to leave the area only for Tobi to pop up in front of her, "Hello again!" The girl jumped back in shock at having her escape routed by the strange shinobi that was incredibly fast.

"He's faster than senpai!" Maki exclaimed at Sai's side. The latter grunting in acknowledgement of his junior ninja's statement, "What do we do now senpai?"

"We get you past him Maki-san." Sai said, whipping out his drawing scroll, "Choujuu Giga (Super Beasts Imitation Picture)!" A group of lions formed from Sai's scroll and went at Tobi who let out a shocked cry and headed back into the ground. He quickly drew another bird and set the girl on the ink construct before immediately sending it off, "Find Naruto-senpai!"

"Wait, I don't know how to fly!" Maki cried desperately as it took off and flew away from the area.

Sai watched his bird take Maki into the air and turned his attention back to Tobi who emerged from the ground, "That wasn't nice. That girl didn't even say goodbye, and I never even got her name. Hey, what's your name? I'm Tobi."

"Sai." Sai said, ready for another fight against the Akatsuki. Maki would find Naruto, and Naruto could take care of himself. For now he had to worry about himself, "Naruto-senpai says to introduce yourself to new people that you meet, but I don't think that applies to the people that I'm supposed to kill."

XxX

(Nearby Village Elsewhere in Hi no Kuni)

The group from Konoha had split up once they had gotten a trace of Naruto's and Sasuke's scents. Kiba and Akamaru went off on their own to find Naruto, as did Kakashi but instead he was looking for Sasuke, deigning that he could take care of Naruto's objective for him if he got to Sasuke first, believing in Naruto's ability to find the wayward Uchiha in his own way. Shikamaru had paired off with Neji. This left Sakura and Tayuya to travel together, and they weren't exactly on the same page when it came to who to look for.

Kakashi had provided some of his summoned ninken for whoever needed a strong tracker which meant that Sakura and Tayuya both got one. Pakkun to be exact. And they were on the clock. It was currently cloudy out, and if it began to rain the scents of Naruto and Sasuke would be lost. Finding Naruto would become difficult and finding Sasuke would become impossible.

The small pug walked out in front of the girls who seemed to be bickering, "Listen bitch…" Tayuya said, trying to keep her temper down as they were in a populated area, "The mission is to find Uzumaki, not your beloved Uchiha. I figured that you would want to find someone that actually gave a damn about your village enough to, oh I don't know, stick around?"

Sakura let out a huff, "Pakkun said that he can't even get a trace of Naruto's scent. As if it's not even existent at all, or altered too much to find from this far away." It was strange. How could his scent be altered that much to mess with one of Kakashi's dogs' senses? "And besides, Kakashi-sensei said Naruto would be looking for Sasuke-kun, so if we find Sasuke-kun first we'll find Naruto."

"That is ass-backwards logic and counter-productive as all hell." Tayuya griped audibly, "I know what he's going to do from the first time I met that little shit. First he's going to act like you aren't even there, then when you press the issue he's going to attack you. Can you fight your boyfriend like that?"

Sakura glared over at her, "Oh I don't know, do you think you could fight Naruto?"

Tayuya grinned in response to her attempt at a scathing comment, "Any day of the week. Uzumaki knows I'll kick his ass. And by the way he's not my boyfriend. Just because I fucked him doesn't mean I'm in love with him."

"Sure it doesn't." Sakura said rolling her eyes, "Is that why you were so angry you were about to cry when you heard he was killed? And why you were so happy you actually cried when you heard he wasn't dead?" Tayuya growled, informing Sakura that it might not be such a good idea to continue that line of conversation, "I'm just saying…"

"You'd better check yourself Pinky." Tayuya warned lowly.

Pakkun started looking around suspiciously, "I smell Sasuke Uchiha. He's close!"

"Where?" Sakura asked the small dog excitedly, "Can we find him?"

"Yes." The dog said, "Keep going forward."

Tayuya and Sakura put their game faces on as it didn't matter who wanted to go after who at this point. The most blatant lead at the moment was Sasuke, so it didn't matter whether or not Tayuya wanted to go after Naruto, it was out of her hands.

The two kunoichi navigated their way through the very busy street as everyone was trying to get home before the rain started to fall.

"We're right on top of the scent!" Pakkun said, "It's right here!"

Sakura and Tayuya looked through the crowd as hard as they could when a red-haired girl in glasses walked near them. Sakura didn't pay her a second glance, but Tayuya on the other hand stared at her and went wide-eyed. The other girl recognized her and did the same before turning and running.

Tayuya smirked and grabbed Sakura by the arm, "I recognize that bitch. Come on Pinky, that chick knows where your Uchiha is!"

"What?" Sakura said before swiftly following after the former Oto-kunoichi, "You know her? How do you know her?"

Tayuya rubbed the back of her neck, "Because that bitch was the one that gave me Orochi-pedo's stupid cursed seal. He was right there when she did it. I survived, then he took me with him from the base I was a prisoner in after my village was done in and lumped me right in with his forces where it was either excel or fucking die nameless. It's a rags-to-rags story and I owe that bitch some crippling pain. Now kick it into gear so I can catch her already!" She said, taking her flute out.

XxX

(Naruto vs. Deidara)

Deidara got up off of the ground, holding his body and nursing his multiple wounds from Naruto's earlier explosive tag and the fall he took afterwards. Luckily the clay he hid in was enough to break his fall and keep him from dying. He painfully smirked and chuckled, "Got him… I finally got that bastard good, un."

He started to limp towards the river where Naruto's body was lying face down by the rocky shore, blood surrounding his body. Hopefully he wasn't dead. Leader-sama would take Deidara's balls if he somehow killed the jinchuuriki by accident and delayed their plans.

Naruto was completely motionless, his body was racked with injuries from what Deidara could see. But if he hadn't been knocked unconscious and drowned he would be fine. The Kyuubi would see to any injuries that Naruto suffered.

"Come on Kyuubi-kid." Deidara said as he neared Naruto and reached down to grab him, "While you enjoy your nap I'm taking you to the leader. I'm sure he's going to be more than pissed at you and wants to see you again very much. Maybe you can tell me what he looks like if you wake up before we take the Kyuubi?"

"Find out yourself when you see him in hell. He'll be right along after you." Deidara didn't even have time to register the sound of Naruto's voice before it sounded out again, "Fuuton: Fuujin Seiken (Wind Release: Divine Fist of the Wind God)!" From behind, Deidara was crushed by a massive force slamming into his back that sent him flying and skipping across the river, coming to a crashing rest on the rocky shore on the other side.

The Naruto in the water dispelled in a puff of smoke. Against a large boulder in the chasm they were fighting in, a cloak dropped to reveal Naruto. He had used the inside of his travelling cloak to blend in. It had been lined with the proper material to allow for the technique Kakuremino no Jutsu (Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu). An E-rank Academy basic.

Deidara grit his teeth in pain as he sat in the shallow water against the rocks he had hit. He could have sworn that last attack slipped a disk or something because his back was screaming bloody murder at him, "Guh… He got up? Tough… un." He then honed in on Naruto. He was just as wounded as his clone let him see. His Root top was in tatters and a lot of his upper body had intense burns and wounds, and the blood that he saw in the water earlier was apparently from somewhere on Naruto's face as it was just pouring down the right side freely.

Naruto growled deeply and angrily, gritting his teeth as hard as he possibly could, either in anger or pain, Deidara couldn't tell. He was holding his hand over the right side of his face, trying to keep the blood from streaming freely from whatever wound he had as if he were keeping his hand over a loose faucet, "I… am going to kill you… right fucking now."

Deidara sneered at Naruto who seemed to be glaring murderously at him, "Come and try it, un. I will blow you away. Let's see you get back up from this." He reached for his clay pouch but found that it had been blown off when Naruto hit him with his last attack.

While Deidara realized he was out of ammo, Naruto had formed two Kage Bunshin at his side and the original had his hand held out in front of him, forming a Rasengan in it. His two clones latched onto his outstretched arm with their hands and lightning began coursing through the original's arm. The Rasengan started flickering with electricity before shrinking to the size of a stone.

When it shrank however, it began emitting a loud humming noise that seemed to even move the water Naruto was standing in front of, making steady waves away from him. Naruto formed a fist with his left hand that had the strange jutsu formed in it. His entire left arm glowed yellow as the noise grew louder and louder, and the intensity of the force moving the waves grew more and more powerful.

Deidara didn't like the look of that whatsoever and tried to move, only to find that he couldn't move his body, "What the hell?"

"Can't move?" Naruto asked, still holding his right hand over his eye while his jutsu was charged and ready, "Good. The waves aren't being made just for the hell of it. I charged the Rasengan with lightning chakra. Right now it's discharging high amounts of electricity into the air around me, and you're close enough in range to get a steady dose of it. Your body is numb, and the way that your body is screwed up you're as good as paralyzed. Easy pickings."

'No!' Deidara thought to himself frantically. Even trying as hard as he could he could barely will his fingers to twitch, 'He's really going to-? No!'

Naruto's clones steadied his aim with his single arm and braced it for recoil, "Temari-chan helped me with the other one, but I did this one on my own. You're the first living creature that isn't a spider to see this move. Thank you Kakashi-sensei and goodbye Deidara. Raiton: Rasenriseki (Lightning Release: Spiraling Marble)!"

Naruto opened his hand once more and all of the built up energy in his arm fired off the small ball of energy. The moment it left Naruto's hand, the tiny blue Rasengan stone became surrounded by harsh, crackling high voltage electricity. It shot across the river dissolving every drop of water that managed to touch the attack and it served a double purpose of shocking Deidara as he waited for his inevitable doom.

He opened his mouth in a silent scream as the new Rasengan hit him and instantly vaporized him as it continued to pass on and plow into the canyon wall, pulverizing it and bringing down the entire thing. A large cloud of dust flew high into the air from the annihilated side of the gorge that could be seen for miles.

Naruto watched the destruction that his new jutsu caused, still holding his right hand over his face as his clones dispelled and his left arm fell limp at his side. The dust from the destructive technique blowing all around. Naruto was steadily breathing and it was slowly becoming more and more frantic and erratic as he walked over to a boulder and sat down against it, holding the right side of his face as he tried to calm himself down.

He told Deidara that when it came to matching power between them he just didn't measure up… at least not without taking Naruto out altogether. Being a jinchuuriki made him a target, but at least it meant that they couldn't kill him. He didn't have to be so nice. And what that bastard did was the last straw. Recoil from the jutsu or not he had to just die.

Naruto threw his head back and let out a loud yell of pain that pierced the sounds of nature, "Fuck! Fucking lucky shot! One in a million fucking lucky hit! Fuck!" He cursed repeatedly.

"Naruto-senpai!"

Maki and the ink bird she had been riding on landed nearby Naruto. She barely had time to take in the damage of the battlefield and properly survey it when she got a look at Naruto, more specifically his terrible appearance, "What happened here? Who attacked you?"

"Deidara." Naruto said, trying to hold the pain out of his voice to keep Maki from potentially panicking, "It's over Maki-chan, I won. He isn't coming back." He gestured his head towards the other side of the canyon where all of the destruction lay.

Maki's hands glowed signifying a diagnostic jutsu as she tried to check him over. She moved her hands up his body and eventually by his face where she stopped. His hand was covering his eye, blood was pouring out, and she had already seen it with her diagnostic jutsu. "Naruto-senpai…" She said lowly. Turning her head down almost as if she didn't want to see what she already knew had happened, "Move your hand."

"It's a scratch." He said to her firmly, "It's always a scratch. It'll heal. It always heals."

"Move. Your. Hand." She said to him assertively as she looked back up at him defiantly, "Move your goddamn hand Naruto-senpai!" She said planting her hand around his wrist before her tone softened, her voice almost breaking, "Please move your hand…"

Naruto frowned and let out a sigh as he let Maki slowly move his hand away from his right eye. The same scar he had for years was still there… but the eye itself wasn't. There wasn't any healing that.

When Deidara's clone exploded in Naruto's face it destroyed Naruto's mask. The mask was sturdy, supposedly sturdy enough to take the force of an explosive tag and remain intact, but not in this instance, at least not from that range with the shock of the explosion all directed right at him. When the explosion happened, the mask shattered, and the sturdy material became sturdy shrapnel that wounded Naruto's face. Most of it would easily heal even without treatment, but his right eye had been hit directly with shrapnel and had been destroyed.

Maki cupped Naruto's face in her hands and looked at him with quivering eyes, "It's my fault… It's my fault again. I left you alone again when you needed help and this happened! It's my fau-!"

"It's not your fault!" Naruto snapped at her to get her to stop, "It's not your fault… I was the one that split us up. Deidara found me and fought me. It was a battle, this is a wound. Shit happens. It's no one's fault. If it's anyone's fault it's my fault."

She nodded and choked back a sob. She wasn't going to cry. Root ninja didn't cry, "C-Can the Kyuubi-?"

"Kyuubi can't regrow body parts." Naruto said with finality, shooting down her hopes and reminding himself of how bad things were for him now, "My eye is gone, it's not coming back." He shook his head, "Just heal me up Maki-chan. We've still got to catch Sasuke-teme or Itachi. We didn't come all this way for nothing."

Maki looked at him like he had grown a second head, "You're still going to fight one of them?" She almost yelled at him, "How are you possibly going to fight one of them? It's Itachi Uchiha! And Sasuke beat Orochimaru! I know you said you could have done that too Naruto-senpai and after seeing this I believe you, but with you like this Sasuke could beat you. Why would you still go after one of them?"

"I promised that I would." He said resolutely, "I never make promises Maki-chan, not anymore. Because I don't like being forced to keep my word for trivial bullshit. But this is different. There are too many factors and I made a promise that I would get back one of Kiri's swords, I had to make that promise. And I can keep going."

Maki slapped him across the face, "They will tear you apart! Itachi Uchiha isn't going to care that you're hurt! Sasuke Uchiha isn't going to care! Kisame Hoshigaki will just laugh and come at you like a shark in the water! They're not going to care like I do! Oh Kami, your eye…" She said before tears finally started streaming from her cloudy grey eyes.

Naruto just pulled her into a hug and let her cry. It was okay. He needed time to rest anyway. Time to heal, if only a few minutes. Those few minutes might have wound up being golden later because he wasn't just taking his ball and going home. Not now.

And Maki cried her eyes out. He had never seen Maki cry. He didn't even know anyone in Root was capable of tears, and this was when he realized that Danzo never broke her. He never even told her that showing emotion was wrong like he did for everyone else, she simply picked it up from everyone else in Root by proxy of just being around them. That was why she was able to blend in so well in the Academy, because she was normal.

Why? He understood why Danzo quit trying to break him, he simply couldn't. Naruto's will was strong and the Kyuubi kept him sane… well sane-r. Having someone with emotion do what they did, that was kind of a liability. How much work did Maki get without him before she was stuck in the Academy? What was she supposed to do? Just watch him? What was her designated purpose in Root? Because everyone had a certain job that they were intended for and he was racking his brain trying to figure out hers.

He was a jack of all trades even though he focused in infiltration, demolition, and open combat specialist and his job was to be Danzo's secret weapon and later the man that would be Hokage. Sai was an infiltration and espionage specialist that was no joke in a fight or a slouch in any real department, he was one day meant to succeed Danzo as head of Root. Fuu was for interrogation, infiltration, and espionage, and he was Danzo's bodyguard. Torune was meant for assassination, and capture and detainment, and he was meant to work his skill in conjuncture with Fuu's as Danzo's bodyguard. Maki was a genjutsu specialist and medic-nin and was meant to be his direct support as her areas of focus were his antithesis. What was her role supposed to be?

"Please don't cry anymore Maki." Naruto said after letting her do just that for a few minutes, "I'm not dead, I'm not dying. I just don't have an eye. It's okay, I'll manage." She slowly started calming down, "Come on. We don't cry over little things like this. You're stronger than that."

"I know that…" She mumbled into his shoulder miserably before looking up at him and pulling back, sniffling one more time before trying to get some form of stoicism back, "Okay. Let's fix you. You have a job to do." She said, beginning the seals for a medical ninjutsu, "Do you really think you can adjust to only having one eye to fight against the Sharingan?" She asked that question before her eyes went wide, "Naruto-senpai-."

She stopped because she knew she didn't have to say another word. Naruto's mind had already beaten her there by a mile and she could tell he had been thinking it over ever since he had first thought about next having to face an Uchiha, 'It's lose-lose… Either go in with one fucking eye against one of the strongest nuke-nin in recent Konoha history or go in with two eyes, one of which is new and has powers that I don't know how to use.'

"Naruto-senpai." Maki said, getting his attention once again, "If you're going to make a decision it has to be now. There are too many things going on right now for us to just sit here. I'll heal you, but once I'm done you need to have come to some kind of conclusion." Naruto just nodded silently as Maki got to patching Naruto up so that he could be prepared for another fight sooner rather than later.

In the distance at the top off the bluff. A man with a venus flytrap around his head wearing the Akatsuki cloak emerged from the ground. One half of his body was black and the other was white, "So the Kyuubi jinchuuriki has new tricks up its sleeve does it? Leader-sama will want to know all about these events." He said, disappearing back into the ground.

XxX

(With Sai)

Sai was befuddled. This Tobi wasn't attacking him at all. All he was doing was moving away from him with his incredible speed and apparently taunting him, because no sane person would act the way he was in the middle of a fight. Well then again he had yet to meet or hear of anyone in Akatsuki that was playing with a full set to begin with so he guessed that was irrelevant.

As he stared at the odd individual who really didn't seem to be taking this seriously, in the distance, Sai saw a billowing cloud of dust and debris in the sky, 'That was where I sent Maki-san. That has to be where Naruto-senpai is. Is he alright I wonder?' He focused back on Tobi, 'Maki-san is with him. Even if he is injured she should be able to handle it easily enough with her and the Kyuubi abound.'

"Ooh, that's a big cloud." Tobi said rather absent-mindedly. Sai couldn't believe this person had turned all the way around to look at a cloud and wondered if it was a feint, "Deidara-senpai must be going overboard again. His art is too pop for his own good, even if he does say it's super-flat." No, this was the real deal, Sai surmised. And with that in mind he couldn't just let an opportunity like this slip as he drew his tanto and disappeared in an Ink Shunshin.

He reappeared at Tobi's side and slashed at him with his blade only for it to seemingly just pass through his body harmlessly, "What?" Sai let out in shock as he jumped back away from the strange ninja, 'What in the world just happened?'

"That hurt…" Tobi mumbled childishly, though it was clear he was purely faking it, "You're not bad at all Sai-san."

'What kind of defense was that?' Sai wondered to himself, 'Well if I can't cut him…' Sai put his sword up and pulled out his drawing scroll again, "Chojuu Giga (Super Beasts Imitation Picture)!" The pale shinobi drew a trio of large birds that went flying at Tobi, however Sai had slapped explosive notes on the ink constructs before they headed off, and they were timed to explode once they reached the enemy.

A fiery explosion erupted that forced Sai to jump back to avoid the blast radius and remain uninjured by his own attack. As the smoke cleared, Sai looked at the remains from the explosion to see that Tobi was nowhere in sight again, "Is he really that fast? Maki-san was right, he is faster than Naruto-senpai."

"Thank you!" Tobi said from behind Sai before hitting him with a stick after popping out of a hole.

Sai was knocked across the ground before retaking his feet and looking back over at Tobi who was waving around a garden variety stick that he looked like he had just plucked off of a tree and ran over to hit Sai with, 'This is by far the strangest ninja I have ever come across in my life. It's like he's toying with me.'

"Akamaru and I heard it over here!" A voice called out from nearby followed by the barks of a rather large sounding dog, "It's coming from the direction of that cloud, and I think I've finally got Naruto's scent!" From the trees came five blurs that landed on the sideline of Sai and Tobi's little encounter.

Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, Shikamaru, and Kakashi looked at the two combatants appraisingly trying to decipher whether they were friend or foe. Kakashi quickly noticed Sai's hitae-ate with the leaf insignia, "Konoha ninja?"

Sai immediately responded in kind, "Registration 012420. You may call me Sai." He smiled over at the new arrivals, "It is nice to meet you Kakashi Hatake, Naruto-senpai has told me much about you and you're quite famous in your own right."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow at Sai, "Naruto had a team with him? I wasn't told of that." He remembered hearing of a 'Sai' from one of Naruto's probationary missions, but why was this person here.

"It is not a widely known mission that is all I can say." Sai said before turning back to Tobi, "There is something more important at hand."

Kakashi saw the orange-spiral masked man and his cloak. He knew what this meant, "Everyone be on your guard. This is a member of Akatsuki." That immediately put everyone on the defensive, "Where is Naruto?" He asked Sai.

"I do not know." He said honestly, "If I had to guess he would be east of here, a few miles away. Possibly in combat with another Akatsuki member as we speak because our other squad member hasn't returned with him yet."

Kakashi frowned behind his mask but nodded, "Well anyway we have to deal with this person right now."

"Hi there!" Tobi waved over to them all excitedly, "Nice to meet you, I'm Tobi. Sorry about this, but Tobi has to go now. I need to go find Deidara-senpai, so later!" He said before jumping up on the top of the rock formation nearby and over the edge. Everyone jumped up after him only to see nothing on the other side.

Shikamaru let out a groan, "Troublesome…"

XxX

(With Tayuya and Sakura)

Tayuya and Sakura were hot on the heels of Karin, who managed to get some distance between them when she was running through the crowded city streets, however Pakkun was still able to track her and the two kunoichi were right on her trail as they jumped through the branches.

Tayuya held her flute to her mouth as she ran, "I wonder if the bitch is in range…" She played a few notes but didn't feel any effects take hold over anyone, "Fuck, she's either out of range or she's covering her ears. Probably the latter…"

"We can't lose her!" Sakura said as they continued to run.

"And we won't Pinky, just calm down." Tayuya said, "Don't go flying off the handle while we're still working here." Sakura nodded and followed the senior kunoichi's lead, "Dog, how close are we?" She said, addressing Pakkun.

The pug sniffed the air and responded, "Not far, just one more short push and we've got her."

Tayuya smirked, "You heard him Pinky. Let's finish this!" Sakura returned the smirk and they pressed forward, eventually catching sight of Karin, "Let's see if she can keep away from this one. Mateki: Maboroshi Kaiteki no Uta (Demon Flute: Phantom Comfort Song)" She said as she started playing her flute again.

Both girls noticed Karin slow down momentarily and Sakura charged ahead to take advantage. With a cry of exertion, Sakura smashed the tree branch Karin was about to land on with her fist, forcing her to misstep and fall to the forest floor in a heap.

Karin got up and turned to face the two other women in a defensive stance. Tayuya twirled her flute in her hand as she looked at Karin, "Hello again. Do you remember me?"

"Orochimaru's old bodyguard." Karin said, speaking of Tayuya, "Having fun playing traitor to your comrades?"

Tayuya shrugged, "There wasn't too much camaraderie between me and my 'comrades'. I was a prisoner that became a ninja for Orochi-pedo lest I die and I had his little slave mark on me. Why would I have been loyal?" She scoffed, "Good of you to break my genjutsu, though… I wonder how well you can actually fight." She nodded her head towards Sakura who was pulling a pair of brown gloves tight onto her hands, "I'm sure Pinky here is dying to find out."

Sakura had an intense glare in her eyes, "Tell us where Sasuke-kun is. We're only here to take him back to Konoha."

"You are, are you?"

The sound of that voice made Sakura stop cold and made Karin relax somewhat, relieved that this person was here, "Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke walked into the area of the forest casually, "Well Sakura? Is that why you're here? To take me back?" Sakura couldn't even speak, having come face to face with Sasuke for the first time in years. Realizing that she wasn't going to talk he turned his attention to Karin, "You almost went ahead and got yourself caught Karin. I thought you were better than that. Come on, let's go."

"Wait!" Sakura called out just as he turned to leave, "Sasuke-kun come back with us! Orochimaru is gone, we can go back to the way things were before. You don't have to keep running."

Sasuke turned back around towards her completely and gave her a dry look, "There's nothing there for me Sakura. I grew far stronger out away from the village than I did inside. And now I'm going to flush Itachi out and take my revenge." He said, forcing her face into one of dejection before he turned his attention to Tayuya, "Speaking of revenge, is that why you're here? Revenge against me for being the reason you were left behind and captured?"

Tayuya smirked at him, "You wish needle-dick." That crack raised a tick mark on Karin's head as the woman growled at Tayuya, "I'm not out here looking for you. I'm here looking for someone who's looking for you. Uzumaki." Hearing Naruto's name got a look of interest out of Sasuke, "Yep. He's supposed to be looking for you so he can kick your ass for the sword you swiped from Nami no Kuni. He wanted that himself for another reason, a better one in my opinion."

"Naruto is looking for me?" He said, taking a step towards Tayuya. He remembered how Akatsuki's goal was to retrieve the Kyuubi and other biju like it, and he remembered Itachi coming directly for Naruto himself once before. Capturing Naruto would let him simply wait it out. Itachi would come to him eventually, and he could simply keep honing his skills further while he waited, "Tell me where he is?"

"Ooh…" Tayuya said as if she had been burned, "You see I can't do that. But I can fucking catch you myself for Uzumaki. It's the least I can do for the bastard, I owe him that much." She finished as she took out her flute. She looked over at Pakkun who met her eyes and took off on his own to find Kakashi.

"Really." Sasuke said, letting the curse seal drift over his body, "How about I just make you tell me where he is?"

Sakura watched the black marks spread across his body like flames and had flashbacks to seeing him like that before when they were genin, "Sasuke-kun don't use that mark! Don't do this, why are you fighting?"

"Save it Pinky." Tayuya said, narrowing her eyes on Sasuke. If there was one thing she might have missed about having the curse seal on her, it was the power boost, and Sasuke had his, "He isn't going to listen to us anymore. And that's what I was expecting in the first place."

"Karin go find Suigetsu and Juugo. I'll take care of this." The girl in question nodded and ran off, giving one last look of longing before she did. Sasuke drew his sword from its sheath, "You'll be good practice for Itachi's genjutsu. Come." He said, gesturing for Tayuya to attack him.

Tayuya let out a laugh, "I've only ever let one man say that to me motherfucker, and you sure as hell aren't him." She put her flute up, "Genjutsu is going to do all of jack-shit to you. I already know that. Luckily that's not all I've got." She made two hand-seals and shot her arm out towards him, "Sen'eijashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!" Snakes flew from her arm at Sasuke.

Sasuke simply cut right through them with his sword. His Sharingan wasn't even active, "Is that all you've got?"

'And this is why I didn't want to chase down Uchiha-cockbite!' Tayuya thought to herself, 'None of my genjutsu work on this dipshit and if I'm going to start getting into a ninjutsu battle with an Uchiha I might as well label myself legally retarded.' She looked over to Sakura, "Come on Pinky, if you want your boy-toy back you're going to have to force him back."

"That's funny." Sasuke said from behind them both, his back to them. Sakura and Tayuya were shocked by his raw speed, they hadn't even seen him move, "Thinking that either of you could possibly force me to do anything." He said before turning around and swinging his chokuto only to hit nothing but intangible figures that dispersed, "Genjutsu?" He quickly turned his Sharingan on just in time for Tayuya's fist to appear in his face. He wound up taking several more hard, haymaker shots before swinging his sword at her.

Tayuya pulled up her flute and blocked with the sturdy weapon, "That's right needle-dick." She said, trying to push back against him, "Shirozatsuon (White Noise) to double-layer another genjutsu that let you think you were winning the fight. You underestimated me and you paid for it. Now Pinky!"

From Sasuke's blindspot, Sakura leapt at him with her fist cocked back, "Oukashou (Cherry Blossom Impact)!" Sasuke was able to get a view of her at the last moment and disengage from Tayuya just in time for Sakura's punch to miss him by a hair while Tayuya jumped as far and as hard away as she could. The punch hit the ground and turned the place to rubble, even dislodging trees from their roots.

Sasuke was knocked away by the tremor shockwave and found himself caught underneath a series of fallen trees.

Tayuya returned to the area and glowered at Sakura, "What the fuck was that? You could have knocked his fucking block off and you missed on purpose! I saw that!"

Sakura defended herself, "I didn't want to kill him!"

"Newsflash: He wanted to kill you!" Tayuya told her, "Or do you think he was swinging that sword in my genjutsu to put on a show for us? He really thought that was us!" She let out a sigh of exasperation, "That was the best fucking chance we were going to get. There's no fucking way he's going to let that shit happen twice. His Sharingan is going to be out and blazing from this point on."

Sakura pointed over to the trees that had fallen on top of Sasuke, "He's still down, we could-." The trees exploded into a mass of splinters and bark to reveal Sasuke with his level two form active, and like Tayuya said, his Sharingan was sure as hell out from this point forward.

"Fuck…" Tayuya muttered bitterly.

"That was good Sakura." Sasuke said to the pink-haired medic, "It would have been better if you had hit me, but I actually felt that, so good for you." His eyes locked onto them both coldly, "Now I'll only ask you one more time. Tell me where Naruto is or I'll have to force it out of you. I only need one in the first place so don't test me."

Tayuya growled at him, knowing the shitstorm had just started at this point, "Go fuck yourself with that butter knife of yours."

Sasuke sheathed his sword and held up his right arm, "Have it your way." His hand became engulfed in black lightning and the dark sounds of birds flapping their wings instead of the intended chirping noise rang out, "Catch this." He said, rushing right at them.

Sakura was entranced by Sasuke's dark appearance until she heard him fire up his Chidori, "Sasuke-kun stop!"

Tayuya had already prepared countermeasures as the second she had seen Sasuke she had bitten her finger and by the time his Chidori was fully charged she had already made the snake hand-seal and slammed both of her hands on the ground the second he moved, "Kami rest your miserable black fucking soul Sakon! Kuchiyose: Rashoumon (Summoning: Rashoumon)!" From the ground, a gate large enough to shield both Sakura and Tayuya emerged with a demonic face on it. It was meant to keep damn near anything from getting past, but Sasuke's arm punched right through to the extent where his head had space to fit through as well.

He reached out and grabbed Tayuya's throat and her body was immediately engulfed in black and white electricity. She let out a loud pained yell as the lightning ripped through her body until her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell to the ground motionless and smoking from the attack.

The gate returned to the ground and Sasuke walked towards Sakura who was shocked by Sasuke's brutality and power. He let his cursed seal regress as he stalked towards her, "Now… Where is Naruto?"

"Sasuke-kun…" She said weakly, looking over at Tayuya, "Why?"

Sasuke didn't even blink, "Because I wanted to test the limits of my ability." His answer confused her, "I could have just gone around it and still gotten her or you, I just wanted to see if I could have broken through it, and I can. That's why I'll achieve my ambition, because I've done nothing but test myself and grow since I left Konoha. Now tell me where Naruto is." Sakura didn't answer as his Sharingan seemed to pierce her very soul. Eventually he scoffed and turned away, "You don't know."

Sakura let him walk past her and leave. Just like all those years ago, all over again. Once again he was walking right away from her, and she couldn't stop him.

(Flashback – Two Years Ago)

Sakura fell to the ground, exhausted after another day of Tsunade's harsh training. It was without a doubt the most difficult task she had ever taken, and Tsunade was a rigid taskmaster. But Sakura was no fool, she knew that any shinobi would give their right arm to be in her shoes and she would be damned if she would let this opportunity slip.

As a matter of fact, why was Tsunade training her? What was the appeal? She wasn't that spectacular of a shinobi and she was certain that Tsunade didn't know her by name before they had begun training so what was it?

"Um, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked, needing to get to the bottom of it. Tsunade looked at her with a questioning look that instructed her to go on, "I'm grateful. Your training is incredible. Even now I can feel how much better I'm getting every day, but I have to ask… why are you training me?"

For a moment from the frown on Tsunade's face she figured she had said something wrong, and that it was all over, she would think she was ungrateful and drop her just like that. Surprise was her response when Tsunade actually smirked, "It took you long enough to ask me why I did it." She let out a short chuckle, "Do you really want to know why?"

Sakura had to know at this point, knowing that Tsunade wasn't offended, "Yes, please."

Tsunade turned around with her arms crossed over her chest, "If you must know, it's because of Naruto, your old teammate." Sakura's eyes widened with surprise, she hadn't even seen Naruto in forever, like he had disappeared, "He told me to train you if I wanted to have a good apprentice. I think he just really wanted to help you out."

"But…" Sakura said in disbelief, "Naruto hates me. During his exam, and after Sasuke-kun left, the words he said to me-."

Tsunade laughed again and turned around with an amused look on her face, "You think you got it bad from his little fight with you during his exam? Everyone else got it way worse than you did. You were lucky he only hit you once. And if he hated you he wouldn't have gone out of his way to say anything at all, he would have just avoided you."

"He has been avoiding me." Sakura argued back, "I haven't seen any sign of him in months. The last time I saw him was at the hospital with Shizune-senpai, and that's because he was there for injuries. He said hello to me and asked me how I was, but any other time I never saw him even at his house."

Tsunade let off a sweatdrop, "Huh… maybe I am working too hard after all." She muttered to herself scratching her cheek, "Well the idiot volunteered for the mission overflow we've been having, so it's his own damn fault for not paying attention to the meeting!" She returned her attention to Sakura, "I'll have to set your next mission to work with him somehow so you can let him tell you these things yourself, but he told me that he wanted to believe that you could achieve your goal. He said that you felt so strongly about Sasuke that he would hate himself if he didn't try to help you somehow. Regardless of what he's doing now, you were his teammate and he does care about you somewhat."

Sakura just looked at her teacher in shock, "He did? He does?"

Tsunade shrugged, "You're here aren't you?" She turned around, her green jacket swinging with her as she left, "That has to mean something. He thinks you're stronger than you appear and I want to believe he's right, so I do."

(End Flashback)

No. She had worked so hard so that she could actually be of use and do something about it herself the next time around. Naruto put his own word up to vouch for her. Tsunade believed in her. And she was just going to let him leave without doing anything?

Sakura turned around abruptly with the intention of taking the swing at Sasuke she should have taken earlier, only to see him vanish in a burst of speed right in front of her eyes.

"Still not good enough Sakura." Sakura's eyes widened at hearing Sasuke speak that close to her before she felt her body shut down. She had never even seen him move. Just like back then again, "Love doesn't give you power. Hatred does." Was the last thing she heard before her vision went dark.

'I never even saw him… just like then… he's still so far away.' Sakura thought before blacking out.

Sasuke just stared down at her and began to walk away from her when something jumped from the trees, "They just keep coming." He turned towards the disturbance and saw Naruto kneeling over Tayuya, "Naruto. So you came after all. She said you were looking for me." Naruto didn't reply, he simply stayed focused on Tayuya, checking her for signs of life and frowning visibly while doing so.

Sasuke placed his hand on his sword and prepared to walk over to Naruto when a voice called out to him, "So I found you Sasuke." Sasuke immediately turned and glared at the figure that walked from the shadows, "You've certainly gotten bigger."

"Itachi…" Sasuke said darkly, forgetting about Naruto who was still doting over Tayuya trying to get some sort of response from her, she had suffered electrical burns from what he could see and was hurt. He could care less about the Uchiha brothers at the moment.

Itachi stared at his little brother impassively, "So are you going to shout and run right at me again like last time?"

Sasuke smirked before it just as quickly fell from his face, "You know nothing about me. How much hate has filled my heart, how much stronger I've grown because of it… you know nothing!" He said as he and Itachi began a skirmish or sorts.

Meanwhile Naruto was looking for vital signs. Tayuya was still very warm, but she wasn't breathing, "Come on Tayuya-chan." He said warily, "Give me some kind of sign here." He lay his head on her chest and cursed, "Fuck… You'd better not die on me out here do you understand me? You're better than this." He focused his lightning chakra into his hands and took a deep breath, "Come on, wake up." He said, pressing both down on her bosom in a CPR/defibrillator combination.

Tayuya's eyes immediately shot open and she sat up taking deep breaths and coughing. She looked around rapidly to see Sasuke and Itachi fighting, but she only focused on the concerned whiskered face right in front of her, "Uzumaki!" Tayuya threw her arms around his neck.

"I thought you were gone for a minute there Tayuya-chan…" He said, holding himself close against her, "Don't fucking scare me like that again." He said in relief.

Tayuya let out a short laugh, "I won't." A flock of crows flew from where Sasuke was standing and what had once been Itachi's body, "But him…"

"Don't worry about him." Naruto said, glaring intently at Sasuke as he also looked at the fallen Sakura. She was fine, just knocked out.

Sasuke stared at Naruto before turning and leaving. He didn't need Naruto anymore. He had gotten his message from that clone of Itachi's and knew where he was, "Come to the Uchiha Hideout alone."

Naruto had also heard that message and let go of Tayuya to lay her down on her back. He walked over to Sakura and carried her over to Tayuya before waking her up. Sakura's green eyes opened to see the blonde shinobi that was once her teammate, "Naruto!" She sat up and whipped her head around, "Sasuke-kun!" She then locked eyes with Tayuya, "Tayuya you're okay!"

"Not okay." Naruto said, "Alive, and that's all that matters right now. Heal her up for me Sakura." He stood up and walked away from them both.

Sakura prepared to begin working on Tayuya, "Where are you going?"

"To deliver a message." Naruto said before disappearing in smoke.

XxX

(With Naruto and Maki)

Naruto sat at the front of Sai's ink bird while Maki held onto his back tightly, her eyes heavy due to fatigue from healing all of his numerous injuries and getting his left arm to be fully usable. This was all to make him as fresh as she could for what would come next. It wasn't perfect but the Kyuubi could handle the rest. She had also requested that Naruto use Fuuinjutsu: Chakura Takuwaeru Kuriireru (Sealing Technique: Stored Chakra Transfer) to take what chakra she had to give to refuel him just in case he needed it. Needless to say she was utterly spent.

Naruto had new clothes on and a heavy bandage wrapped around his head, covering his right eye, much like Danzo's bandages usually covered his own eye, 'I'll be damned if I'm going to go around looking like a mummy like Danzo-jiji though.' He thought to himself when the memories of a dispelled clone hit him. He suddenly looked to one corner of the rolling forests and looked over to another end of it, narrowing his single eye, "Maki-chan I'm going to give you a clone and he's going to take you to the ground and help you get to Sai-kouhai. I've got some business to handle."

"What?" She asked tiredly, holding her arms around his torso tightly, "What's wrong senpai?"

"Nothing's wrong." He said to her softly, "But it's time."

Maki frowned but nodded. He couldn't take her with him as she was. Even if she was full-strength she would still probably be useless to him. Her genjutsu attacks would be next to useless against the Sharingan.

Naruto placed one of his hands over both of hers that were holding onto him and rubbed the backs of them soothingly before forming a Kage Bunshin that picked Maki up bridal style, "Be careful with her. Get her to Sai fast. I'm going to need every drop of chakra I can get."

The clone nodded and jumped down, hopping along the air like stepping stones on the way down.

Maki looked up into the air at Sai's bird that was now flying in a new direction with a vengeance. Maki curled against the clone's chest tightly as it continued to move with her, "Please be careful Naruto-senpai…"

XxX

(A Short Time Later – Uchiha Hideout)

"You found the hideout Sasuke-kun." Itachi said with his eyes shut as he sat in a throne at the end of a massive ceremonial room, "Then I guess it's finally time."

Sasuke's Sharingan was out as he glared at his older brother, "My eyes see everything clearly Itachi. And what they see right now, as clear as day, is you dead at my feet."

"You say you see me dead?" Itachi said questioningly, "Well then let's see how good your eyesight really is." He said, opening his eyes to reveal his own Sharingan out as he disappeared and reappeared right behind Sasuke back-to-back. He drew a kunai and went for a stab just as Sasuke pulled his chokuto and went for a slash. The two blades clashed with a loud ringing of steel sounding out.

Four kunai landed all around the two combating brothers, and they both jumped away right in the nick of time as a dense dome of electricity formed around the weapons. Itachi and Sasuke both snapped their heads towards the entrance as they heard a voice, "Damn, almost got them both in one. My depth perception sucks like this." Both Uchiha members widened their eyes as Naruto strode into the base with a bandage wrapped tightly around his head.

Sasuke immediately understood why this Naruto looked so different and battle-weary, "The other one was a clone. That's why he didn't fight."

Naruto slowly walked inside, not caring that he was interrupting a conflict eight years in the making. Once he had gotten enough inside he spoke, "Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. Two of the most infamous nuke-nin in Konoha history. I am Naruto Uzumaki, registration number 012607, jounin-level shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, and the future Hokage. Nice to see you both again, and you're to both be captured for your crimes against the village. Please surrender, I don't have to bring you back alive." Sasuke and Itachi just stared at him until the silence grew uncomfortable to him, "Didn't work? Didn't think it would. Oh well, I tried to do this without the violence."

"How did you find this place Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked him curiously. He really wanted to know.

"I could tell but I'd have to kill you." Naruto said plainly.

Sasuke shook his head, "Nevermind that. Look at you, you're a mess. What do you think you're doing here? You're as blind as a bat, you're going to get yourself killed here. You can't even see, you might as well have shown up with your eyes closed, it's the same difference."

Naruto shook his head, "No Sasuke, not really. You see, you see an injured guy that can't see, a guy that might as well have his eyes shut altogether since the outcome against your doujutsu would just be the same no matter what." He reached up to the bandages on his head and loosened them, "But what you don't see Sasuke, Itachi…" He ripped the bandages away from his face with one swift pull.

If Naruto could take a picture of a pair of faces at that exact moment and guarantee anyone that it could sell for millions he would have banked his money on the image of pure shock and so many other emotions he couldn't even begin to label them that was currently reflected on the faces of Itachi and Sasuke, and that picture was eternally seared into his mind the second he took the bandages off.

The two brothers locked red eyes with each other, as if to confirm with the other what they were seeing, and then they turned back to Naruto… and ignored his left, blue eye to lock their red eyes on his solitary, single one in his right socket.

The red, three tomoed eye of a fully matured Sharingan. Naruto dropped his bandages to the ground and took in the sight of what his new eye provided him, "What you don't see… is that my eyes are wide open."

Jutsu List

Haretsu Seigan (Burst Limit). S-ranked ninjutsu. Hijutsu, supplementary. Using the properties of Fuuton: Kaze Wakiokoru (Wind Release: Wind Burst), the user will mimic flight by using the air bubbles the original jutsu creates to literally run on nothing more than air. Perpetual motion is needed for this jutsu to remain active, as stopping in the air will end with the user falling to the ground, however even then during the fall the user could catch themselves in the air and continue. Mastery of the wind element and the previously mentioned ninjutsu that is the derivation of this one is required to even attempt to learn this technique. Incredible stamina, timing, and chakra reserves are needed for this jutsu to be useful to anyone desiring to use it due to the necessary constant movement, ability to time one's swift steps, and the continuous use of chakra to execute.

Raiton: Kyuuzousekka (Lightning Release: Surge Flash). B-ranked ninjutsu. Offensive. Mid-range. The user will form lightning chakra and use hand-seals to focus it in their hands. They will then release the energy with the friction provided by snapping their fingers in the form of multiple baseball-sized sparks that when hitting the opponent will deliver a shock on contact.

Raiton: Rasenriseki (Lightning Release: Spiraling Marble). S-ranked ninjutsu. Kinjutsu, offensive. Mid-to-long range. The user must have the lightning element mastered. The jutsu shrinks and concentrates the power of the Rasengan, forcing it to spin faster in a smaller amount of space with the assistance of Kage Bunshin. The Rasengan will then be charged with pure lightning chakra that will temporarily power the rotation of the jutsu without the user needing to maintain contact with it. The intensity of the rotation and the vibration from the high-powered lightning chakra will cause anything to be touched by the center sphere itself to be vaporized on contact. The destructive power of the lightning circulating around the center orb is not to be scoffed at either, the force it generates can easily pulverize solid rock. Even the formation of the jutsu itself releases enough spare electrical discharge to effect the environment around the user. The jutsu however will leave the arm that fires it temporarily disabled, paralyzed and unusable until it can be treated or a good amount of time passes to allow it to heal.

Mateki: Maboroshi Kaiteki no Uta (Demon Flute: Phantom Comfort Song). D-ranked genjutsu. Supplementary. All ranges. Requirements: Flute. The user will play a song on the necessary instrument and will lull the target into a false sense of security, no matter the situation. Their awareness will drop dramatically, their adrenaline will become non-existent, and no matter the situation they will not feel as if they are in any kind of jeopardy, completely taking away the necessary survival instinct needed to function properly in battle.

Shirozatsuon (White Noise). B-ranked genjutsu. Supplementary. All ranges. Requirements: Instrument. Users of sound-based genjutsu will play one single low special note and hold it while using another genjutsu. One can use this genjutsu to overlap another to keep enemy brains from registering the fact that they hear anything despite the fact that the follow-up genjutsu is indeed taking effect. This is a very dangerous genjutsu that allows users of sound-based genjutsu to use their techniques without an enemy being alerted.