Chapter 97 : Ultimatum (4)

It had been four days since Naruto had faced off against Tsunade. He gave her a choice. She could join the Akatsuki – how he knew this, she hadn't a clue – and inevitably die by his hand – because he was going to erase the organization's name from the Elemental Nations – with her lover and brother by her side.

That had caused some tension between the two, which Naruto easily brushed off. Or she could become the Godaime Hokage. She was told that she was needed for an important task, and if she accepted both the title of Hokage and the mystery task, she could – if she still chose – have both Dan and Nawaki resurrected.

Naruto had no idea if Nawaki's or Dan's body's still existed, most shinobi were cremated, but that didn't matter.

He didn't like it, but he knew how to work the Edo Tensei, and he could access their body's with that, if need be. Bringing them to life would be difficult, but not impossible. With a little more experience and medical ninjutsu training – which he tended to ask Tsunade about later – he could master the art of bringing the dead back to life.

Where there was a will, there was a way.

He gave her a week, a week to decide her path in life. Was she going to join the enemy and fall at Konoha's hands, or would she stay loyal and true, and become the Godaime Hokage that the village needed so desperately. The Sandaime was still no doubt holding onto life by a thread, and Tsunade was really there only hope.

Technically, Naruto could flood life energy and healing chakra into the professor's body, but that was risky, for the both of them. Naruto wasn't used to using raw life energy to heal wounds. One mistake, one slip up and he could die. It also could affect his jiji. Too much life energy, ironically, could kill someone.

It was almost laughable. Life could cause death, ridiculous.

Naruto left Tsunade to make her decision by herself. He now knew exactly how her chakra felt like, she couldn't run from him. He kept his distance, training Sasuke and Gaara while Jiraiya peeped on women and relished in the shinobi vices. He didn't mind though, that's how his godfather was, and he accepted it. Jiraiya had fought with his life to serve the people of Hi no Kuni, harmless peeping and casual sex was his coping mechanism.

If he ever forced himself onto a woman or anything the like, Naruto would step up and put his sensei in his place, but Jiraiya was not that kind of person. He was a peace-seeking man; he'd rather die before he took that freedom of choice from another individual.

And most women knew who the man was, and his reputation. They'd hit him over the head for the principle of it, but never felt actual hatred for the man. They didn't approve of his little perverted hobby, but they didn't seek total retribution either. It was more like an annoyance more than anything.

Everyone had a way of coping with the shinobi lifestyle. If you didn't have something, you'd go crazy. Naruto coped by doing his job to the best of his ability. He was never more awake than when he was slaying demons. Well, Anko and Mei made him feel awake, very awake, but he couldn't have that all the time.

It was more than a coping mechanism, it was his love. Sasuke finally found his in Sakura. That girl would be safe as long as he took breath. His aniki read those smut novels his godfather wrote, and he visited the fallen hero's monument on a daily bases.

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked his student. This was the moment Gaara was waiting for, the moment he never thought would come.

"Hai." He answered.

"Then close your eyes." The blond continued. "I'll see you in your mindscape." Those were the last words Gaara heard before he was standing in his mindscape, the mighty Bijuu before him silent for once, just… waiting.

Gaara's mindscape was much like Naruto's – not that he knew it – in that it was filled up to the knee in water. The seal, however, was very different. Instead of a mighty, unbreakable cage, Shukaku was chained to non-existent walls, a collar like chain wrapped around his neck.

Drip

With a sudden distortion of air, two more figures appeared in the mindscape. Meeting the Bijuu's gaze, Naruto smiled.

"Hello, Shukaku." He greeted the Ichibi, a small smile on his face.

The Bijuu noticed Sasuke at his side. The giant Tanuki narrowed his eyes. "Under those bandages…" he spoke, before Sasuke smirked. Shukaku growled deeply at the Uchiha, at the boy who possessed those eyes.

"Sasuke is my student, Shukaku." Naruto started, his voice that of absolute power. "You have nothing to fear."

A lie and the truth all at the same time.

"I'm not afraid of him." Shukaku lied. "He just annoys me." He growled again.

"Those flames fucking hurt." He wasn't going to mention how dark the boy's chakra had felt that day. That chakra had been darker, more malevolent than a pissed of Kurama.

It was true darkness.

Naruto, however, could read a Bijuu just as easily as he could read a human.

"I'd like to take these chains off of you, Shukaku." Naruto began. "You have been chained like a mindless animal for too long, and I'd like to free you." Shukaku was only slightly surprised. He knew how his and Kurama's relationship was, but he had never thought he would be offered the same.

"What's the catch?" Shukaku asked. He had been imprisoned much longer than his siblings, he lost any kind of trust in humanity hundreds of years ago.

Naruto sighed. "No catch." He started. "All I ask is for you to work alongside Gaara."

At these words, the Tanuki began to laugh hysterically. "Me, working with a mortal?" He looked at Naruto like he grew a second head. "I'd rather stay chained."

"I told you." Gaara stated in his deep, growl-like voice. "Shukaku-"

"Do not speak my name like you are worthy, gaki." The giant Bijuu yelled.

With another distortion of air, the Kyuubi, in all its glory, stared at his youngest brother with a glare that silenced the Bijuu in seconds.

"Keep your voice down, Tanuki." Kurama spoke. "You'll annoy me." Naruto smiled. His partner did not enter Gaara's mindscape because he was annoyed, but because he thought Naruto was the one who had been yelled at. No matter how powerful the human was, Kurama was his partner, they faced everything together.

After an irritated silence, Shukaku roared. "Shut up, fox!" he tried to move, but the chains stopped him. "That superior attitude of yours is what's annoying!"

Kurama merely chuckled. "The truth is annoying?" he asked innocently. "I am superior to you, Tanuki." The Kyuubi waved its massive tails for all to see. "Acceptance is the first step."

Shukaku growled once more, before Naruto stepped in. "Enough of this." He said with finality. With the wave of his hand, Son Goku and Isobu, the Yonbi and Sanbi, appeared next to Kurama.

"I am the Child of Prophecy, Shukaku." At this, the raccoon-like chakra construct looked to his right, as if he already knew this. "Gaara is my student, my ultimate defense." He smirked. "Sasuke is my eyes, and Gaara is my shield." He locked eyes with the sand Bijuu.

"The Bijuu are being hunted, and without my help, they will be captured." Naruto knew the organization Itachi was spying on was terrifyingly powerful. "Join us, and help me save your brothers and sisters."

Shukaku was silent for a moment before he began. "Why would I want to help any of them?" He asked. "They treat me like I'm nothing because I only have a single tail. I'm looked down on by those very brothers and sisters, mocked for just being." He ranted. "Why would I want to help siblings like that?"

Naruto held the Bijuu's gaze. "You cannot lie to me, Shukaku." He spoke in a confident tone. "I know you do not truly despise your siblings." The Tanuki scowled.

"In my eyes, the one who protects even those who belittle them is the strongest." He would know, he had personal experience with it. "That's why you should help me, help Gaara protect them." He raised both of his arms.

"We are creating something huge here, Shukaku, something the world has never seen. And I would like your help in achieving that. There is a storm on the horizon. War cometh and it will be like nothing anyone's ever seen before."

"Join us, brother." Isobu said.

"We need you, bro." Son seconded, grinning like the monkey he was.

"We've had a strained relationship, haven't we?" Gaara suddenly asked. His voice was low, his expression one of cold acceptance.

"When you fall asleep I will possess your body and soul… and murder all of you humans!" The words Shukaku spoke to him when he was a child were still fresh in his mind. "Be careful not to sleep too deeply."

Gaara continued. "You've plagued my nightmares, forcing me into sleep deprivation." He looked at his reflection in the water. "You made me into a blood thirsty beast…"

"You're all worse than us beasts!" Again, Shukaku's words flooding his brain.

"But you and I are more the same than either of us would like to admit."

Shukaku huffed. "We are nothing alike."

Gaara didn't show his irritation at being interrupted. "No?" he raised a single finger. "We were both called demons…" a second finger.

"We were both forced into this relationship…" a third finger. "We have both been forsaken by family…"

With those words, Shukaku remembered the words of the last man he respected, his likeliness to the Rikudo Sennin earning him the trust of the most untrusting being in creation.

"There will definitely be someone that will save and guide you too. Once you've accepted that person's hidden heart, you will also understand the meaning of the words… my master carved into my hands."

Kokoro

Ukeru

"People who share similar pain… they are the ones who can truly understand each other." Naruto somewhat disagreed with Gaara, but he stayed his tongue, knowing that the red-haired shinobi had broken through.

Silence flooded the mindscape, the Tailed Beast of the desert just staring at his container.

And then, he spoke. "My motto is absolute defense, gaki!" he shouted. "Don't forget it! It's my pride as Shukaku!"

It was the only way he knew how to accept their offer.

He would join them, and defend everyone with all his might.

The resulting smile on everyone's face would have scared kami herself. One by one, Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Shukaku, Isobu, Son Goku, and Kurama flared their chakra, the mindscape shaking.

Suddenly, the chains around the Ichibi shattered, unable to withstand the pressure of such powerful energy.

Shukaku was finally free after four hundred years of subjugation. And he was going to rip the world a new one!

...

"Oh. You are already at it, I see!" Jiraiya suddenly spoke, entering a small stand. Sitting at the stand was Tsunade and Shizune, the former drinking sake. The slug-hime looked to the tall man through the corner of her eye, Shizune turning her entire head to greet the legendary man.

"Why are you here?" Tsunade slightly sneered.

Jiraiya merely smirked. "You're cold. Don't say that." He replied.

Shizune gave the Sennin a pleading look. "Jiraiya-sama..."

Jiraiya looked at the younger woman. "Shizune, could you leave us?" he asked. He closed his eyes. "It's been a while. I want to drink with her again."

Nodding, Shizune stood, letting Jiraiya take her seat. As she walked away, she could hear him ordering sake and radish. Walking a short distance, she turned around and bowed. "I'm counting on you, Jiraiya-sama." She whispered.

After thanking the cook for the radish and sake, he looked at Tsunade, a smirk on his face. "Is he on your mind…?" He asked.

She turned to her old teammate. "Who?"

Jiraiya's smile only widened. "Naruto." He replied.

Tsunade turned; she had a stubborn look on her face. "Not particularly." She lied.

"Still… it was foolish taking him on as an opponent." He began in a serious voice. "You could have seriously died if you pushed him too far."

Tsunade just clicked her tongue, disregarding his words.

"What's wrong with you?" Tsunade was acting like someone he didn't know. He barely recognized her.

"None of your business." She snapped at him, causing him to stay silent for a moment.

"Have you made up your mind yet?" he asked. Tsunade stayed silent. "Don't rush to a decision." He continued when she stayed quiet. "And… let me just tell you one thing." Jiraiya was speaking in a voice the he used when he wanted people to listen, and listen Tsunade did.

"The successive line of Hokage has protected Konoha and those living in it. They brought troubled times under control and helped the village prosper." His voice became slightly more aggressive.

"They risked their lives for this dream, for this ideal!" His voice softened. "You're not someone who can't understand the feelings of the previous Hokage." His voice then darkened.

"Just try doing something to betray Konoha."

Tsunade looked at him with a scowl.

"If that happens, I'll kill you." He spoke with total conviction.

"It has nothing to do with me now!" Tsunade shouted, annoyed that Jiraiya spoke to her like he could actually kill her. And the fact that, in Sage Mode, he probably could only made her more annoyed.

"A person who has experienced the death of people close to them and doesn't feel anything is just a butcher." There was a small pause. "You're different, aren't you? No one cared for the welfare of the villagers more than you." He then smiled.

"Until Naruto was born." This got her attention. "The entire village hated him, despised him for being the Jinchuuriki." Tsunade scowled. "But he's served Konoha in a way no one before has." He smirked.

"I've personally seen the kid take on entire armies. Just the other day… he summoned the Shinigami and beat him back in a battle of will." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya as if he was crazy.

"He's a monster, Tsunade, a true monster who would rip his own throat out if the Hokage asked him to do so."

"Enough of the lecture, Jiraiya." The last Senju finally spoke. "What's the point in telling me all of this?"

"The point," he explained, "Is that, if you choose Orochimaru, if you choose the Akatsuki," he looked her in the eye, a sad look in his dark orbs, "He's going to be the one you will have to face." He sighed, shaking his head.

"And trust me when I say this, Tsuna-chan," why didn't she get upset when he used her nickname? "You won't survive that fight." He warned.

Tsunade was silent for a long moment before she finally asked, her curiosity getting to her. "… Just how powerful is the Yondaime's child?"

Jiraiya didn't even look at her; instead he closed his eyes, focusing on the question. "To be honest with you…" he began in a voice that she had never heard come from his mouth, "I have no idea…" he finally looked at her.

"And it scares the hell out of me."

...

Naruto breathed in and out in a peaceful rhythm, his mind totally void of thought. Staying still was extremely difficult for humans to accomplish, and it proved to be incredibly hard for Sasuke and Gaara. The Kage Bunshin method was useless.

Neither of them had the kind of experience in the technique to accelerate training, so they had to find another way. And that other way was Unity.

Through the combined empathy, Naruto could actually show his students how to properly meditate, how to breathe, how to absorb the energy that floods the world. He took in a deep breath, his body still, his mind clear. Sasuke and Gaara followed, mirroring their sensei.

Naruto stirred his chakra, his students copying him in the exact manner. He then stopped the flow of his chakra, letting it build, condense. When Gaara and Sasuke did the same, the three of them smirked.

It was only a matter of time now.

Suddenly, six kunai raced at Naruto from his back, so silent, so fast that ordinary shinobi would have been dead before they knew anything was wrong.

But the three meditating shinobi were not ordinary.

With incredibly impressive speed, a thick blanket of sand rose from behind the blond, the kunai sticking into it harmlessly. A seventh kunai suddenly rushed the Kamikage's face, it too faster than average men could perceive. That's when the blade was caught in the hands of Uchiha Sasuke, stopping it mere inches from Naruto's face.

It was instant reaction, the likes of which would not be possible without the increased threat perception granted by Unity.

"Impressive…" a very familiar voice spoke. "You have been busy, haven't you… sempai?"

Naruto smiled.

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

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If you've been reading Bringer of Peace, then you know I've fallen in love with cliffhangers.

Also, A couple of people are upset that I've kept this story so similar to canon. Don't fear. A lot of things will be different than canon when we hit Shippuden.