10

Chapter ten: "Why do you fight?"

"Crash." – talks.

'Crash.' – thoughts.

"Crash." – Demonic/Inner Sakura.

...

"Yamato?" The woman asked unbelievingly. "The legendary sword that rumored to be able to cut through anything?"

"And allow the wielder a free access to hell…" The man added.

"Yep." Naruto answered. "That's the one."

"B-But Naruto-sama!" The man started. "This sword is long since lost! It could take years to find its location!"

The demon smirked. "Hmhmhm… It could… and did…"

"What do you mean?" The woman asked.

Naruto sighed. "I meant that it could, if I started right now… And by 'did' I meant that I was already searching for it for years…"

The man raised an eyebrow. "But when?!"

The smirk widened. "You didn't actually think that I searched for it by myself?"

"Oh…" Both of them said.

"Exactly. Now I have a very good link to the sword's whereabouts." He ran a hand through his hair. "You see, the sword was once possessed by a great demon. Then he gave it to his own son as a gift. So it belonged to him… until he lost a fight and died… but the sword remained. Soon it was found by a human. Said human used its power to fight against demons… and fought well actually. But he wasn't immortal, so he grew old and died. But before he did that, he passed the sword to someone for safe keeping. And for over three years, I'm trying to find the one… or ones… who possess the sword right now." The demon sighed. "They are hiding pretty well, and I don't know how much more time this search could last… but lady luck was on my side this time."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto continued. "Apparently, there was one man who also sought the sword… and found it!"

"Really?" The woman asked excitedly. "Who was it?"

Ex-genin of Konoha gave an evil smile. "That's what I'm about to find out." He exclaimed and put two fingers onto his necklace again… A few seconds later another female silhouette appeared in the cave.

"Oh! Naruto-sama!" The newly appeared woman bowed down.

Naruto chuckled. "Please… A princesses should not bow down, right… Koyuki-chan?" The Snow country princess straightened. "That's better…"

"Naruto-sama! Tell me please!" Koyuki started. "Have you finally accomplished your goal?" She asked pleadingly.

Naruto smirked. "Yep, I did."

Koyuki's face lit up. "That's wonderful news! Are you going to proceed with your plan?"

"Yeah… Now tell me, have you managed to discover his hideout?"

The princess giggled. "Yes, I have."

"Who was it then?"

Koyuki giggled again. "You should probably come and see for yourself. You will be most amused… Besides, I have a… congratulation present for you."

"Oh no you don't!" Another woman in the room exclaimed. "I am going to be the first to congratulate him, not some cheap actress!"

The Snow Country's ruler scowled. "Shut up, you ugly bitch! He's going to visit me first, right, Naruto-sama?"

"CHEAP SLUT!"

"UGLY BITCH!"

"ENOUGH!" Naruto slapped his forehead. "I will gladly visit you both… but my sword comes first."

Koyuki gave a victory smile. "Of course, Naruto-sama! Should I expect your arrival?"

"Yes, you should."

Koyuki beamed. "I'll prepare everything for you!" She replied happily and disappeared.

"Bitch…" Now the only woman in the cave exclaimed.

Naruto sighed. "Stop that! You of all people should not be jealous of anyone…"

"Who said I'm jealous?"

"I did." The demon stated, leaving no room for argument. "Now proceed with your tasks. I will see you again when the sword will be already in my possession."

"Hai!" They both said and disappeared.

"Hmm… Let's try for a long distance…" He said and disappeared in a burst of flames.

Konohagakure no sato gates…

"Damn! Why it has to be me, who has to watch the village entrance on a weekend?! I did it three weeks in a row! And this one just has to be the most boring of them all!" A chuunin gatekeeper yelled in frustration.

"Stop complaining, Kotetsu…" His partner said. "If you haven't noticed, I was here all this time as well, and haven't said a word. It's your job. Accept it."

Kotetsu sighed. "I know, Izumo… But it's just so damn boring today! No one even came through these gates today!"

Izumo looked to his right. "You may just be proved wrong…"

"What?" Kotetsu asked turning the same way Izumo has. "Man, you're right!" Four hooded people were approaching their gates.

Kotetsu quickly jumped in front of them. "State your business in Konoha!"

Two of them removed their hoods. "Team Kakashi returns from a mission." Replied a girl with pink hair.

"Oh, Sakura-dono!" Kotetsu exclaimed. "Glad to have you back! Was your mission successful?"

Sakura looked down. "No… no it wasn't."

Kotetsu frowned. "Sorry to hear that." Then Izumo joined the conversation.

"I'm afraid…" He started. "…I have to ask all of you to remove your hoods and state your names."

Sakura paled. "I-I think it's not a very good idea…"

"Sorry, protocol." Izumo answered.

"I…" She wanted to argue again at first, but then… 'To Hell with it, Shannaro!' "Haruno Sakura." Two still hooded people looked at her oddly, but then shrugged.

"Sai." Said… Sai.

"Yakushi Kabuto." Said the third team member, removing his hood.

Finally, the last one also removed his hood. "Orochimaru, the snake sannin."

Izumo, who was writing their names in the book suddenly stopped. "Very funny." He looked up. "Who are…?" Words died in his throat, when he came face to face with two yellow eyes.

Sakura rolled her eyes. 'You asked for this, Shannaro!' "Come on!" She stated. "Let's go straight to the tower… And put your hoods back on!" Orochimaru and Kabuto chuckled darkly, but still obeyed.

Five minutes later, Izumo finally managed to pull his jaw up from the ground. "…You said something about excitement…?"

A minute later Kotetsu finally answered. "…Hey, Izumo…?"

"Yeah…?"

"Do you want to go to bathroom?"

"…Yeah…"

"And I already don't…"

Fifteen minutes later. Hokage's office…

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in…" Said Tsunade's frustrated voice. 'Damn that paperwork! How in the hell… I got it! It must be multiplying itself!'

Then Sakura came in…

"Morning, shishou!" The pink haired kunoichi greeted somewhat nervously.

"Oh, Sakura! Good to have you back…"

Then Sai came in…

"You too… Sai, right?" Tsunade asked.

Sai only nodded and walked in.

Then two hooded men walked in…

Tsunade looked confused. "Sakura? Who those two are…? And where are Naruto and Yamato?"

Sakura frowned. "Tsunade-sama… I'm sorry, but…"

Godaime Hokage's heart sank down. "What? What happened?!"

"I guess you've lost another one… Tsunade…" One of the hooded men hissed.

Slug sannin's eyes immediately widened in realization, fear and anger. "That voice…"

Both men removed their hoods, revealing smirking Orochimaru and Kabuto. "Long time no see…" Orochimaru tried to greet his old acquaintance, but before he could finish said greeting, Tsunade was already in front of him, shoving her fist in his face… but what shocked them both, is that the punch was blocked by none other, than Sakura.

"Sakura?" Tsunade asked unbelievingly. "What is the meaning of this?!"

The pink haired kunoichi tried to retaliate. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but I believe you should hear what he has to say…"

The Hokage growled. "Why should I listen to him?!" She yelled. "He's the enemy!"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but instead…

"Because I believe that I'm not your worst enemy right now." Orochimaru answered for her.

That actually picked Tsunade's interest. "What are you saying?"

"Sit down and listen, Tsunade. I think you could use the information I will provide."

Tsunade gritted her teeth… but still…

"Alright." She sat down in her chair. "Sit down and start talking… And if you even think of trying anything stupid…"

Orochimaru made a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm not that stupid."

Hokage's eyes narrowed. "Suuure… First tell me, what did you mean by "You've lost another one", and where are Yamato and Naruto."

Orochimaru's smirk faded a little. "I don't think it's really my place to tell that…" He pointedly turned to Sakura, who already started to sob.

"T-Tsunade-sama…" Kunoichi started. "Ya-Yamato-taicho is… is dead…"

"What?!" Tsunade screamed. "Who was it?! Akatsuki?! Or maybe…" She turned to Orochimaru.

"N-no, Tsunade-sama…" Sakura continued. "…It… It was… It was Na-Naruto, Tsunade-sama…"

Hokage's eyes widened in horror. "Is this true?" She asked everyone else. Sai, Kabuto and Orochimaru nodded their heads… and then happened something the snake sannin haven't expected. His old teammate hasn't screamed to heavens, she didn't start to cry either. She just frowned deeply and put her head in her hands, covering her face. "So it is as we expected…"

Orochimaru unconsciously raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh? You expected this?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, me and Jiraiya both."

Kabuto readjusted his glasses. "Then why didn't you act?"

Tsunade sighed. "We didn't have any proof…"

Orochimaru smirked. "You're a poor liar… You just believed in him too much."

Tsunade looked down. "I wanted to believe in him…"

They all held a pause.

"Well, enough of this!" Tsunade exclaimed. "Tell me what happened. Every detail!"

"Okay" Sakura started. "We were…"

Two hours later…

"…Then something happened…" That was already Orochimaru. "He suddenly released Sasuke and clutched his own head in obvious pain. I don't know what have caused it… and not even sure if I want to know… But at least it gave us a chance…"

Tsunade interrupted him at this point. "Wait a minute, what chance?"

Orochimaru sighed and put his hand in his pocket. Everyone except Kabuto tensed at that, but the sannin took out only a small ring with the kanji for Kuchin (The Void) and showed it to his old teammate. "Do you know what this is?" He asked.

"A ring…" Tsunade answered.

"Yes." Orochimaru hissed. "But do you know what it does?"

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Why indeed…" Orochimaru answered. "Well, first of all, it's not…" But he wasn't able to finish that sentence, because of one person who burst into the office through the window… and also happened to be none other than Jiraiya.

"Tsunade! We have a…" He shouted, but then noticed a familiar face. "WHAT THE HELL!" Yondaime's sensei started creating Rasengan.

"Calm down, Jiraiya." Tsunade said, visibly annoyed.

Jiraiya looked at her like she was crazy. "Calm down? CALM DOWN?! If you haven't noticed, Tsunade, you have fucking Orochimaru in your office!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know I have fucking Orochimaru in my office…"

Orochimaru sweatdropped. "You two do know I'm still here, right?"

"Sure I know!" Jiraiya stated still maintaining his Rasengan. "What the hell are you doing here by the way?" He asked with obvious menace in his voice.

Orochimaru smirked. "Oh, I'm just enjoying the view…"

"What, inside a room?"

"Enough!" Tsunade yelled, shaking her head. 'Damn! They have just met, and I already feel like we're back to genin days…' "Orochimaru here brought some valuable information, and was already in process of spilling it, when you…" She stared at her broken window. "…arrived…"

"Really?" Jiraiya finally canceled his Rasengan. "Let's hear it out then…"

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "Thank you!" Then he turned serious again. "Well, as I was saying…" He brought up the ring again. "…It's not just any ring. It's…"

"The Akatsuki ring!" Jiraiya interrupted.

"Yes, it is. You seem familiar with it. Do you know what they are for?" The snake charmer asked.

"I know that they are the symbol of Akatsuki membership… but nothing else…"

Orochimaru closed his eyes. "I see. Well, it's true. You never wandered why there are so few Akatsuki members?"

"We did actually…" Tsunade said.

"And?"

"No idea…"

The snake sannin chuckled. "I'm not surprised. You see, there are only ten rings total…"

"Hmm… that explains it…" Jiraiya replied.

"Wait…" Orochimaru continued. "That's not all. Their main purpose is… biju extraction conductor."

"WHAT?!" Tsunade, Jiraiya and Sakura screamed.

"Duh, not so loud…" Kabuto said, scratching his ear.

"You know…" Orochimaru continued. "That Akatsuki are after bijuu. Well, they already found a few…"

"Who exactly?"

"I know exactly only about seven tails…"

"I see…" Tsunade said. "But what is your reason for coming here?" She asked, glaring.

Orochimaru knew it will come to this… "I'm here to create the alliance…" 'Here we go…' He thought. 'Three… two… one…'

"WHAT THE HELL!" This time it was only Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"How can you even think we'll agree?!" The toad hermit asked.

Orochimaru smirked. 'Of course! He doesn't know yet…' "Because I know that your former student will come for this…" He showed the ring again.

Jiraiya furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What student…? You mean Naruto? Why would he want that…? And where is he by the way?!" At that Tsunade and Sakura frowned. The rest did nothing.

"We…" Tsunade started. "We were correct, Jiraiya. Naruto has betrayed us… and he killed Tenzou…"

Jiraiya scowled. "Damn!" He hit the table. "Should've kept a closer look on him!" He then turned back to Orochimaru in anger. "But even if it's true, it sure as hell doesn't mean that I will ally myself with you!"

"You should…"

"And why is that?!"

Orochimaru sighed. "Because I believe that Uzumaki Naruto wants to gather all ten rings… and if he does…"

"Then what?!"

The snake charmer took a pause. "Then I believe the world is doomed…"

Everyone's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.

"What I mean, is that I have a theory of what he had done… and it's not a very pleasant one to think about."

"What is it?"

"Well, from Sasuke's words I believe that Uzumaki Naruto somehow… absorbed Kyuubi's power…"

No one said a word.

"And I think I also know why he's so obsessed with those rings…"

Tsunade just stared in a broken window. "Do I even want to know?"

"Maybe… Because I think he wants to also absorb all biju Akatsuki have gathered…"

Tsunade closed her eyes and Jiraiya gritted his teeth.

"Naruto…" Sakura murmured quietly.

"How many have they gathered?" The Hokage asked, eyes still closed.

Orochimaru frowned. "Three at least…"

"Damn!" Jiraiya spat… But then a sudden thought came to him. "Wait, if you're here, then where is Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura frowned deeply at the name. "Sasuke-kun…"

"Yeah. I would like to know that too…" Tsunade said.

Orochimaru snorted. "Well, Sasuke was too shocked at what happened, and…"

Flashback…

"Girl…" The snake sannin drew Sakura's attention. "…we need to talk."

Sakura nodded.

"I would like to speak with Tsunade…" Sakura's, Sai's and even Kabuto's eyes widened at that.

"Do you really think I will help you?!" The kunoichi spat in anger. "I would rather die!"

Orochimaru sighed. 'This would be hard…' "Look, girl. You can help me talk to Tsunade, or I can just kill you and your partner, and still talk to Tsunade. But that way will take much more time…"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to talk to her anyway?!"

"Because I believe that what has just happened will happen again, and maybe we could help each other…" Orochimaru said.

Sakura glared at the sannin. "Tsunade-sama will never accept your help!"

Orochimaru paused. "Maybe… But I want to try anyway."

"What the hell are you saying?!" Sasuke exclaimed. "You want to go to Konoha?! You?!"

"Yes." Orochimaru said calmly.

"Your mind's completely fucked up, Orochimaru! I'm not going there!"

Sakura's eyes widened. "B-But Sasuke-kun…!"

"Shut up!" The Uchiha snapped at his ex-teammate. "That village will only slow me down!"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Looks like you don't completely understand what has just happened…"

"I don't care what just happened!" Sasuke screamed. "Naruto is nothing but a dropout, a failure, a loser! He will never be able to compare to an Uchiha!"

Kabuto snorted. "That dropout just almost destroyed your precious eyes."

Sasuke growled. "That was just luck! And even if it wasn't! My target is not Naruto, its Itachi! I will find him and kill him!"

Orochimaru made an evil smile. 'Hahaha… Arrogant bastard! Have it your way! Let's see how you will bypass Uzumaki to kill your 'target'!' "Fine, you want to go? Then go, get out of here!"

"Hn." Sasuke only said and blurred out of vision.

"SASUKE-KUN! WAIT!" Sakura screamed, running after her crush, but…

"Stop!" Someone grabbed her shoulder. The kunoichi turned around to see that it was none other than Orochimaru himself. "Let him go…"

"B-But he's all alone now!" Sakura stuttered. "W-What if he d-dies?"

Orochimaru suddenly had a far away look in his face. "No, he won't die… As long as Itachi is alive at least…"

Sakura looked at snake sannin in confusion. 'What… Itachi…?'

"But was that wise to just let him go, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked. "His body…"

"…Is useless now." Orochimaru finished for him.

Now Kabuto looked at his master in confusion. "But why? The Sharingan…?"

The sannin sighed. "Have you ever wondered why I wanted to possess the Sharingan so much…?"

End flashback…

"And?" Jiraiya asked. "Wasn't it for obtaining all jutsu in the world?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Tell me, Jiraiya, what do you know about my reincarnation technique?"

The toad hermit gritted his teeth. "You… You somehow managed to find a way into another person's mind, enslaving it in the process. I also know that you must wait for three years in order to perform your technique again."

"Very good!" Orochimaru nodded. "The only thing you missed is that I must perform this technique every three years in order to survive…"

"What?" Jiraiya asked in confusion. "Why?"

"Because the body starts to reject me…"

Tsunade smirked at this. "Oh?! Poor Orochimaru! Can't take a rejection…"

The snake charmer frowned. "Not funny, Tsunade. The pain is actually very… difficult to endure…"

"Then you should've known better than to invade another person's body."

The frown deepened. "Yeah, maybe…"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Wait… That means if you capture Sasuke's body…"

"Yeah…" Orochimaru answered the silent question. "It would've been only for three years…"

"Wait, wait, wait…" Tsunade stood up from her seat. "If it wasn't for acquiring jutsus, then what?!"

Orochimaru slowly looked up. "To defeat Uzumaki Naruto…"

The room became silent again.

Two minutes later, Tsunade finally managed to get out of her stupor. "Did I just hear that you wanted the power of Sharingan only to defeat Naruto?"

Orochimaru sighed. "Yes. You did."

Surprisingly Sakura was next. "B-But you're one of the most powerful shinobi in the world! Why would you need Sharingan to defeat him?!" No one missed how Sakura said him.

"First tell me…" Orochimaru started. "What do you know about Uzumaki Naruto?"

Jiraiya looked down. "I don't know what to think anymore…"

Orochimaru furrowed his eyebrows. "Alright. Then tell me, what do you know about Uzumaki Naruto before he left the village for three years?"

Of course Sakura instantly jumped at the chance to further insult her ex-teammate. "He was a loudmouth loser who couldn't do anything right! He was a dead last in the academy, and I don't even know how he graduated! Ever since we became a team he was always jealous of Sasuke-kun and always just got in our way…" She could perhaps go for another hour or so, but Orochimaru thought otherwise…

"Oh really?!" The snake sannin chuckled. "And from his words, it was you who always stood in a way, got into traps, got captured by enemy, got screwed by Kakashi…"

"Well I…" Then she processed the last phrase… "WHAT! I WAS NEVER…!"

Chuckle turned into full blown laughter. "Hey, don't tell me this. I only repeat Uzumaki's words…"

Another ten minutes of fuming Sakura.

"Enough!" Orochimaru said. "Does everyone agree with her?" He pointed at Sakura.

"Well, he kinda was…" Jiraiya replied.

"Maybe…" Tsunade stated.

Orochimaru sighed. "What do you think, Kabuto?"

Kabuto readjusted his glasses. "Yep. He got them hard…"

"What do you mean by that?" Tsunade asked in confusion.

Orochimaru turned very serious. "What I'm about to tell you now, is the most valuable information I had on him, and it must be used with extreme caution… In fact, there are only three people in the world, who know that about him and also are his enemy. Kabuto and myself being the two of them…

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"It's two things. First, is that he's quite a good actor…"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "We could guess that one…"

"And the other?" The Hokage asked.

"…That Uzumaki Naruto… is… the greatest genjutsu user there ever was…"

Snow country palace…

Naruto arrived of course via his favorite flash of black.

'Nothing changed I see…' He thought… Just when two arms wrapped around him.

"Missed me?" A soft voice said.

Naruto smirked and quickly turned around, pressing the woman closer to him. "Maybe. But the question is… did you miss me, Koyuki-chan?"

She smiled at him, obvious lust in her eyes. "Take a guess…" She licked her lips.

Well, that moment Naruto had to admit that her action had indeed raised his… mood… but alas, there were still matters to attend.

"Later, babe." He stopped her. "We'll do this tonight, okay?"

Koyuki pouted a little. "Fine…"

"Oh, don't give me that look!" He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Because tonight I'm gonna fuck you until you can not stand straight." Naruto said seductively.

Princess's eyes widened. 'Oh my God! He just said a few words… and I already need a change of underwear…'

"Sorry my sweet…" Naruto continued. "But I really need that sword right now…"

"H-Hai…" She answered. "Follow me."

Some isolated room…

"Well…" The princess started. "That's all we have found…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow… There were only a few journals.

"What, that's it?"

"Yes, but there's everything you might have needed."

"Hmm…" Naruto walked to the table with journals. "Let's see…" But he stopped once his eyes landed on the cover. "What the… Momochi Zabuza's personal journal?!" He looked back at Koyuki, who nodded smiling. "Haha… You were right. It is funny. So it was good old Zabuza-chan who sought Yamato… Fate sure is having her way with us simple mortals…" With that, the blond demon opened the first page…

March 12th…

Blast it all! Why couldn't he just die?! Damn, my rebellion failed. I need more power to succeed. I guess that sword is my only hope…

Naruto shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk… Poor Zabuza-chan…" Koyuki snorted, and the demon turned another page…

May 25th…

Yes! The first success! I was able to find the last sword wielder's descendant! Fortunately for me, he has a very long tongue…

So that Nero entrusted his sword to the Fire temple… well, a long walk, but it sure is worth it…

Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'Fire temple?' He turned over the next page…

July 2nd…

Who does that monk think he is?! I need that sword! It will be mine! If he won't give it to me willingly, then I'll have to take it by force!

…I still don't fully understand what happened… I sneaked into the temple, I grabbed the sword… It was already in my very hand! And then… something happened… that sword… looks like it's some kind of… living creature… and I think he just found me unworthy… all this was in vain…

Naruto closed the journal. "Hmmm… Most intriguing…" He turned to the princess. "So, the Fire temple…"

"Yes, it would seem so." Koyuki answered.

"Alright, I guess I'll leave immediately…" Koyuki pouted. "But, if I succeed today…" He walked near her and stroked her chin. "Then someone will have a bonus reward tonight…" With that he disappeared in a flash of black.

'Damn!' The princess thought. 'Another pair of underwear!'

Hokage's office…

"That's bull shit, Orochimaru!" Tsunade shouted. "He couldn't even dispel a simple genjutsu, there's no way he could cast one!"

Orochimaru sighed. "And who told you that?"

That actually put the Godaime Hokage in a stupor. "Well… it was… he just had so bad chakra control…"

"And who said he had bad chakra control?!"

"Well… he just really sucked at performing jutsu…" Then Tsunade's eyes widened in realization. "You mean that he lied all along? But why?"

Orochimaru smirked. "It's actually a very pleasant thing… to be underestimated…" He then turned to Jiraiya. "You of all people should've known better."

"What do you mean?" The toad hermit asked.

"How much time it took you to master Rasengan?"

"About a year… oh…"

"Exactly…"

Tsunade massaged her temples. "Alright, that just proves that he lied to us, but I've never seen him cast a genjutsu!"

The snake charmer smiled evilly. "Of course you haven't. I actually would've been amazed if you had…"

Hokage's eyes narrowed. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Say, what clothes was he wearing every time you saw him?"

A confident smirk appeared on Tsunade's face. "His hideous orange jumpsuit of course!"

Orochimaru's smile widened. "Just as I thought."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. "What about this jumpsuit?"

"You see…" That was already Kabuto. "That jumpsuit has never even existed…"

Everyone's eyes widened at this. "Wait, that cannot be!" Jiraiya shouted. "He was wearing that jumpsuit… you're not saying…?"

"Yes. He had a genjutsu around him the entire time…"

"B-But how could we not spot it?!"

"I don't know…" Orochimaru answered. "But he even got me with it…" He stopped. "Yeah… in the forest of death…"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "You…"

"It's not important now!" Orochimaru snapped back. "I don't really want to speak about this, and the facts are, I wanted to possess the Sharingan to have a chance against his illusions… but it's useless to me now…"

"Why?" Jiraiya asked.

Orochimaru sighed. "Because Sasuke said that he could not see him with his Sharingan. It must be due to whatever he did to himself…"

"So you're saying…" Tsunade replied.

"Yeah, Sharingan is useless against him now."

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead. "Wait a moment! Wasn't Sharingan supposed to be able to control the Kyuubi?"

"No, it was Mangekyou…"

"Oh…"

"By the way…" The Hokage remembered. "What was so important you wanted to tell me, when you…" She turned to a broken window. "…entered, Jiraya?"

It took a few seconds for Jiraya to remember. "Oh, yeah! There's an uproar in the summons realm. Something really fishy is going out there… So fishy that they even stopped to respond the call. Look…" He made a few handseals. "Kuchiose no jutsu!" A puff of smoke and… nothing. "See?!"

"Hmm…" Tsunade said. "Kuchiose no jutsu!" She slammed her hand into her desk and… same result.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "I wonder." He tried the same thing. "Kuchiose no jutsu!" And… nothing again. "Strange…"

"Exactly." Jiraiya said. "The last time I successfully summoned toads, they mentioned something about increased amount of attacks on the clans, whatever that meant…"

"Hmmm… That's disturbing…" Orochimaru said.

"You don't say…" Tsunade added… then, through the same window Jiraya came…

"Good day, Tsunade-sama. I was just released from the hospital and heard my team has returned, so I wanted to… WHAT THE HELL!" The newcomer screamed. "Raikiri!"

Jiraiya grabbed Kakashi's shoulder. "Calm down, Kakashi…"

The jounin looked over his shoulder. "Calm down? CALM DOWN?! Do you realize, you have a FUCKING OROCHIMARU IN YOUR OFFICE?!"

Tsunade laughed hard, and Orochimaru slapped his forehead.

"You know, I said just the same thing when I first came here." Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Really?" Kakashi canceled his jutsu.

"Yeah…"

The Fourth Hokage's student straightened. "Will someone tell me what an S-ranked criminal is doing in Hokage's office?"

Tsunade became serious. "Kakashi, we have bad news. Naruto has betrayed us… and he killed Tenzou…"

Kakashi's eyes widened. "No… that could not…" Orochimaru interrupted him.

"He could and he did. You can only accept it now."

Kakashi clenched his fist. "Another tragedy… It's all my fault…" Surprisingly, it was Orochimaru again who tried to calm him down.

"No, it wasn't your fault." He replied. "I believe Uzumaki has planned this before you even met…"

"Enough!" Tsunade commanded. "Now is not the time! First of all we must…" But before she could say what they must… This time through the door…

"Tsunade-sama! We have a… WHAT THE HELL?!" The second newcomer took a juuken stance. "Do you…"

"Yes, Neji!" Tsunade interrupted. "I know I have a FUCKING OROCHIMARU in my office hahahahahaha!"

Neji released his stance, and Orochimaru slapped his forehead again. "Please not the explanation again…" He said.

The thing he didn't know, is that Neji required no explanation… he actually bit his lip, trying not to smile. 'So, you finally succeed… Naruto…' "No, I don't even want to know what's going on here…" The Hyuga prodigy said. "I came here with major news."

Tsunade sighed. "What is it this time?" She asked, visibly annoyed by the abundance of news already.

"Tsunade-sama, we have a new Hyuga clan head." Neji stated.

A pause.

"What?" Tsunade shouted. "Who?"

"Hinata-sama…"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, and Sakura's eyes widened. "That can't be!" The pink haired kunoichi exclaimed.

"It can and it did." Neji said.

"How did it happen?" Jiraya asked.

"Pretty simple." Neji answered. "She just exited the secret library and immediately challenged Hiashi-sa…n to a battle for clan's leadership. Then she used some unknown technique and… that was it… Actually that wasn't. Right after that she instantly branded Hiashi-san and Hanabi-san as branch family members and placed a caged bird seal on both of them.

Orochimaru smirked. "That girl sounds like an interesting fellow…"

"That's it!" Tsunade snapped. "I'm gathering the council right now! Shizune!"

A few seconds later, Tsunade's first apprentice showed into a doorframe. "Hai, Tsunade-sa… WHAT THE HELL?!"

Orochimaru slapped his forehead again. 'Damn! This is gonna be a long day…'

Near Fire temple…

Naruto made a long whistle. "Damn! The man, who built all those stairs must be completely fucked up…" He said to himself and disappeared in a burst of flames, reappearing already on the top. "Ahh… much better." Then he noticed… "A gate… Hmm, nice work." The blond demon said and outstretched his right arm. Immediately a fireball appeared in it. "Well, art is a blast…" He looked down at the fireball. "…right?"

Inside the temple…

This was another peaceful day inside the walls of fire temple. The monks were doing their usual training routine, sun shone brightly; children were running around, playing. Nothing new happened. The day promised to be great.

Until…

"KATSU!"

A large explosion echoed through the area.

"Someone broke the sealgates! Inform Chiriku-sama at once!" Monks were shouting.

When all dust finally cleared, instead of gates there stood one man. His open black leather cloak and his long blond hair flew freely in the wind. A pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. And in his hand he had… a speaker. The monks watched in expectation as this man slowly put the speaker in front of his mouth…

"May I have your attention please?" His voice boomed. "May I have your attention please? Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? I repeat. Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?" Then he looked around. "Damn! You're all are standing up…" He scratched his head. "Well then… will the real Slim Shady please sit down? Will the real Slim Shady please sit…" No reaction. They just stared at him in confusion. "Oh fuck you then!" Naruto finally said and threw the speaker away.

"Who are you, and what purpose do you have here?" Unknown voice said, and the crowd of monks parted to give a way… to another monk…

"Hey… you look…" The blond demon sized him up and down. "No, actually you look just like the rest of you, bald and ugly."

Chiriku narrowed his eyes. "I will ask again. Who are you, and what your business is here?"

Naruto snorted at that. "Well, actually I just wanted to climb all those stairs, blow up your gates and then… say I'm sorry and walk out."

Chiriku raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"No."

The head monk started to look angry. "Enough! State your business. Now!"

Naruto looked skeptically. "Why should I say anything to you, if you don't even have enough class to introduce yourself? What is your name?"

Chiriku straightened. "I am…"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS!" The demon screamed. "As for my purpose…" He continued. "I have come for the sword…"

The head monk looked confused for a moment. "What sword are you…?" Then it dawned on him. "No! This sword must not be used by another human!"

Naruto smirked at this. "Then the fact that I'm not a human is a great relief."

Chiriku's eyes widened. "Y-You're not a human?"

The smirk widened. "Nope."

"Then you definitely won't pass!" The head monk shouted. "This sword will not fall into demon's hands again! I won't allow it!"

Naruto gave a chuckle… that grew into a full blown laughter. "I never said I need your permission!"

"You will have that sword only over my dead body!"

The demon smiled evilly… "If you say so." …and started walking towards the monk.

Chiriku tensed and started to prepare his best technique.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, seeing as the monk took some strange stance. 'What the hell is he doing?' A second after, he was hit by a barrage of flying fists. "Ow!" Hit. "Damn!" Hit. "Stop that!" Hit. "I'm serious!" Hit. The barrage finally ended.

"Had enough yet?" The head monk asked, releasing his stance.

Naruto stood up. "Damn that hurt! So you want to play that way… fine!" He slowly raised his left hand and… showed Chiriku the middle finger. "Go fuck yourself no jutsu!"

Everybody looked at him like he was a moron… that is until he disappeared in a flash of black.

"What?" Chiriku said just as he was kicked from behind… right between his legs. His eyes widened and he fell to his knees… unfortunately… or perhaps fortunately for him, he didn't have much time to endure the pain…

"Heads up!" Naruto said still from behind, as he snapped head monk's neck and pushed him forward, making the poor guy to finally fall down on the ground with a thud.

Pleased with his work the blond demon looked around. The crowd of monks was dumbfounded at what just happened. Their leader has just been killed… Naruto however thought for a different reason of their awestruck…

"Hey, you're wandering what was the jutsu part?" He looked down and then kicked already lifeless Chiriku in the ribs, saying: "Go fuck yourself!" Then he turned to the crowd again. "There!"

The monks were still in deep shock. Naruto only chuckled and turned to walk into the depths of the temple… when a kunai flew past him, inches away from his head. He then rolled his eyes annoyed. "You asked for this!"

Konoha council chambers…

Tsunade and the others were nearing the council chamber when they heard a voice…

"…So as you can see, I am now the rightful head of the council." A sweet female voice stated.

Having already good suspicions about who this voice belongs to, the Godaime Hokage opened the door to see… that her suspicions were correct. In the middle of the room stood none other than Hyuga Hinata…

"What is going on here?!" Tsunade asked.

Hinata turned around. "Oh, nothing really, Tsunade-sama. I'm just taking my rightful place in these chambers." She said and bowed, smiling sweetly.

'Well…' Tsunade thought. 'It's a clan business. There's nothing I can do about it…' "Then by all means, take it and sit down." The Hokage replied.

Hinata nodded and obliged.

"Now…" Tsunade started. "I have brought you a matter of outmost importance." She took a pause. "Uzumaki Naruto has betrayed us. He killed one of our jounins and fled in an unknown direction."

That statement caused an immediate uproar. The screams of "Cursed demon!" and "Kill the beast!" were appearing throughout the room. The newly appointed Hyuga clan head gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as hard as she could.

"Silence!" Tsunade screamed. "Because of this discovery I'm going to label Uzumaki Naruto a nukenin… But I don't know what rank we should give him. He's a genin after all. Therefore…" She looked around the room and spotted just the person she wanted to see. "I want you, Danzou, to tell me everything you know about Uzumaki Naruto."

Danzou's face betrayed no emotions. "What made you think that I know more than you?"

The Hokage rolled her eyes. "Enough of this bullshit, Danzou. Let's make a deal, you will tell me everything you know, and I'm gonna reinstate your ROOT division."

A smirk immediately crossed Old War Hawk's face. "We have a deal then."

Tsunade nodded. "Start talking."

Danzou cleared his throat. "Very well. Uzumaki Naruto is well known throughout the world." The statement caused everyone's eyes to widen. "He's placed in three of five Great Shinobi country's bingo books. There he goes by the name of Dark Flash. It is said that he can disappear and reappear wherever he wishes similar… to the way Yondaime Hokage could." The room became silent, and Danzou continued. "In Iwa's bingo book, he's wanted for slaying 187 shinobi of jounin and ANBU class. The reward for his head is… 95 billion ryo…" The whole elder population of the room gasped. The largest bounty till now was for the head of the Yondaime Hokage himself… But it was only 63 billions. Then Danzou's face became somewhat… uncertain. "But it's actually now that things are starting to become interesting."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.

"What I mean is that unlike Iwa, who has a 'Flee on sight' order on him, Kumo and Kiri's order is 'Do not attack under any circumstances'… and they also have no reward for his head."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Strange indeed." He looked at Danzou. "Your version?"

"My version is… he's actually working with Kumo and Kiri."

"Damn!" Tsunade exclaimed. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually that was only shinobi's side of his case…"

"What?" Sakura shouted. "There is another one?"

"Yes, there is." Danzou answered. "Actually, Uzumaki Naruto is one of the richest people in the world."

Tsunade gritted her teeth. "Yeah, because of my necklace…"

Danzou laughed hard on this. "Haha… your necklace has nothing on his actual account!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that by the time he met you, he could already buy ten of those necklaces!"

"Impossible!" Kakashi screamed this time. "Where could he get so much money?!"

Danzou smirked. "Well, first of all, Uzumaki Naruto is the only owner of Gato's shipment company…" Kakashi interrupted him.

"You're lying! Gatou is dead, I saw his body!"

Danzou snorted. "Yeah, Gato died… but his company remained. Uzumaki just went and claimed it. It's just that simple."

If it wasn't for his mask, Kakashi's jaw would be hitting the floor right about now.

"Oh!" Danzou continued. "But that's just the beginning!" He stated excitedly. "Since Wave country was unable to satisfy the needs of his new company, he just transferred all his business to Sea country. And he organized everything so smoothly that it doesn't even require his presence! And the company is still working there… Actually, Uzumaki Naruto proved to be a better businessman than even Gato himself! Under his banner the Sea country only prospered." Everyone already got the picture, but Danzou wasn't done. "Oh! That's not all! The company is just one of the many. For example, Uzumaki Naruto is also a famous producer. Have you ever heard of the actress Fujikaze Yukie?"

"Yes." Kakashi said. "She is also the princess of Snow country. She once came to us for hel…p… Oh, Damn!"

"Yes, damn." Danzou repeated. "Also he gave financial support to many countries. The Snow country, the Bird country, the Nano country. The list is actually pretty long…"

"Alright Danzou." Tsunade interrupted. "I got it. The only thing that you haven't said is what rank Uzumaki Naruto has in the bingo book." Tsunade knew the answer before it even came.

"Why, SSS-rank of course." Danzou said.

Tsunade closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "So it is decided. Uzumaki Naruto will be labeled as an SSS-ranked nukenin, and the order will be… 'Kill on sight'." She exclaimed.

Hinata's eyes widened. 'I can't let this happen!' She thought and stood up. "Forgive me, Tsunade-sama, but I think the order should be 'Capture on sight'."

"Why do you think that, Hinata-san?" The Hokage asked.

"Well, first of all his financial status. If we were to force him into transferring all of his valuables to us, it would benefit the village greatly. The second is that Uzumaki Naruto has great potential. So making him our weapon could actually prove to be even more valuable than receiving his money."

Almost the entire room agreed with her. Even Tsunade herself has found Hinata's reasons somewhat convincing… well for money at least. Danzou and Orochimaru, who was still under the hood, thought the same thing. 'Kukuku… I like this girl!'

"Alright." The Hokage said. "The order will be 'Capture on sight'... For now."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Hinata said and sat down.

"Now, for another reason we're gathered here." The slug sannin started. "The dire times require tough decisions. You have to fight your friends… and also you have to sometimes ally with your enemy…"

Two hooded men walked past Tsunade into the spotlight and removed their hoods…

The Fire temple…

Fifteen minutes… and one dead crowd of monks later, Naruto stood in the middle of the said crowd. Without a single scratch and… dancing…

"…Mambo number five! Woah!" He said swirling around.

In front of him stood the only alive monk of all that were present right now…

"Oh?" Naruto exclaimed. "Looks like I missed one…" Said monk was actually Naruto's age and wasn't even bald. "You know…" The blond demon said. "There's something strange about you…"

Boy's face showed pure malice. "You destroyed everything I knew!" He shouted as he raised his deformed left arm and started to emit large amounts of red chakra.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Demon essence? Who are you?"

"I'm Sora!" The boy roared. "And I'm…"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS!" Naruto yelled back. "I didn't ask for your name. All I wanted to know is where you got this demonic essence! But… it's actually a good opportunity…" He stated. A quick burst of speed, and Sora's throat was already in Naruto's left hand. The blond demon couldn't help but smirk at boy's attempts to break free. "Oh! You poor thing!" Naruto said and extended his right hand backwards. "You see, I haven't tried this in my new body yet…" Naruto's right palm started to glow green. "Soul Drain!"

A piercing scream echoed through the courtyard, as Sora's soul was forcibly pulled out from his body into Naruto's hand.

"Ahh! Refreshing!" Naruto stated as he threw Sora's lifeless body to the ground. Then he looked around… "And I could just take the sword and leave!" He exclaimed, already disappearing inside the temple.

Some temple room…

"Damn! Where on the Earth is… Oh! There you are!" Naruto said, as he finally found the reason of his obsession. "Come to papa!" He grabbed the sword… and the world went black.

Inside… something…

Naruto found himself… somewhere. There was only darkness here, but what he definitely could say… is that the sword in his hand was missing.

"What the hell?!" He shouted.

"A rhetorical question indeed…" Someone answered.

"Hey!" Naruto looked around. "Who are you, where am I?!"

"I am Yamato." The voice answered. "And you're in my dimension."

The demon turned left and right. "Not very bright are you?"

"I am the sword of darkness, what did you expect, butterflies?!"

Naruto sighed. "So, what is this, some kind of test?" He asked.

"Indeed it is!" Yamato answered.

Ex-Konoha shinobi waited for a few seconds. "Well?"

"Oh, yeah, the test… tell me…" Naruto tensed. "Do you like bondage?"

Naruto's jaw hit the floor.

"Hahahahahahaha! You should've seen your face right now!"

Naruto was, probably for the first time in his life, at the loss of words. The ancient sword… was making fun of him. But he was himself after all.

"If I say yes, will it be enough to pass your test?"

Yamato chuckled. "Sorry, but no…"

The blond demon raised an eyebrow. "Then what was this all about?"

Sword spirit sighed. "It's quite boring here you know…"

"Oh…"

"Exactly…"

"So, the test?" Naruto asked expectantly.

"Oh yes, the test… Tell me…" Naruto prepared for another stupid question, when… "Why do you desire my power?"

'Now we're talking!' The demon thought. "Well, that's easy. I want your power to help me defeat my enemies."

"And why do you have enemies?"

Naruto chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous. Everyone has them… Because… Everyone has darkness."

"Indeed… Last question… Why do you fight?"

Naruto was about to make another smart ass commentary, but was stopped dead in his tracks by the realization of what has just been asked…

'Really…' He thought. 'A million dollar question… and I've got no answer. Why do I fight? For love? Definitely no… For hate? Maybe… but no, I don't think so… Do I want to protect something? Wrong again. The only things I deem worthy of protection are the ones that can protect themselves very well… Then why? Maybe…' Then it dawned on him.

"Well?"

"There is no real reason…"

"What?" Thespirit sounded confused.

"…Perhaps it's my nature…" Naruto continued. "Maybe I was born only to fight…"

Two minutes of silence.

"I see… Interesting. Very well. I will grant you my full power…" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"That's it? Won't you only grant your power to someone who wish to protect the entire world… and probably die in the process, or to the one who wants to destroy the same world?"

The spirit was silent for a second. "You read too many comic books… Anyway, the only thing that remains… I want to know the name of my new master."

The blond demon smiled. "Uzumaki Naruto…"

Back in the real world…

Naruto reappeared back in the very room he was before… a shining katana was in his hand.

"Yes! Finally!" He exclaimed.

Ahh! It's good to be back!"

"What? Yamato? You can talk with me?"

"Of course I can! Don't you know? Its anime rules! Part three, paragraph eight: every good anime must have at least one talking sword!"

"Oh… I didn't know…"

"No worries!" Yamato said. "That's what I'm here for!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I thought you're here to help me fight my enemies?"

"Yeah, that too… Anyway, enough chat! Let's get to the girls and drinks!"

Naruto raised the second eyebrow. "Girls and drinks?"

"Of course! Damn it, do you know how long I didn't have a master?!"

"Haha… point taken. And I know just the place!"

"Great! Lead on… I mean carry on, haha! The only advantage of being the sword…"

Back in the courtyard…

"Do you even realize, how much time it took for me to find you?!" Naruto said to his new sword… when he was suddenly interrupted.

"You have the sword I see…" An elderly voice said.

Naruto looked forward, to see an old man in red cloak… and with a sword strapped to his back. Of course he had no idea who that was…

Yamato on the other hand…

"That sword… Rebellion…"

Naruto looked down at his left hand, which was holding Yamato at the moment. "Do you know this guy?"

"Sadly, yes… this is my former master's brother…"

...