18

Kisame – And here we are, less than two months since the last update, for some more of me wiping the floor with Naruto-kun.

Itachi – Yeah…Anyways, there will be a very important announcement concerning the "future" of this story at the end of the chapter, please to some time to look at it.

Kisame – What is it? Am I going to become the main character? Has Phoenixsun decided which girl Naruto is going with?

Itachi – You should really pay attention during the meetings, but since I'm in a good mood today, I'll get you up to speed…In the meantime, we leave you with the 18th chapter of PHD…

Uchiha

Naruto could barely see pass his aggressor's foot, but he could still discern the prideful, wicked smile on the swordsman's face.

"We are two opposing forces, you and I…" Kisame commented. "You could even say that we are natural enemies." He said, pressing his sword even harder on the Jinchuuriki's back.

The blond could feel his body been driven deeper into the ground by the former Kiri nin's strengths. He tried to push himself off the ground again, but his body didn't move an inch. "Damn it…! Stupid body…Move!" The boy orders were ignore as hid body grew heavier and his strength weaker.

"This is what happens when you spent all of your days sulking instead of training!" The fox scowled him in his mind. "Lately you have been relying too much on those eyes of yours, neglecting your body and simply copying others like a mindless monkey!" The Bijuu ranged. "Now…There is nothing I can do…" A hint of fear betrayed Kyuubi's anger sending another dose of terror down the Leaf genin's spine.

Continuing to struggle, the boy knew he had to keep himself from passing out. "Wha…What do you…Want with me…?" Naruto asked.

A snigger escaped Kisame. "What? Itachi didn't tell you during your encounter?" The man wondered. "I don't see what harm is in telling you our objective." He finished by pressing harder with Samehada. "We are collecting all the Bijuu, all of those living catastrophes that roam this world." He paused to laugh. "It just too bad that you got caught in this crossfire by having the strongest Bijuu sealed inside of you, though it does make it easier to carry…"

Down on the ground, Naruto's eyes widened. "Itachi did say that they wanted me because of the fox, but…All of them…?" His mind immediately thought of Gaara. "How many others are there?" The boy wondered.

Confident that he had his prey under control the missing nin started to talk animatedly. "I tell you, after Itachi's little failure, I was sure that it would be a pain in the ass to capture you." The mocking tone was evident in Kisame's voice. "We were certain that old fart of a Hokage would keep you under 24-hour surveillance."

The Jinchuuriki's Sharingan eyes snapped open at the mention of the fallen Hokage.

"Though I was starting to look forward to slaughter wave after wave of Leaf ANBU." The former Mist Swordsman commented, unaware and uncaring of his opponent's thoughts, of the mental turmoil that his insult had caused. "But then the geezer goes and dies on all of you, leaving the village in its biggest crisis since the Kyuubi attacked." His words were soon followed by an all out laugh. "If that wasn't an invitation for us to come and get you, I don't know what it is!" The man exclaimed. "We will get that Bijuu out of you before the maggots can finish eating the Sandaime's body!"

Suddenly, it appeared as if the ground below Kisame had cracked and, despite all the strength he was exerting on his sword, Samehada started to rise up.

"Damn…You…" Naruto's words were full of venom as he, with fist driven into the ground, started to force his body off the destroyed pavement. "I will not let you insult the Third!" The blond shouted. The counteracting strengths were so great that the boy's knuckles were already tainted crimson. "I'm going to KILL YOU!" He exclaimed as he briskly move his head, shaking the Kiri fugitive's foot off his face, and setting his eyes on him.

A wicked smile took hold of Kisame's face. "Hahahah! You sure are a riot, brat!" The Akatsuki member happily exclaimed as he raised his sword of the boy's back. Before the Konoha genin could even think the word Amaterasu, the blue haired man had swiftly brought down Samehada down on the blonde's back. The sickening impact of the blow caused the few birds that had remained in the area during the battle to fly away scared.

Naruto once again lay on the floor, nothing short of a bloody mess on the crater that had been formed by his body. The young man was dimly aware of where he was and it cost him a great deal of effort not to pass out right then and there.

Looking at the damage he had caused, the former Kiri nin had to force himself not to continue on laughing. "Heheheh… Not bad, not bad, brat." He commented. "Had the circumstances been different, if you had a chance to mature and harness your potential, you would have become a terribly powerful shinobi, with that strong will of yours." The man swung his sword to his back, deeming it unnecessary to deal with what remained of his prey. "To tell you the truth, this makes me a little sad. I would have loved to fight a more mature and experienced you." Kisame admitted as he crouched down and started to move his hands towards the Jinchuuriki's collard, the Akatsuki member was ready to capture his target.

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp…

The deafening sound of birds suddenly overwhelmed the area, catching the missing nin's attention. A second after the blue haired man had jumped out of the way, the ground beside the young Jinchuuriki seemingly exploded, sending dust and rubble into the air. Kisame brought his hand back to Samehada as he watched the dust settle, a smirk forming on his face.

There, between the Mist Swordsman and the beaten up blond, stood how Kisame had always pictured Itachi would have looked around five years ago. Dark locks falling over an unscratched Leaf headband and encasing a pair of Sharingan eyes glaring at him. The churning and flashes of electricity on the boy's left hand only added effect to the picture.

Sasuke's glare narrowed at the strange man's smirk. Shifting his eyes, the Uchiha caught the current state of his teammate that lay on the floor. A surging pang of anger rose through the raven haired genin at the sight of his friend's blood pooling around his body. "What did you do…?" The Sharingan user asked, the lightning chakra in his hand intensifying for emphasis.

The widening in Kisame's grin showed that he had disregarded the question. "So, you are Sasuke, uh? I heard a lot about you." The blue haired man commented. "I was hoping I get to run into you while I was here." He continued as he brought his sword forward. "There are a lot of people that expect big things from you, did you know?" The former Kiri shinobi started to emit overpowering amounts of chakra. "And I wanted to see for myself if you were worth all the fuss." He watched the young Uchiha closely for any reactions.

If the Leaf genin was intimidated by the missing nin, he had manage not to show it as his face never betrayed the anger he was feeling. "What did you do to Naruto?" He asked again, still receiving nothing but a smirk from the blue haired man. "Answer me, damn it!" The raiton jutsu in his hand flared once again.

"Sa…Sasuke…"

A stir and a pained call from behind him caused the raven haired boy to turn back and set his attention on his friend. The blond was trying to once again push his broken body off the floor. "Naruto!" Sasuke called out.

Gritting his teeth, the young Jinchuuriki fixed his eyes on his teammate. "I…I'm alright…" He assured him weakly.

With his Sharingan activated, the raven haired genin could see how his comrade's chakra was slowly gathering on his wounds. "It's not supposed to be like that…" The boy's mind pondered. "Naruto has always had more chakra." He thought as he suddenly came into a realization.

Sasuke had been already on his way home, having decided to take the scenic route just in case Kiba and the other were still trying to catch him, when he suddenly felt the clashing chakra in the nearby area. Recognizing one of the chakra signatures as Naruto's and soon realizing that it was fading, the boy did not hesitated in forming a Chidori and charging in. But now, seeing the current condition of his friend and the uncharacteristic behavior of his chakra, the young Sharingan user knew that fight had been underway for a long time.

Back to the matter at hand, the Uchiha shook his head. "No, you're not alright." He stated as he move his right hand to his pocket. "Here, eat this." The raven haired crouched down and put his last soldier pill in his teammate's mouth. Sasuke's Sharingan could see the blonde's chakra been replenish and the wounds on his back starting to heal almost immediately. "Now, what's going on?" He asked as his friend was finally starting to stand up.

Still feeling the pain from the assault on his back, Naruto struggled to his feet. "I don't…Know much myself…" The Jinchuuriki managed to get out. "His name is Kisame…He's a former Mist Swordsman…And he belongs to a group call Akatsuki…" The blond explained, stopping himself from adding along with your brother.

"But why are you fighting him?" The Uchiha asked, already familiar with the reputation of the Mist Swordsmen.

Naruto gritted his teeth, not prepare to answer that question.

As the spiky haired boy's mind raced for answer, the two Leaf nins were interrupted. "Suigadan!" The torrents of water gushed out of the canal and shot in direction of the two boys, forcing the genins to jump back to dodge them. "You know, I don't personally like been left out of a conversation." Kisame commented as both pair of Sharingan eyes settled on him.

The raven haired shinobi looked at his blond companion. "The two of us can take him…" He declared as he brought his still-alive Chidori forward.

"I don't know… He's a high level jounin and we haven't had much practice in fighting together." Naruto pointed out, though his stand became a little more aggressive nonetheless.

"We fought Haku together…" Sasuke argued, his Sharingan eyes narrowing on the blue haired man.

A snort escaped the blond. "Do you even remember how that fight ended up?" The Jinchuuriki shot back. "I would think not, since you were unconscious on the floor."

The Uchiha simply shrugged off the remark. "But that was a long time ago…We have grown since then." The way he leaned forward made him seem predatory. "We are both stronger now." The genin stated.

Sighting, a smirk formed on Naruto's face. "I guess you are right…Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu!" The blond suddenly shouted. A streak of granite walls started to rise in front of the two genin toward the Akatsuki member.

The smile returned to the swordsman. "Now that's more like it!" He exclaimed as he easily side stepped the incoming wall.

Even before the blue haired man's feet could return to the ground, the wall next to him unexpectedly exploded and a lighting-covered hand shot through the dust towards him causing the former Kiri nin to move further back. Preparing a counterattack with Samehada, something else caught Kisame's attention. "Suigadan!" The Jinchuuriki's command was heard the moment Kisame step on the canal and was immediately followed by another torrent of water from the water behind the Akatsuki member.

"Damn it!" The former Mist shinobi cursed as he used his sword to cut down the assaulting streams before they reached him.

With his back turned, the nukenin could not see the smirk that had taken residence on Sasuke's face, but he did heard how the Uchiha softly said. "Got you…" Before plunging his raiton jutsu into the canal.

Electricity flowed though the water and overwhelmed the towering man. The raven haired genin smiled at the show of flashes and light he had created until his Sharingan eyes caught sight of the man's body turning into water and falling down on the canal. "What the…" Sasuke pondered as he took a step forward, looking around for any sign of their enemy.

"Suirou no Jutsu!" Suddenly, water encased the young Uchiha's body into a sphere as a figure rose from the water next to trap genin. "Hahahah!" The former Kiri nin laughed as he look from one dumbstruck boy to the other. "That was really clever of you, I had to quickly get out of the water until the lightning chakra settle down a bit." He admitted as his eye set his eyes on the raven haired boy. "Now you just sit there while I beat Naruto-kun up again…" His words were accompanied by another rising figure in the water.

A water clone stood between the Akatsuki member, and the trapped Leaf nin, and the Jinchuuriki. The bushin carried a perfect replica of the smile on his creator's face as he brought his identical Samehada forward and pointed it at the blonde's direction.

Inside the spiky haired boy's mind, his thoughts raged. "What can I do? I have to get Sasuke out of there!" Naruto exclaimed in his head. The Mizu Bushin walked confidently towards the young man, Kisame realizing more chakra with each of his clone's steps.

Panic was starting to overcome the genin. "Well, since you have been depending so much in your damn Sharingan, put it to some use!" Kyuubi ranted in his container's mind. "Start acting like an Uchiha, damn it!"

Naruto sighed, understanding where the Bijuu was going, and forced himself to calm down. "Don't worry, Sasuke, I'll get you out." He declared as he brought his hands together. A short, odd laugh escaped the blond. "Heh…I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself when I saw it during the chuunin exam.

Curiosity got the best of Kisame and he willed his clone stop on his tracks. Both blue haired men stood watching as the Jinchuuriki started through a set of hand seals.

Tiger, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Monkey, Tiger.

From inside the water sphere, Sasuke could barely make up the sequence of hand seals that his teammate was performing, but something about it seems rather familiar to the raven haired boy. There was no mistake in the Sharingan user's mind about the pose that the blond assumed afterwards.

The Jinchuuriki stood with legs somewhat parted, crouching slightly, right arm extended downwards, and his left hand resting on the stretched forearm. Naruto's eyes were fixed on his right hand as an exceptionally serious look took over his face.

Both Kisames tilted their heads slightly to their side as they watched their target's behavior. The missing nin could sense the tremendously large amounts of chakra that the blond was gathering in his right hand, but there was no sign of a jutsu taking effect.

"Come on…Come on…" The spiky haired boy pleaded in his mind as he continued to pump chakra down his right arm and into his hand. The rate of sweat dripping down the Jinchuuriki's face dramatically increased as he gritted is teeth and increased the hold of his left hand on his right forearm. "Please…Work…!"

Despite his situation, Sasuke watched his teammate's actions in a mix of worry and amazement. With his Sharingan, the Leaf genin could see the dangerously large quantity of chakra that had gathered in his hand.

The grip his hand had on his forearm was so strong that it was a matter of time before blood would start to drip down as his fingers impaled into the skin, but Naruto could not care less. "More power…More focus…Until the point it's about to explode…" The blond meditated.

The eyes of the former Mist Swordsman widened as the water beneath the Jinchuuriki's feet started to boil. The blue haired man finally became aware of the sudden rise of temperature in the area, concentrating around the young shinobi.

A half smile formed on Naruto's lips as the bubbles soon became bands of steam that rose into the air all around him. "I guess this is as far as I can get at the moment…" The Sharingan user commented as the straightened up. "It's not complete yet…But it'll have to do." He declared as his eyes narrowed on the water clone. The spiky haired boy had his right arm extended and his hand was surrounded by steam and smoke.

The Mizu Bushin smirked as the Jinchuuriki shot swiftly towards him, leaving a trail of water vapor behind, and raised his duplicate Samehada and prepared for a counter strike. The bandaged swords came down just as the blonde's hand shot forward.

Kisame's eyes widened at the collision.

Before the sword could get close enough to its prey to do any damage, the entire water cone seemingly exploded into a cloud of steam that spread through the area, reaching all the way to the nukenin and his prisoner. The swordsman's surprise was so strong that he barely registered Naruto's smoke covered hand coming towards him through the cloud of steam, leaving the towering man no choice but to release his water prison and jump away to evade the incoming attack.

Naruto stood next to his shocked teammate with a smirk directed towards their opponent. The smile weakened when the blue haired man started to laugh.

"Incredible, I really didn't see any of that coming!" The Akatsuki member exclaimed. "First I thought you were going to use Hatake's jutsu as well, but it turned out to be a katon! Though it did go a little askew, nevertheless, evaporating my water clone? Very sneaky, brat!" The swordsman praised with a smirk.

Ignoring the comments from the former Kiri shinobi, the blond looked as his comrade. "Are you ok?"

Sasuke scoffed. "I could have gotten out of there myself." He commented, but at the look his friend was giving him, he added. "Eventually…" In an undertone. "And what's with that jutus?" The raven haired boy asked, taking a defensive tone.

The spiky haired boy allowed himself to smirk for a second. "Some other time." He requested. The Jinchuuriki's grin disappeared before he directed his gaze towards the Akatsuki member; two more water clones were rising out of the water. "Do you still think we can take him?" He asked.

"We'll just have to find out…" The raven haired boy responded.

Immediately, both Sharingan users started to form hand seals. Kisame was impressed with their speed and synchronization as they made the same seals at the same time. "Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Both boys shouted in unison.

Two fireballs united into one gigantic, blazing behemoth flying towards the two bushins. The explosion that followed was devastating.

Kisame stood smirking at the fireworks as his cloud patterned cloak fluttered violently trying to get away from the blast. His grin wavered a little as the two genin's voices were heard through the sound of falling rubble. "Housekan no Jutsu!" A vast barrage of small fireballs instantly broke through the cloud of dust flying viciously towards the blue haired man.

Grabbing Samehada from his back, the former Mist shinobi concentrated his chakra into his sword before bringing down in a fierce swipe. The move was strong enough that caused a gust of wind to shot forward, blowing away the incoming fires, revealing a group kunais that have been hidden by the flames.

The blades harmlessly hit the floor around the swordsman as his smirk returned. Suddenly, several of the kunais changed as their henge was dropped, now showing explosive tags wrapped around them.

There wasn't even time for the nukenin to jump as his body was consumed by a massive explosion.

Both Konoha genins stood smirking between pants at the second blast, they had enough time to look at each other before their relief was shattered by the laugh they were starting to hate.

"Hahahah! This is so much fun!" Kisame exclaimed as all the dust suddenly disperse, revealing the Akatsuki member to be completely unharmed. "I can't remember the last time I had gone through so many water clones." He managed to confess between laughs. "I never thought that I was going to have so much entertaining on this mission!" The towering man excitedly stated.

The two you man looked at each other again, each one seeing the fear in the other's Sharingan.

The maniacal grin on Kisame's face widened. "Let's kick it up a nudge and get serious, what do you say?" The swordsman exclaimed as his hand when through a serious of hand seals at such a high speed that the boy's Sharingans could not fully follow. "Here's a big one…Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

A tremor seemed to run through the area as an enormous tower of water rose into the area and took the shape of a dragon.

Two pairs of terror filled Sharingan eyes watched as the torrential serpent, bigger than the one their sensei had once created, made its way towards them. The two genins were too bewildered to even move out of the suiton jutsu's path of destruction.

Surprisingly, the water dragon's movement halted just a couple of feet away from its preys. All three shinobi watched in surprise as the leviathan started to writhe, as though in pain. "You just had to ruin my fun, didn't you…?" Kisame commented with a sigh.

With a horrifying roar, the dragon suddenly exploded into numerous dark ravens.

The black birds fluttered around the area from a moment before the avian creatures came together into a shadowy mass. Slowly, the dark mass started to take the form of a person. "I thought I told you no lethal force, Kisame…" He calmly commented.

"YOU!" Sasuke immediately roared the moment his eyes caught sight of the newcomer. Before Naruto could even do anything, the raven haired boy was already dashing towards his older brother. The Chidori that had formed in the young Sharingan user's hand started to grow, soon covering the genin's body, before a dragon made completely out of lightning shot towards the oldest Uchiha. "Itachi!" The monstrosity opened up its jaws and devoured the former Leaf shinobi in a massive explosion.

Breathing hard, Sasuke strained his eyes to look through the cloud of dust that had risen. He wanted to see the body, he needed to see his brother's body burned, destroyed, and demolished by his attack.

As the debris finally started to settle down, the younger Uchiha could see nothing. No charred cloths, no destroyed body, no tore limbs, nor pool of blood, there was just a crater created by his Raikiri Ryu. Ferociously looking around, Sasuke searched for any sign of his brother's location. The boy's Sharingan caught something from the corner of his eyes. Looking back in shock, the Leaf genin's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise, terror, and anger.

Behind him stood Itachi with his back turned to him, now he could see that his brother was wearing the same cloud patterned cloak as Kisame, but at the moment the boy could not care less about that fact.

The oldest Uchiha had his right arm extended in the air, and his hand had a fierce hold on Naruto's neck as the blond struggled to break free. The Jinchuuriki's logs flailed uselessly as Itachi held his body up. "It has been a long time…Naruto-kun…" Itachi commented in a sly voice.

"I…Itachi…" The spiky haired boy managed to get out as he continued to struggle. The Akatsuki member had tilted the boy's head back so that all he could set his Sharingan eyes on were the clouds above them.

A smirk worthy of Kyuubi formed on Itachi's face, he did not need to see the blonde's face to know that it was filled with anger, fear, and desperation. "I see that you have become stronger since the last time I saw you." The black haired young man continued. "Tell me, how is it going with that strange Sharingan of yours?" He asked in a mocking tone.

"Itachi!" Sasuke called out in rage at been ignored by the person who once took everything away from him. "Look at me, damn you! Turn around!" The boy roared, but his brother gave no sign of acknowledgment to his wrathful words.

Kisame watched from a distance with an almost goofy grin. "This is what I've been waiting form." The blue haired man commented. "The great Uchiha family reunion, it's going better that I ever could have hope for." Never before had the swordsman desired a bowl full of popcorn as much as he did now.

Gritting his teeth with an almost crushing force, Sasuke rushed through a set of hand seals. "Turn around…Damn you…" The raven haired boy spat out. "Turn around…So that I can see your face when I kill you!" The genin shouted before dashing towards his brother with a Chidori charging in his left hand once again.

It was not until the enraged boy was only a couple of feet away from his brother, that Itachi turn his head slightly to the side and shifted his eyes towards him. The Akatsuki member simple extend his free hand towards the incoming genin.

Half a dozen crows flew from the Itachi's sleeve. Instantly flying and surrounding the younger Uchiha, the birds started to attack with unnatural ferocity and strength.

Not even with his Sharingan could the raven haired boy see what hit him. Despite all of his determination, Sasuke's body fell onto the ground less than three feet away from his brother.

Immediately, the assaulting ravens changed targets, setting their eyes on the captured Jinchuuriki. Just like they had done before, the avian creatures started circling their next victim.

With an ominous smile, Itachi relinquish his hold on the blonde's neck, and let the boy fall. Before Naruto's body could hit the ground, the crows had already reduced him to a bloody mess once again.

"Da…Damn you…You bastard…" The spiky haired boy forced out. The chakra he had regained with the solider pill had all but gone, leaving the genin to struggle on the floor once more.

The older Sharingan user simply regarded the beaten boy for a couple of seconds before delivering a powerful kick to the blonde's chest, sending him a couple of feet back. The sound of something snapping could be heard all the way where Kisame was standing, causing the former Kiri nin to smile. "Do not misinterpret my words, Naruto-kun…" Itachi started with a serious tone. "I might have said that you had become stronger, but are you are by far nowhere near our level."

The Jinchuuriki could only look at the older man, he didn't even had enough chakra to activate his Sora Sharingan again.

"At this moment, both you and Sasuke-kun…" Itachi took a moment to glace at his younger brother who was struggling just like his teammate. "Are only a couple of pathetic brats pretending to be shinobi." The nukenin narrowed his Sharingan eyes. "But still…Both of you carry the same blood that runs through my veins, you are subject to the same overwhelming desire for power as me, you are both Uchiha." The seriousness in the young man's voice was overwhelming for the weakened blond. "You have to give in to that thirst for power as well if you truly want to become stronger."

Regaining some of his composure, Naruto managed to glare at the Akatsuki member. "I'll never become like you!" The genin declared.

The smirk returned to Itachi's face. "You are talking as though you have a choice." He commented. "Like I said, you are an Uchiha, and eventually you will succumb to the hunger and betray anyone in order to achieve more power, it is your and Sasuke-kun's fate, just like it was mine. It is in your best interest to just embrace it before it is too late." His tone became serious again. "Because next time, you will be coming with us."

The black haired man was about to turn around Naruto managed to call out. "Bastard!" The boy shouted in anger. "Is that why you came here? Just to tell me that I will one day betray my friends and become like you? Well, screw you!" The Jinchuuriki spat out as he closed his fist tightly. "I will become stronger, but in my own way! I'll surpass you without hurting the people I care about!" He proclaimed

A sigh escaped the Uchiha. "You just don't get it, do you…?" Itachi didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "You, Sasuke-kun, and I, as part of the Uchiha clan, are bound together by a chain of hatred and greed that goes far beyond your realm of comprehension." He explained. "Never stop improving, always desiring to soar higher, not letting any obstacle hinder the way, all of those thoughts brought together by the fires of wrath, that is what it really means to be an Uchiha, and there is nothing you can do about it." The smirk formed again on the young man's face at blonde's anguish. "I tell you what, Naruto-kun…" The sly tone returned. "I will give you one more chance to prove your ideals…" The smirk widened. "When you obtain your third…I will come and find you." Itachi stated.

Having said his piece, the Akatsuki member started to turn around. "Itachi!" Sasuke suddenly jumped for the floor and stretched his Chidori covered hand towards his brother as the cursed seal spread through his body.

With one swift moment, barely caught by Naruto and Kisame, Itachi grabbed the younger Uchiha by the collard and slam his body into one of the trees near the canal. "I hope you heard what I told Naruto-kun, because right now you are nothing more than an eyesore for me." He said cruelly as Sasuke fought to brake free. "Out of all the Sharingan users left in this world, you are by far the weakest, give in to your greed and use the hatred to feed your wrath." The young man instructed.

"Da…Damn you…" Sasuke spat out.

Itachi shook his head. "That's not nearly enough, you have to hate me with all of your heart...Perhaps you need a little reminder." The younger Uchiha watched in horror as the comas in his brother's Sharingan merged into a wheel. "Tsukuyomi…"

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed at the sight of his teammate's body going numb in the Akatsuki member's grip. The boy was well aware what the older Sharingan user was doing and of the damage it could cause. Managing to gather some strength, the genin pushed himself up and jumped towards the two brothers.

A pain was suddenly felt through the blonde's body before he was violently thrown to the side. "Don't forget about me…" Kisame said as he returned Samehada to his back.

"It is time for use to leave, Kisame…" The shorter man simply stated as he unceremoniously threw his brother's numb body towards the Jinchuuriki.

The swordsman wined. "Do we really have to…? I'm having a lot of fun here." He pointed out.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" As he crawled towards his teammate, the blond could hear his sensei's shouts from the distance.

Itachi looked at Kisame. "That should answer your question." He stated. "I am not fond of the idea of facing Kakashi-sempai and the other jounins at the moment." The Uchiha explained as he turned around, the blue haired man followed suit. "Remember what I said, Naruto-kun…Become stronger." He added before the two Akatsuki members disappeared.

Naruto gritted his teeth and tightened his fist at his failure before returning to his task of reaching his comrade. "Sasuke…Are you alright…?" He asked as he shook his friend's body, but got no respond.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Kakashi's shouts were growing louder and hurried footsteps could be heard.

Turning on his back, the blond Jinchuuriki glared at the sky. "Damn it…" He cursed. "I am not strong enough…I'm not strong at all…!" Naruto managed to shout before his strength finally gave up and his world turned into darkness.

Darkness grew stronger with each step he took. He was never an admirer of obscurity and did not enjoy the fact that his eyes were obsolete at the moment, though the same could not be said about his ears.

The sound of a sword slashing through air could be heard further ahead, that told him all he needed to know. "Why must you practice in such conditions?" He asked, knowing that the question's intended target could hear.

"Heh…There are worse things than darkness, I know...I've seen them." The answer came through the shadows.

He shook his head. "I never expected that you would take the news this bad…" He commented.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

A smile formed. "The news about Konohagakure, about Naruto-chan's exploits against the other Jinchuuriki." He explained. "I am surprise it upset you like this, after all, Naruto-chan and you…"

"Don't even go there! Nothing that guy does could bother me, he could die for all that I care!" The voice exclaimed.

He chuckled slightly. "Then why are you here?" He asked. "You only come down to train like this when something bothers you."

"Stuff it, Okina!"

Another chuckle. "Well, I, for one, am impressed with young Naruto-chan." He admitted. "He's becoming quite a shinobi, just like…"

"Well, I doubt it'll last." The voice cut off. "We got intel that Akatsuki is making a move on him." It pointed out. "If he survives Akatsuki, then I'll accept that he's not a waste of space."

A smile formed in Okina's face. "Could it be that you are this upset because he is in danger?"

Growling could be heard from the darkness and the sound of slashes stopped. "Stop wasting my time with stupid thoughts, old geezer!" The voice barked, followed by the sound of steps leading further into the darkness.

The old man shook his head. "The will of the Namikaze…Lives on in such stubborn and hotheaded individuals." He commented as the sound of his comrade's footsteps faded. "Those who have inherited the Yondaime Hokage's blood…I just hope these old bones carry me until the day I get to see them show their true power to the world." Okina chuckled before turning around and walking away.

Suigadan – Water Fang Bullet

Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu – Granite Prison Jutsu (Made up)

Suirou no Jutsu – Water Prison Jutsu

Goukakyu no Jutsu – Great Fireball Jutsu

Housenkan no Jutsu – Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu

Suiryudan no Jutsu – Water Dragon Jutsu

Kisame – Grr…

Itachi – Do not mind Kisame, he's just put off that I stole his thunder in the chapter

Kisame – Whatever…

Itachi – Anyhow, concerning what I said at the beginning of the chapter…

Kisame – (Sighs) Phoenixsun is well aware that of the errors in this story, especially the stupid atrocities he did in the first group of chapter.

Itachi – And you wonder why he doesn't give you a bigger role.

Kisame – Grr…Due to the constant flames about that matter, Phoenixsun has come to a decision.

Itachi – He will be putting up a poll in which he will give you, the readers, the say in the matter.

Kisame – There will be three options for you to choose from.

Itachi – The first is having Phoenixsun rewrite the chapters as he continues his work on the story. Keep in mind that this option will greatly slow down Phoenixsun's already…I guess "pathetic" is as good a word as any, update rate.

Kisame – The second option is to simply shut up and stop whining about the chapters.

Itachi – In a less rude manner, yes…And the last option…

Kisame – You have to wonder what Phoenixsun was thinking when he came up with that one.

Itachi – Is to give the chance to readers that are willing to rewrite the chapters themselves and submit them to Phoenixsun, he will then choose the best and use it to replace the old chapter. Giving credit to those who are due, of course.

Kisame – Let them try, I say.

Itachi – Anyways, please take the time and vote for one of the three options in Phoenixsun's profile. The poll will be open until the next update when the result will be revealed.

Kisame – Kami knows when that will be.

Itachi – You are really asking for it. Don't come crying when the next time you appear in the story, you get beaten by Lee's pet squirrel.

Kisame – What? Did Phoenixsun tell you that was going to happen?

Itachi – Maybe…Anyway, see you readers on the next chapter of The Power to Heal and Destroy.

Kisame – Itachi, that's not funny! Itachi…Itachi…! Where are you going? Tell me if I'm going to get beaten by a furry!