10. The Demon Within

"Anko-San, what are you and your team doing here?" Han questioned, once again in surprise.

Naruto was the one to answer, a smirk on his face. "We're here to help. These guys are doing down dattebayo!"

The Iwa shinobi looked at the Konoha shinobi in shock. They couldn't understand why Konoha would willingly help an Iwa team under attack. Han was also surprised that another group of people were willing to assist him. After years of despising humanity, he had been helped by two groups of humans one after another. This went against everything he believed!

"Konoha shinobi, this doesn't involve you. Get out of here!" Nasumareta ordered, his eyes glaring at the newcomers.

The Konoha shinobi turned their attention to the two men in front of them. Naruto was, once again, the first to answer.

"Like hell we are going! You guys tried to attack our friends, so you're gonna pay." He informed them.

'Friends? When the hell did we become friends?' Risho questioned suspiciously. He wasn't one to deny assistance when it's needed, but he couldn't but be suspicious.

"Naruto, stand back." Anko ordered her student as she stood in front of her team. She didn't want her student to be the first one these men attacked when the fighting started. "We are here to defend and assist the Iwa shinobi. Now, who are you guys? Why are you attacking? Tell us this and get out of here and we'll leave you both alone."

'These two managed to make Han use the Gobi's chakra. They must be really tough. I'll need to take this serious.' Anko noted as she studied the two men in front of her.

"Hmph. Such arrogance. Think you can order us around Mitarashi Anko?" Kakuzu noted in amusement. Anko's eyes narrowed at having her name called out. "If you are going to interfere, than I guess we just have to kill you too. I recognize you from the bingo book and I know what you're worth. You have a decent bounty on your head, so killing you will be worth the extra energy."

The Konoha genin got into position, ready to fight at any moment. Anko got into her own personal stance while she continued to study the men in front of her, trying to identify them.

"We don't really have time to be dealing with both of these teams Kakuzu. Taking on eight targets at once would be a pain." Nasumareta grumbled. "Let's split up the work and get this over with. I'll take the Konoha team and you take on the Iwa shinobi."

"Seems you want the easier job. I'm fine with that though." Kakuzu shrugged. "Just kill them fast. I may need assistance with capturing the jinchūriki."

Naruto's eyes widened at the words. Neither of the Akatsuki members were paying too much attention to him, however, so it went unnoticed.

"I know that Kakuzu. I won't take long." Nasumareta informed him as he walked forward towards the Konoha shinobi.

"You better not." His partner threatened. His eyes turned and focused on Yen, who was hiding behind a tree in the distance. "I'll give you this land as your battlefield. Meet me in the forest when you're done. That's where I'll be fighting."

With those words, Kakuzu charged directly at Yen. The merchant's eyes widened in fear. This overwhelming fear caused Yen to pass out, his hand landing in front of the tree he was hiding behind. The Iwa shinobi realized what the man was doing and immediately chased after him to stop any attack on their client. Anko and her team were about to join them but were stopped as Nasumareta blocked off the way towards the Iwa shinobi.

"Nuh uh, not going to happen. You aren't passing. You're dealing with me!" Nasumareta informed the Konoha shinobi as he continued to study them.

In the distance, Kakuzu ran past where Yen was and headed off into the forest. The plan to separate the two shinobi groups worked, as the Iwa team was still on his tail.

The Konoha team realized that they were going to have to fight Nasumareta. Each member of Team Three got into position again, ready to fight.

"Before we begin, though, are you the current Hyūga heiress?" The former Kumo ninja asked as he focused on Hinata.

The members of Team Three turned to Hinata, wondering why the man wanted to know about her. Hinata was equally confused. "Y-Yes. What about it?"

"I was right then. You're the Hyūga Kumo tried to kidnap years ago, weren't you?" Nasumareta questioned. Naruto and Shikamaru's eyes widened at the information while Hinata was starting to get nervous. "You're a lucky girl that your daddy saved you. Wish my mother had the same luck, but whatever. Looks like your luck's run out!"

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. It was at this moment that Anko realized something about the man in front of them.

"Ah! Now I remember who you are!" The jonin stated. "Nasumareta, the elder brother to Darui, the current Raikage's right hand. You got a high bounty on your head and a kill on sight from Kumo."

Nasumareta laughed almost maniacally in response. "Bingo! You're looking at the man that will bring Kumogakure to its knees. In just a few years, the clouds will be covered in blood!"

"Wh-What did you mean about your mother?" Hinata asked quietly.

Nasumareta's laughter stopped and his eyes hardened as he glared at the Hyūga. "My mother possessed a rare bloodline limit that Kumo wanted. And unlike you, she had no one to save her from being kidnapped."

"What?" The heiress gasped. "That's-"

"Disgusting? Immoral? Complete bullshit? Hell yeah it was!" The Akatsuki member nearly screamed. "That damn village ruined her life and basically put her in a breeding program. It got too much for her and she ended up killing herself shortly after my younger brother was born. Darui was too young to really understand what was happening, but I knew. I saw it. I saw her body hanging from the ceiling in our damn apartment!" Nasumareta's voice continued to get louder with each sentence as his rage increased. "It's all Kumo's fault, but they will pay! First with their jinchūriki then with their lives! The Akatsuki will ensure that!"

All of the Konoha genin were surprised at the venom in the man's voice. Hinata, in particular, was terrified. 'His mother…could that have been me? If father didn't save me…would I have…'

"Akatsuki?" Anko questions.

"Anyway, none of that matters. I'm getting way off topic!" Nasumareta stated, calming himself down. The former Kumo shinobi undid his robe as he continued to speak. "We have a fight to do, and I need to kill you all."

Underneath the Akatsuki robe, Nasumareta wore a dark blue gi and pants that clung tightly to his muscular body. Over his gi was a light brown bag with more silver lightning rods sticking out of it. Nasumareta took out a second silver lightning rod and held both of his rods up to the sky.

"Storm Style: Summoning Jutsu!"

Thunder could be heard from the sky above. Lightning flashes were also visible. What once was a clear, sunny sky was replaced with black clouds with visible lightning traveling between the clouds. The thunder continued to get louder each second.

"Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru: stay back and keep your guard up. This guy is way out of your league." Anko informed them as she made a hand sign. "Leave the heavy fighting to me for now."

Satisfied with the storm above him, Nasumareta lowered his lightning rods. He pointed one towards Anko and released a bolt of lightning at her. Anko jumped out of the way as her students backed up to avoid the blast. The special jōnin then faced Nasumareta and took in a deep breath before releasing a giant fireball from her mouth at him.

"Fireball Jutsu? Seriously? What do you take me for?" Nasumareta scoffed as he jumped backwards to avoid the blast. "I'll show you a true jutsu!"

Nasumareta unleashed another bolt of lightning from his lightning rod towards Anko. Anko retaliated with more fireballs. The two shinobi continued to dodge the others' attacks while remaining on the offensive.

Anko's genin students stayed at the edge of the battlefield, watching their sensei fight her opponent in a state of awe and surprise. At the same time, though, they were looking for an opening.

'If Anko-Sensei can get an opening in, we can take it. We can help kill this guy quickly.' Shikamaru noted as his eyes remained glued to the fight. His other teammates were thinking along the same lines.

'Still…I'm curious about that thunderstorm. What is that Kumo guy going to do with it?" He questioned, trying to work out what was going on.

"Looks like Nasumareta is taking this seriously." Kakuzu noted to himself as he looked up at the sky. "Finally. Maybe he won't waste time and kill them quickly so he can assist me in capturing the Gobi."

The Iwa shinobi looked up at the thunderstorm with caution.

"I don't trust that storm." Han spoke to his students. "Watch the sky for any sudden attacks!"

The three genin nodded in agreement as they got in fighting stances, preparing for the first strike from the Akatsuki member.

"Thanks to you, I'm going to have to take some time to get a new earth heart." Kakuzu informed Han. "Let's get this over with. Lightning Style: Gian!"

The four Iwa shinobi jumped out of the way of the lightning blast, which exploded upon impact with the ground. Han took the time to get close to Kakuzu. The red chakra of the Gobi surrounded his fist as he tried to land a hit on the man. The Akatsuki member avoided it, causing Han's fist to make impact with the ground. Another explosion resulted from the impact.

"I see. So you use the Gobi's chakra in a similar manner to your steam. It's used to increase your strength and speed." Kakuzu noted. "It seems even more powerful than your steam."

"You still talk too much." Han replied as he attempted to punch Kakuzu again. The former Taki ninja, once again, barely dodged the attack.

Han's genin decided to take the time to strike at Kakuzu. Kurotsuchi maneuvered in first, making hand signs. "Lava Style: Quicklime Jutsu!" The corrosive gas flew from the kunoichi's mouth towards Kakuzu. He dodged the blast and then barely avoided a hit from Han. Risho and Roto then came forwards, ready to deliver their own strike at the former Taki shinobi.

"Wind Style: Atsugai!" Kakuzu shouted after making a single hand sign.

Kakuzu's wind mask released a tornado-shaped mass of wind from its mouth. The wind was then scattered around Kakuzu and his masks, hitting everything around them. The Iwa shinobi tried to remain standing still, but were blown back by the blast of wind. While Han was only knocked back a few feet, his genin students were knocked back much further with multiple cuts on their exposed skin. They all hit the ground deep within the forest hard.

"Risho! Roto! Kurotsuchi!" Han shouted at his students in fright.

"Damn brats. Can't let you all gang up on me like that." Kakuzu stated annoyed at what had happened as he made another hand sign. "Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!"

Two clones of Kakuzu were formed from the water vapor in the air. The shinobi and his clones then charged forwards towards the Iwa genin, ready to finish them off before capturing the Gobi.

Too his surprise, Han jumped in the way and attempted to deliver another chakra filled fist at the original. Kakuzu jumped out of the way while his clones merely turned direction and faced Han.

"Interesting. I'm surprised you would try and defend them. Reports said you didn't care for your students." Kakuzu noted in mild amusement.

"You won't kill them. You are dying here!" Han shouted as he made a hand sign.

Kakuzu only smirked in response, making another hand sign. His clones got into position to charge at the Iwa shinobi. "This should be interesting."

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Anko unleashed multiple fireballs flying directly at Nasumareta. The former Kumo shinobi responded by holding up his lightning rods to the sky.

"Storm Style: Shield of Lightning!" He shouted as his lightning rods started to light up.

Blue lightning fell down from the sky and struck the lightning rods. The lightning then spread from the rods and formed a protective shield around the storm user. Anko's fireballs made contact with the lightning shield and faded away immediately.

"You're starting to kind of bore me, you know? I actually enjoy a good fight, so try and entertain me!" Nasumareta taunted as he lowered one of his lightning rods and pointed it at Anko.

The blue lightning surrounding him was immediately channeled into the lightning rod and shot towards the Konoha special jōnin. Anko barely jumped out of the way in time. The lightning caused a massive explosion on the ground, causing debris to scatter and hit Anko. The woman grunted in pain before she got out of the way of the debris and held out her hand. 'Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!'

Four snakes appeared from underneath Anko's sleeves and shot forwards at Nasumareta. They moved at a speed faster than her fireballs and made contact with the Akatsuki member. Two of them gripped onto the lightning rods and tossed them away while the other two bit into both of his hands, holding him tightly in place. The former Kumo ninja winced in pain. Anko smirked as she pulled her hand back, attempting to drag Nasumareta back towards her.

Nasumareta glared at Anko as he stood his ground. He closed his eyes before he channeled his chakra into his hands. The shock of his storm chakra caused the snakes to let go of his hands, setting him free. The man then reached into his bag to take out two more lightning rods. As he was pulling them out, arrows were fired at him. He immediately jumped out of the way before he turned to face Anko's genin. They were all poised ready to strike at him. Hinata, in particular, had another arrow loaded in her bow.

"Eager to die are you? I was going to kill you three after your sensei was dead, but I'll be happy to kill you all now if you want!" He hissed.

"See if you can!" Naruto replied as he made his favorite hand sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The three genin were surrounded by a hundred Naruto clones. The clones didn't waste a second before charging directly at the Akatsuki member. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru followed closely behind.

"Shadow clones? Interesting. Maybe you'll be fun after all." Nasumareta smirked as he made a few hand signs. He then pointed his lightning rods at the genin and the clones. "Storm Style: Laser Circus!"

Multiple beams of blue lightning were released from the lightning rods and went towards the approaching clones. They made direct contact with many clones, causing them to disappear before they could get close. In mere seconds, half of Naruto's clones were destroyed.

Hinata fired more arrows at the man while Shikamaru threw kunai that had explosive tags attached to them. When Nasumareta noticed them, he stopped his jutsu to get out of the way form the incoming attacks. This gave Naruto and his remaining the clones the opportunity to get in close to the man. The original and his clones all raised their fists and prepared to beat him down.

Nasumareta quickly held his lightning rods up and used his Storm Style: Shield of Lightning. The blue lightning surrounded him before any of the clones landed a successful blow at him. By the time the clones struck, they were attacked by the lightning around him. They were all immediately destroyed. Naruto was sent flying backwards in pain, electricity moving through his body. Shikamaru caught him before he could fly too far back.

Nasumareta dropped his lightning shield and channeled his lightning into his lightning rods. He pointed them at the Konoha genin, ready to kill them. Before he could release the lightning, however, Anko got in close and delivered a punch to his face. Nasumareta fell to the ground and accidently released all of the lightning in a random direction, hitting none of his targets. Anko immediately jumped on top of the Akatsuki member, a smirk on her face.

"Careless, aren't you?" Anko taunted as she made hand signs. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Anko breathed out fire from her mouth which made direct contact with the man on the ground. Nasumareta's body was burnt to a crisp before it faded away, leaving nothing but a small lightning rod and blue lightning in its place. The blue lightning then charged at Anko. The special jōnin canceled her jutsu and jumped out of the way as quick as she could.

"A clone huh? Damn it!" She cursed before her eyes wandered the battlefield. "Okay, where are you?

Nasumareta responded by jumping out of a tree near the edge of the forest and released his Storm Style: Laser Circus. All the beams of lightning were aimed at the special jōnin.

"Anko-Sensei, look out!" Naruto said as he got up from his position in Shikamaru's arms and made a hand signs. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Naruto breathed out a strong gust of wind that collided with the multiple beams of lightning, causing most of them to fade away. Anko was then able to avoid the remaining beams and join up with her students.

"Looks like you got that jutsu down pretty well. Thanks for the help!" Anko praised her student, a smirk on her face.

Naruto nodded in acceptance before he focused back on the Akatsuki member.

"He seems impossible to hit at close range. He always uses that shield technique to block any close attacks. I'm also too far away to actually use my shadow possession on him. Guess we have to keep up the long range, or make an opening so that one of us can get in and strike him hard." Shikamaru informed his team.

Hinata nodded in agreement. "Shikamaru-Kun and I can keep attacking from a distance. Naruto-Kun and Anko-Sensei may be able to take advantage of any opening we can create and hopefully stop him."

"That's how we have to handle him, yeah." Anko replied. "We're doing good. We just have to keep this up!"

The Konoha shinobi stopped discussing amongst themselves and prepared to strike again. Hinata prepared her bow while Shikamaru reached for more kunai. Anko and Naruto were ready to get in close and strike.

'Damn them! Every time I'm about to kill one of them, another one intervenes. This is pissing me off! Why does every Konoha shinobi have to act like a frickin hero?' Nasumareta grumbled in his head. 'I've wasted way too much chakra already in this fight and earlier. If I actually want to help Kakuzu capture the Gobi, I'm going to have to kill them now! No more playing around: let's finish this.'

"Ninja Art: Steam Cannon Jutsu!"

"Fire Style: Zukokku!"

Han released a beam of steam from his furnace at Kakuzu while Kakuzu's fire mask unleashed a gigantic fireball at the Iwa jōnin. The two jutsu collided and created an explosion. As the explosion faded away, the two water clones charged at Han.

Han blocked both clones' fists. He then retaliated with a kick that went straight through one of the clone's body. The clone immediately turned back to water. Han then tried to punch and destroy the other clone, but it avoided the attack. It then got behind Han and held him in a chokehold.

Before Han could react, Kakuzu made hand signs, causing his fire and wind masks to come forward. The two masks then released Fire Style: Zukokku and Wind Style: Atsugai simultaneously. The two jutsu combined and created a massive firestorm that was aimed solely at Han.

The Iwa jōnin was able to release himself from the clone's chokehold and destroy it before the firestorm could reach him. He then made a hand sign, causing more of the Gobi's chakra to appear around him. The chakra then hardened around him as the firestorm struck him. His new hardened chakra protected him from the attack. By the time the firestorm faded away, Han was still standing in the same place. His chakra turned transparent once again and the man began breathing heavily. His furnace was overheating more and his armor had burn marks on it, but not nearly as many as he should have had.

"Oh? So you hardened the Gobi's chakra and use it as a second armor to protect yourself from my attack? Very impressive." Kakuzu noted. "However, you seem very tired. Even more than you were earlier. The technique must have taken a lot out of you."

Han gave no reply. His heavy breathing was enough of an answer for Kakuzu.

"You can't handle much more fighting. It shouldn't take that much before we can capture you." The Akatsuki member stated as he charged at Han again.

The Gobi jinchūriki got into a defensive stance, preparing for Kakuzu's next attack.

Before Kakuzu could reach Han, Kurotsuchi rushed forward from the back of the battlefield. She breathed out her Lava Style: Quicklime Jutsu at the man. Kakuzu jumped out of the way of the corrosive gas. Immediately after landing on the ground, he was flanked by both Risho and Roto. Risho stabbed the man's side with his sword while Roto stabbed him with a kunai with a poisoned tip. Kakuzu winced slightly in pain before he raised his fists, ready to strike down at the Iwa genin. Before he could hit them, Kurotsuchi breathed out another quicklime gas cloud at Kakuzu. The three ninja were forced to jump out of the way, preventing Kakuzu from striking the genin that were at his side.

"Damn brats" He cursed. "It's a shame I have to kill you all now. A few years later and you all might have been worth a high bounty together."

The three Iwa genin hurried over to their sensei's side.

"Are you okay Han-Sensei?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Yes…I'm fine." Han replied between breaths. "You three…that was great teamwork. Good job."

"Heh. Naturally!" Roto replied to his sensei's praise with a large grin on his face. Kurotsuchi had a similar grin on hers. Even Risho couldn't help but smirk in response.

"Anyway…stay focused you three. We…need to…finish him off soon." Han stated as he got into a position to charge at Kakuzu. His three genin nodded in agreement and got in similar positions.

"Alright, let's do this." Anko informed her team. "Shikamaru, Hinata: you guys get us an opening. Naruto, stay behind me. Be careful you guys!"

The three genin nodded at their sensei's words before they went with their plan. Hinata and Shikamaru attacked from a distance with their weapons while Anko and Naruto proceeded to get closer.

Nasumareta dodged all of the attacks coming his way. After a few seconds, the man jumped backwards and raised his lightning rods upward. Naruto and Anko stopped their movement, waiting to see what the man was going to do before getting any closer.

"Storm Style: Lightning Rain!" He screamed. The lightning rods lit up once again.

The sound of thunder started to get louder, causing all of the Konoha shinobi to feel pain in their ears. Soon after, multiple bolts of blue lightning rained down from the sky and fell down throughout the battlefield.

"Shit!" Anko cursed as she immediately made a hand sign for substitution. "Everyone, get out of here now!"

Anko's words and her jutsu came too late. The blue lightning struck down before they could react, hitting the Konoha shinobi. All four ninjas screamed in pain before they fell to the ground. Static was visible all around the shinobi.

The four shinobi tried to stand up after the lightning, but each one found out they couldn't. No matter how much energy they put, they couldn't get up.

"W-What's going on?" Hinata asked in a voice mixed with unimaginable pain and fear.

"I…I can't move!" Shikamaru gasped.

"No…no…" Naruto moaned. "Body, come on…"

"Give up. It's useless." Nasumareta replied nonchalantly as he approached the Konoha shinobi. The man was breathing in and out, as if the jutsu he used took a lot out of him. "That technique of mine paralyzes anything it hits. Granted it's only for a short time, but you all will be dead before it fades."

'Dead? No! I can't die! Not now!' Naruto panicked as he tried to get up. 'I can't let him kill my friends!'

'Shit. SHIT!' Anko cursed as she struggled in her paralysis. 'This isn't how it's supposed to end. I won't let him kill my students! It's my job to protect them and I'll do my fucking job! Come on Anko! MOVE DAMMIT!'

Nasumareta chuckled. "And despite my words, you all still try to move. Just stop. Relax and try and enjoy your last moments." He said as he walked towards Hinata. "Anywho, I'll start with you Hyūga."

Hinata gasped in fear as her attempts to move increased. She still couldn't move. The girl started to cry, realization creeping over her. 'I'm…I'm sorry everyone…I…I can't do anything…'

"It it's any consolation, when I kill you, I'm going to destroy your eyes. That way Kumo or any village won't be able to take your bloodline for their own." Nasumareta informed Hinata as he grabbed her by her jacket. He placed the tip of his lightning rod by her throat.

'He's…he's going to kill Hinata. HE'S GOING TO KILL HER!' Naruto nearly screamed in his head as he continued to struggle against his paralysis.

'Are you going to let him do that? Are you just going to watch him kill her?' A voice in Naruto's head asked.

'No…NO!' He roared in reply.

'Then I have a gift for you. Use it to stop him.' The voice spoke, starting to get louder. An image of the Kyūbi appeared in Naruto's mind. 'Use it…'

'TO KILL HIM!' Naruto and the voice spoke in near unison.

Red chakra formed around Naruto. His fingernails began to develop into claws and his whisker marks became more noticeable. His eyes turned red and narrowed at Nasumareta.

Anko, despite her paralyzed state, noticed Naruto's chakra developing. 'Shit! So it's happening. The Kyūbi is taking over…damn body, move! I need to help my students!'

Nasumareta was about to slit Hinata's throat when he noticed a new, malicious chakra developing around him. "The hell is that?" He mumbled as he turned his head to face its source.

Naruto was slowly standing up, breaking out of his paralysis. The more he got up, the more his new appearance developed. A red tail of chakra formed after the blonde shinobi was standing up. The Kyūbi had taken almost complete control.

The Iwa shinobi and Kakuzu were about to continue their fight when they noticed another large powerful chakra source appear. They all turned to face the new source to identify it.

'That's a powerful source of chakra. Powerful and dark.' Kakuzu noted, surprise on his face. 'It's similar to the Gobi's chakra actually. Is one of Konoha's shinobi a jinchūriki? Does one of them have the Kyūbi?'

'Naruto…' Han realized what was happening. Naruto was pushed too far and had to draw out the fox's power.

"W-What is that? I'm not even a sensor and I can feel that chakra!" Roto exclaimed.

"I'm not for certain. It feels like Sensei's chakra…" Risho mumbled quietly.

"It is. It feels just like it." Kurotsuchi nodded. Her mind was filled with questions and thoughts. 'Does that mean that someone from Konoha is a jinchūriki like Han-Sensei? Who?'

'I can sense about one-tail worth of chakra. That's still dangerous, especially since he probably doesn't know how to control the Kyūbi's chakra. I'm going to have to help him before he destroys everything and everyone here!' Han thought.

The Iwa jōnin made a hand sign, summoning more chakra from the Gobi. Another tail of red chakra appeared next to the first tail. He then got ready to charge at Kakuzu. 'I have to end this quick!'

'That…no way. He can't break out of that paralysis! No human can!' Nasumareta's eyes widened in shock. And that form…is he Konoha's jinchūriki? No…it can't be. Zetsu would have informed us if the Kyūbi was involved with the mission as well as the Gobi! It can't be!'

Finally free from the paralysis, Naruto wasted no time in charging at Nasumareta with newfound speed. Nasumareta had no time to react: Naruto was already in front of him. The jinchūriki delivered a powerful, chakra-filled fist right in the face of the former Kumo ninja. He was sent flying backwards, dropping his lightning rods and Hinata in the process. The girl hit the ground with a loud thump.

"N-Naruto-Kun?" She mumbled in shock, both from Naruto saving her and from Naruto's current physical state.

Nasumareta landed on the ground near the forest by the bridge. He got up as quick as he could. Naruto was still glaring at him angrily and was poised to attack.

'No, no! Jinchūriki or not, he must die! I will not let him kill me!' The Akatsuki member declared as he pulled out two lightning rods from his bag.

Naruto noticed the man's lightning rods. The jinchūriki responded by making hand signs. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Storm Style: Shield of Lightning!"

Naruto released a gust of wind from his mouth. The storm in the sky rained down blue lightning that covered Nasumareta in his protective shield. The wind collided head on with the lightning shield. The two jutsu held each other in a standstill, competing to overwhelm the other jutsu.

'No…my shield should have stopped that wind on impact. He should not have the power to be able to fight back! It must be the demon in him. He must really be a jinchūriki.' Nasumareta noted, fear starting to take over his mind. 'I…I've wasted too much chakra in this fight and the fight earlier with the Gobi jinchūriki, and my jutsu's strength is based on my chakra. If this keeps up…then-'

Nasumareta's thoughts were interrupted as the wind overpowered the lightning. The shield faded away, allowing the wind to him, blowing him back further at a great speed. Nasumareta made direct contact with a tree, knocking the breath out of him. Two kunai knives were then thrown at him, pinning him to the tree. He screamed in pain.

Naruto charged forward. Nasumareta closed his eyes, the outcome obvious to him.

'Shit…Pein-Sama…I failed…please, destroy Kumo for me…' He thought.

The Kyūbi jinchūriki delivered a powerful punch straight into the Akatsuki member. He was sent straight through the tree he was pinned to and any other tree he made contact with. Nasumareta eventually stopped moving backwards after hitting a large rock formation deep within the forest. The man fell to the ground immediately after impact, dead. With its summoner dead, the thunderstorm in the sky faded away.

Han charged at Kakuzu faster than earlier. The Akatsuki member had no time to react. The Iwa jōnin delivered a punch straight through his chest, crushing another of Kakuzu's hearts. He coughed up blood. Han then removed his fist and delivered a kick that sent Kakuzu crashing back to a tree, causing him to cough up even more blood.

It was after the impact of tree that Kakuzu noted that the thunderstorm was no longer in the sky.

'This mission just reached its worst possible situation. Nasumareta is dead, two of my hearts are destroyed, and another jinchūriki is here. I could maybe salvage the situation with the Gobi and capture him, but I would be killed immediately by the other jinchūriki.' Kakuzu noted as he got up from his position by the tree. He immediately made a hand sign and called his masks back into his body. 'There's no other choice. I need to retreat.'

Han noticed what the man was doing and immediately charged again. "You're not getting away from me that easily!"

It was too late. Kakuzu used the shunshin and got away in time before Han's attack. The Gobi jinchūriki's fist made contact with the tree and caused it to fall to the ground.

Han immediately scanned the area, looking for the Akatsuki member. 'He's still in the area. I can sense him. I'll hunt him down and kill him before he can get a-"

The man's thought process was interrupted as he felt the chakra source from earlier increase. 'I'll deal with him later. First thing's first: I need to help Naruto!'

Han immediately ran towards the direction of the chakra source. His students, all curious about the chakra, immediately followed behind.

'That man had a partner. His partner must be out there somewhere. He'll try and kill your friends. He'll try and kill you. You must find him and kill him! Destroy everything in your way until you find him!' The Kyūbi told Naruto.

Naruto only roared in response, giving his agreement. The boy had no real say in what he was doing. The Kyūbi had taken nearly full control over his body and actions.

As Naruto was preparing to go on his hunt, Nasumareta's paralysis started to fade away in his teammates' bodies. Hinata, Shikamaru, and Anko, who had been struggling to get up, were finally able to stand and get moving. The three Konoha shinobi immediately hurried over to Naruto as quickly as they could. The paralysis was still affecting them, however, causing their movements to be slower than usual.

The three eventually got over to Naruto and were surprised at the sight of Naruto in his one-tailed form.

"N-Naruto?" Shikamaru questioned.

Naruto turned his attention to the Konoha shinobi. Despite the Kyūbi's influence, he was still present. Relief appeared in his eyes, knowing that his friends were okay.

'They are going to get in the way of the hunt. Remove them.' Kyūbi ordered.

Naruto was about to walk forward and comply with the Kyūbi's demand before he stopped himself. He grabbed on to his head and started shaking it.

'No! They are my friends!' He replied.

'They are going to be in the way!' The fox replied.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Shikamaru asked his friend.

Naruto's only response was a loud yell. He was trying to fight back the urges to kill his friends.

'Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Kyūbi is really taking over. Damn…why is my body not in top condition? Why can't I do anything for my team?' Anko cursed herself. She then took another look at her student. 'Naruto, you are tough…fight that damn fox back!'

Hinata took a slow step forward from her fellow shinobi. Her eyes were filled with even more tears now that she saw Naruto in the anguish he was in.

"N-Naruto-Kun, it's over. T-That man is dead. We are done fighting." Hinata told him as confidently as she could. "It's all over."

'No it's not. That other man is still alive. She's trying to stop you. Get rid of her.' Kyūbi demanded.

'N-No! She's my friend! They're all my friends! I'm not going to kill them!' Naruto replied back.

As Naruto struggled against the fox's control, Han arrived at the scene. The man wasted no time in hurrying over to Naruto's side. He then grabbed Naruto's head with both of his hands. The two jinchūriki froze immediately in place.

"W-What's going on?" Hinata asked nervously as she stared at her crush and the Iwa jōnin.

Anko and Shikamaru said nothing. They continued to stare at the two jinchūriki as well. After a few seconds, Han's students hurried over to join the group. They, too, watched both jinchūriki stand in place.

After a few minutes, they finally moved. Han fell to one knee while Naruto passed out on the ground. The tailed beasts' chakra faded away from the two, leaving them both without any demonic influence.

"Naruto/Naruto-Kun!" Shikamaru and Hinata shouted in unison as they rushed over to their friend as quickly as they could. Anko followed behind, but gave Han a look.

"What did you do? How did you stop the fox?" She asked him.

"I…I made a mental link…between us and our…tailed beasts." Han replied in between breaths. "The fox…got its first taste of blood in years…and was being unruly. Naruto-San and I…convinced the fox to calm down. It…took a lot out of us though…"

Anko nodded in response before she rushed over to her student's side. She sat with Shikamaru and Hinata and watched over Naruto to make sure he was okay.

Han watched the Konoha shinobi look after Naruto. He knew they had witnessed him in his one-tailed state, but they didn't care.

"Not every human is like that though! I know quite a few who are different. They are my friends."

They were just focused on him and if he was okay. They saw him not as a demon, but for he was. They saw him as Naruto.

'Naruto-San…looks like you were right. There are humans that see you for who you are.' Han realized.

"Han-Sensei…are you okay?"

Han then turned his head and saw his three genin students. Kurotsuchi, Risho, and Roto were staring at him just like the Konoha shinobi were staring at Naruto. They were looking at him with concern for his well-being.

"I'm…fine. I…just need rest…" Han told them. The jōnin's eyes started to close and a smile appeared on his face. 'Hmm…looks like I may have people just like you Naruto-San…'

With that thought, Han passed out from a combination of physical and chakra exhaustion. The battle with Akatsuki was over for now. The Gobi jinchūriki had time to take a well-deserved rest.