65. The Grave Robber and the Kazekage

'Damn right they have nothing to worry about!" Naruto exclaimed as he brought his hands into a hand sign. "Cause I'm gonna wipe the floor with you before you can do anything! I have no clue what you are doing here in Suna, but coming up to me was a big mistake! I'm taking you back to Konoha - dead or alive."

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In a poof of smoke, fifty clones of Naruto appeared throughout the room. Three of them rushed to his genin students' sides while the rest of the clones quickly surrounded Kabuto.

"Alright, let's get you guys out of here!" One of the clones told the genin.

"What? But we can help fight!" Katsumi quickly stated. "We-"

"Not happening." The second clone interrupted. "This guy's too dangerous. We're keeping you three safe!"

Immediately, the three clones grabbed onto the three genin and disappeared, using the shunshin.

"Practical decision to get your students out of the cross-fires, but do you think we should follow them outside?" Kabuto questioned with a smirk, his eyes moving from clone-to-clone. "We are in the Kazekage's mansion, after all. It would be a shame if anything were to get too damaged in our fight."

In response, the Naruto clones charged forward at Kabuto. A few of the clones brandished kunai, a few charged forward with their fists, and a few began running through hand signs. Kabuto chuckled to himself as he began to crouch, lowering himself to the ground. He then held his palms outward.

"Dance of the Willow!"

As the first set of the clones reached Kabuto's side to attack, eight long, sharp bones grew outward from Kabuto's body – from his palms, knees, elbows, and shoulders. Kabuto used the bones to parry the kunai strikes and return a strike at the clones, causing them to disappear. Fifteen clones proceeded to back off as Kabuto's 'dance' proceeded to slice through all the other clones. They proceeded to share a look between each other before they all continued forward, creating the same hand signs.

"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!"

All fifteen clones released bullets of air from their mouths that flew rapidly towards Kabuto. The silver-haired shinobi jumped into the air. The bones on his body retracted back into this skin as he held out his hands, making a sweeping gesture at the clones.

"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"

Hardened bones released from his fingertips, moving rapidly towards the Naruto clones. The bullets collided with them, causing them to disappear. Kabuto landed smoothly on the ground, the real-Naruto standing at a distance, glaring at him.

"What kind of jutsu was that?" He questioned. "Were you using your own bones for those jutsu?"

"I was. That's all thanks to a very special kekkei genkai found only in the Kaguya Clan – the 'Shikotsumyaku', or dead bone pulse." Kabuto explained. "With it, I can manipulate my own skeletal structure, manipulating the growth and structure of my bones. I can grow additional bones that I can use as weapons, amongst other things!"

"Hmm." Naruto shook his head. "Last I heard, you did not have such a kekkei genkai. Actually, it sounds nearly identical to another shinobi that worked for Orochimaru that Tayuya-nee and Dosu mentioned before."

"You're right; I wasn't born with this ability. That honor belonged to the late Kaguya Kimimaro, a faithful servant to Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto explained. "However, I tended to his body and, through a mixture of technique and research, managed to meld his DNA into mine, helping me gain access to the Shikotsumyaku and all of the jutsu associated with it." A chuckle proceeded to escape his lips. "I'm sure Orochimaru-sama is quite jealous right now."

"So you stole his bloodline ability… that's so horrible- " Realization dawned on Naruto's face as a disgusted scowl developed. "You're the one who was graverobbing. You stole bodies so you can experiment with and add more 'abilities' to your own arsenal."

"Guilty as charged." The silver-haired shinobi replied, chuckling.

The jinchūriki's scowl deepened: "Yeah, you're coming back to Konoha dead. But I'll make sure that you stay alive just a little bit longer so that way I can introduce you to the Kazekage. I'm sure Gaara would love to meet you." He immediately brought his hands together. "Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hurricane Manifestation!"

The ground directly underneath Kabuto's feet proceeded to light up. His eyes lit up in realization as a large tornado-like wind swept upward. The wind pierced the ceiling of the room, knocking Kabuto upward all the way to the roof of the mansion.

'Sorry for the hole in your mansion, Gaara. I'm sure you'll forgive me when I give you this scumbag, though.' Naruto thought to himself as he disappeared.

Using the shunshin, Naruto appeared directly on top of the mansion's room. The giant tornado was still there, spinning rapidly. Within a second, Kabuto forced himself out of the wind. The silver-haired shinobi's glasses were slightly cracked and there were a few cuts on his skin. Despite the damage he just took, he did not seem angered.

"I'm impressed you managed to slip a seal that fast underneath me; I didn't even notice it. That's quite impressive!" The former right-hand of Orochimaru praised. "I suppose that's just to be expected of an Uzumaki's fūinjutsu."

Naruto did not respond to the man. He proceeded to bite his right thumb before running through a series of hand signs: "Summoning Jutsu!"

In a poof of smoke, Gamaken appeared on the roof, gripping his sasumata tightly.

"Hey Gamaken, I'm going to need as much help defeating this guy. Be careful with approaching him!" Naruto warned the toad as he made a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Both Naruto and Gamaken were immediately surrounded by over a hundred Naruto clones. All of the clones started to move closer towards Kabuto, eyeing him cautiously. In contrast, Kabuto seemed to assess the situation curiously, as if he was deciding what technique he should use.

'Kabuto has access to a kekkei genkai that he shouldn't. I have no idea what other abilities he managed to steal. I'm going to need to be as cautious as possible when approaching him. I cannot let this guy get out of here!' Naruto realized.

"How are you still alive?" Gaara questioned Rasa, his eyes narrowing. The stunned silence he had experienced was fading away and he was now looking at the man with a mixture of confusion and anger. "Orochimaru killed you. How can you still be here?"

Rasa stared back at Gaara intently. The Godaime Kazekage was unable to place the emotion on his face. A few seconds passed before the man simply sighed.

"Gaara…" Rasa finally spoke.

Gaara crossed his arms, shaking his head: "I'll ask it again; how are you here right now?"

"… Gaara, while I am physically here, I am not alive." The Yondaime Kazekage answered. "I was summoned here from beyond the grave by another, unknown shinobi and am meant to fulfill their objectives. The first of which was to kill this man right here."

Gaara was silent once again, his eyes focused intently on Rasa. They then moved downward to the cannisters on his father's side. He could sense the man's infamous 'gold dust' inside. He could also sense that the dust was moving about, as if it was preparing to be launched forward in an attack.

"The man you just killed was just found guilty of treason against Sunagakure. As the Godaime Kazekage, I was waiting for him to regain consciousness so I could ask him questions about his actions against Suna." The jinchūriki stated sharply as he uncrossed his arms. The cork on his gourd proceeded to open. "I suspect that the person who summoned you is the one who Mukade was working for."

"Godaime Kazekage, huh?" Rasa's lips twitched slightly. "You really have grown, Gaara…" He was about so say more, but the man could feel his body starting to move without his consent. A grimace developed on his lips. "Gaara, I am about to attack. You best be prepared-"

Before Rasa could finish his statement, gold dust rushed from the cannisters on his hips, moving directly at Gaara like a sharp needle. The sand in Gaara's gourd rushed forward, creating a barrier of sand. The sand blocked the gold dust from piercing initially, however the gold dust continued to apply force. A second passed before a small hole started to develop in Gaara's barrier of sand.

His eyes widened slightly. The gold dust needle proceeded to break through his sand and rush towards him. The jinchūriki moved to the side just in time, avoiding the attack, and made a sweeping gesture. Sand rushed from the ground of the prison cell in the shape of spikes, attempting to skewer the Yondaime Kazekage. The man, however, jumped backwards, moving outside from a hole in the wall.

Gaara jumped forward through the hole as well. A platform of sand developed directly underneath his feet as began to float directly over the village of Sunagakure. Floating in the sky as well, underneath a platform of gold dust, was Rasa.

"Gaara, please recall that my gold dust is heavier than your sand. It was how I able to control Shukaku. You need to fight me carefully, or else I will overwhelm you!" Rasa warned.

"That was when I was a child. Today, you will not be able to overwhelm me." Gaara said sharply as he crossed his arms.

Sand rushed forward from the ground underneath them. Two large pillars of sand quickly developed and moved rapidly through the air. They rushed Rasa's body, attempting to crush him. Gold dust surrounded the Yondaime Kazekage's body, creating a barrier that stopped the sand.

Within the safety of his barrier, Rasa lifted his right hand, causing gold dust particles to develop behind Gaara's back. The gold dust changed shape into several needles that flew towards Gaara. Gaara lowered his hands, causing the platform of sand to lower closer to the ground, causing the needles to miss. These gold needles, however, proceeded to redirect themselves and fly towards Gaara once again. The jinchūriki clapped his hands together. Just as the gold dust needles were about to reach Gaara's body, sand rushed from Gaara's gourd and surrounded the multiple needles in a circular prison. Gaara extended his right hand, causing the orb of sand to move forward, before he caused the sand to implode. As sand started to drip downward back to the ground, gold dust particles dripped as well, no longer in the shape of the needles.

"Your gold dust is heavier than my sand and there's nothing I can do about that. However, I have the strength to overcome that disadvantage." Gaara said as he brought his hands together again. "Sand Hail!"

The sand from the ground rushed further up into the sky, above his and Rasa's positions and formed a cloud of sand. Sand proceeded to drop from the sky in the shape of large boulders, aiming directly for Rasa's completely encased body. The sand boulders buffeted the gold dust orb. After continuous strikes, a crack started to develop on the gold dust. The orb proceeded to fall apart, leaving Rasa's body exposed. The Yondaime Kazekage, however, was in the process of finishing hand signs.

"Gold Dust Stream!"

A large column of gold dust rushed upwards. The dust rushed through the falling sand boulders, piercing them and causing them to crumble. The gold dust continued upward until it reached the cloud, causing the cloud to dissipate back into normal sand.

Rasa proceeded to lower his right hand, causing the gold dust stream in the sky to barrel downwards towards Gaara. Sand immediately rushed out of Gaara's gourd, intercepting the blast. The two streams collided with each other, trying to overpower each other, before they both dissipated, falling neatly to the ground.

"You were able to prevent my gold dust from dominating your sand…" A small, sad smile developed on Rasa's lips. "You have grown stronger indeed, Gaara."

'Stop saying that.' Gaara shook his head, scowling slightly as he made another gesture, causing more sand from the ground to rise up around him.

The situation was already troubling; reuniting with his father and being forced to fight him. Rasa's comments about his 'growth' were only making the situation more uncomfortable for him.

"That dust… that can't be…"

"Rasa-sama can't be alive can he…"

"He is! But why is he fighting Godaime-sama? What's going on?"

Sunagakure shinobi and citizens were starting to observe the fight in the sky with a mix of awe, confusion, and fright. They could see the sand and gold dust competing against each other, continuously trying to overwhelm each other. After each collision, streams of sand and gold dust would fall to the ground, making scattered piles everywhere. With each passing second, the bystanders were getting more concerned and more anxious.

"Temari-san, isn't your father dead?" Lee questioned the kunoichi

"He is! But there's not a single other person than him who should be able to use those jutsu. It has to be him." Temari replied, biting her lip, her hand instinctively going to her fan. "Dammit. I have no clue what's going on."

"This is the thing that happened when Orochimaru attacked our village during the Chūnin Exams." Tenten realized as she rubbed her chin in thought. "He brought the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage and the Shodai Tsuchikage. Someone must have done that with your father."

"But who?" Temari growled. "Who the hell was able to-"

"Temari." The three shinobi turned their attention towards Kankurō, who was rushing over to them. The puppeteer was holding a large scroll in his hands. "Why's father-"

"I don't know Kankurō, but he's here and he's trying to kill Gaara!" Temari gritted her teeth. "I need to get up there and fight him!"

"Gaara-san is most likely engaging him in the air so that way the fight doesn't affect civilians. With the nature of their attacks, fighting on the ground or on a building could have drastic affects." Lee noted, frowning.

"Temari, you can fight though, can't you?" Tenten questioned. "I've heard you have some impressive abilities with wind-style ninjutsu. Surely you can create winds that can help Gaara."

"I can. I just need to be careful! I don't want to accidentally hit Gaara." Temari grumbled. She pulled out her fan finally and gripped it tightly, but still resisted the urge to swing it.

"I think I have an idea for that." Kankurō said as he extended his scroll.

Before anyone could question him, the puppeteer shinobi unsealed the scroll. A large wooden puppet revealed itself. The puppet had a head that resembled a bat with pointed ears and fangs that were made out of iron. The puppet's head was connected to two large wings. The wings also featured what resembled a strap.

"Is this a new puppet, Kankurō?" Tenten questioned.

"Sorta. It's actually a puppet made by Chiyo-baasama. I was with her when I first noticed the fight between Gaara and Dad. She seemed to realize that I wanted to get involved, so she gave me this puppet – Kōmori." Kankurō answered. His eyes focused on his sister as he gestured the puppet towards her. "It's not particularly a combat puppet; it's a supplement. Whoever is 'wearing' it can fly. Put the puppet on Temari and I will guide you into the fight, away from Dad's attacks."

Without question, she grabbed the puppet from Kankurō and tied the strap around her. The head of the puppet rested directly on top of her head. She made a swinging gesture with her fan. The wings of the puppet did not seem to affect her swinging. A smirk developed on her lips as she gave her brother a thumbs up.

"Give me a moment, if you don't mind. I'm going to get to higher ground so I can get a better look on the fight and be more reactive with how I position you. When I'm in a good spot, I'll automatically move you up. So be ready to fight as quick as you can, okay?" Kankurō told her.

Temari nodded her head in understanding. Kankurō immediately rushed off, looking for the most ideal position to direct Temari.

A few seconds of silence passed as Temari, Lee, and Tenten remained still, watching the fight between father-and-son. A loud explosion sounded through the area, however. The three shinobi turned away momentarily towards the source of the noise.

"Something's happening at the mansion…" Temari shook her head. Steam clouds were now being emitted from the mansion.

"What's even happening here?" Tenten frowned. "Suna's not under attack from an army or something, is it?"

"It shouldn't be." The Suna jōnin shook her head. She then turned her attention to the two Konoha shinobi and sighed. "I'm pretty sure most Suna shinobi are going to be distracted by this incident with father. Would you two-"

Lee had already nodded his head before she could finish: "Understood. We will see what is going on."

The two Konoha shinobi quickly hurried off towards the Kazekage's Mansion. Temari was no alone, waiting for Kankurō to get into position.

'Just wait a moment, Gaara. Kankurō and I are going to help.' She braced herself for combat. 'Father… I have no clue who summoned you here, but I'm going to do everything I can to stop you!'

"Scorch Release: Incinerating Flare Technique!"

Kabuto had created a large flaming orb that expanded around him. The orb erupted, creating a massive circular explosion that covered nearly the whole area of the roof. Naruto, Gamaken, and most of the clones were able to jump into the air high enough in time to avoid the assault. Some of the slower clones, however, were quickly caught on flames and dissipated on the spot.

When the explosion faded and steam started to emit from the blast radius, Kabuto remained at the center. Part of his shirt was burnt off and his exposed skin looked burned. He looked as if he had just taken the full force of his own technique. Despite that, he seemed to chuckle as he brought his right hand to his wounds, causing it to be covered in green chakra.

"Wow, that's quite an interesting technique. Very effective. I think I can incorporate that well into my own arsenal if I use it better." He chuckled to himself as his wounds slowly started to heal.

"You literally took your own attack. What the hell? Are you just experimenting here or something?" Naruto asked.

"Well, yes." Kabuto continued to chuckle. "This is the Scorch Release kekkei genkai and I just mixed it within my DNA just the other day. I haven't had the chance to experiment with its capabilities yet, so I needed to see what it could do."

"Naruto, this man is insane." Gamaken noted, his grip tightening on his sasumata.

"Am I really?" The silver-haired shinobi frowned. "All I am doing is trying to improve my understanding of my capabilities. I don't see how that is insane."

Five of Naruto's clones immediately jumped towards Kabuto, placing him within a circle. They each ran through a series of hand signs: "Uzumaki Naruto Elemental Barrage!"

The five clones immediately released different elemental ninjutsu simultaneously – one breathing out a massive fireball, another breathing out a bullet of water, another creating bullet-sized rocks, a fourth channeling a wave of electricity from its palms, and the last breathing out rapid-fire bullets of air.

Kabuto looked at the upcoming onslaught in excitement as he quickly reached for his right shoulder. He quickly pulled out a large bone that was shaped to resemble a stone and charged forth in the direction of the earth elemental jutsu. With the newly formed bone, Kabuto sliced through the stones, destroying them instantly before they could make contact. He continued forward as the other elemental jutsu collided with each other, charging at the clones.

The first clone was immediately sliced in half by the sword-shaped bone, causing it to dissipate. The other four clones started to jump back, creating distance. Kabuto, however, turned back towards them and made a swiping gesture with his free hand, releasing a barrage of 'bone-shaped finger bullets' that rushed at them. The bones made contact, destroying the clones immediately.

As Kabuto turned his attention to the original Naruto and his remaining clones, Gamaken jumped forward, striking at him with his sasumata. Kabuto parried the initial strike with his bone and then proceeded to counterstrike. Gamaken jumped into the air, avoiding the attack. The toad then proceeded to close its mouth as it channeled chakra. One of the Naruto clones quickly jumped onto his head, performing hand signs.

"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flare Bullet!"

The clone breathed out a barrage of fire simultaneously with a deluge of oil that Gamaken released. The two jutsu combined, creating a massive stream of fire that flew towards Kabuto. The silver-haired shinobi jumped into the air to avoid it. More clones of Naruto, however, predicted that action and jumped into the air, directly above Kabuto's body.

"Nope. Down you go!" One of the clones stated as they all proceeded to make the hand signs: "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

All of the Naruto clones released a massive gust of wind from their mouths that Kabuto could not avoid. The wind forced Kabuto's body back downwards, directly into the fire. The winds then collided with the flames as well, fanning them and making the fire even stronger.

"AH!" Kabuto shouted in pain. His eyes were closed as he brought his hands together, forming hand signs. 'Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!'

Water began to form around Kabuto's body and began to circle around, completely extinguishing the flames around him. The water then launched upward. The water made direct contact with all the clones above, destroying them instantly.

With the fire gone, Kabuto quickly turned his attention back to Gamaken. He swung his hand upwards at the clone above him, sending another bone-sized bullet at him. The bullet quickly pierced the clone before it could move, dissipating it. In response, Gamaken charged forward again.

The giant toad swung the sasumata at Kabuto. He jumped backwards, avoiding the attack. The original Naruto, however, jumped forward at him. Chakra began to channel in his hands.

"Ōdama Rasengan!"

The chakra formed a massive, spiraling ball of pure chakra. Naruto attempted to shove it into Kabuto's back, but the silver-haired shinobi turned around just in time. He proceeded to channel chakra of his own into an orb of pure fire.

"Scorch Release: Incinerating Flare Technique!"

The two giant orbs collided, creating a massive explosion that knocked both shinobi backwards. Each landed on opposite sides of the room. Naruto stood next to Gamaken, looking at Kabuto intently.

"You're combat style is dangerously effective, Naruto-san. You have so much deadly attacks in your arsenal." Kabuto praised as he brought his right hand, which was covered again in green chakra, to more of his exposed skin, healing his wounds. "You're downright ruthless."

"I'm doing whatever it takes to take you down." Naruto stated sharply as he brought his hand together, preparing for another attack.

"Don't say that, Naruto-san." Kabuto frowned. "I'm not trying to kill you, after all. I'm just trying to gauge your strength, after all, since I have the opportunity to."

"Gauge my strength for what?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"I want to know if you'll be able to survive against Akatsuki." He answered.

Naruto's eyes somehow narrowed even further: "And what do you know about Akatsuki? And why do you care if I can beat them?"

"We aren't friends, Naruto-san, but in this case, I'd rather you not die to them." Kabuto answered.

"Are you an enemy of theirs?" The blonde asked.

"Hmm… am I? Probably not. At least, I'm not one to them yet." The former right-hand to Orochimaru shrugged his shoulders. "It's just in my benefit that I don't have to worry about a few members of their group."

"Well, you aren't going to have to worry about them! Cause you're going to be dying tonight!" Naruto replied as he started finishing hand signs. "Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!"

After inhaling a deep breath, Naruto released a barrage of bullets of pure air directly at Kabuto. The silver-haired shinobi jumped into the air, avoiding them. Gamaken jumped back into the fight, swinging his sasumata once again. Kabuto, however, turned his body towards the toad this time and extended his hands forward.

"Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Immediately, hundreds of snakes shot forth from Kabuto's sleeves. The snakes rushed at Gamaken, forcing him backwards and biting him in the process. The toad shouted in pain as the snakes began to increase the strength of their bite. Poison was starting to drip from the teeth of the snakes directly into the wounds of the toad, which caused him to scream even louder. A few seconds passed by before the toad's eyes stared to close and he disappeared in a poof of smoke, having returned home.

'Dammit.' Naruto shook his head. 'I seem to get the up on him, but he manages to make quick work of all my clones and now just managed to beat Gamaken with only one real attack on him. Just how strong is this guy now?'

A few seconds passed by before the snakes returned to Kabuto's sleeves. He adjusted his glasses for a second before turning back to Naruto, still smiling.

"Anything else you'd like to do, Naruto-san? I still got time before I have to get out of here." He questioned.

"Fuck…" Naruto growled, shaking his head. 'He's toying with me. I know he is!'

"Then don't toy any longer with him yourself." Kurama's voice echoed in his head. "Take him down already!"

The Uzumaki nodded his head as he closed his eyes, beginning to channel the Kyūbi's chakra.

"I think Naruto-sensei is channeling the Kyūbi's chakra." Hanabi commented, her Byakugan eyes focused on the battle she was seeing. "He must be taking this seriously."

The three genin students of Team Nine were outside of the Kazekage's Mansion, in an open field nearby. Naruto's clones had directed them towards there and were currently keeping them there against the will. All three were eyeing the top of the mansion. Kanji and Katsumi occasionally turned their attention to Hanabi, awaiting her updates from the battle.

"God, who the hell is that guy? He's giving Naruto-sensei a run for his money…" Katsumi shook her head, her hand going to her wooden sword. "We have to help him!"

"Nuh uh." One of the clones replied immediately. "That guy is way too dangerous!"

"So we just have to let Naruto-sensei deal with him by himself? That's bullshit!" Katsumi hissed.

"I second that notion." Kanji replied, crossing his arms. "I mean, if this guy is that dangerous, then he needs any help he can get, even if it's help from just his genin students."

Another clone shook its head: "I repeat. You're not leaving-"

The clone was interrupted as Hanabi turned her attention to the clone and struck at it with her gentle fist. The clone's eyes widened for a second before it dissipated.

"Hanabi!" Kanji's eyes widened at her reaction.

"The hell do you think you're doing?" The other two Naruto clones started sharply.

"Naruto-sensei is in trouble! Let us go and help him. Please!" Hanabi stated sharply. "If he needs to use the Kyūbi's chakra, then this is bad and he needs all the help he can get. We can't just abandon him and watch him on the sidelines!"

Hebihiro, the snake around Hanabi's neck, nodded his head in quiet agreement.

"We have to be able to contribute something!" Kanji added.

"He's our jōnin-sensei! Come on you damn clones; let us go!" Katsumi crossed her arms.

The two clones shared a look between each other. There was silence for a few seconds before the two clones shook their heads.

"The original is going to kill us for this…" One of the clones sighed.

"Whatever. Go help him." The other clone replied. "But before you do, please let us do something."

The Naruto clone pulled out three slips of paper and a pen. He quickly drew a seal on each of the seals and then walked over to the three genin, slipping them on their back.

"What seal is that?" Kanji questioned.

"It's for a protective-style fūinjutsu that Naruto knows. You'll be safer with that." The clone replied. "Now, hurry up and go help him before we change our minds!"

The three genin did not need to be told twice; they bolted back towards the mansion, prepared to fight. The two clones, alone, shared a look with each other.

"We should dissipate so that Naruto knows what's going to happen." One clone said.

"Naruto's gonna be pissed at us…" The other sighed. "He'll understand, but he's going to be pissed…"

With a sigh, the two clones disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Wind Style: Sandstorm Devastation!"

Gaara took in a deep breath before inhaling a massive sand cloud from his mouth that quickly moved through the sky towards Rasa. Rasa's gold dust rushed forward it, attempting to dissipate it. Gaara, however, quickly moved his hands. The sand began to move apart, avoiding Rasa's dust. The sand quickly surrounded the man's body, forming a cocoon.

"Sand Coffin!" Gaara quickly opened his right hand before immediately closing it. "Sand Burial!"

The sand coffin quickly closed in on itself, crushing Rasa's body. Gaara remained still, waiting for a sign that the battle was over. Within a few seconds, however, the sand was immediately forced apart by Rasa's gold dust. The sand began to fall. Gaara's eyes widened, however, as he saw Rasa's body destroyed – his body parts were scattered, being held up only by his gold dust. It appeared as if his gold dust acted on its accord, destroying the sand coffin.

The remains of the Yondaime Kazekage quickly moved together. The body came back together, quickly reforming Rasa's body, as if it had never been attacked. Gaara shook his head.

"I should have expected that. You're too cautious of a fighter to have gone down that easily. I'm assuming because of the Edo Tensei, you can naturally afford to be a little more reckless with your style." Gaara noted, frowning.

"I suppose." Rasa noted. A small, sad smile developed on his lips. "You did a lot of damage to my body, Gaara. I can now feel exactly how strong you are. You definitely deserve to be the Kazekage."

"Why are you so complimentary?" Gaara questioned, his eyes narrowed. "Is it because I'm finally strong enough to control Shukaku? There's not a chance that I'm the threat to Suna that you created me to be, so I'm finally able to treated like a human?"

The smile instantly faded and Rasa's eyes, despite being filled with no life, were now filled with sadness. "Gaara… I'm sorry-"

"Stop with your empty words. It's distracting." Gaara interrupted, as he made a series of hand signs. "Simply stay quiet until I can overcome you! Sand Tsunami!"

Sand quickly started to form into a massive pile directly in front of Gaara's body. The sand immediately rushed forward, like an ocean wave at Rasa's body. The auburn-haired shinobi moved through the air, avoiding the initial wave. As he avoided it, pillars of sand began to come out, aiming for the floating Yondaime Kazekage. Rasa continued to dodge the new sand and began making a series of hand signs himself.

"Gold Dust Combustion!"

Another large pillar of gold dust rushed forward at Gaara's body. Gaara's sand quickly moved, forming a wall that blocked the attack. The moment the gold dust and sand collided, however, the gold dust exploded. The force of the explosion created a hole in Gaara's sand wall. Rasa quickly unleashed a new wave of gold dust that rocketed forward through the hall. Gaara tried to move his body in time, but he was unable to move fast enough. The dust slammed directly into his stomach. He immediately coughed up blood from the force and was immediately knocked off his sand cloud perch. The remaining sand in the sky started to fall down.

'Shit.' Gaara shook his head. 'I was careless.'

Gaara quickly closed his eyes, preparing to create another platform of sand to keep him afloat and continue fighting. Before he could, however, he was caught in someone's arms.

The Godaime Kazekage turned his head and his eyes widened. Temari was in the sky, holding onto him. The kunoichi was strapped into Kankurō's Kōmori puppet.

"Doing alright, Gaara?" She asked.

"I'm fine…" Gaara's eyes moved to the puppet's wings. He could see blue chakra strings that were attached to it. "I assume Kankurō is the reason you are flying?"

"He is, yeah." She answered with a smirk. "We're here to help in whatever way we can take down father!"

A smile developed on Gaara's lips as he nodded his head in understanding. Temari let go of her brother, who proceeded to conjure up another platform of sand to stand over. Now that Gaara was stable once again, she reached to her side and grabbed her fan attached to her waist. The two shinobi remained still, floating in the sky, staring at the father.

Rasa eyed both siblings in surprise. His eyes focused on the expression of both Gaara and Temari before they moved downward in the direction of the chakra strings. The strings connected to the top of a nearby building, where he could see the faint outline of someone. While he could not identify them, the Yondaime Kazekage knew that it was Kankurō.

"Temari… you and Kankurō are here. Helping Gaara fend me off." Rasa stated.

"I am." The kunoichi stated. She looked at her father with a forced neutral expression. She gripped her fan tightly. "Father… it's… rather painful to see you in a situation like this."

"As it is for me…" The father noted. Despite his words, a sad smile developed on his lips. "But seeing you two come to fight alongside Gaara does give me some comfort. You three are, indeed, siblings…"

It was not fully strong – his body was still tethered to this world – but Rasa felt comfort. One of his dying regrets was his overall relationship with Gaara and how sealing Shukaku inside his youngest son damaged the relationship between his children. It seems that his concern was unnecessary; they were still family and were there for each other to this day.

'So, he is using the Kyūbi's chakra.' Kabuto noted, seeing the red chakra surround Naruto's body. He saw three tails worth of chakra develop and his bodily features start to become feral. A frown developed on the silver-haired shinobi's face. 'I'm probably going to have to take this more seriously. This is only to gauge him and push him to grow stronger to defeat Akatsuki; I can't afford to let myself become a casualty in this!'

"Wind Style: Divine Wind!"

Naruto breathed out a massive gust of wind that diverged into multiple wind tornadoes that flew towards Kabuto. The silver-haired shinobi rolled out of the way before the tornadoes could reach him, but the tornadoes proceeded to redirect themselves towards him. The silver-haired shinobi proceed to make hand signs of his own.

"Crystal Style: Growing Crystal Thorns!"

The ground underneath Naruto's feet shot upwards. The Uzumaki jumped into the air just in time to avoid getting punctured by a large pink crystal. Alongside the edge of the crystal, more branches of crystals shot outwards, aiming for Naruto's body. The blonde proceeded to dodge again and land on top of one of the branches, then jumped further upward as more branches started to aim for him.

More crystal shards developed on the ground directly underneath the tornadoes that were approaching Kabuto. The shear force of the crystals managed to dissipate them, ending Naruto's jutsu.

"Another kekkei genkai you stole from someone?" The blonde accused.

"This one I didn't necessarily 'steal'. Orochimaru-sama had a faithful servant who had the Crystal Release. He had plenty of DNA samples saved for me to experiment with." Kabuto explained.

"You still stole it!" Naruto retorted as he started to channel chakra into his hands. "Ōdama Rasengan!"

Naruto created another massive ball of chakra in his hands that he slammed against the oncoming crystal branches, shattering them instantly. He then slammed the orb against the main crystal, causing it to shatter on impact as well. Shards began to fly throughout the roof, most of which landing on the ground.

Naruto turned his attention back to Kabuto. Before the blonde could think of what to do, a memory just developed in his head – the last memories of his shadow clones that he sent to keep his students safe. His eyes widened: 'What the hell were my clones thinking?'

"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"

"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!"

As Kabuto launched another barrage of bone bullets from his finger grips, Naruto exhaled multiple bullets of wind that launched into the air. The two shinobi proceeded to jump away from each other's attacks before continuing a second round of their attacks.

The two remained at a distance, attacking each other with their jutsu while narrowly avoiding their attacks. Naruto's eyes were starting to narrow more as Kabuto kept barely avoiding getting hit.

'I've almost got him! I just need to attack faster!' He realized. 'I need to decisively hit him and fast before-'

Naruto's eyes widened in panic as Kabuto, after avoiding another barrage of air bullets, turned his head to the left and swiped his hand, launching a barrage of finger bullets. On cue, Hanabi, Katsumi, and Kanji proceeded to jump on to the top of the roof, directly in the line of fire of Kabuto's attack.

"NO!" Naruto immediately a hand sign. "Fūinjutsu: Protective Winds!"

The seals on the backs of the three genin started to glow a light-blue color before wind escaped from them, completely encasing them in wind. Kabuto's bone bullets attempted to strike at them, but the wind managed to parry the bones right back at the silver-haired shinobi. He moved to the right, avoiding his own attack.

"Hey! I told you three to get out of here! This isn't safe, dammit!" Naruto shouted at them.

"And it's not safe for you to be facing a guy like this by yourself, Naruto-sensei!" Katsumi replied. "You need back up!"

"That hasn't been decided yet; what I need for you three, though, is to be safe!" The Uzumaki shouted. "Get out of here!"

"Naruto-sensei, if there's anything we can do to help you, we will do it. We're not leaving you alone." Hanabi replied, crossing her arms. The snake on her shoulder nodded his head in agreement.

"Naruto-sensei, don't try and argue with us." Kanji replied as he started making hand signs. "We're put together as a team for a reason. You can't just leave us to the side and fight for us. If we can do anything, we'll do anything. That's what a team does; we're supposed to stick together and fight together."

"Heh." Kabuto proceeded to chuckle. "You Konoha shinobi are all the same. There's something so naively sweet about your suicidal behavior."

Naruto's eyes turned back to Kabuto. They narrowed in rage: "It's not suicidal. I'm not going to let you even touch my students!"

"Oh?" A smirk developed on his face. "We'll see about that."

"Lightning Style: Thunderbolt!"

Kanji immediately extended his hands, releasing a wave of lightning from it that rushed at Kabuto. The silver-haired shinobi moved to the side, avoiding the attack. He then rushed forward towards the genin. Katsumi immediately began to run through hand signs.

"Earth Style: Rising Rock Jutsu!"

A large boulder rose up from the ground directly in front of Kabuto. He proceeded to jump into the air, effortlessly evading it. As he was in the air, the snake around Hanabi's shoulder proceeded to untangle itself and extend its mouth towards Kabuto's body. Kanji noticed the snake's actions and made the same hand signs as before.

"Water Style: Gunshot!"

"Lightning Style: Thunderbolt!"

As Hebihiro unleashed a massive ball of water from his mouth, Kanji proceeded to release another wave of lightning bolts that connected with the water. The large ball of water, now surrounded with electricity, flew in the air towards Kabuto. A smirk developed on his lips as he created another large sphere of fire in his hands. He launched the sphere of fire directly at the approaching water, causing it to rupture and explode.

"Huh? Did he just destroy that attack with water?" Katsumi questioned, her eyes narrowed. "Shouldn't that have been impossible?"

"Good thing that wasn't just any type of fire; that was a kekkei genkai!" Kabuto answered with a smirk as he landed directly behind the girl.

Kabuto's right hand became completely encased in blue chakra, resembling a scalpel. He slowly lowered it onto her just as she was turning her head towards him.

"ŌDAMA RASENGAN!"

Before his attack could connect, Naruto jumped directly in between him and his student, a massive orb of chakra into his hands. Naruto slammed the orb directly into Kabuto's stomach. The force of Naruto's jutsu sent Kabuto flying backwards, the orb of chakra moving alongside him, creating an almost typhoon of chakra around Kabuto's body.

"What did I tell you? You're not laying a hand on my students!" Naruto shouted.

A few seconds passed before the spiral of chakra faded away. Kabuto stood there with more of his clothes completely blown off and bleeding from a large wound in his chest. The shinobi proceeded to walk forward.

"You know, Naruto-san, you reminded me of a bad habit just then. I tend to really enjoy 'playing around' whenever I fight. I got a bit too focused on your students and toying with them that I forgot about you." Kabuto noted, chuckling. "Thankfully, I have the Shikotsumyaku and the benefits it gives to keeping my body in better condition than it should normally be. However, I really need to be more careful, lest you hit me with something that would genuinely kill me."

Naruto started to grit his teeth together: "Why won't you die already?"

"I told you, Naruto-san. I'm not here to kill you, so I'm not going to let you do the same. I'm just here to see what you are capable of." Kabuto replied with a smile. "Although at this rate, I should be wrapping things up. Have anything else you or your genin would like to show me before I have to leave?"

Naruto's response was to run through another series of hand signs.

"Wind Style: Great Cast Net!"

Temari swung her fan, creating gusts of winds in the shape of a giant net. Rasa brought his hands together, creating a barrier of gold dust that surrounded himself. The wind sliced into the gold dust, cutting it from different angles, but they were unable to fully pierce it. Rasa proceeded to extend his hand, causing the gold dust to rocket forward in a pillar formation at Temari's body. She was immediately pulled away from the attack by Kankurō, who directed the Kōmori puppet to fly lower.

As Temari flew downwards, the bat head of the puppet proceeded to open its mouth, releasing a barrage of senbon. Rasa moved to his side, avoiding the weapons, before making hand signs. A large cloud of gold dust begins to develop in the sky. Rasa's hand signs continue, causing the cloud to grow larger-and-larger.

Temari swings her fan once again at Rasa, creating more gusts of wind aimed at him. Gaara crosses his hands, causing two pillars of sand to rush at Rasa. Both attacks manage to hit the Yondaime Kazekage, the combined effects of both destroying Rasa's body, both crushing it and cutting it into pieces. Within seconds, however, the body reforms, leaving the man unharmed again. The large cloud of gold dust in the sky, seemingly unaffected by the temporary destruction of Rasa's body, continues to grow.

"Gaara, Temari, focus your attention on the cloud, not me!" Rasa warned. "If I finish this jutsu-"

"Sand Hail!"

"Wind Style: Great Task of the Dragon!"

Temari swung her fan upwards, creating a few traces of wind that flew upward. At the same time, Gaara created a sand cloud himself that floated directly underneath Rasa's gold dust cloud. The sand cloud proceeded to release large sand balls that were launched upward against the gold dust. The dust, however, resisted the impact and remained sturdy.

A few seconds passed by before a massive tornado began to descend from the sky, Temari's jutsu having finished its preparation. The tornado slammed against the gold dust cloud from above while Gaara's sand boulders struck it from below. The gold dust, however, remained stable, not breaking apart.

"Shit. I put too much chakra into this." Rasa realized, shaking his head. "You two need to be careful and survive this attack." He closes his eyes, almost afraid to see what was going to happen. "Gold Dust Apocalypse!"

The giant cloud of gold gust proceeded to release massive barrages of gold dust that moved through the sky, both in the shape and with the speed of lightning bolts.

Both Gaara and Temari barely avoided the first two bolts of gold dust from the sky aimed for them. As they tried to dodge more, a blast from one of them managed to connect with Kōmori's head, the impact of the attack shattering the whole puppet's body instantly. The kunoichi's eyes widened as she started to fall to the ground.

"Temari!" Gaara shouted as he immediately flew to her side.

The Godaime Kazekage caught his sister before forming a sand wall behind them. The gold dust bolts continued to strike at them, causing the sand to falter. Gaara bit his lip and started to sweat as he kept applying more sand and chakra to the sand around him.

"Gaara! Protect Kankurō as well!" Rasa shouted.

Gaara's eyes widened at his father's declaration. Immediately, he saw another stray bolt of gold dust flying downwards the building where Kankurō had been.

Still clutching onto his sister, Gaara's body flew directly towards the building. The sand that had surrounded him and his sister reached Kankurō's body just in time. Gaara landed on the building as well and channeled the sand to form a protective barrier around the three.

"Gaara! Temari! Are you okay?" Kankurō asked. His eyes were wide and he was breathing quite heavily, still in recovery from nearly getting struck from his father's attack.

"We're fine." Temari replied, frowning. "Gaara, can you still withstand his attack?"

Gaara did not reply, only biting his lip harder as he applied more chakra to his defense. His sand began to change shape as it hardened further-and-further, trying to resist Rasa's jutsu. Sand quickly surrounded his body, as well as the body of Kankurō and Temari.

Rasa started to float downward, as his bolts of gold dust continued to strike downward. His eyes widened as he lowered to the building's roof.

From the sky, it looked like a giant figure of sand keeping Gaara and his siblings safe. Up close, however, Rasa could see its true shape; the sand had taken the form of a woman.

"Karura…" Rasa mumbled.

There was no mistaking it; Gaara had subconsciously created the image of his mother and Rasa's wife to protect him. The sand's arms surrounding them were like the embrace of a mother, keeping her children safe from harm.

'Karura… even beyond the grave, you're keeping your children safe. You're keeping Gaara safe.' Rasa realized. 'It's not Shukaku that keeps you safe. It's your mother… she is what a parent should be like.'

A second passed by as the gold dust cloud in the sky started to dissipate. With the bolts of gold dust no longer striking at him, the sand quickly fell to the side. Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō turned their attention towards their father, preparing for his next attack.

Rasa was now standing on the building, but he was not attacking. Tears had filled his lifeless eyes.

"Gaara, Temari, Kankurō…" The Yondaime Kazekage started to speak. "I have no right to be called your father, but I am so proud of all three of you…"

His body was turning white and full pieces of his body were starting to fall apart. The three siblings were staring at him in surprise.

"I entrust the safety of Sunagakure to you all. Keep this village safe, regardless of whatever threats the world may bring." Rasa told them sharply. His eyes then focused on Gaara. "Gaara, with all my heart, I am sorry for all the suffering I have caused you. You have no reason to forgive me and I do not expect you to. I am the one who cursed you with Shukaku. I am the one who ordered Yashamaru to attack you and lie about your mother's love as a way to test you. But you have grown strong. Your mother would be proud of you…"

"Mother?" Gaara repeated the word, his eyes widening even further. His eyes started to water up slightly.

"Karura loved you. She loved all of you. And even now, she still watches all over you." Rasa's tears started to dry up as a smile developed on his lips. "Gaara, keep your brother and sister safe. As I know they will keep you safe. Cherish the connections you've made. You're Kazekage now… you've done so much despite… all that I have… done to you…" More of Rasa's body began to fall apart. His voice became slower; it was as if he was struggling to speak. "… Live, Gaara. Live… the life… of happiness… that I deprived… you of… the life… you… deserved…."

With those words, Rasa's body finished its deconstruction. All traces of Rasa had vanished; all that remained was a corpse that was completely encased in dust.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō stood on the building, simply staring at the dust that had just been their father. Both Temari and Kankurō had tears in their eyes as they tried to rationalize what had just happened. They then turned their attention to their younger brother.

"G-Gaara?" Kankurō's eyes widened.

Unlike his siblings, who only just had tears, Gaara was openly sobbing quietly to himself.

Immediately, the three siblings had pulled each other into a quiet embrace as Gaara, for the first time in years, let out all the tears and feelings he had deep in his heart.

As Kabuto avoided another one of Naruto's jutsu, his eyes widened. A frown developed on his lips as he could no longer feel the presence of the Yondaime Kazekage in Suna.

'I was actually hoping that he would have been able to kill the Ichibi jinchūriki. It was a long short, yeah, but I was hoping for that to be a minor inconvenience for Akatsuki.' Kabuto's frown deepened. 'However, I'm most concerned about how his soul left this world. They didn't seal him away. Is it really possible for a soul to be released from the Edo Tensei from emotions or closure?'

"Dynamic Entry!"

Kabuto's thoughts were interrupted a the sound of a loud declaration and the presence of the other two Konoha shinobi. Lee was directly in front of his face, delivering a kick straight to his stomach. The silver-haired shinobi was unable to get away and was knocked back to the edge of the roof of the mansion.

Tenten landed on the roof directly next to Lee and tossed multiple shuriken at Kabuto. He proceeded to create a bone-like knife out of the palm of his hand and parry the shuriken.

"Sorry for the delay in arrival, Naruto-san. We can assist from here on out!" Lee declared.

"That's that creep Kabuto, right? The spy that had been in Konoha?" Tenten questioned, her eyes narrowed.

"It is." Naruto nodded his head. "We need to make sure he dies today."

"Yeah. That's not happening." Kabuto shook his head. He proceeded to chuckle a little bit. "Well, Naruto-san, this was fun. And I'm happy I got a chance to see where you are at. I don't know if this came off as well to you, but I do see you as an incredibly strong shinobi. You seem as capable as I am." A smirk then developed on his face. "Then again, I wasn't actively trying to kill you. So who knows?"

"You think you're just gonna get away?" Naruto snarled.

"I know I am." Kabuto stated with a smirk. "But I genuinely appreciate this. This was useful for me. I also got the chance to experiment with a few of the kekkei genkai I have acquired. I promise you that the next time we fight I'll have better control of them."

With those words, Kabuto proceeded to turn around and jump off the mansion. Naruto immediately started to run behind.

"Naruto-sensei!" Hanabi called out to him.

"There's not gonna be another time! You die tonight!" Naruto shouted as he chased him.

Upon landing on the ground, Kabuto started to rush away, towards the mountains that surround the village. Naruto landed on the ground and followed behind. He could still see Kabuto in his line of sight. The Uzumaki proceeded to raise his palm at the shinobi.

"Adamantine Sealing Chain!"

Immediately, a large chain developed from Naruto's palm and rushed forward towards Kabuto's body. The silver-haired shinobi was unable to get away as the chain quickly reached him and encircled his body. He tried to resist, but was unable to pull himself out. Naruto took the opportunity to rush over to him.

"So, you learned how to manipulate the sealing chains. Quite interesting." Kabuto grumbled as he continued to try and pull himself out of the chains. "Just as sturdy as I heard they were. They were what your clan was known for, other than fūinjutsu of course!"

"Damn right they were! It took a while, but I did manage to get a hold of it. And it looks like it's paying off already." Naruto stated. He tightened the grip on the chain, causing it to get tighter on Kabuto. "Now, it's all over. Since I already got you immobilized, I'll make sure to keep you alive so Gaara can meet you and learn from the source exactly what you did here in his village."

Kabuto immediately stopped struggling against the chain. He, instead, looked directly at Naruto in the eye and smiled.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Naruto-san, but that's not going to happen. I'm impressed you can use your sealing chains and I'm impressed, but they're not going to be able to stop me." He said sharply.

Before Naruto could reply to that, a giant red-and-black striped snake appeared from underneath the ground, directly below Naruto. The blonde jumped away in time, but the momentary distraction proved enough for Kabuto to pull himself out of Naruto's control. Within seconds, he managed to squirm his way out of the chain without Naruto able to apply force.

The Kyūbi jinchūriki's eyes narrowed as he raised his left hand. Another adamantine chain flew out, towards Kabuto, as he started to yell at the man: "When the hell did you summon that snake?"

Before Naruto's chain could manage to hit him, the snake opened its jaw and swallowed Kabuto's body whole. The snake then dug itself under the ground before Naruto's jutsu could manage to him.

"I summoned him before the battle even started. Call it my insurance, if you will." Despite being underground in the belly of the snake, Kabuto's voice boomed loudly above ground. "I already told you Naruto-san, I wasn't here to kill or be killed."

A scowl developed on Naruto's face. He debated about following the snake into the tunnel it dug to search for it, but he shook his head. He was unaware if Kabuto had any more 'insurance plans' that could make any efforts useless. With a sigh, the red chakra surrounding Naruto's body faded away, returning his 'feral' features back to normal.

"You're safe for now, Kabuto, but mark my words. I will find you again and I'll make sure you pay for everything you've done." He stated sharply.

"Believe me, I'll be looking forward to that day, Naruto-san. Just make sure you don't die to Akatsuki. I believe that they have big plans for you and the other jinchūriki soon. Do your best to live." Kabuto stated. "By the way, Naruto-san, your adamantine chains interested me. Perhaps I should acquire them some time."

The Uzumaki scoffed: "Fat chance. You're not getting access to any Uzumaki DNA if I have any say in it."

Kabuto's laugh sounded throughout the desert: "How naïve of you to assume I don't already have some. I obtained a whole body to experiment on when I left Konoha last. I have an entire Uzumaki corpse to experiment… a complete set of Uzumaki DNA to incorporate into my own."

The jōnin's eyes widened: "What? Whose DNA do you have?"

"It doesn't matter, does it Naruto-san? There's not like there's a lot of Uzumaki corpses in Konoha to have stolen." Kabuto replied. "Regardless, I think it's time I get out of here. Make sure you survive against Akatsuki, Naruto-san."

"Wait, Kabuto! Who's body did you take?" Naruto shouted. He received no reply. A few seconds passed by before he felt it was confirmed; Yakushi Kabuto was no longer there. "DAMMIT!"

'There's only a few Uzumaki shinobi buried in Konoha… there's a realistic chance that he… he… DAMMIT!' Naruto inwardly growled. 'He better not have my Mom's body!'

It was only a thought, but it was one that completely revolted him. Naruto's eyes narrowed in the direction towards the exit of Suna. He was uncertain if Kabuto had managed to get away or not. He gritted his teeth as he shook his head.

'Today, Kabuto, you got a way. Today, you got to do your little experiment and see how strong I was. The next time we meet, I'll be stronger. And the next time, I will FUCKING KILL YOU!'

Quick Note:

1: As shown in canon when Kabuto used the kekkei genkai and abilities of the Sound Five against Sasuke/Itachi, I rationalized that Kabuto would be able to acquire other kekkei genkais, such as the Scorch Release and the Crystal Release. None of them should come across like random abilities - Kabuto managed to accomplish this in canon after Orochimaru's death and, in the context of this story, the kekkei genkai Kabuto acquired into his body were ones that he had access too. So hopefully his abilities came across believable.

2: Naruto just 'letting Kabuto go' is simply Naruto being cautious. Naruto is reckless, yeah, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't charge after Kabuto through the tunnel and put himself at risk like that. As for Kabuto's 'snake' swallowing him as a manner to break through from Naruto's chain... I am aware that comes across odd. I felt it was natural for Kabuto to have an insurance plan such as that, but I could always add a scene at the end of last chapter where Kabuto summons that snake to make it seem like more like a Checkhov's Gun rather than a Deus ex Machina. Would that be better? Let me know. :P

3: Naruto not wanting his students to get involved does make sense in the context of Naruto's new role as ajonin-sensei. At the same time, he would understand his students' desire to join up and help him fight, which is ultimately the reason why his clones consented to his students. I was actually excited to write that; it was just a fun little scene for me. Naruto and his overall thoughts are so fun to write and think about. :)