A/N: Still alive, just having trouble finding the time to write. I should have a new chapter for LOTTG soon, I just hope you're all a little bit more patient, thank you. Just a quick thought that popped into my head, and had to get out. Enjoy.

A Grey Matter

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Naruto stared at the full might of Akatsuki, sizing them up. Itachi, speed and genjutsu...smart, deadly. Kisame, strength and kenjutsu...not too bright, easy. Deidara, demolition...excitable, and a massive arsenal of explosives...not too bright though, just dangerous. Sasori, puppeteer, and a perfect shinobi...extremely intelligent, lethal. Hidan, same as Kisame, but immortal...tedious. Kakuzu, immortal, cunning, intelligent...extremely deadly. Zetsu, unknown...possibly lethal. Konan, unkown...possibly lethal also. Pein, six unique bodies, easily Kage-level...number two threat. And Madara...unknown, but definitely lethal.

As he evaluated them, he listened to the few comments by the weaker members. "Heh, this brat thinks he can take us all on...Samehada will have a real feast!" "No, he will become a great display of art, yeah!" "Oh shut up, you two! This heathen belongs to Jashin-sama!" Naruto smirked the entire time, only one though occuring during the whole time, 'Idiots, do they really think I'd just challenge them like this without a plan?' Finally, Naruto spoke, "Why don't you put your money where your mouths are?" As he said this, he also raised his right hand, making every Akatsuki member tense in preperation for an attack...and flipped them the bird, smirking. Enraged, Kisame was the first to attack. He was also the first to fall. The others were shocked as Kisame just fell to pieces a few feet from the Jinchuuriki. "You like?" Naruto said, still smirking.

Hidan rushed next, unafraid because of his immortality. Suddenly, he felt a massive surge of chakra, and saw his scythe being grabbed by an terrifyingly familiar red hand. He looked at Naruto, and saw a cloak of red chakra surroundiing him...along with four tails waving around him. Naruto grinned evily, though still looking human, and spoke. "For S-Rank nin, you really are stupid. What makes you think I'd actually fight you all without a trump card?" Now Hidan smirked, and said "Then you're stupid for showing it so early, don't you think?" Naruto frowned for a second, before releasing Hidan's scythe and jumping away. Where Naruto stood, there was just a small crater where Kakuzu now crouched. "Foolish boy. You're strong, but you have no real sense of strategy, revealing your trump card this early".

Naruto smirked once more, before speaking again. "Who says I only have one?" With that, he sprouted two more tails, forming a skeleton of the Kyuubi around him, and in a flash, he was between the Immortals, 3 tails wrapped around each, slowly disintegrating them. Just as the last of the screams stopped, Itachi appeared in front of Naruto, Mangekyou Sharingan staring at the now red eyes of Kyuubi powered Naruto, and Itachi whispered, "Tsukiyomi." Again, the others were surprised to see Itachi collapse and were compleely shocked as Naruto crouched down and ripped out Itachi's throat with his teeth...like an animal.

This time, Deidara tried. He threw several small explosives at Naruto, all easily blocked by the cloak of chakra. After the smoke cleared, however, Deidara was nowhere in sight. Having an idea of what he was up to, Naruto looked up, and, as he thought, saw Deidara preparing to drop a much larger explosive at Naruto. Just as he released it, a sphere of red chakra surrounded Deidara, and the bomb, which exploded on contact with the powerful chakra of Kyuubi.

"I see you've learned some new tricks...let's try mine, shall we?" Sasori whispered, before throwing off his cloak. however, before he could do anything more, a normal looking Naruto popped out of the ground in front of him...and instantly prepared a Rasengan, which he shoved into Sasori's chest, destroying him. Ironically, the same Naruto was then eaten by Zetsu as he emerged from the ground...and burst into smoke, as Zetsu expected. "Smart move...why didn't I detect your clone underground?" Naruto only grinned, and said "Now why should I tell you that? Here's another look though, hope it helps!"

Zetsu's eye's widened as 4 more Narutos jumped from underground, and immediately erected a barrier, looking similar to the one Orochimaru used in the Sand-Sound Invasion. Zetsu smirked slightly, and thought 'I know this jutsu's weakness...' Just as he tried to burrow into the ground, his world went white, as he caught on fire, and was quickly destroyed in the inferno caused by the four clones collapsing the barrier inwards.

"...Konan, leave, now." Konan looked at Pein in shock, hearing the words she never expected from her oldest friend. "You stand no chance against the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and at this point, you would only be a hindrance." Konan stared, then left, creating an origami bird to fly away on, leaving only a tear drop on the ground. "Thanks, I really didn't want to have to kill her too," Naruto said, then jumped out of the way of Hungry Ghost Realm Pein's attack. "I didn't do it for you," Pein said, before preparing Chibaku Tensei. "Heh, too bad...time for trump card number three, looks like..." Naruto said, muttering the last part just as he sprouted another two tails, for a total of eight. Suddenly, he flared his chakra, the sheer amount stunning the six Peins for a second, just long enough for Naruto to use a tail to wrap up each Pein, using two each for the Hell Realm and God Realm bodies, wanting to be extra sure those two were gone.

'...Shit. The Jinchuuriki should be completely out if his mind at this point, channeling this much of the Kyuubi's power...why isn't he though?' Madara thought as he watched the entire battle unfold. As the last of the remnants of Pein's bodies disintegrated, Naruto spoke again. "Just you and me now...heh, tell you what, since this is it, I'm gonna show you my ace in the hole...enjoy." Naruto sprouted one last tail, causing the largest chakra flare since the battle began, and looking like a small Kyuubi reborn. The battle that followed would be spoken of for centuries to come, the two most powerful forces in the world clashing for three straight days. Naruto fought well, but eventually, because the power was still Kyuubi's, he eventually had to stop, releasing the Kyuubi's chakra back to the seal.

As Naruto finally collapsed face first on the ground, an exhausted and nearly beaten Madara slwoly walked towards him. 'If he hadn't run out just then, I really would have lost...thank goodness I don't fight fair...' "Goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki, you were a worthy opponent, but even an ace in the hole couldn't save you." Naruto looked up, and smirked slightly. "Well, you know what they say...an ace in the hole is good...two is even better." Madara's eyes widened, just as he heard a POOF behind him and felt a sharp pain in his chest, and looked down to see...a feminine red clawed hand sticking out of his chest, holding his heart. For the last time in history, the Sharingan stopped spinning, as the corpse fell to the ground after the hand was removed.

"You should be more careful, Naruto-kun...letting him get that close...and after all that training I gave you, helping you invent that wind shield, and teaching you those demonic techniques," the red haired woman standing in front of Naruto said. "Sorry Kyu-hime, but at least he's gone, right?" Naruto said as he was helped up by the woman. "I suppose...but you're going to have to make it up to me tonight...husband," Kyuubi said as she kissed Naruto on the side of his neck. "Heh, how can I argue with you?" Naruto said as he picked her up and carried her bridal style, heading away from the nearby Konoha, scratched headband still on his forehead.

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Just something I came up with, tell me what you think.

Akumakagemaru