Chapter 19: Uchiha Pride

Naruto distanced himself away from the village center in hopes of getting away from his companions. He didn't know why, but for some reason they were starting to annoy him. He mentally fumed with frustration at the current situation he was in. Jounin patrols and random civilians in Oto bowed low as he passed by. Despite their overall approval of him as their leader, the people of Oto were very afraid of Pein.

The jinchuuriki glanced around at them and gave silent nods. After a while, Naruto began to tune out his surroundings and drifted further into his own thoughts.

'I can't believe how ridiculous these last couple of weeks have been…how did I get this sidetracked over a bunch of women?!' The Rinnegan user shook his head in frustration.

A familiar chuckle echoed in his mind, "Like I said…those women are going to be the death of you. Maybe not directly, but indirectly. This is why I warned you away from them for such a long time. However, against my wishes, you continued to pursue such a reckless and distracting interest. At this point, all I can do is laugh at the dumb situations they put you in."

'Hey, Kyuubi, I don't need to hear your preaching right now. You are no doubt right as usual. I've been trying to live like some sort of bandit king out here. I've gotten way too comfortable! How am I going to become more powerful at this rate?' he continued walking throughout the outskirts of the village catching the awe and fear of many of its residents.

"Listen kit…I'm not trying to give you a hard time. There's a time and a place for these things, and I suppose I can't blame you for wanting to indulge yourself. Nevertheless, our ultimate goal will never be within reach so long as you allow them to sidetrack you." Kyuubi's tone was rather lucid and calm.

Naruto sighed in agreement, 'I know what you mean. What was I even doing back there? I can't believe I just made out with Shizune-neechan. Not only that, but Konan too! I was so angry when I saw her again, but after she kissed me, I just felt like it wouldn't be right to let her go. I mean she was crying…does she genuinely care about me? I didn't know what to do, Kyuubi.'

Kyuubi sighed, "You hold a soft spot for your companions. I know you think that you are powerful enough to protect and control all of them, but some of greatest dangers come from the places you never expect."

'So you don't think I can trust Konan or Shizune?' Naruto asked.

"Obviously not, but they are not what I'm talking about. I am referring to all of your companions in general. You seem to care for them a little more than you safely should," the fox answered with a serious tone.

The jinchuuriki thought for a moment about his companions, 'What do you mean, safely should?'

"You have always been too nice for your own good, but this trend you have recently developed can easily be used against you by your enemies. Your followers and especially your mates could be used in order to get to you. Do you understand what I'm saying? That is your weakness. That is why you have to distance yourself emotionally from them."

'My weakness…' he thought to himself in bewilderment. There was a long span of silence that followed his revelation.

The jinchuuriki was brought from his thoughts when Kyuubi began to speak again, "You think yourself powerful, kit, but Madara is not the kind of foe who will attack you directly. He is going to try and screw with your head by hurting those around you. You aren't doing your companions any favors with your current lack of ambition. Have you even considered that Madara would destroy this little fantasy life you've built just to draw you to him? How could you explain your inability to protect them when that happens?"

'I won't let that happen!' Naruto shouted enraged.

Kyuubi cackled with approval, "That's the attitude I want to see! Though instead of wasting your power on something so miniscule, you should focus on a greater destiny!"

Naruto finally calmed down after a few moments and brooded, 'What greater destiny? What even happens if I kill Madara? Nothing…I just go back to being Pein.'

"Just think about it for a moment…would you rather live like a king as you do now or a god? You fancied yourself one recently until this whole mess with Konan happened. Why do you think that is" Kyuubi asked.

The jinchuuriki shrugged, 'I just don't care…I don't know what I even want anymore. No matter how much power I've acquired over these years, nothing changes. I'm no closer to ridding the world of terrible people and I still feel the same emptiness as I always have.'

The fox huffed, "I know that feeling well; you desire a purpose…a true purpose."

'Maybe…but what purpose would that even be? I mean what happens after all of this is over? I have no clue what the future holds for me. What possible use would I have for acquiring power once Madara is defeated? Sometimes it feels like I don't want to know where all of this ends.'

Kyuubi sighed at his question, "Sooner or later you won't have a choice. This life you live was forced upon you long ago and the only way to understand it is by following where it goes. Whether or not you choose to believe it is for some greater reason is up to you, kit. I honestly don't know. Maybe it's your destiny to become the next Sage of Six Paths…but even still, your power is nothing compared to his. Neither is mine or Madara's. The Rikudou Sennin was a living god. To truly understand his power you must follow his path."

'About how much stronger would you say he was in comparison to me right now?' Naruto asked slowly not really wanting to know the answer.

"By my guess, he would easily be ten times more powerful than you are now. You simply lack the raw power he wielded and the mastery of the Rinnegan. Not to mention, I cannot even imagine the power he commanded as Juubi's container. He would have literally been invincible."

'There's gotta be something I can do! How can I follow his path?' he demanded with a hint of desperation.

The fox was unsure of how to respond, "It's not really something I can explain to you…the Sage transcended even the bijou."

'What about Juubi? He must have seen the Sage's true power before separating. Surely he must know of some way I can acquire more of the Rinnegan's power as well as unlocking a Sharingan.'

"That's not a good idea. Even if you could, you do not want to wake up Juubi. Why would he want to help you become more powerful? He would see you as his future jailer," Kyuubi responded with a worried tone.

Naruto stood silently with a downcast stare at the horizon, 'Well, that's mostly hypothetical anyways since I wouldn't even have the capability to wake him up without sealing all of the bijou.'

"That's not technically true…he could easily manifest if he had a fraction of all of our chakra come into contact with his body. He's already tasted mine, Nanabi's, and Sanbi's chakra. You don't even need me to warn you of the dangers of letting that happen."

'So, sealing Sanbi was a gamble then after all?' Naruto asked rhetorically. Kyuubi nodded his head, "Yes, but a necessary one…just be careful when you summon that statue in the future. I can't be certain of what kind of long term effect my chakra has had on it…"

'Great…now you tell me. That thing was a damn blessing back in the Valley of the End. Though I guess I don't really need it if I have your full power.'

"My full power…perhaps I should have mentioned this sooner, but half of my power was sealed away back during your parents' 'sacrifice.'" Kyuubi stated clearly emphasizing his disapproval.

'What?! My parents sealed away half of your power?!' Naruto demanded furiously.

Kyuubi sighed, "Yeah, your father has it…and since he's dead, there is no way for you to get it back. Unless…you were somehow able to bring dead people back to life."

Naruto's eyes shot wide with disbelief, 'No…I refuse to do that. He would never agree to something like being one of my paths! Plus, why would I want that anyways? The last thing I need is my dad trying to stop me when I finally put Konoha in its place.'

"I fear you might not have a choice depending on how this all plays out. However, there are other ways of going about extracting that power…unfortunately you'll need his body for that and I don't know where it is." the fox noted with a hint of frustration.

The jinchuurki thought for a moment, 'It's not in Konoha?'

"No, why would it be? Hmm…come to think of it, didn't Orochimaru have the corpses of the Hokages several years ago? You might be able to find Yondaime's body through him," Kyuubi suggested.

'Isn't Orochimaru dead though? My companions killed him not too long ago,' Naruto realized causing a wave of disappointment to wash over him.

"Do you honestly think he's dead? That elusive son of a bitch dodged you for years. I find it hard to believe that several of them killed the snake. I wouldn't believe him dead until I saw it with my own eyes," Kyuubi replied doubtfully.

An idea crossed Naruto's mind as he jerked his head back towards the village center, 'Who was all involved with that stuff anyways? Guren, Tayuya, Kimimaro, Anko, and Sasuke. So I will bring those five with me and go to Kusa with Deidara. Recovering the other half of your power is very crucial. I wish you would have told me this sooner.'

"Yes, the thought never crossed my mind until just now. I had never considered it before because of the seal anyways. Recovering the rest of my power is a good start, kit. It is a good plan, but what are you going to do about your slaves?"

Naruto's mind wandered at Kyuubi's question as he gave it some thought, 'I wonder how well this place would hold together without me around? If I take those six, it will leave Mei, Haku, Zabuza, Fu, Yugito, Konan, and Shizune. Is it really safe to leave them unattended?'

"Put Zabuza in charge or something. He's not a part of your little mating circle and he's completely loyal to you. The other pawns also seem to have an all around approval of him…he could keep them in line while we were away. Although, I have my doubts about Konan, Shizune, and Yugito. You might need to assign a buddy system or something like that." Kyuubi recommended excitedly.

'That will definitely work. Sounds like you've already given this some thought. Alright so I can have Zabuza in charge, and he'll watch over the village. Fu can watch Konan, Mei can watch Yugito, and Haku can watch Shizune.' Naruto added.

"This plan will suffice. You should go gather them up now and spread the news," Kyuubi said enthusiastically.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement, 'I'm glad you're so agreeable.'

An amused laugh followed his statement, "What can I say? When you're motivated and intelligent, I feel like it will be a good day. Too bad it doesn't happen very often…"

Naruto shook his head, 'You're so funny, Kyuubi…' His callous sarcasm caused the fox to laugh even harder at his own joke.

Without another word, Naruto quickly made his way back towards the village center. He focused his chakra intensely and began to speak telepathically to his four paths, 'Zabuza, Haku, Guren, Kimimaro…gather the others and meet me in front of the tower. I have a new plan for everybody.'

Zabuza was the first to respond, "Of course, Naruto! I'll be right there."

Haku seemed surprised, "How are you speaking to me right now, Naruto? Wait…what is going on?"

Guren and Kimimaro both didn't respond, but Naruto knew they were probably gathering the others. The Rinnegan user glanced around waiting for all of his companions to show up. Several minutes passed and nobody arrived.

As he waited patiently, strange visions began to flash through Naruto's eyes as his mind wandered to a faraway place. He closed his eyes and focused heavily on the source. His mind seemed to swirl through a storm of visions as if he was watching somebody else's memories before he finally came upon a shadowy figure barely outlined in the pitch black darkness.

The figure turned around slowly and Naruto was surprised to see himself standing in front of him. He stared in astonishment at the differences though. This other him had his old blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Suddenly, Naruto felt this strange vibration from deep within his body. It began to pound and pulse like a second heartbeat throughout his chakra stream.

Naruto watched in bewilderment as his other self began to speak to him, 'You can't avoid me forever.'

'What is this?! Who the hell are you!?' Naruto demanded causing his other self to shake his head.

'Naruto Uzumaki,' the other Naruto stated.

The real Naruto growled in annoyance, 'I am Naruto Uzumaki…I don't know what you are.'

The individual smiled, 'You have a great name. He must kill your name before he kills you.'

'Before who kills me?! What do you want from me?!' Naruto demanded.

The other Naruto pointed a short distance away from the real Naruto. His eyes went wide with disbelief when he saw a massive pair of Rinnegan eyes in the distance.

'Don't let him kill me, Pein!' the other Naruto shouted, but much to Naruto's disbelief a sword impaled the other him from behind.

Naruto watched his other self drop to his knees and cough up blood. Standing behind the injured Naruto was a shadowy figure that the real Naruto could not make out. He ran as fast as he could towards the other Naruto, but stopped dead in his tracks when the injured blonde fell over dead.

'He was so weak,' the figure stated before disappearing. Naruto's eyes quickly shot open as a massive surge of rage and bloodlust filled him.

The jinchuuriki roared as he began to channel a massive amount of chakra into his arms, 'I AM NOT WEAK!' Kyuubi seemed completely bewildered by this outburst, "What are you doing kit?! Why are you shouting?!"

'ARRRGHHH!' Naruto screamed in his mindscape with bloodlust. Kyuubi quickly took notice of the chakra levels rising exponentially from Naruto's body. "I see now…do it kit! Unleash all nine tails! The seal can no longer restrain you!"

His body glowed blue from chakra, but soon turned red as he began to channel even harder. This was quickly catching the village's attention causing them to cower in fear at the sight. Guren and Kimimaro had just now arrived and both traded worried looks. They both began to glow in red chakra as well and watched with astonishment as one by one, tails emerged from Naruto's chakra cloak.

"Unleash as much as you can. I want to see what it will do to you," Kyuubi commanded seriously as the ground began to shake beneath Naruto's feet. Small rocks and parts of the ground crumbled upwards as they levitated off the ground. By this point, Naruto's skin seemed to be flaking and healing nonstop at the colossal surge of power. Many of his companions were now arriving to witness this scene.

"Lord Pein, what are you doing? You're going to destroy your body!" Guren shouted worriedly as more of Naruto's skin flaked away and blood poured from all orifices. This quickly attracted the attention of all of his other companions who simply watched in horror.

Konan flew over and was about to run towards him before a glowing Zabuza snatched her arm, "Don't interfere!"

The azure haired woman gave him a disapproving glare. The others all stared with desperation hoping that Naruto was okay.

'More power…more power…MORE POWER!' Naruto chanted in his head furiously. His Rinnegan began to glow intensely as he looked upwards towards the sky. Then much to his surprise, the red chakra around his fingertips turned golden white. This quickly spread down his arms and legs and soon covered his entire body.

His hair glowed like intense white fire as two bangs stuck up like horns. His entire body appeared to be on fire with this golden white chakra and his Rinnegan was now red with slits. Many of his features were more pronounced such as his fangs, his whisker marks, and claw like nails.

Everybody watched with awe as Naruto began to levitate off the ground. He formed a golden chakra ball in his hand and began to channel all of his chakra into it causing the orb to swell to a colossal size. Kyuubi was beside himself with excitement, "YES!"

Much to everyone's disbelief, Naruto brought his other hand towards the chakra ball and aimed it towards the sky. Without a word he unleashed the orb causing it to streak as a golden beam into the sky. Unsatisfied with its speed, Naruto held up both of his hands and shouted, "Shinra Tensei!" All of the chakra from the orb almost seemed to explode in the sky from the added force causing a blinding explosion in the sky. The sound unleashed from this attack made thunder seem quiet as it boomed deafeningly.

After the power display finally subsided, everybody could barely make out the silhouette of Naruto landing on the ground. Everybody adjusted their eyes in order to get over the disorientation. After a few moments the entire village went dead silent again as everybody stared at Naruto.

His chakra began to recede much to their relief and before long he was back to his normal self. Except there was one noticeable difference about him now. Sasuke stared at him almost nostalgically and finally broke the silence, "Your hair…"

Ignoring Kyuubi's happy ranting, Naruto calmed himself down and eyed his friend curiously, "What about my hair?"

"Look…" Haku added as she formed an ice mirror in front of Naruto causing him to see his own reflection. His eyes went wide with surprise when he noticed his hair was golden blonde again. Naruto was unsure of how to react to this and simply looked away.

He looked around at all of his companions; all of which eyed him readily.

Even the civilians and local Oto ninja seemed to be gazing at him with what appeared to be something between astonishment and fear. Everybody remained quiet waiting for him to speak. From a quick survey of their expressions he could tell many were anxious and worried.

"Lord Pein! What was that?!" a worried Guren almost demanded as she took a step closer. Naruto cocked his head in amusement at her concern, "I just needed to wake myself up…starting right now, we're back to business everybody. No more hanging out and no more of this harem crap until I've dealt with Madara."

Every member of Naruto's entourage went wide eyed at his statement. The women especially seemed pissed off about it. "What the hell do you mean by that?!" Fu spoke up frustrated.

"Master you can't just stop…I won't have any inspiration for my book!" Zabuza announced sadly.

Haku coughed, "Why though?!"

"I don't approve of this…" Mei cut in dryly.

Deidara decided to change the subject as he jumped in front of everybody else, "Boss, that was one of the most beautiful explosions I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. I am truly honored by your humble mastery of my art."

"Hey shut up you tranny and move," Tayuya pushed past the blonde man, "I think this is bullshit. I mean Fu's already gotten like three whole nights hasn't she?! It's only fair that the rest of us get the same amount of time!"

"Tranny eh? Like I haven't heard that before…Hmm," Deidara muttered annoyed.

Fu blushed and sent a nasty glare towards Tayuya, "It was only two! Plus, I had to share both times with Konan and Mei."

Shizune sighed, "This isn't fair…"

"We'll see how you feel about this later tonight, eh Lord Pein?" Anko chuckled suggestively. Yugito gave her a disgusted glare, 'Ugh, why do people like HER like him?'

Guren nodded her head in approval, "This is probably for the best. I for one have no desire to go against the master's wishes. I support your decision wholly my lord."

Mei coughed, "Kiss ass," she continued to cough and sent a 'yeah right' look to Guren.

Konan on the other hand seemed to be the only person in approval of this news, 'Good…if he stops focusing on them, then maybe I can patch things up with him. There's no way in hell I'm going to become friends with any of these sluts.'

Kimimaro walked closer towards Naruto and addressed him formally, "Master, you seemed distressed earlier from your message. What are our new orders?"

Naruto pat the white haired man on the shoulder and turned his attention back towards his companions, "There is something I have to do…I need to find my father's body. I need Orochimaru for that…"

Everybody traded confused glances unsure of what Naruto was getting at. Guren raised a brow curiously, "I thought we killed him though…"

Kimimaro looked concerned, "Did you guys make sure he was dead?"

Tayuya face palmed at the thought, "We just assumed he was after the battle…I mean he couldn't have survived."

Sasuke was quick to pick up on it however, "My Kirin appeared to be effective in killing him…but we never found a body."

The blonde jinchuuriki, turned his gaze towards Sasuke, "You know that means that he is alive…"

The Uchiha nodded his head in understanding. Naruto sighed as he glanced over his companions, "Alright, here are your orders. Those of you that were involved in Orochimaru's supposed death are going to come with me and help me find him. The rest of you will stay here and await our return."

Everybody instantly began to interject with questions. "Wait, why do you need your father's body?" Zabuza asked.

"Who is your father?" Mei chimed in curiously.

Kimimaro shook his head, "I will make sure we kill him this time…for you Lord Pein."

"What does Orochimaru have to do with your father?" Guren asked.

Anko, Tayuya, and Sasuke already knew the answer but didn't say anything due to the public setting they were all in.

"Everything is on a need to know basis for now, but I need to find Orochimaru…alive," Naruto answered.

Haku shook her head in frustration, "Wait, you're leaving again? What are the rest of us supposed to do here?"

"I don't like the idea of you putting us on hold and just leaving us here…" Mei added.

Yugito looked around nervously unsure of what to say. Naruto quickly took notice of the expression on her face.

The blonde woman began to pace anxiously awaiting more further instructions. Deidara chuckled as he strolled over and pat Naruto on the back, "I know you'll need your express pilot of course."

Naruto nodded at the bomber causing him to beam with excitement. "Good, I've been bored with the lack of action around here anyways."

"Oh, there's been action…too bad there won't be any more for a while" Zabuza cut in with an amused chuckle. Deidara raised a brow and laughed, "Of course, but I was referring to the wonderful and illustrious art of explosions!"

Mei snickered, "There have been some of those too…"

This caused a few individuals to blush deeply before Anko busted into laughter, "Oh, I knew that I was going to end up liking you."

The red head winked at the snake mistress, "You have good taste then."

"I can't come with you?!" Fu demanded shocked immediately rekindling the serious atmosphere of the conversation.

"What do we do about…them?" Tayuya asked nonchalantly as she pointed at Konan and Shizune.

Naruto raised his hand to silence everybody, "Guren, Tayuya, Kimimaro, Sasuke, and Anko will all come with me and Deidara to Orochimaru's last known location in Kusa. The rest of you will stay here and I am putting Zabuza in charge. Also, those of you that remain will each have somebody they are responsible for watching. I want Fu to watch Konan; I want Mei to watch Yugito; and Haku watch Shizune. You are all responsible for each other…and my village. Is everybody clear?"

A unison of nods and followed his orders. Konan looked as if she wanted to say something but bitterly looked away and huffed in annoyance.

Shizune appeared displeased about it, but not as much as Konan. Yugito on the other hand seemed worried, "Are you sure it's safe for us to be here without you? I mean what if Akatsuki shows up?"

Everybody seemed a bit surprised by Yugito's tone. Tayuya sent her a disbelieving glance as she crossed her arms, "I thought you would jump for joy at the chance of escaping…"

"I wouldn't do that! Especially if Akatsuki is after jinchuuriki…" Yugito noted. Her face was scarlet with embarrassment. Mei giggled at her expression, "Ah, look she's blushing."

The blonde hot head instantly sent a scowl towards Mei, "I-It's n-nothing like that! I am simply concerned for my safety."

"Yes, the princess would feel very unsafe without her…protector," Anko laughed.

Fu seemed a bit put off by not being able to go, but she quickly reverted back to her normal personality and decided to tease Yugito, "She's going to miss you, Lord Pein. Maybe you should give her a goodbye kiss."

Yugito blushed a crimson red and covered her face with embarrassment, "Don't say such shameful and indecent things! That's gross! Stop insinuating such a ridiculous idea. It's not like I like him or anything!"

"That little lynx has already been domesticated," Anko whispered under her breath. Only a few people heard it, one of which was Zabuza who laughed at the thought.

Konan appeared disgusted by this banter and cracked her fist as she sent a death glare towards Yugito. 'Don't even think about it, you jinchuuriki hustler…there's too many god damned whores around here as it is.' the azure beauty thought bitterly.

Naruto quickly decided to change the subject and get back on track, "Yes, Yugito, I have already considered your safety. It is the reason why I am leaving Zabuza and Haku here. They can contact me via their Rinnegan links should any complications arise. Plus, you have more than enough back up here, and if something happens, I should only be a day or two's flight away."

The blonde woman seemed much more relaxed hearing this news from Naruto and soon returned to a relaxed demeanor. Konan was still glaring at Yugito which quickly caught the other woman's attention.

Yugito raised a brow at Konan and wondered why she was sending a death glare.

'What's her deal? Why is Konan glaring at me?' Yugito thought worriedly.

Much to her relief, Naruto stepped in front of Konan and quickly caught the woman's attention. She looked up at him coldly, clearly still upset about discovering the news of his harem.

"Konan, I am going to give you this warning only once…back off from them," Naruto warned Konan just loud enough for him and his followers to hear. The rest of the villagers and ninjas of Oto curiously watched unsure of what their leaders were talking about.

She sighed and nodded her head, "Of course, Pein…"

The blonde turned his head towards the timid brunette medic nin, "Be a good girl, Onee-chan."

Shizune practically squealed with delight at his comment, "Anything for you master."

"I knew you were fucked up…but that is seriously wrong," Yugito cut in.

Tayuya face palmed at this exchange, "That didn't just happen…I am going to pretend I did not hear that."

"You're sure one to talk. Didn't you want him to-" Zabuza began but was immediately silenced by Tayuya covering his mouth.

"Don't listen to this idiot! He's full of shit!" Tayuya shouted. The red head turned towards Zabuza and whispered menacingly, "How did you know about that?"

He sent her an amused grin, "That room is a hot spot…easy pickings for source material in my book. Yours was quite delectable. Would you like me to read it to everybody?"

"Oh fuck that! You say one fucking word and I'll burn that fucking book and your stupid face! Then I'm going to shove this flute all the way up your ass!" Tayuya ranted.

Anko laughed, "Make sure you go into explicit detail about my parts. It's important that your readers know who the number one is."

Zabuza laughed hysterically as he pulled out his book, "I will swim in rivers of gold!"

"You're disgusting for writing so much crap in that book, Zabuza…" Haku noted.

He smiled at the brunette, "Oh, but you all have such wonderful little tales within it hahahahahaha!"

Quickly seeing where this conversation was heading, Naruto coughed to catch everyone's attention again, "Deidara, get your clay bird ready. We're getting ready to go soon."

"Of course, boss. By the way, would you mind if we blow up a few towns along the way? I mean, I just need to express myself right now!" Deidara suggested enthusiastically.

Naruto shrugged, "You'll get your chance soon enough."

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Madara calmly trekked through the misty swamps of Water Country in search of the six tail's jinchuuriki. His mind was focused and attentive as he scanned the surrounding area for Utakata's small wooden hut.

To his right was a blonde girl who seemed to be a little more than shaken up. Ino marched almost mechanically next to him with a dead-fixed stoic face. The Uchiha glanced over at her and chuckled, "Say girl, what was your name again?"

She answered cold and emotionlessly, "Ino Yamanaka, daughter of Inoichi Yamanaka, heir to the clan."

"Ah, I see…so tell me girl, were you with the little group of 'heroes' that tried to sack Ame?" Madara was enjoying her defeated attitude. He had tortured her for quite a while with his Sharingan earlier.

"Yes…" was all she said trying to ignore him. Ino's stoic face started to show signs of uneasiness and fear as Madara placed a hand on her shoulder, "I see…and did you happen to encounter Pein?"

She nodded, "Briefly…he fought Konan and we retreated. Please, just let me go or kill me…I don't want to do this!"

The Uchiha sighed at her outburst, "Now now…you're not going to yell again are you? I might have to discipline you again. Hmph, you little Konoha brats are so spoiled and pathetic."

Ino bit her lip and looked down angrily, "Why do I have to work for you? I don't want to hunt a jinchuuriki!"

"Hmm, why not? Weren't you all so eager to find Naruto for all these years? He is a jinchuuriki too." Madara grinned maliciously. His serene face almost seemed to radiate an unnatural pale glow.

Ino looked shocked by the mention of Naruto's name, "Naruto!? How do you know him? Have you seen him?!"

"Oh, I've seen him…lots of people have. I mean where could the container of the legendary nine tails possibly hide anyways?" Madara mocked hoping that she would figure it out.

To no avail Ino shrugged, "How should I know?! Please, tell me where Naruto is! The whole village has been looking for him for years! Pein said that he was dead!"

"Pein was wrong. You haven't been looking in the right place. Think girl…where would the most powerful jinchuuriki hide? Why would Pein protect Naruto?" Madara asked rhetorically not expecting her to understand.

Ino thought for a moment, "I don't know, but if Naruto is alive and as powerful as you say then he could have…come back by now couldn't he?"

Her eyes shot open as her jaw dropped. Madara began to laugh maniacally, "Yes, now you get it…he didn't want to go back to Konoha. He hates it…in fact he probably hates you too."

Flashbacks of the scene Ino witnessed in Madara's mind began to replay in her head, except this time she witnessed an earlier memory of Madara and Pein speaking to each other. She looked closely at the whisker marks on Pein's face and couldn't believe it.

She was immediately drawn from her thoughts when Madara shouted, "Yes, Naruto is Pein!"

Ino shook her head in disbelief, "That's just impossible…how could that knucklehead be a ruthless warlord? How could he have the Rinnegan? Is-Is Pein…I mean Naruto the Sage of Six Paths?!"

Madara backhanded her for that comment, "NO! Don't ever say such a thing again! I AM THE NEXT SAGE OF SIX PATHS, NOT HIM!"

The blonde trembled as she raised a hand to her face. She was already beginning to bleed and swell from the blunt force of his assault. Ino channeled healing chakra over her face and began to cry, "I never did anything nice for him…he probably does hate me!"

The Uchiha looked a bit confused by her statement, "Oh good grief, girl pull yourself together…you're acting like my worthless good for nothing daughter."

Ino slowly stood up and shook her head repeatedly, "This just can't be true…It can't be! Why would somebody like Naruto be evil?!"

"Naruto is no different than I am…I suppose I can't blame him for being so defiant. He is unusually charismatic as well…minions seem to flock to him," Madara noted.

"Akatsuki is evil…why are all of you trying to ruin everybody's lives and stir the whole country into a war? Why would Naruto be involved in something like that?!" Ino demanded.

The pale man gave her a quizzical look, "It doesn't really matter what kind of person Naruto is, because I will kill him soon enough; and then his Rinnegan and Kyuubi will both be mine."

"So why are you telling me all of this? Who are you exactly anyways?" Ino questioned timidly.

Madara gave her an annoyed glance, "Madara Uchiha…and I have my reasons for keeping you well informed. You will prove most useful later on."

"Madara?! As in the founder of the Uchiha Clan?! But that's impossible! He would be really old in today's time. You don't look old at all! Who are you really!?" She demanded.

He smiled, "When you reach my level of power…age ceases to have meaning. Though, all descendants of the Rikudou Sennin were particularly long lived anyways."

"How do you know so much about Naruto?! How did he have Orochimaru's minions following him?! What is the Rinnegan capable of?" Ino continued to ask questions.

Madara held a hand up and stop in his tracks, "I see you're awfully curious about Naruto? Maybe I should tell you about all the people he's killed…possibly raped. Maybe you'd like to know about how he decided to join forces with Konan? Didn't she murder quite a few of your friends? Hahaha, or perhaps I should tell you about his plans to destroy the five great Shinobi nations? Does it truly matter, bitch? He cares nothing for you or for Konoha."

"That battle in the Valley of the End," the girl began nervously, "he was fighting you guys…so that must mean there's some good in him. Why does he hate Konoha so much though? I mean sure, people teased him and the elders didn't like him, but Naruto just isn't the kind of person to do all of those things."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, you're so pathetically naïve it's funny. By the way, do you want to know the real reason why I am letting you live for now? " Madara chuckled.

"To torture, rape, and kill me later no doubt…" Ino said worriedly.

He raised a brow, "Such an unimaginative little bitch…no, if I wanted to do that, I would have already. I am interested in your mind transfer. You could make my job a lot easier by using it on jinchuuriki for me. Not that I couldn't defeat them myself, but you see I'm on a schedule. Perhaps if you're a good little slave, I'll introduce you to Naruto and you can ask him all those questions yourself before I kill him."

"So that's what you meant by 'help' then?" Ino trailed off.

"Of course, like I mentioned, I do have other plans…but we'll speak of those later."

Ino held her head dejectedly, 'How can this even be possible?! If Pein is really Naruto then maybe…maybe he can help us. Maybe he can help me…oh Sakura, you stupid bitch! Why did you have to make him run away?! How did he become Pein I wonder…'

After another half an hour of awkward silence and searching, the duo finally came upon a small wooden hut that appeared to be inhabited. Madara looked over it once and nodded, "Ah, this is definitely it. Alright, slave, when we go in there, you are going to wait for me to distract him and then use your mind transfer. If you screw this up, I'll tear out your throat. Understood?"

Ino reluctantly nodded, 'Oh gods, I don't want to do this…why is he making me help him?!'

The Uchiha smiled, "Good girl." Without another word they walked over towards the entrance of the hut and didn't even make it to the door before a series of traps went off. Madara didn't even move as he made himself and Ino intangible.

After all of the traps subsided, Madara was met with a frantic Utakata standing at the entrance to his hut with a surprised expression.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here? I had nothing to do with the Mizukage's disappearance!" the man shouted.

Ino was surprised by the news, 'The Mizukage went missing too? Then that means there is only three actual Kages right now! Damn, we're in bigger trouble than I thought. I guess I've got no choice but to tag along with this guy for now…I just hope he doesn't kill me.'

"Hi, Utakata, you probably don't remember me, but I used to stalk you and draw wonderful portraits of your gloomy face every day," Madara began.

The jinchuuriki and Ino both gave him a bewildered look. "What are you talking about?! Don't fuck with me! Why are you here?!" Utakata demanded in a much more serious tone.

"I've never seen you get angry before…is it because your little girlfriend went missing? I wonder what happened to…what was her stupid name again?" Madara asked mockingly.

"What have you done with Hotaru?!" Utakata demanded angrily.

"I don't remember where I left the body…you know how these dumb girls are eh? I seem to forget their faces and names so easily," Madara taunted sadistically.

Utakata immediately took notice of Ino and sent an angered look towards Madara, "What kind of sick freak are you, abducting girls?! What did you do with Hotaru?!"

"Freak? Yes that's what they used to call YOU isn't it? Ah yes, Slug Freak was your nickname right?" Madara continued. Ino could tell he was clearly enjoying the jinchuuriki's anger.

"I will kill you!" Utakata said full of bloodlust. Madara sent him an unconcerned smile, "Just like you killed your master too right? Oh, you really are a worthless little freak aren't you?"

Utakata immediately began to sear in fury as his chakra cloak formed around him. Madara elbowed Ino signaling her to do a mind transfer. Right as his cloak fully formed, Madara launched a web of chakra chain to hold down the rabid jinchuuriki in place.

Utakata flailed as more chakra began to pour out of his body. As he expected, Ino launched a mind transfer on Utakata. Her body dropped motionless as she invaded Utakata's mind. While this was happening, Madara went through a long series of hand seals.

Inside of the jinchuuriki's mindscape, Ino was being tortured by visions of Utakata's childhood, the village's hatred, and of the many people he killed. Before long she managed to gain control of his motor functions and current vision.

Ino noticed just in time as Madara began to suck out the jinchuuriki's chakra. It began to flow into the Uchiha via a seal on his now exposed stomach.

"Why are you helping him do this? I thought you were a hostage?!" a voice sounded within her mind. "GET OUT OF OUR BODY!" Another voice followed and before long Ino found herself reawakening in her own body.

She got up just in time to see Madara glowing intensely from the surging influx of chakra. 'Did he really need my help to do this?! It doesn't even look like that guy can break those chain…' Ino noted. However, much to her surprise, Utakata unleashed a colossal surge of power and ripped out of the chains charging Madara.

He was unsuccessful in hitting the Uchiha as Madara went intangible. However, the chakra drain seemed to have been cut off from the chains now severed.

Madara sighed annoyed as he glanced at Ino, "Stupid girl…you can't hold onto it for one minute?"

Much to Madara's complete dread, Utakata began to transform fully into the six tails. Before long, a hulking, massive slug was towering above them. It radiated chakra as its six tails flailed wildly.

The seal on Madara's stomach blinked a few times and disappeared causing him to scowl in anger. 'Damn it! I guess I'll have to do this myself!'

Wasting no time, Madara rained down chakra chains in all directions keeping the six tails from moving. It yelled furiously, "How dare you try to capture me!"

"You're mine you stupid bijou!" Madara shot back as he launched black flames at the slug causing it to writhe in pain.

Ino stood there unsure of what to do in this situation. The girl hoped that Utakata would be successful, but she already knew that the jinchuuriki stood no chance against Madara. She also knew that if she failed, Madara would kill her. Trying to weigh her options logically she came to one conclusion, 'I have to help him if I want to live…'

Seeing as how she had no choice, Ino stood up again and launched another mind transfer at the transformed Utakata. This appeared to be in the knick of time since he had a fully charged tailed beast ball aimed at Madara.

She was rather surprised that she was able to take over the jinchuuriki momentarily and diverted its head away causing it to miss Madara. The Uchiha began to laugh as he sent a proud smile, "Oh I knew you wouldn't disappoint me."

Ino heard Utakata's voice again, "Why are you helping him?!"

The blonde responded in her mindscape, "You don't stand a chance against him…sorry, but I'm dying for some guy I don't know."

"Cowardly bitch!" the six tails shouted.

The blonde simply held control of the body as Madara wrapped more and more chakra chains all over it and blanketed more of Amaterasu's flames. Ino could feel the searing agony of the beast was feeling and immediately left back to her own body.

This time, she watched with fear as Madara was glowing intensely again. All of his chakra chains began to link into another thick net like pattern and followed their way to the reappeared seal on his stomach. A vortex like portal appeared over the seal and began to suck the beast in.

Utakata and Rokubi simply watched in horror as they were both completely sucked inside of the seal. Afterwards, Ino watched worriedly as Madara turned around and began to glow with the six tails chakra.

He gave Ino an approving nod, "HAHAHAHAHA! YES! Oh, I am so glad I decided to keep you. Welcome to Akatsuki, girl! You will prove most useful later on!"

Ino did not know what to say. She felt incredible fear and guilt at the actions she had just committed. This was clearly evident to Madara who sent her a wicked smile, "There's no turning back now…the only way to stay alive is to serve me. Keep doing well and maybe you'll be rewarded with more power."

"I didn't want to do this…" Ino barely muttered.

The Uchiha shrugged, "Such a shame…your clan wastes their powers on simple mind transfers, but under my guidance, you could learn so much more. Does that interest you?"

"No," was all Ino responded. As his chakra began to recede, the ethereal man grabbed her chin and stared into her eyes, "Wrong answer!"

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Standing over the broken and shattered body of Sasori, Itachi glanced around at the scene of the battle. He knew that he was going to have a hard time explaining to the others why two jinchuuriki were now missing and Sasori was dead.

'So Sasori finally met his end…' was all the Uchiha thought as he casually walked over the remnants of the battlefield. A quick thought crossed his mind as he picked up a random sword and stabbed himself in several locations.

Blood poured from his back down his body and he grimaced, 'I doubt this will fool Madara, but Kisame and Kakuzu will likely buy it. Hopefully I'll be long gone by then.'

The Uchiha had already made up his mind, that the time to strike against Madara was now. He was glad that their attack on Kumo managed to rile up the Raikage. All of the opposing forces of Madara were going to gather up eventually, and then Madara could be cornered.

He contemplated possible routes of action that he would have to take thereon. Itachi had never been very loyal to Madara, but he saw no reason to side with Naruto either. The two were both ruthless despots that wanted the same thing. 'Now that everything is laid out…I should go find Sasuke.'

Before long, Itachi heard the sound of a crashing wave. He turned his head and spotted a victorious Kisame with both jinchuuriki slung over his shoulders. Kakuzu was trailing behind him. The shark nin was fully transformed and appeared to be pissed off.

Upon reaching Itachi the water dissipated and Kisame started reverting back to normal. He quickly looked around and went wide eyed at the sight of the battlefield.

"Itachi?! What happened? Where is Sasori and the one tails?" he immediately noticed the Uchiha did not have Killer Bee either, "what did you do with the eight tails?!"

"He woke up and managed to get away. I followed him over here, but it seems that the one and eight tails killed Sasori and escaped together," Itachi lied casually.

Kakuzu shook his head in disbelief, "You let them escape?! Why aren't you chasing them right now!?"

"The eight tails caught me off guard when I was carrying him and stabbed me," Itachi pointed at blade marks on his body.

"Those look fresh…maybe there's still time to catch them," Kakuzu noted.

Itachi shook his head, "We should not risk it. I say we cut our losses and make sure we don't lose these two."

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Itachi?! Has the blood loss caused your head to go funny?! How the hell are we going to explain this?!" Kisame ranted.

The Uchiha sighed, "Madara is more than powerful enough as is. I'm sure he'll be well equipped to get them back with no trouble at all."

"Damn it Itachi, why did you have to go and lose the one we captured?! Madara is going to kill us for this! Better yet, he's going to rape you, kill me, eat me, rape you again, and then kill you!" Kisame carried on furiously.

"Speaking of which…if he went to retrieve the one tails with Sasori then where is Madara now?" Kisame asked.

Kakuzu sighed, "He went to get the six tails…"

"Well that's just fucking great…we lost the one he captured. Everybody just kill yourselves now," Kisame announced dreadfully.

Itachi simply shook his head, "It's not really a big deal anyways…none of you even know why he wants the jinchuuriki anyways."

Much to all of their surprise, they heard a vaguely familiar creepy voice sound off, "Itachi-kun, it isn't like you to make mistakes. Perhaps you're losing your edge…I imagine the Mangekyo Sharingan must be taking its toll by now."

Everybody dreadfully turned their gaze and spotted Zetsu in his original form and Orochimaru. Kisame immediately face palmed, "Oh gods, I can't handle this guy right now…"

"What are you doing here?!" Kakuzu sounded displeased.

Orochimaru sent a cunning smile towards Itachi and winked. The Uchiha had an uneasy feeling that Orochimaru was planning something sinister.

"Oh, nothing really; Zetsu here informs me that Madara wanted me back. I humbly accepted my readmission into Akatsuki," the snake man said creepily.

Itachi gave him a blank stare, 'This can't be good…'

"By the way Itachi-kun, your brother is getting quite strong. You would be so proud…" the sannin trailed off.

The Uchiha leered at him, "When did you see my brother?"

"Oh? He works for Pein now…as do all of my former followers for that matter. I will enjoy punishing that obnoxious Naruto brat for taking everything away from me!" Orochimaru announced menacingly.

Itachi seemed surprised, "Sasuke joined Naruto? Why? How long ago was this?"

"Just recently in fact. Also…Guren, my former second, has also acquired the Rinnegan," the sannin explained.

Kisame's eyes shot open and Itachi's jaw dropped, "What do you mean?" the Uchiha asked almost disbelievingly.

"Disregard that for now. We have another pressing concern. Orochimaru and I spotted Shizune and Konan flying over Kusa, towards Oto. Judging by the events here, I would assume that they betrayed you all and set the jinchuuriki free," Zetsu interrupted.

"That damn bitch, Shizune let Konan go?! What the fuck?!" Kakuzu roared.

Itachi glanced over at Zetsu and saw the plant man eyeing him suspiciously.

"Where have you been this whole time, Zetsu?" Itachi asked cautiously.

Dark Zetsu answered him, "I took a detour to locate somebody for the master."

"Who?!" Kakuzu asked impatiently.

"None of your concern at the moment," Zetsu countered bluntly.

Orochimaru hissed annoyed, "So I hear that the Kyuubi brat took you all on at the Valley of the End by himself. Is he truly that powerful?"

Kisame looked pissed at the question, "He held us off, but he ended up running away. Plus, Madara-sama never once entered the battle. If he had, then he would have already been dead."

"Madara will regret doing that…the Kyuubi brat has an army behind him now. How do you intend to counter that?" Orchimaru queried.

Itachi looked downcast, "What did you mean one of your followers had the Rinnegan? Are you implying there is more than one wielder?"

"He has described it in great detail to me. I would assume that it has something to do with Naruto's power. Though, we have very little to fear. The master has been holding back this entire time…once Madara-sama acquires several more jinchuuriki, he'll more than likely tip the balance back in our favor," Zetsu noted.

"How can you be so sure about that…" Kakuzu wondered aloud.

Orochimaru nodded his head, "The Kyuubi brat doesn't have full control of Kyuubi anyways. No wielder of Kyuubi has ever been able to wield all of the bijou's chakra like other jinchuuriki do."

"That's true I suppose. Though we haven't seen Naruto in a while. There's no telling what is going on at this point," Kakuzu noted.

Orochimaru stared at Itachi curiously for a moment, 'He seems on edge…very unlike him. Perhaps I can use this to my advantage.'

"What should we do now?" Kakuzu asked breaking the awkward silence.

Much to everybody's surprise, a distorted portal appeared in front of them and out of it came none other than Madara and Ino. Everybody seemed rather surprised by this entry, and Itachi immediately felt the dread that was sure to follow.

"How did he know exactly where we were?" Kisame asked shocked.

Zetsu simply let out a small smile at this question.

Madara saw Kisame holding two of the jinchuuriki and let out a wicked grin, "Ah, you already have two of them on you good. Where is Sasori with the one tails?"

"It got away…so did the eight tails," Itachi stated callously.

Madara sighed and immediately focused a death glare on his underling, "Did they now? Oh, and you look wounded, Itachi…you poor thing."

Madara decided to ignore Itachi for the moment as he focused his attention on Zetsu and Orochimaru, "Did you locate them?"

Zetsu nodded, "Yes, they will arrive soon."

"Good to see you again after all these years, Madara," Orochimaru began sinisterly.

The Uchiha sent him one glance and huffed, "Spare me the pleasantries…you're only here because I need pawns to deal with Naruto's minions. Do as I say and I'll entertain the thought of keeping you alive."

"Of course…master," the snake hissed the last part almost sourly.

"Where is Shizune? Did you leave her to watch over Konan?" Madara asked curiously.

Kakuzu looked down shamefully, "It seems Shizune betrayed us…she released Konan and all of the jinchuuriki before taking off. We recaptured the four and five tails, but as Itachi said, the one and eight tails escaped."

"ARGHH! YOU USELESS PIECES OF SHIT! I can't leave you fools alone for two and a half days?! Explain to me where you and Itachi were during all of this shit!" Madara roared furiously as he glared at Kisame.

Ino nervously trembled and looked at the ground not trying to make sense of the situation. Just then an interesting thought crossed Madara's mind, "Girl…do a mind transfer on Itachi."

The younger Uchiha looked worried at the mention of this though he kept a straight face. Ino nervously looked at Madara, "W-w-what?! H-he's Itachi Uchiha…"

"No…" Itachi started as he slowly sidestepped.

"What do you mean no?!" Madara demanded.

"I'm not going to help you anymore. I let them go…I wasn't expecting you back so soon, but I suppose that I would prefer to tell you to your face anyways. I quit Akatsuki," Itachi stated coldly.

Madara simply laughed, "You quit? That's pretty funny…where do you intend to go? To Naruto? I doubt he'll be welcoming to a man who battled him three separate occasions. Where did all this petty defiance come from? Do you think you are being noble?"

"I have no desire to join Naruto either. You're both the same person…power-obsessed megalomaniacs with no true desire for peace. Naruto is a good person at heart, but he is just as selfish as you are and he corrupts everybody he comes into contact with…just like you. You could never understand my true goals," Itachi explained.

Madara clenched his fists as he activated his Tsukiyomi, "I'm going to enjoy torturing you, Itachi!"

Much to his surprise, Itachi cancelled it out with his own Sharingan. The younger Uchiha's eyes began to bleed profusely. He wasted no time and took off at unseen speeds running away from the group.

Everybody stood still unsure of what to do. Madara simply gave an unconcerned glance in the direction Itachi had left, "It doesn't matter where he goes…he's got no allies. He's also wounded. Itachi cannot hide from me no matter where he goes."

"Say, master…would you be opposed to me claiming Itachi's body?" Orchimaru suggested gleefully.

The Uchiha chuckled, "Why not…go get him for me."

Orochimaru wasted no time taking off in Itachi's direction following the trail of blood.

Kisame looked very upset about the current situation and hung his head dejectedly, 'He DID betray us…'

Zetsu took a closer step towards Madara and began to whisper, "Everything is going according to plan other than this mess. The others should be here within a few days."

"Good, send them to me when they arrive. Now that that's settled, I might as well seal these jinchuuriki before any more 'accidents' occur.

"Seal them?" Kakuzu asked curiously. It was only then that he and Kisame understood the purpose behind capturing jinchuuriki.

"Is that why you wanted to capture them? To seal multiple bijou within yourself? Wouldn't that kill you though?" Kisame spoke up confused.

Madara shook his head, "I am immortal…something miniscule like that could not kill me."

"If that was your intention all along, then why didn't you just do it in the first place?" Kakuzu asked skeptically.

"I wanted to get the most powerful ones first before they knew what to do…but I see now that it was probably a mistake. Naruto has been ruining all of my plans…and now Konan, Shizune, and Itachi have as well. But alas, some pawns must simply be cast aside for the betterment of their leader. These little distractions mean nothing in the long run. In the end I WILL get what I want," Madara said.

Without another word Madara launched a net of chakra chains over both jinchuuriki and bound them tightly. "Soon I will be the master of all bijou…then not even Naruto will be able to stop me."

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Gaara had made considerable progress on his way back towards Konoha with Killer Bee slung over his shoulder. The red head wasn't really used to hauling people around and do to his recent injuries with Sasori, he was not enjoying the trek. Much to his relief, the unconscious Killer Bee began to stir causing him to stop in his tracks.

The Kazekage looked up and noticed Killer Bee jump off of him and land on the ground. The jinchuuriki looked around disoriented. Gaara couldn't tell exactly where though because the man still had his sunglasses on miraculously.

"Yo, where the hell am I?" Bee asked as he rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Who are you exactly?" Gaara asked curiously.

The man instantly jerked his head up and examined Gaara head to toe, "You from Suna? You're not one of them are you?"

"Akatsuki you mean? No…they were capturing jinchuuriki. You and I managed to escape thanks to the others," Gaara explained.

"Ah shit…A's probably lost his shit by now. Where are we headed and who the hell are you exactly?" Killer Bee replied.

"I am Gaara, the Kazekage…" the red head stated emotionlessly.

Killer Bee instantly let out a light chuckle, "Oh…oops my bad. Then I guess you're on my level. I'm Killer Bee, Lord Jinchuuriki,"

Gaara sighed, "We're heading towards Konoha…they'll know what to do about Akatuski hopefully.

"Maybe A's already there…oh by the way I owe you for getting me out of there, Kazekage," Bee held up his fist to the straight faced Gaara who simply looked at him bewildered.

"C'mon don't leave me hanging, man," Bee laughed.

Gaara slowly raised his fist and awkwardly knuckle bumped with the other jinchuuriki.

He decided it was best to keep the whole deal with Itachi quiet until he got to Tsunade. 'If they're after us…then maybe Naruto is in trouble too. I wonder where he is.'

"Hey, by the way…did you happen to see a blonde girl back there when you were getting away? She's moderately tall, and is the two tail's jinchuuriki," Killer Bee asked anxiously.

Gaara shook his head, "We didn't see anybody like that. From what I could gather from the girl that released us, she said that Pein had the rest of the jinchuuriki."

"Pein? That crazy mother fucker still hasn't been caught? Why does he want jinchuuriki? Is he with Akatsuki?" Bee asked.

Gaara shrugged, "I have no idea…hopefully somebody in Konoha knows what's going on."

"I hope Yugito's okay…A's going to go insane if anything happens to her," Bee noted.

Without another word, the two continued onward towards Konoha.

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Naruto calmly examined the horizon as he and his companions flew on the back of Deidara's clay bird. The blonde couldn't help but feel proud that they had such a convenient form of transportation now thanks to Deidara.

"Hey, Naruto, can you please tell us what we're doing looking for your father's body? Do you intend to resurrect him?" Anko asked shocked.

The jinchuuriki glanced over his curious minions' faces and shook his head, "He has the other half of Kyuubi's power sealed within him. I intend to get it back. When we get there, you guys are going to walk me through exactly where you battled him and we'll go from there."

"So about this whole, no harem thing...that was just for show right? You don't really want to leave me alone and cold at night do you?" Anko asked.

Guren sent her a disgusted glare, "Oh get off his dick will you. Naruto made it clear that he wants to focus on his priorities right now. Show some self-respect and stop being a slut."

While they were arguing, Tayuya took this time to place herself in Naruto's lap. She leaned her head back and met his confused gaze. Her face lit up with embarrassment as she inched closer towards his. She whispered almost inaudibly with her lips, "I won't tell."

Guren quickly noticed this and nearly threw Tayuya off the bird, "You're awfully bold for a recently deflowered woman..."

"I wasn't a damn virgin you bitch!" Tayuya shouted. This immediately caught everybody's attention and caused Naruto to look away embarrassed, 'People are going to lose all respect for me at this rate.'

He moved further up the bird towards Deidara and Sasuke and scanned the ground below. "Looks like we just crossed into the border. Fly low so we can get a better look Deidara."

Sasuke thought for a moment, "Say, Naruto how do you determine who you bring back to life? I mean can you do it to anyone?"

"I don't know...I feel like I should be able to, but I don't have my full power yet. Why?" the blonde had a feeling he knew what Sasuke was going to ask.

The Uchiha sighed, "Maybe, you could bring back the Uchiha clan one day and the Uzumaki Clan too if you wanted..."

Naruto frowned, "Even if I could...what would be the point? Nothing else matters until I destroy Madara."

"Have you ever thought about what you wanted to do once this is all over?" Kimimaro cut into the conversation interested.

The jinchuuriki simply stared into the distance, "It will never end. I am the next Sage of Six Paths."

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OKAY! There's chapter 19 folks. I hope it was good, but who am I kidding right? Anyways, for those that enjoyed it, let's go over some our key highlights in this chapter:

Obviously, Naruto gaining the golden chakra cloak was exciting. I know some of you had previously wondered about that. I wanted to save it for something cool. I mean he's got his blonde hair back…I hope that was interesting at least.

Going to get Yondaime! Oh, I can already see the influx of reviews asking me about that. Is he going to be a path?! Maybe, but maybe not?! The important thing is he is getting Kyuubi's full power. AH YEAH! I told you guys the action power up super shit was on its way…just a few more chapters and we'll be at Konoha!? We'll see won't we?

How about Madara and Ino too? What exactly does he have planned for her in the long run?

How about Itachi's getaway? Orochimaru is chasing him?! Also who are these people Zetsu keeps talking about?!

Sorry I'm so amped…it's the only way I can make myself write this. So I dedicate this week's chapter to that Yorkshire Tea (God save the queen) and to all my beloved reviewers who keep me dedicated. By the way, I'm sorry for taking a month on this chapter. I blame all the violence on television and video games lol. I'll update again as soon as I can. Thanks again for reading!