-Six months later-
It had been a full three years since Naruto parted ways from the Hidden Leaf Village now and a full six months since his fight with Team Kakashi. He was currently sitting on a rock above the new hideout while awaiting Orochimaru to come start the next phase of his train.
'Orochimaru's illness is starting to hinder my training and on top of that my strength is at level beyond even his. Not to mention he intends to take over my body soon. I think it's about time for me to put my plan into effect.' thought Naruto. Suddenly, thousands of Sound ninja appeared all around Naruto.
"What's the meaning of this?" asked Naruto in that same emotionless tone. Orochimaru then appeared along with Kabuto.
"I think it's time to test the power you've gained so far, Naruto." said Orochimaru with a sadistic grin. "Which is why you will face five thousand of my followers. All jonin and Anbu." Naruto stood up before four shadow clones appeared.
"Going to need help?" asked Kabuto. Naruto rolled his eyes.
"As if. I simply want to get this over with as quickly as possible." said Naruto. Orochimaru chuckled.
"Heh heh heh heh, very well." said Orochimaru. "Then lets see if you can beat them within three minutes." Naruto looked toward the group of Sound ninja.
"I'll only need two." said Naruto before he and his shadow clones took a thousand a piece and rushed head long into the army of Sound ninja. Orochimaru and Kabuto watched as Naruto and his clones took on the army of Sound ninja with ease. Orochimaru chuckled as he watched his vessel plow through the Sound ninja like they were nothing.
'Soon... soon that will be my body! I had my doubts about forsaking my original plans of having the Sharingan, but this worked out nicely instead. Far better than I originally hoped.' thought Orochimaru.
"Heh heh heh heh... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Orochimaru. He and Kabuto then noticed that Naruto's shadow clones were gone and Naruto was sitting on the rock he had been perched on when they appeared surrounded by five thousand defeated Sound ninja.
"Well done, Naruto. And without a single fatal blow." said Orochimaru. "But you need to let go of your mercy. A ninja must be ruthless. Compassion will be your downfall." Naruto looked toward Orochimaru with a glare.
"Unlike you, Orochimaru, I only kill if needed. Not if I have a choice." said Naruto as he stood up and headed into the hideout.
-That afternoon-
Orochimaru was in his bed going through a rough coughing fit.
"*COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!*" Orochimaru coughed as blood leaked out of his mouth. Kabuto looked on in worry.
'This is gonna require administering a rank ten pill.' thought Kabuto. He then handed Orochimaru a glass of water.
"This damn body...is at it's limit." said Orochimaru. Kabuto walked toward the door.
"Wait here. I'll go get the medicine." said Kabuto before opening the door, stepping out and closing it.
-Outside the room-
Kabuto turned toward the two Anbu level Sound ninja guarding the door.
"Don't let anyone in there unless I'm with them." said Kabuto before he started walking down the hall toward his lab. 'Lord Orochimaru's current body won't last much longer. Tomorrow, or better yet tonight. We must preform the transference ritual.'
-Meanwhile-
Naruto was in his room meditating when his eyes snapped open.
"Time to go." said Naruto as he stood up. He then disappeared.
-Orochimaru's room-
The two Sound Anbu standing guard heard footsteps approaching before seeing Naruto walking toward them.
"Halt! Lord Kabuto ordered us not to let anyone in without him by their side. Including you, Naruto Uzumaki." said Sound Anbu #1. Naruto glared before disappearing. He then reappeared behind the two Sound Anbu followed by them dropping to the ground unconscious.
"I didn't ask to be let in anyway." said Naruto before turning toward the door. He then unsheathed his katana and rested the blade on his shoulder. He lifted his left hand toward the door before it became encased in lightning. The Curse Mark overtook the left side of his face.
"CHIDORI SPEAR!" said Naruto as a spear of lightning shot toward the door.
-Inside the room-
Orochimaru was still sitting on his bed while waiting for Kabuto to return.
'Where is he?' thought Orochimaru. Suddenly, a spear of lightning shot through the door and impaled Orochimaru in the right shoulder.
"ARGH!" grunted Orochimaru as he looked toward the door. The door then split in half to reveal Naruto with his left hand encased in lightning and the spear extending from it.
"I knew you would come for me." said Orochimaru. Naruto looked at him with an emotionless expression.
"Then you know what my intentions are." said Naruto. "I can be merciless...even to you." He then walked toward the right side of the bed before lifting his katana above his head with the intention of cutting Orochimaru in half. The Snake Sannin quickly opened his mouth before spitting out a white snake. Naruto stopped his movement and watched as the snake then spat out another Orochimaru. The Chidori spear dissipated as the Curse Mark receded.
"I am the only one who can give you the power to defeat Itachi." said Orochimaru.
"Hmph, you were, but now the illness has ravaged your body beyond the point of no return. I dare say that you won't survive the night even if I don't kill you. And besides, you have nothing left to teach me." said Naruto. Orochimaru chuckled.
"Heh heh heh heh, then I guess it's time I claim my new body!" said Orochimaru as he launched himself at Naruto, but the young jinchuriki jumped to the left to dodge. Orochimaru then opened his mouth and out poured thousands of snakes that shot toward Naruto.
The snakes swarmed around Naruto before being blown away. Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Naruto's whisker marks were darker and his eyes were red with slits for pupils, but he was surround by red chakra that took the shape of a fox with two tails. Naruto (Nine-Tails: Two Tail mode) looked toward Orochimaru with a glare.
"As I said, I can be merciless even to you." said Naruto. He then extended his chakra clawed hand toward Orochimaru and grabbed him before slamming the Snake Sannin into the ground. He then walked over to Orochimaru before taking his katana and stabbing the Snake Sannin in the chest. Orochimaru looked up at Naruto's cold red eyes before his own gold ones rolled into the back of his head.
Naruto removed his katana from Orochimaru's chest before the red chakra dissipated and his whisker marks and eyes returned to normal. He then turned and started walking toward the door before quickly turning back around and hurling his katana at a giant white snake that had Orochimaru's features and hair. The katana impaled the Great White snake before pinning it to the opposite wall.
"H-how did you know?" asked Orochimaru (Great White Snake). Naruto smirked.
"I may be stronger than you, but it takes more than that to bring you down." said Naruto. However, he suddenly found himself in a strange place with a fleshy ground. Suddenly, the fleshy surface began to rise up around Naruto pinning him in place. Another part of the fleshy surface rose up before revealing Orochimaru's face.
"Where the hell am I?" asked Naruto. Orochimaru chuckled.
"This is the universe inside my body. This is where the transference ritual takes place." said Orochimaru. "Now it's time to claim what is rightfully mine." As he said this, the flesh covering Naruto began to fully engulf him. Just as it was about to completely cover him, however, it suddenly turned black and melted completely away.
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Orochimaru. "THE TRANSFERENCE RITUAL IS BEING REJECTED?!" Suddenly, three large black tendrils rose up. Orochimaru looked toward Naruto to see that his eyes were red with slits for pupils.
"You thought that a jinchuriki would be easier to control than an Uchiha, but you were mistaken. You claim to be a genius and yet you made the most common mistake. Now you and your dream die here." said Naruto (Nine-Tails' chakra). The tendrils then moved toward Orochimaru.
"NO! I AM OROCHIMARU! I AM THE ONE WHO WILL UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF NATURE! I AM IMMORTAL!" screamed Orochimaru as he was engulfed by the tendrils. Naruto's eyes returned to normal.
"You were chasing a hopeless dream. The secrets of nature will always remain just that...secrets." said Naruto.
-Reality-
Kabuto had returned to find the guards unconscious. He then rushed into the room to find Naruto standing in the middle of the room. He then looked toward the opposite wall to find the Great White Snake pinned there by Naruto's katana.
'T-the Great White Snake?! Does this mean the transference ritual is already complete?' thought Kabuto. Naruto then looked toward Kabuto.
"Kabuto." said Naruto before he walked over to the Great White Snake and removed his katana allowing the corpse to fall to the ground. He then sheathed his katana before walking toward Kabuto.
"W-which one...are you?" asked Kabuto. Naruto stopped beside Kabuto before answering.
"Why don't you guess." suggested Naruto. Kabuto fell to his knees.
"T-then Lord Orochimaru is..." said Kabuto. Naruto then walked out of the room.
-Hallway-
Naruto walked out of Orochimaru's room.
'Now that I've absorbed Orochimaru's power it's time to take out Itachi, but first I'm gonna need a team.' thought Naruto. "Right. First up is Suigetsu." With that Naruto proceeded toward the lab.
-Laboratory-
Naruto arrived in the lab to find the door to the holding tanks sealed shut with two jonin level Sound ninja standing guard.
"Halt! Only Lord Kabuto and Lord Orochimaru are allowed in here!" said Sound ninja #1.
"Orochimaru is dead." said Naruto as he continued walking toward them. Both ninja's eyes went wide with shock.
"W-WHAT?!" exclaimed both ninja. Naruto then disappeared before reappearing behind both ninja. Both Sound ninja dropped to the floor unconscious. Naruto looked toward the door.
'Better hurry before Kabuto gets over his shock and sounds the alarm.' thought Naruto. He then unsheathed his katana before the blade became cloaked in lightning chakra. Naruto then swung his katana straight down and split the door in two. Naruto proceeded into the room to find the walls lined with tanks full of water.
He then walked toward the one at the far end of the room.
"Let's get you out of there, Suigetsu." said Naruto. He then stabbed his lightning chakra enhanced katana through the glass before cutting in a vertical line. Water leaked out before the pressure became too much for the tank and the glass shattered causing the water to spill out. Naruto then looked down at the water as he sheathed his katana.
"Get up, Suigetsu." said Naruto before he slammed his foot on the ground.
"OW! Alright, I'm up!" said a voice before the water rose up and took the form of a human with white hair and purple eyes. He wore a purple sleeveless vest with white pants and ninja sandals. On his back was a large sword and on his belt was a bottle for keeping water.
"What are you doing here, Naruto? You're gonna piss off Orochimaru if he finds out you freed me." said Suigetsu.
"Orochimaru is dead." said Naruto causing Suigetsu's eyes to widen. "I killed him before coming down here."
"Well, you have my thanks, but why free me?" said Suigetsu.
"Because I need you and two others. I'm making a team. The choice is yours." said Naruto. Suigetsu mulled it over.
"Well, I do owe you for freeing me. Alright, I'm in." said Suigetsu. "So who are we gonna recruit next?"
"Karin." Naruto simply answered. Suigetsu groaned in annoyance.
"Not that woman! She and I don't get along well." said Suigetsu. Naruto turned and began walking toward the door with Suigetsu in tow.
"I'm not saying that you have to get along. Just cooperate." said Naruto. Suigetsu sighed.
"Fine, but no promises." said Suigetsu.
-Outside the hideout-
Once Naruto and Suigetsu were out of the hideout they began heading for the Southern Hideout.
"You do know that it's gonna take at least a full day and a half to get to the Southern Hideout, right?" asked Suigetsu. Naruto nodded.
"I know, but I know a place along the way where we can stay for the night." said Naruto. "Unless you want to sleep on the hard, dry ground." Suigetsu immediately had a different opinion.
"Well, what are we waitin' for? Let's go!" said Suigetsu as he ran ahead. Naruto looked on with an emotionless look.
"Reminds me of Konohamaru." said Naruto before following after Suigetsu.
-Tree Felling Village-
Naruto and Suigetsu arrived in Tree Felling Village to find business booming. Naruto looked up at the orange and red sky and saw the sun setting.
"There is a house just outside of the village surrounded by a few ponds and a river." said Naruto. Before Naruto could finish Suigetsu was already on his way there.
-Tsubaki and Aoi's house-
Naruto and Suigetsu arrived at Tsubaki and Aoi's house to find that it really hadn't changed much. The paint was new, but that was about it. Suigetsu, seeing the large river flowing by the house, immediately ran over and jumped in. Naruto shook his head. He then walked toward the house.
"Naruto, is that you?" asked a voice causing Naruto to look toward the clothing line and see Tsubaki hanging some clothes to dry. Naruto nodded his head.
"Yes. It's been awhile, Tsubaki." said Naruto. Tsubaki smiled as she walked toward him.
"It's so nice to see you again, Naruto. Aoi will be so happy." said Tsubaki. "She's inside. Wait here while I go get her." Tsubaki then walked inside. A few seconds later, Naruto heard running footsteps before the door flung open and Aoi flew at him. She flew directly into him knocking Naruto on to his back as she tackled him. Now in Naruto's defense he could have dodged, but something told him he shouldn't.
"WELCOME BACK, NARUTO!" shouted an extremely happy Aoi as she hugged the young jinchuriki. Naruto patted her on the head.
"It's good to see you too, Aoi." said Naruto.
-That night-
Naruto, Tsubaki and Aoi were having dinner. Suigetsu, however, opted to stay in the river instead.
"So you're only staying the night?" asked Aoi. Naruto nodded his head.
"Afraid so. My friend and I are heading somewhere that would take all night to reach." said Naruto.
"I wonder why your friend didn't want to come in." said Tsubaki. Naruto shrugged his shoulders.
"I think he's part fish in all honesty. He loves being in the water more than on dry land." said Naruto. Aoi giggled as did Tsubaki.
"So how has the village been?" asked Naruto.
"It's doing well. Now that the villagers are able to enter the crystal caves again the village has been able to do business with other villages." said Tsubaki. "In fact, a kunoichi from the Hidden Leaf came here with two other ninja to pick up some crystals ordered by the Hokage." Naruto's eyes widened as he heard this.
'They couldn't possibly...' thought Naruto. "What did they look like?" Aoi chirped up.
"Well, the kunoichi had pink hair while the other two had black hair and silver hair." said Aoi. "They're staying at the inn." Naruto then stood up.
"Is everything all right, Naruto?" asked Tsubaki. Naruto nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'm just gonna head into town and see if they have any extra shuriken and kunai." said Naruto before he walked out the door.
'Naruto...' thought a worried Aoi.
-Later-
Naruto was jumping through the trees toward the village.
'What are they doing here? Even if it's a simple mission like picking up a delivery if they find out I'm here then they'll try to take me back to the Hidden Leaf.' thought Naruto as he arrived in Tree Felling Village. He then headed to the inn before sneaking in.
-Inn-
Naruto crept through the halls of the inn as he made his way to the rooms his former teammates were staying in. Sensing their chakra, Naruto approached a door before carefully peering in and finding none other than Sakura Haruno asleep in the bed. Carefully, he entered the room before closing the door. He then approached the bed and looked down at Sakura's sleeping form.
'So... they are here.' thought Naruto. He noticed her combat gloves and headband were on the nightstand while her ninja boots were on the floor in front of it. He then looked closer and noticed a pink gem attached to a chain around her neck.
'That's...' thought Naruto as he remembered tossing the gem to Sasuke six months ago. He then sat on the bed before leaning toward Sakura and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He then raised up before getting a small smile on his face.
"You really do have a charming, wide forehead, Sakura." Naruto whispered. Sakura stirred slightly before a small smile graced her lips.
"Naruto..." Sakura said in her sleep. Naruto silently chuckled before making his way to the window. He silently opened it before leaping out and making his way back to Tsubaki and Aoi's house.
-Forest-
As Naruto was making his way through the forest to Tsubaki and Aoi's house he stopped when he felt a presence following him.
"Come out! I know you're there." said Naruto as he rested his right hand on the hilt of his katana. A very familiar face then appeared. Naruto smirked as he turned to face his old sensei, Kakashi Hatake.
"Naruto..." said Kakashi.
"Kakashi... it's been a while." said Naruto.
"Naruto, what are you doing here? I honestly didn't expect to find you here." said Kakashi.
"Why I'm here is none of your concern. I really shouldn't be your concern anymore...since I parted ways with the Leaf a long time ago." said Naruto.
"Naruto... word has gotten out that you killed Orochimaru. Sakura and Sasuke thought that meant you were coming back home, but that isn't the case, is it?" said Kakashi.
"Tch, I will not be kept from my goal. Not even by you damnable Leaf ninja." said Naruto. Kakashi's lone visible eye widened in surprise.
'Naruto, you really have fallen into the darkness.' thought Kakashi. "Do you think I'm gonna believe that you want nothing to do with the Hidden Leaf?" Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow in question.
"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.
"I know what you did in Sakura's room." said Kakashi causing Naruto's eyes to widen slightly. "You still love her, don't you?" Naruto growled in irritation.
"Whether I still care about Sakura, or not doesn't matter. I will see my goal to it's completion." said Naruto as he turned away from Kakashi and began walking away.
"Naruto wait!" said Kakashi as he attempted to follow Naruto. However, Naruto tossed a piece of paper on the ground before a barrier appeared between him and Kakashi.
'A barrier!?' thought Kakashi as he stopped in his tracks.
"And you won't stop me." said Naruto as he disappeared from sight.
-The next day-
After saying good-bye to Tsubaki and Aoi, Naruto and Suigetsu continued on their way to the Southern Hideout.
"Do we have to recruit Karin?" asked Suigetsu. Naruto nodded his head.
"Karin is a sensory type ninja. I'm only able to sense chakra that I'm familiar with so she is needed." said Naruto.
"Man, that woman is gonna make this trip a bitch." said Suigetsu.
"I can always stuff you back in that tank." said Naruto.
"..." That effectively silenced Suigetsu.
-Southern Hideout-
Naruto and Suigetsu arrived at the shore to find the Southern Hideout out in the middle of the ocean. Suigetsu sweatdropped.
"Well, now what?" asked Suigetsu. He then looked toward Naruto to see him remove his shirt before he changed into his Curse Mark second state.
"You love water so much. You figure it out." said Naruto (Curse Mark Second State) as he jumped in the air and flew toward the Southern Hideout. Suigetsu growled.
'Bastard!' thought Suigetsu.
-Inside the Southern Hideout-
Naruto landed inside the Southern Hideout before changing back to normal. He then looked around.
'Now where are you, Karin?' thought Naruto. Suigetsu then made his way in.
"Yeah, thanks a lot for the help, you bastard!" said Suigetsu as he walked up to Naruto.
"If you needed help getting across then you shoulda asked." said Naruto without looking at him. Suigetsu growled.
"Oh, it's you two." said a voice. Naruto and Suigetsu looked back to see a girl with long red hair, red eyes and a double A-cup bust. She wore glasses, a long sleeved purple zip up shirt that was unzipped at the bottom to reveal part of her stomach, black shorts and ninja boots.
"Karin." said Naruto.
"Since you're here then the rumors that Orochimaru is dead are true." said Karin. "It's still hard to believe that you killed him, Naruto."
"Well, his illness had already weakened him." said Naruto. "But that's beside the point. Karin, I need you. Come with me." Karin's eyes widened.
"What? I can't leave! There are still inmates here that I'm in charge of!" said Karin.
"Fine. Suigetsu, go free all the prisoners." said Naruto. Suigetsu rolled his eyes.
"Yes sir." said Suigetsu as he gave a mock salute before walking away. Karin looked at Naruto with wide eyes.
"Now you don't have anyone to be in charge of. The choice is your's." said Naruto. Karin then looked at Naruto's shirtless chest before biting her lip.
'Like I'm gonna pass THAT up!' thought Karin as she blushed. "Well... okay." Naruto nodded his head.
"Good." said Naruto. Karin then walked up to Naruto.
"Buuut... what do you need me for... exactly?" asked Karin in a seductive tone as she placed a finger on his chest. 'Just as I thought! All muscle! Very sexy muscle!'
"I need you for your sensory skills." said Naruto.
'Oh well, not exactly what I thought he needed me for, but good enough.' thought Karin. She then pressed herself against Naruto.
"But isn't there something else you need me for? I'd be will to do anything you want." said Karin as she started to unzip her shirt.
"I let out all the prisoners, boss." said Suigetsu as he walked back into the room causing Karin to quickly zip up her shirt and separate herself from Naruto.
"Good work, Suigetsu." said Naruto as he put his shirt back on. Suigetsu then looked at Karin before smirking.
"And if you're gonna seduce someone, don't just throw yourself at them, Karin." said Suigetsu causing a tick mark to appear on Karin's forehead while she adjusted her glasses.
"I WASN'T THROWING MYSELF AT HIM NOR WAS I TRYING TO SEDUCE HIM, SUIGETSU!" exclaimed Karin. Suigetsu chuckled.
"That's what it looked like to me." said Suigetsu. Karin growled.
"Enough you two." said Naruto. "Now that Karin has joined us our next destination is the Northern Hideout." Suigetsu and Karin looked at Naruto.
"Why are we going there?" asked Suigetsu.
"To recruit Jugo." said Naruto. Karin's eyes widened in shock.
"JUGO?! But he's not mentally stable! He could kill us without a second thought!" said Karin. Naruto smirked.
"You let me worry about that." said Naruto. "You just locate him when we get there."
"B-but it's gonna take at least ten days to get to the Northern Hideout from here." said Karin. Naruto just shrugged.
"Then I hope you enjoy sleeping outdoors." said Naruto causing Karin to sigh in defeat. Suigetsu just laughed.
"I don't get what your problem is, Karin. What's so bad about that?" said Suigetsu. Karin got a gleam in her eye as she found a way to get revenge on Suigetsu for interrupting her and Naruto earlier.
"The Northern Hideout is in the middle of the desert." said Karin causing Suigetsu to pale.
"W-what?" asked Suigetsu. Naruto then spoke up.
"Get it together! We're heading out." said Naruto as he walked toward the exit with a smirking Karin in tow. Suigetsu sighed in defeat.
"Shit." said Suigetsu.
-9 days later-
Naruto, Karin and Suigetsu were walking through a forest that was near the desert. Karin and Suigetsu, however, were dead on their feet. Suigetsu from how dry it was getting and Karin from how dirty she felt from being unable to bathe.
"How much further is it?" asked Suigetsu.
"At least another day." said Karin. Suigetsu sighed.
"Hey boss, there has to be someplace we can stop to rest for the night. Someplace cool with lots of water maybe?" said Suigetsu.
"And a shower, too." said Karin. Naruto sighed. He couldn't believe how pathetic they were and yet he needs them to help him in completing his goal.
'Hopefully Jugo isn't as useless as they are.' thought Naruto. He then noticed a building they were coming up to.
"It looks like you're both gonna get your wish." said Naruto. Karin and Suigetsu looked at Naruto in confusion before seeing the building up ahead. The moment they read the sign their eyes turned to stars. It was an inn with a hotspring. They then sped past Naruto and ran to the inn.
'Seems they found some extra energy to be able to run that fast.' thought Naruto as he continued at his normal pace with the sun setting.
-That evening-
Suigetsu jumped into the hotspring.
"WHEW! That's better. May not be cool, but at least it's water." said Suigetsu as Naruto walked in wearing a towel around his waist. He then got in the water.
'I'll admit it is a nice change from sleeping on the ground, or in a tree.' thought Naruto.
"So Naruto, where are you from exactly?" asked Suigetsu.
"That's nothing for you to be concerned about." said Naruto.
"C'mon, spill it. You already know that I'm from the Hidden Mist and the bitchy banshee is from Hidden Grass. So where are you from?" said Suigetsu. Naruto sighed.
"Hidden Leaf." said Naruto.
"Hidden Leaf? You mean that village Orochimaru wanted to destroy?" asked Suigetsu. Naruto nodded his head.
"That's the one. I actually fought Orochimaru back then to protect that village with the stupid dream of becoming Hokage. In the end, I woke up to reality and realized that no matter what I did the villagers would hate me." said Naruto.
"So why did they hate you?" asked Suigetsu.
"Because I'm the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki." said Naruto causing Suigetsu's eyes to widen in surprise before he whistled.
"But doesn't that mean you have to be careful how angry you get, or it'll..." said Suigetsu. Naruto shook his head.
"The furball and I came to an agreement. I don't piss it off and it don't try to take over." said Naruto. Suigetsu nodded his head in understanding.
"So why hasn't the Leaf tried to get you back yet? I know that the Hidden Villages all have to have a Tailed Beast so I figured they'd be busting their balls trying to get you back." said Suigetsu.
"When you're constantly moving between hideouts it makes you difficult to locate. And they've tried a couple times to bring me back, but I proved that I was too powerful." said Naruto. He then got up and stepped out of the water while Suigetsu dove under. Karin then walked in wearing nothing, but her glasses and a towel.
"Karin, what are you doing in here? This is the men's hotspring." said Naruto with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, is it? I wasn't paying attention." lied Karin. 'Now to put "Seduce the hunk" into action.' Karin then removed her glasses before setting them on the bench and smiling a seductive smile.
"Buuuut...since we're alone I figure we can get to know each other on a more...personal level." said Karin in a seductive tone as she blushed.
"Not interested." said Naruto. Karin then pressed herself against Naruto.
"Oh, stop playing hard to get. Tell ya what..." said Karin as she gripped the knot in her towel. "How about I give you a little peek at what I have to offer." As she said this, Karin undid the knot in her towel allowing it to fall to the floor. Naruto could now see everything from Karin's perky nipples to her cleanly shaved pussy. Karin had to hold in her giggling as she saw Naruto's unchanging expression, but his cheeks began to turn red.
'He's blushing which means I'm beginning to wear him down.' thought Karin with a blush of her own. "Well, what do you say, Na-ru-to?" At that moment, however, Suigetsu resurfaced.
"This is the lif-HELLO!" exclaimed Suigetsu as he saw Karin's current lack of attire. Karin's eyes widened before she quickly snatched her towel off the floor and secured it around her petite form.
"S-S-SUIGETSU?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!" screeched Karin as several tick marks appeared on her forehead. Suigetsu smirked as he leaned back in the water.
"This is the men's hotspring, Karin. So I could ask you the same thing." said Suigetsu. Karin growled.
"YOU IDIOT!" screamed Karin as she picked up a bucket and hurled it at him. Suigetsu's eyes widened before the bucket hit him in the head. Naruto, however, had slipped out during the ensuing chaos. Naruto sighed.
'Just a little longer. Just a little longer and it'll be all over.' thought Naruto as he made his way to his room.
-The next day-
After redressing and paying for their stay, Naruto and his companions were back on their way.
"We should reach the Northern Hideout soon so be ready for anything." said Naruto. Karin and Suigetsu nodded their heads.
"Right." they said in unison.
-Northern Hideout-
When they arrived at the Northern Hideout they found that the inmates were out roaming. Naruto then turned to Karin.
"Karin, is Jugo with any of these inmates?" asked Naruto.
"Give me a minute." said Karin as she made a hand sign and closed her eyes. After a couple of minutes she opened them again.
"No, it seems Jugo isn't out here." said Karin. Suigetsu sighed.
"Well, at least that saves us the trouble of picking him out from all of them." said Suigetsu.
"These inmates are the result of Orochimaru's Curse Mark experiments." said Karin. "He threw them here when the Curse Mark drove them to insanity. So far, there are only seven successful Curse Mark bearers and five of them are dead." Suigetsu's eyes widened slightly as he remembered something.
"Say Naruto, don't you have a-?" asked Suigetsu before being interrupted.
"We'll just have to force our way through." said Naruto as he unsheathed his katana. Suigetsu gave a malicious grin as he grabbed his sword.
"Finally a chance to cut loose." said Suigetsu. "Can I tear 'em apart?" Naruto sighed.
"Just don't kill any of them." said Naruto. It was Suigetsu's turn to sigh.
"Fine." said Suigetsu before he and Naruto dashed toward the large group of Curse Mark test subjects. Karin, however, was blushing as she watched Naruto mow through them with ease.
'Oh, what a hunk! When he first came to Orochimaru I didn't think much of him, but now! Naruto Uzumaki, you will be mine one day.' thought Karin as she began to daydream of a life with Naruto.
"Karin!" said Naruto waking said kunoichi from her daydream.
"Huh?!" said Karin as she looked at Naruto.
"I said lets go." said Naruto as he sheathed his katana. Karin then looked around at all the unconscious inmates.
"Right." said Karin. Suigetsu, meanwhile, was snickering.
'She was so caught up in her perverted thoughts about Naruto that she never realized we were done.' thought Suigetsu. However, a rock suddenly struck Suigetsu in the back of the head causing him to fall face first into the sand. Karin, the one responsible, huffed as she followed after Naruto.
-Inside Northern Hideout-
Naruto, Karin and Suigetsu (who recovered from the blow he took) walked through the Northern Hideout with Karin pointing out where to go. However, they soon came to a fork in the road.
"Which way now, Karin?" asked Naruto. Karin closed her eyes as she felt for Suigetsu's chakra. She then opened them before pointing left.
"He's that way." said Karin.
"About time." said Suigetsu as he started walking that way. However, as Naruto started heading that way Karin grabbed his arm and pulled him down the hall on the right.
"What is it, Karin?" asked Naruto. Karin then looked at Naruto with a blush.
"Jugo is actually this way." said Karin as she pointed down the right hall way. Naruto looked at Karin with mild curiosity.
"Then why did you lie and say he was the other way? Suigetsu is going the wrong way." said Naruto. Karin puffed out her cheeks.
"Suigetsu is annoying so I said that to separate us from him. He'll catch on eventually." said Karin. Naruto sighed, but decided to let it go.
"Then are we close?" asked Naruto. Karin nodded her head.
"Yeah, he's just a little further." said Karin.
"Then lets go." said Naruto as he started walking with Karin in tow.
-Meanwhile-
Suigetsu, who was still going the wrong way, sighed.
"Hey Naruto, do we really have to recruit Jugo. I mean we can always find someone else." said Suigetsu. When he didn't get a response he turned around to find Naruto and Karin gone.
"That bitch!" said Suigetsu with a growl.
-Later-
Naruto and Karin walked down a hall before arriving at a large metal door.
"This is it. Jugo is inside." said Karin. "Just so you know, Jugo is the source of all the Curse Marks." Naruto gave Karin a curious look.
"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.
"I mean he has a special enzyme in his body that causes him to go berserk. Orochimaru captured him and extracted this enzyme from him and developed the Curse Mark from it." said Karin as she approached the door. As she grabbed the handle, however, Naruto grabbed her shoulder and moved her away from the door before gripping the handle and opening it.
Suddenly, a figure with orange hair and matching eyes with a gray t-shirt and shorts came flying out of the room. The left side of his face was covered in black flame-like tattoos and his left eye was black with a gold iris. His left arm had morphed into a gray spiky club.
"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!" shouted Jugo (Berserk state 1) as he lunged at Naruto and thrusted his left club-like fist at the rogue ninja. Naruto held up his arms to block the attack, but he and Jugo smashed into the opposite wall causing smoke to shroud them.
"NARUTO!" shouted Karin. Her eyes widened, however, when the smoke cleared to reveal Naruto in his Curse Mark second state using his webbed hand-like wings to block the attack. He then spread his wings forcing the berserking Jugo back. The Curse Mark then receded as Naruto put his shirt back on.
"Jugo, I'm not here to fight with you. I just want to talk." said Naruto (normal) as he pulled himself out of the crater in the wall.
"NO TALKING! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" shouted Jugo as he lunged at Naruto again. Suddenly, Suigetsu appeared and blocked Jugo's attack with his sword before forcing him back.
"Ya might as well forget trying to get through to him. In his current state Jugo only knows one thing." said Suigetsu as he had an evil grin on his face. "I'm gonna enjoy tearing you apart!"
"HAHAHAHAHA! LET'S GO! I'M GONNA BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR FUCKING BODY!" shouted Jugo.
"Enough." said Naruto. However, Jugo and Suigetsu ignored Naruto's order as they dashed at each other. However, just as they were about to reach each other, Naruto walked between them before white snakes came out of his sleeves and wrapped around the two of them effectively stopping them.
'T-this is Orochimaru's-!' thought Suigetsu.
"Don't make me repeat myself." said Naruto in a warning tone of voice. Suddenly, the markings on Jugo's face receded as his left arm and left eye changed back to normal. Certain that they wouldn't attempt to attack each other again, Naruto released the jutsu and the snakes receded back into his sleeves.
"W-who are you? What do you want? W-why am I out of my room?" asked Jugo (normal) as he began to panick. Karin sighed in relief.
"Now that his berserking urge has subsided he is back to normal." said Karin. Naruto looked at Jugo.
"Jugo, I need your power. Come with me." said Naruto. Jugo shook his head.
"I-I can't! What if I loose control again?" said Jugo.
"I will stop the rampage if necessary. I will be your cage." said Naruto. Jugo looked at Naruto in disbelief.
"How can you stop the rampages? Only Kimimaro could stop them." said Jugo.
"Kimimaro is dead. He died for me." said Naruto. Jugo's eyes widened in recognition.
"Then you must be...Naruto Uzumaki. Kimimaro told me how you were Orochimaru's chosen vessel. The one to replace him." said Jugo. Naruto nodded his head.
"That is correct. Now, will you come with me?" said Naruto. Jugo thought it over for a few minutes before answering.
"In a way, you're sort of like Kimimaro's reincarnation." said Jugo. "Very well. I'll go with you."
"Good. Now let's get outta here and I'll explain why I need you three." said Naruto before he turned and began walking back to the exit with Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo in tow.
-Outside the Northern Hideout-
Naruto and his companions made it out of the hideout before he turned toward them.
"The reason I've recruited you three is because I need your powers to help me achieve my goal. From here on, we move as a team. I'm not asking you to get along with each other. I'm saying that you at least need to cooperate. From here on, we will be known as Hebi." said Naruto. "Hebi has but one objective. The destruction of Itachi Uchiha!"