“Hey Naruto, can I ask you something?” Sakura looked at him uncertain, “how long have you been a target of Akatsuki?”
Naruto shrugged indifferently. “How should I know?”
“Two Akatsuki members came to Konoha about three years ago,” Kakashi said, “but I’m still not sure what they want exactly.”
“So now they’re back,” Sakura said, “why did they wait so long?”
“According to my information it requires some preparation to extract a Bijuu sealed in a human body,” Chiyo answered her, “they needed time.”
Sakura frowned. “What’s a Bijuu?”
Chiyo snorted. “You’re Tsunade’s student, but don’t know that?”
“In Konoha all information about the Kyuubi is top secret,” Kakashi said.
“I see,” Chiyo answered, “Bijuu are tailed beast’s spirits. From long ago there was Ichibi, the One Tail.”
“Ichibi?” Sakura asked, “so there are more than just the Fox.”
“Yes. There are nine Bijuu in this world. Each has a different number of tails. Ichibi means one tail, Nibi is two, up to Kyuubi, the Nine Tails. Their names represent the number of tails they have… Bijuu are huge concentrations of chakra. During the Era of the Great War, every nation’s hidden village competed fro control of them… for military purposes. But their power is beyond human understanding and no one could control them. I don’t know Akatsuki’s intentions, but that kind of power is far too dangerous for them to get a hold of.”
“More enemies approach,” Zetsu informed his comrades, “they’re Konoha shinobi.”
“Well,” Pain said, “who’s up for this?”
One of the holograms raised his head. “I will go.”
“Stop everyone,” Kakashi warned. He stared ahead. A figure in red and black was blocking the road.
“He’s… those eyes…” Chiyo said.
“Uchiha Itachi,” Naruto growled.
Itachi stared at them emotionless. “Long time no see… Kakashi… Naruto.”
‘This guy…’ Sakura thought angry, ‘he’s caused Sasuke so much pain.’
Naruto clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes furiously. “You… who do you think you are?! You come for me, kidnap Gaara… I’m gonna take you out!”
Itachi shifted a finger.
Kakashi gasped. “Nobody look directly into his eyes!” he said, ”it’s dangerous! Read his movements by watching his body and footwork. Itachi’s genjutsu is ocular. Basically, he seizes his target with his vision. You’ll be okay as long as your eyes don’t meet his.”
Sakura sighed. “This is not going to be easy.”
“Yeah,” Kakashi agreed, “he uses Mangekyo Sharingan. It’s more powerful than the original Sharingan, If you’re caught by his ocular jutsu, he has you instantly.”
A small smile appeared around Itachi’s lips. “Well done, Kakashi. You’ve learned from experiencing the Tsukuyomi, the Nightmare Realm, only once.”
“That’s not all,” Kakashi said, "after using that jutsu, you were spent and tried to wrap things up and leave. That jutsu requires a considerable amount of chakra. And it seems there’s quite the risk to our eyes too… Itachi.” He uncovered his own Sharingan. “How much of your eyesight have you lost?”
“After only one fight… that’s a pretty good analysis,” Itachi mused, “you are well informed. Or perhaps… you have another source of information?”
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. “Leave her out of this!”
Something changed in Itachi’s eyes. He seemed more determined now.
“Anyway,” Kakashi continued, “I dropped my guard last time. But I learn quickly. I don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Naruto smirked and straightened. “And if you think I’m the same as before, you’re making a big mistake!”
“I’ll take care of him, Naruto,” Kakashi said.
Naruto looked annoyed. “Is this more non-fighting teamwork?”
“No,” Kakashi answered, “this time I need you for back-up. I’d like to send you on ahead, but I don’t think I can take him alone.”
***
“Whenever will Gaara return?” The council had called in an emergency meeting.
“The Kazekage! A member of the Five Great nations, kidnapped by bandits! A scandal like this could undermine our authority over other countries!”
“True,” someone else said, “once the neighboring countries learn that the Kazekage is missing, who knows when or how they’ll start butting in. I propose we elect a new Kazekage immediately. Stabilizing the village must be our top priority.”
“Gaara may yet return,” Baki said stunned, “we don’t know he’s lost forever.”
“Well… fact is … it would be better for the village were he never to return.”
“What do you mean by that?!” Baki asked.
Kankuro sat next to him and glanced between the council members.
The man continued. “With the one tailed beast dwelling in Gaara, he is an unstable monster. We had thought if he were Kazekage, he would perhaps be easier to control. But who knows when Gaara will crack again? He’s a burden to us. There’s no denying it. Beside that, Taryn is gone now too and we don’t know about her whereabouts. We should never have let her come back to Suna. She was involved with Akatsuki while she was banished. She’s in league with them now most likely.”
Kankuro narrowed his eyes.
Someone else spoke. “Gaara may have adhered well enough to Shokaku, but he is far from perfect. He’s an unstable guinea pig. A failed test case that even his father, the Fourth Kazekage, ordered destroyed. Not knowing what Gaara is made of… some youths hold him in some esteem, but to most of us he is simply a threat and we expect no great things form him. That’s a fact.”
Kankuro trembled with anger and kicked back his chair. He grabbed the man’s collat and brought his face up close. “You’d better shut that mouth of yours. Senior officer or no, I’m not going to sit and listen to this! Gaara saved this village when Akatsuki attacked. He risked his life when Matsuri was taken and this is how you repay him?! And my sister… She would never cooperate with Akatsuki! She would never harm Gaara! She was banished because of it!”
“Kankuro! Stop this!” Baki said, “do you not see the statues? We all sit in the shadows of the former Kazekage. This is a sacred place!”
“Gah!” Kankuro yelled and he let go.
“Kankuro,” the council leader spoke, “I understand how you feel. It’s just that… the issue isn’t whether or not we trust Gaara. We face a similar situation with the Third Kazekage. At that time, there was no speculation regarding his whereabouts and the instability almost led to war. In any case, right now, our priority must be this village.”
***
“We shouldn’t be here,” Matsuri said, “there’s nothing to do out here. We should be out there, looking for Gaara-sensei!”
“They ordered us here,” Temari answered her, “so we have to stay.”
“But I want to go out looking for him,” Matsuri countered.
Temari’s eyes flashed with anger. “Don’t you think I’d want that too?! He’s my brother! And my sister is gone too! And my other brother was brought home on the verge of death! I could lose my entire family!”
Matsuri gasped and turned red. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t think about that.”
Temari sighed. “It’s alright. The best we can do is stick to our duty and protect the border.” Matsuri gave a sad nod. “Alright.”
***
“It’s about time for you to come with me, Naruto,” Itachi raised his finger and pointed at him.
“I’ll go,” Kakashi said while rushing forward, “you stay back.” He punched Itachi, who blocked him, but right then a second Itachi rushed by and went for Naruto.
“A shadow clone!” Kakashi gasped.
Naruto growled and attacked him with Rasengan. Both Itachi’s evaporated. ‘this was a clone too,’ Naruto thought. He looked around the clearing. All three of his teammates were on the ground. He gasped in shock and glared at Itachi.
Naruto took out a kunai dagger and threw it at him. When it hit Itachi in the shoulder, Itachi turned into a thousand crows. Naruto stared at it confused. “Why?” he questioned, “I didn’t look into his eyes.”
Itachi chuckled. “My eyes aren’t my only way of releasing genjutsu. I can do it with just this finger.”
‘When he pointed it at me earlier,’ Naruto realized, ‘so that’s it.’
“Don’t worry,” Itachi continued, “I won’t use Mangekyo on you. Or to be more precise, I can’t use it right now… nevermind… it’s time to put you to sleep.”
***
“Gai-sensei,” Lee gasped. He, Neji and Tenten had all been trapped in a waterprison and could only watch their teacher fight Kisame.
Kisame smirked. “I haven’t even gotten started yet.” He made a sign and five sharks circled Gai, taking his strength away.
‘I have no choice,’ Gai thought, ‘I have to open the Sixth Gate.’
“What?!” Kisame gasped as all the water was suddenly blown aside.
Neji activated his Byakugan and concentrated on the waterprison around him. With one quick attack he broke free and then freed his comrades.
“Thank you Neji,” Tenten said. All three of them turned to the fight that was still going on.
“That stance,” Lee said, “it’s over.”
They watched Gai jump and knock down Kisame. They hurried over and the four of them watched the fallen enemy confused.
“This guy…” Gai said.
***
Naruto screamed as half of his face started peeling off and turned into Sasuke’s face. Sasuke’s hand locked around his throat. “I failed to kill you before,” he said in an eerie voice. Naruto tried to break free, but failed. From his shirt grew a head that turned into Sakura’s.
“Why didn’t you stop Sasuke,” she said, “I believed in you.”
From Naruto’s shoulder Kakashi’s head appeared and on his hand Gaara’s eye.
Naruto fought his tears and bit back a scream. Suddenly he snapped out of it. On either side of him stood Sakura and Chiyo who were pushing against his shoulder.
“You okay, Naruto?” Kakashi asked.
“It was genjutsu,” Sakura said, “you’re okay now.”
Itachi formed a few handsigns and threw a huge fireball at Kakashi. When the sky cleared, Kakashi was gone, but he came out of the ground mere seconds later to punch Itachi’s face. Itachi grabbed him and for a moment they were locked eye to eye. “Well done,” Itachi said, “you’re skilled in jutsu. When you hid yourself with earth style… it took me a while to tell. No wonder my genjutsu doesn’t affect you. This is a shadow clone.” He looked at the real Kakashi who had just crawled out of the ground.
“Naruto!” Kakashi yelled, “attack him and my clone!”
Naruto was already running, his Rasengan ready. It hit Itachi full out and there was a huge explosion.
When they looked at his body, they grew confused glances. It wasn’t Itachi’s body. It was a Jounin from Suna.
“I felt something weird in the middle of the fight,” Kakashi said. He turned to Chiyo. “Do you know him?”
“Yes,” Chiyo said, “he is a Jounin from our village. Maybe he was an Akatsuki spy, but… he served four years at the highest levels.”
“Was he impersonating Itachi with the art of transformation?” Naruto asked.
Kakashi shook his head. “No. This isn’t that level of jutsu and the Uchiha clan created the fireball technique and they like to use it often. And that jutsu wasn’t fake.”
***
On a mountain top, far away from the scene of the fight, two lonely figures opened their eyes. “You’re done too huh,” Kisame said.
“Yeah,” Itachi answered, “I’m out of chakra. But it was enough to delay them.”
***
“The real Itachi is a the Akatsuki hide-out,” Kakashi said, “this replica was to slow us down and gather information. They’re good.”
“Yes,” Chiyo agreed, “there’s no doubt they’ve already started extracting the Bijuu. Presumably they’re trying to create a new Jinchuuriki… with the One Tail, Shokaku.”
“Then there’s no time to lose,” Kakashi said, “we have to hurry and rescue Gaara.”
Sakura looked at him hesitantly. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she had to ask. “What can be done… to pull put a Bijuu?”
Naruto looked stunned at the sudden question.
It was Chiyo that answered. “Removing a Bijuu requires a sealing technique with power that is momentarily equal to that of the Bijuu… and quite a bit of time. But once a Bijuu is removed, the Jinchuuriki…” She paused for a moment and her eyes sadden. She sighed.
“No…” Sakura said breathlessly.
“Yes,” Chiyo said, “the Jinchuuriki dies.”
Sakura’s eyes watered and Naruto smiled at her. “Always so quick to cry, Sakura. Don’t worry… I’m gonna save Gaara.”
“Naruto… it’s you I’m…”
“We’d better hurry,” he cut her off. He turned and continued down the road. The others hurried after him.
Chiyo eyed him thoughtfully. “This kid…” she said to Kakashi, “why is he trying so hard to save Gaara? He’s not even from the same village.”
“He is also a Jinchuuriki. The nine tailed fox is sealed in him,” Kakashi told her, “Naruto probably doesn’t care much for Suna, but Gaara is a Jinchuuriki too. Naruto understands Gaara. When it comes to how Jinchuuriki have been treated, all villages are pretty much the same. That’s why Naruto has to save Gaara. Whether it’s Konoha or Suna means nothing to him. To Naruto, Gaara is a comrade who shares his pain. His dream is to become Hokage, so when he heard that Gaara became Kazekage it frustrated him. But on the other hand, Naruto was sincerely happy for Gaara. Naruto possesses a special power. Without exchanging many words, he can strike up a friendship with anyone.”
Chiyo was silent for a while. Then she sighed. “I’ve lived a long life. I’ve seen many things. And I’ve learned the ways of the world accordingly. And because I’ve found alliances with other nations a mere formality, we needed recourses to protect Sunagakure… the jutsu… that sealed Shokaku inside Gaara… I did it. I did it to protect the village… and the villagers suffered for it. And now the village I avoided and didn’t make an alliance with is trying to save us.” She gave a sad sigh. “All the things I’ve done may well have been mistakes. Even worse, I’ve become decrepit and started giving up on things easily. Kakashi… the young have so much potential. I envy them.”
“No, no,” Kakashi said, “your life only just began. You’re still quite young.”
Chiyo laughed and Kakashi smiled at her. “That’s true,” Chiyo said, “there may still be something I can do…”
***
“They defeated our decoys” Pain said, “but we gained valuable time. Well done, Itachi and Kisame. Zetsu, take care of the two bodies used for the art of impersonating.”
“Of course,” Zetsu said.
“Itachi,” Pain continued, “how many enemies and who are they?”
“Konoha’s Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, the nine tailed fox Jinchuuriki,’ Itachi answered, “and Chiyo from Suna.”
Slowly Taryn’s head went up and she held in a gasp. Kakashi was coming?
Pain looked at the statue that was sucking in Shokaku. “It’s nearly time,” he said.
Gai’s team came to a halt in front of a large boulder. It seemed to block some kind of cave. “Gaara is behind this rock,” Pakkun said.
Neji scanned the area with Byakugan. He gave a startled gasp.
“What’s happening beyond that rock, Neji?” Lee asked.
“It’s… hard to explain,” he answered.
Gai frowned and charged at the rock, but couldn’t break it. “A barrier?” he questioned. He looked at his teammates. “It’s a five seal barrier.”
Sounds behind them made them look up. Gai grinned. “You’re late, Kakashi.”
“Well you see,” Kakashi answered, “we ran into a little trouble along the way.”
“Okay,” Gai nodded, “let’s do this.”
“I guess it’s time to go,” Pakkun said, “I’ll be of no more use here. No sense in getting in the way.”
Kakashi nodded. “Thank you Pakkun.”
“Alright, Gai said after the dog had vanished, “so how do we remove this barrier?”
Kakashi’s expression turned serious. “A five seal barrier is established by placing five talismans in the nearby area. A single character, forbidden, is inscribed on each. One of these is on the rock. There are four others. Until we peel them off, we can’t do a thing about the barrier. But they need to be removed at exactly the same time.”
“So where are they?” Naruto asked.
Neji looked around. “I see them,” he said, “one is on a rock 500 meters to the Northeast. Another is on a tree by the river 300 meters Southeast. There’s one on a cliff wall 600 meters to the Northwest and the last is in a wood about 800 meters Southwest from here.”
“Alright,” Gai said. He took out a handful of headsets. “They’re all within the wireless range. Take these. Neji will guide us.” He handed each of his team members a set. He turned to Kakashi. “My team is faster, we’ll handle it. The frequency is at 174. hang in tight until I touch base.”
“We’re counting on you,” Kakashi said.
“It’s getting louder outside,” Pain said annoyed.
Sasori chuckled. “There’s one more Jinchuuriki isn’t there?” he turned to Itachi’s hologram. “Sorry Itachi. I know he’s yours, but I think I’ll take him on.”
“First focus on this one, Pain cut him off, “we’re nearly done. Just a little longer.”