The Angel's Ambivalence [Naruto]

The Fourth Great Shinobi War

"Every villian is a hero in their own mind."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After receiving the Raikage's approval, Naruto, Scarlett, Bee, and I quickly continued on our way. We had yet to encounter any fellow shinobi. The land in front of us seemed to go on forever. The ground was mostly flat, although it had countless rock formations scattered along it. In the distance were low mountains.

Scarlett used this time to catch us all up on what we'd missed. Ryuu had kept her informed on the situation with the war, and she provided us with as much information as she could. She was a little out of the loop now, since she hadn't spoken to Ryuu since he left the island, but what she told us would be useful for when we encountered enemies, which would no doubt be very, very soon.

Apparently, Kabuto and Madara had forged some kind of alliance. It was Kabuto who had created an army of the dead using Edotensei, a forbidden jutsu created by the Second Hokage and perfected by Orochimaru. Dozens of extraordinary shinobi had been resurrected and been forced to fight on the side of the Akatsuki. Madara apparently had Zetsus all over the place, which was just annoying. Could he just not continue trying to take over the world? Seriously, why couldn't his lifetime goal be owning a cat or something? Why did it have to be world domination?

Minxie, listen. My eyes widened at the voice. I recognized its owner as Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku. However, that didn't make me any less confused. How the hell was he talking to me? I glanced over at the others, and they all mirrored my puzzled expression, signaling that Shikaku had probably called their names as well.

I'm speaking telepathically to all of you. I've got intel on the enemy battle strategy, Shikaku continued. It was really weird having his voice in my head, but I listened to him, anyway. His information would no doubt be of great value. Madara has sent white Zetsus into the fray. These Zetsus can absorb the chakra of our troops and use it to impersonate them. They've infiltrated our camps and are thinning out our ranks as we speak. The medical team has reported that they're actually clones created from the First Hokage's cells.

"So that's what's up with all these fuzzy things I'm sensing!" Naruto announced. "We gotta go take them down, right!?"

Yes. You, Naruto, are essential to this task, since you can sense negative emotions and harmful intent in your new chakra mode. Now that you've joined the battle, we can take some strain off of Ryuu, Shikaku said.

"Ryuu?" I repeated, eagerly attaching onto the mention of my brother. "Is he okay?"

He's hanging in there, He answered. That wasn't exactly a positive answer, but considering we were at war, it was the best I could hope for. Ryuu has been using his kekkei genkai to take down Zetsus from the air, but he's only one person. He can't possibly locate them all and take them down by himself. Minxie, you have the same kekkei genkai as he does. Use your Heart's Eyes, and you should be able to pick out the Zetsus from the rest by seeing the darkness in their intent. That's what Ryuu has been doing.

"We'll be there soon," I assured. "Tell Ryuu he won't have to overexert his eyes any longer."

"Assuming he doesn't murder you himself for joining the war even though he told you not to," Scarlett added, making me sweatdrop.

Remember, Madara needs the biju you host for Project Tsuki no Me, Shikaku continued. You're his targets. Once he has Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, he plans on forcing you to make your decision in his favor and then stealing the Creator from you, Minxie. You, Naruto, and Bee have to watch out for yourselves.

"We know," I said. "We'll be careful."

You can't reason with him. Madara is not like Nagato, Shikaku stated. He doesn't really seek peace. He's a true villain who just wants to rule the world.

I assumed Shikaku was saying that more for Naruto's sake than the rest of ours. After all, Naruto was the one most accustomed to finding a way into the hearts of his enemies. Shikaku's stress of the subject was meant to make Naruto understand that Madara was not the same. He wasn't one to be easily swayed, and Shikaku wanted Naruto to comprehend that.

"He's going to control everyone using genjutsu," Scarlett said. "That's Project Tsuki no Me, isn't it?"

Yes, Shikaku confirmed. Don't hold back!

"I talked to Madara in the Land of Iron," Naruto said. "He told me about the Uchiha destiny. He understands hatred. He used Nagato, and he's influencing Sasuke's hate. I know he's a bad guy!"

He doesn't simply act upon hatred. He takes advantage of hatred, Shikaku reminded. He's different from any other enemy you've faced.

"I'm stopping Madara, and I'm stopping this war!" Naruto promised. "I'm acting first, and maybe I'll try to talk to him after!"

I don't know about Kabuto, but Madara is apparently immortal, Shikaku said. I resisted the urge to groan. Madara was bad enough with the power he had now. Did he really have to add immortality into the mix? Plants are masquerading as people by using the First Hokage's cells, and the risen dead can only be stopped by being sealed. You're facing an immortal army. Be careful.

"That's actually the best news you can give me, believe it!" Naruto said, his eyes narrowing in determination. "Because that means I don't have to hold back!"

Shikaku signed off our telepathic communication. With my Mind's Eyes activated, I could see a group of shinobi up ahead. From the looks of it, they were heading right for us. "There's a group of shinobi straight ahead!"

Bee apparently recognized their leader, because he called out gleefully, "Eff!"

By his name, I assumed Eff was originally from the Cloud Village, since they all apparently had a weird fetish for giving people names that sounded just like the letters of the alphabet. Bee himself was proof of that. Sadly, that was all I had to go on. Eff wasn't wearing a Cloud headband. Instead, his headband, like the headbands of the rest of his platoon, had the character for 'shinobi' written on it. It was probably a new design for the war, since all the Great Nations were fighting on the same side.

"The battlefield is chaos! We need to defend HQ!" Eff exclaimed.

I switched on my Heart's Eyes in order to make sure he wasn't a Zetsu clone. I wasn't really sure how I was supposed to figure that out, since Shikaku hadn't really given me any hints, but I just hoped it wouldn't be too hard to tell the difference. Eff's chakra network was perfectly normal. It was in his chest that I found something strange. It was like there was a black sphere where his heart was supposed to be. No human's heart looked like that, so I knew he had to be a Zetsu.

I was proven correct when Naruto jumped forward, kicking Eff to the side. Eff hit the ground roughly, and his appearance faded back into that of a white Zetsu. Then, he turned into a tree, which confused me greatly. Turning back into himself was one thing, but why was he suddenly a tree?

I didn't even bother to voice my question aloud. I was 99% sure I'd get an answer that I didn't want. So, instead, I directed my Heart's Eyes to the other shinobi. All of them also had that same darkness in their chests like the impostor before them, so I knew they were all Zetsu's clones.

"Which ones are Zetsus?" Scarlett asked.

"All of them!" Naruto replied. "Attack them all!"

And that was exactly what we would've done, but apparently, we weren't needed. Naruto created six Rasengans using his chakra arms. He crouched, and right before the Zetsus surrounded him completely, his chakra split into six arms that delivered the Rasengans right into their stomachs.

Feeling useless, I was actually excited when four the Zetsus set their sights on me. I created a hole in one of their chests with my Chidori, slicing another in half with my katana. I readied another Chidori to take out the ones that had appeared on either side of me, but they were both pulled back by Naruto's chakra arms. He created a large Rasengan and sent both of the clones right into the Rasengan, destroying them.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto and I were left surrounded by a bunch of trees. Did that mean that the energy from was Naruto's attacks was turning the Zetsus back into trees? They did initially start off as plants...

I shrugged and decided to use the Chidori I had left in my palm to take care of the remaining Zetsus. They fused their bodies together, turning into some kind of giant plant monstrosity. To me, it just looked like a giant venus flytrap, which would've been way less disturbing it didn't have more than one face.

"You won't stop me that easily!" the creature announced, crouching in preparation for an attack.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up, you overgrown cactus!"

Scarlett pulled out a kunai, Bee drew his swords, and I lifted my right hand that was illuminated by a Chidori. Naruto stood in front of us, extending out his arms to halt our movements. He created a mini-Rasen-shuriken with his index finger and sent it at the creature's leg. The jutsu was powerful enough to go right through the leg, making the creature lose balance. Naruto then summoned a giant toad, who crushed the creature under its weight.

My eye twitched at Naruto. "And what am I supposed to do with this now, huh!?" I held up the Chidori that was, sadly, still in my palm.

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry... I guess I got a little carried away, huh?"

"No, you were amazing," I replied honestly, making his face light up at the compliment. "Just remember, we're a team, all right? You don't have to do everything by yourself." He nodded, and I allowed the Chidori in my palm to fade away.

Backed by his chakra mode, Naruto's new strength really was amazing. He was more powerful than ever before. I couldn't help but worry, however. Eight-Tails had told us about the risks to using our chakra modes. His speech was the main reason why I wasn't using my chakra mode and instead saving it until I actually needed it. Naruto, on the other hand, had yet to release his chakra mode.

Unlike him, I wasn't planning on using my chakra mode until it was absolutely necessary. That way, if he ended up exhausting too much of his own chakra, I'd have plenty to use for the both of us. However, at the rate that he was going, I wondered if that would happen sooner rather than later.

"You learned from your training drills~" Bee told Naruto. "Can I take some credit for the kills~? They keep coming, the thrills~" Oh, yeah, because fighting plant people is so thrilling. Note the sarcasm.

"One of my clones and Gamahiro can stand watch here. Let's go! I'm gonna hit all the battlefields at the same time!" the blonde announced, creating multiple shadow clones. My eyes widened at the action. The clones scattered in different directions before I could stop them.

"Naruto!" I exclaimed. "Eight-Tails said we couldn't make shadow clones in our chakra mode. It's too risky!"

"I have no choice!" He said. "It's the only way that I can help everyone at the same time!"

"You won't be much help if you're dead," Scarlett pointed out. "And if you keep overusing Nine-Tails' chakra, that's exactly what'll happen."

"Eight-Tails said it, and now the ladies did, too~ Shadow clones are a real bad call for you~" Bee added.

"I can't worry about the details!" Naruto insisted stubbornly. "The sooner I help everyone, the sooner I can end this war! Shadow clones are the only way!"

"Naruto, Nine-Tails is draining your chakra at this very moment," I said seriously. "Making shadow clones only increases the rate by which he steals your chakra! By the time you reach the rest of the battlefields, you won't have any chakra left. How exactly will you help everyone then, hm?"

He frowned, looking away from me. I stepped in front of him and placed my hand under his chin, making him look at me.

"I know you want to help everyone. I do, too, but we still have to worry about conserving our own chakra," I said softly. "Otherwise, we won't be able to help anyone. So please, for me, don't use your chakra mode unless you really, really have to."

"But what if my regular chakra isn't enough?"

I made hand signs, creating multiple shadow clones of myself and sending them after Naruto's clones. "There. Now, you'll have my clones to back yours up. We will win this war, Naruto, but only if we're together. Okay?"

He nodding and released his chakra mode, his mouth tilting into a smile. "Okay."

I smiled, kissing his cheek. "Now, let's get going. We still have a lot of ground to cover."

The four of us immediately sprang back into action, speeding across the land as fast as we could. Some distance later, we spotted two shinobi fighting off what I assumed was an Edotensei summoning, since the whites of his eyes were black. From their clothing, I could tell that one shinobi was from Sand, one was from Cloud, and the Edotensei was from Cloud. He held two large magnets in his hands. Before he could attack the two shinobi, Naruto hit him with a Rasengan. The two shinobi gasped at our sudden appearance, but I caught their attention, snapping them out of their shock.

"Can you seal him away?" I asked. The Sand shinobi nodded and immediately used sealing tags to immobilize and seal away the Edotensei.

Naruto leaned down next to the sealed body of the Edotensei. "So he was one of those zombie guys made from the Edotensei jutsu?"

I nodded. "That's what it looks like."

"Ryuu told me that as long as the tags stay in place, the Edotensei will remain powerless," Scarlett said. "Kabuto won't be able to use them as his pawns again, but until we deal with him, he can just resurrect more ninja and use them as his weapons. It doesn't matter how many Edotensei we seal away. As long as Kabuto is still around, he'll just keep summoning more."

And she was completely right. Until we dealt with Kabuto, the Edotensei would never be fully broken. The whole concept of Edotensei was just sickening to me. When people died, they were supposed to finally be at peace. They weren't supposed to be brought back to this world and used as puppets in a war by a psychopath.

Hundreds of shinobi had died over the years, and Kabuto would be able to resurrect them all. Was it even possible for him to run out of people to resurrect? And what if he resurrected someone I knew, like Itachi? Or my parents? The thought of having to fight them made me sick. If I found Kabuto, I'd deal with him myself. I would not let him use the people I loved as pawns in his twisted game.

"Hey!" Naruto called, reactivating his chakra mode. "We gotta catch up to everyone else!"

I nodded, and after saying goodbye to the Sand and Cloud ninja, Scarlett, Naruto, Bee and I resumed our journey once again. After many more minutes of traveling, we finally got past the rocky area where we'd departed from. Now, we'd arrived at a clear path bordered by many trees. I could still see the mountains ahead, but being around trees again made me feel better. In a way, it reminded me of home.

Whatever sense of comfort I'd acquired was completely shattered when I spotted two familiar chakras in the distance. I knew both of them all too well, and I especially knew that -as much as it killed me to admit it- their owners were both supposed to be dead. The fact that they were suddenly back could only mean one thing: they were Edotensei animations, courtesy of Kabuto.

"Stop... Stop!" I commanded, once I forced myself out of my shocked state. Scarlett, Naruto, and Bee came to an abrupt halt, turning to stare at me curiously.

"What is it?" Naruto asked. "What's..." His voice trailed off as he saw two figures appear before us, answering his question. "... Nagato?!"

I remembered Naruto telling me about Nagato a while ago. He was the original Pain, which explained why he had Pain's chakra in the first place. It was weird seeing him with white hair instead of orange, but I was much more focused on the raven-haired male who stood beside him, helping him walk. Said male still had his hair in his familiar low ponytail. His Akatsuki cloak and Konoha headband were missing, but his face was handsome and still, the way it had always been. If it weren't for the black background against his Sharingan eyes, I'd still think he was my sensei.

Seeing him again made my eyes water of their own accord. "Itachi..."

If Bee was surprised at my reaction, he didn't show it. He had to be a little confused, though, because he, like the majority of the rest of the world, knew that Itachi was a criminal. Bee didn't know about the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, nor did he know about my relationship with Itachi. He was bound to be confused by my reaction at seeing Itachi again.

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to hug him or run away. I knew that the former would just confuse Bee even more, because when was it ever okay to associate with criminals? The last thing I needed was for Bee to mention this to his brother, the Raikage. Not everyone would be as understanding about my past as the Hokage and my friends had been. The latter wasn't an option, either. Running away would no doubt provoke an attack from Kabuto, who had both Itachi and Nagato's powers at his disposal.

Itachi smiled at me, and that was all it took for the first tear to fall from my eye. "Minxie."

A simple smile from him was all it took to made any rational thoughts I had disappear from my mind completely. I didn't care whether or not Bee would find out about my relationship with Itachi; after all, it was never something I'd been ashamed of. After all this time, I was finally reunited with him, and there was no way I was going to let the opportunity slip through my fingers just so that no one would be suspicious of me.

"You two know these guys?" Bee asked. His tone was neither disgusted nor judgmental, which reminded me again how good of a person he was, despite his tendency to rap horribly. Naruto and I nodded in response, without taking our eyes off of Nagato and Itachi, respectively.

"I never thought I'd have to battle you again, Naruto," Nagato said, a small smile on his face. He looked incredibly weak. His collarbones were extremely prominent against his pale skin, his lips were dry and cracked, and his cheeks were sunken in. I doubted that he could even use his legs that well, since he had to lean on Itachi for support. But I knew better than to let that fool me. Kabuto wouldn't have resurrected him unless he'd be useful.

However, despite his sickly appearance, I could tell that his smile was genuine. He definitely held a fondness for Naruto that couldn't be denied. That only served to remind me yet again how dangerous the Edotensei was. Kabuto could either erase or keep the personalities of those whom he resurrected. In situations like this one, keeping the personalities of those whom he resurrected worked in his favor, because fighting Itachi and Nagato would hurt more that way. However, even though he was privy to Scarlett's information on the Edotensei, Naruto still looked pretty happy to see Nagato again.

I, on the other hand, was freaking out. Of course I was thrilled to see Itachi again. I'd been wanting that for as long as I could remember, but not like this, not when he was being controlled by Kabuto. He couldn't be my Itachi. He was just another one of Kabuto's pawns. Even if his smile was still the same, even if his voice was still the same, he was the enemy. I had to remember that.

But the more I looked at him, the harder it was to remember that he was an Edotensei. He was too much like the Itachi I remembered for me to think of him as my enemy. The only real difference was the now black coloring of what were supposed to be the whites of his eyes, but after a few moments, I began to overlook even that.

I shook my head, trying to snap myself out of my daze. I couldn't allow myself to get emotional over this. Kabuto would most definitely make us fight Itachi, and in order to do that, I couldn't be hindered by my emotions. I still didn't know if Kabuto knew about my relationship with Itachi, and I was not going to let him use that against me by revealing my true feelings.

Oh, who was I kidding? The mere sight of Itachi already had me in tears. There was no way I could fight him. I could never fight him, not even when he was alive and wearing an Akatsuki cloak, because no matter what, the Itachi I knew would never, ever hurt me. So what reason was there to fight when I had nothing to fear?

Apparently, Scarlett noticed that I was fighting with myself. "Activate your chakra mode. Now," She commanded, nudging me -rather roughly, might I add- out of my daze.

I frowned. "But..."

"You are facing a Rinnegan-user and a Sharingan-user at the same time," She practically hissed. "You need to activate your chakra mode. There's no time to be emotional and hesitant. Itachi is an Edotensei, and he's being controlled just like the rest. And just like all the rest, he needs to be taken down."

Itachi's gaze fell on Scarlett, or more specifically, the amulet around her neck. He didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that she looked just like me, even though he'd never met her before. "So you're her, huh? The Doppelganger? I thought you'd be less... Young."

"Yeah, well, with your infamous talents, I thought you'd be less dead, so consider us both surprised," Scarlett shot back, placing a hand on her hip.

My eyes widened, and I turned to her. "You've met him before, Scarlett?"

"Nope," She replied. "I've heard things about him, of course. I mean, who hasn't? He's the infamous Itachi Uchiha. This is the first time I'm meeting him, though. It's such a shame, too. He's totally hot. If I had known what he looked like before, I would've said to hell with Ryuu, and pursued Itachi instead. Sadly, that did not happen, and it won't be happening now, either. I prefer my men less, you know, dead."

I had never been more done with Scarlett than I was in this particular moment. Don't get me wrong, I loved talking about how pretty Itachi was more than anybody, but now was so not the time. Plus, who cares about his Edotensei status? Dead or not, I'd date him if I was single. I'm pretty sure anyone would. If you say you wouldn't, you're lying. I mean, it's Itachi. He's fabulous. Duh.

"Itachi, you knew about my Doppelganger before I did?" I asked, looking at my former sensei.

"I had my suspicions," He replied smoothly. "That's why I insisted that you get rid of the necklace that Madara gave you. I believed your Doppelganger would be looking for you. I wanted to prevent that."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But you told me that the necklace was enfused with Madara's chakra. You said that if I kept it, he'd be able to find me." A thought occurred to me. "... That was a lie, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I wasn't sure if the Doppelganger even existed. I didn't want to worry you simply because of my suspicions. In truth, the necklace was made by your ancestor, Akira. While battling the Creator, she took some of the chakra from its Dark half and sealed it into the necklace. Your Doppelganger was meant to be your supposed dark half, and once the Doppelganger wore the necklace, that dark power would be fully restored. That's why I told you to get rid of it. That way, even if the Doppelganger did exist, she wouldn't be able to hurt you because she wouldn't be powerful enough without the necklace."

"... I didn't want the necklace just because it was made for the Doppelganger," Scarlett spoke up suddenly. "What I really wanted was the power it held. I figured that I deserved it. I mean, if I was going to be forced into being the Doppelganger, I might as well get to enjoy the power that came with it. I was no stranger to losing everything I cared about. I wanted to use that power to protect what little I had left. I also wanted revenge because I blamed Minxie for making me the Doppelganger... But I think it's safe to say that I'm over it."

"That means that we're friends now, in Scarlett-nese," I clarified to Itachi.

My Doppelganger rolled her eyes. "As if. I don't like you. I just hate you a little less than I hate everyone else."

I put a hand over my heart, wiping a tear from my eyes. "Aw, so you do see me as a friend! I knew it!"

Itachi smiled slightly at our interaction. "I lied to you because I wanted to protect you from your Doppelganger, but it looks like I didn't have to. You two were able to work it out in the end... But what she said still stands, Minxie." I was confused for a moment, but then he continued, "I'm not in control of my actions right now. You have to defend yourself from me, in the event that I'm forced to attack you. Don't hold back." I hated it, but I activated my chakra mode, anyway. His eyes widened slightly at my new appearance. "Well, this is certainly a new look for you. And you're even wearing a dress. Who knew this day would come?"

I rolled my eyes at his words, but I couldn't help smiling back at him, brushing my bangs out of my eyes. "I got it after I gained control over the Creator's chakra. And don't get your hopes up too high, sensei. I'm not wearing the dress by choice. It came along with the Creator's chakra. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a badass when I keep tripping over the skirt of this thing? It's unbelievable."

He chuckled. "So you've finally mastered its chakra, huh? I always knew you would." He smiled at me. "I'm proud of you, Minxie."

His words made a rush of joy flood my heart. Hearing him say how proud he was of me made me remember all the other times he'd complimented my skills while he was training me, as well as how happy I felt whenever he did so. I always felt incredible when he complimented me, just like any other student would feel if their sensei complimented them.

I nodded at his words, but I didn't reply to them. I was afraid that if I tried to say anything else, I'd end up in tears.

"How's Ryuu?" He inquired. "I have yet to encounter him."

"He's as boring and overprotective as usual. He hasn't really changed... But he has a girlfriend now! She's beautiful, and she takes none of his crap, so I'm sure you'd approve of her," I told him. "Apparently, Ryuu's serving as a war general, now. He's really strong, Itachi. He's brave, loyal, noble... He still kind of a rat bastard, but he's my brother, so that's a given. If you could see him, you'd be proud. Although if he saw you now, he'd probably say something about how pissed he is at you for not saying goodbye."

"Ryuu was always too smart for his own good. If I had said goodbye, he would've known I was up to something. He was already suspicious when I went to visit you for the final time. I couldn't risk him finding out anything else," He replied. "When you see him again, tell him I'm sorry, and that I'm proud of him. I'd like to tell him myself, but I'm not really in control of my actions at the moment."

I nodded, scowling at the reminder. I so needed to slap Kabuto when I saw him again.

"For you, it's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?" Nagato inquired, his Rinnegan eyes trained on Naruto. "But for me, it's only been moments. You look different, Naruto. I assume your new appearance, like Minxie's, has something to do with Nine-Tails?"

Naruto grinned. "Yup! I'm in control of the Nine-Tails' chakra now, believe it!"

"You are quite different, then," Nagato said, his lips curling into a small smile. "I can see it in your face."

"I'm impressed, Naruto," Itachi added.

"He and I are students of the same mentor," Nagato said. "I am not surprised."

"I made them be what they could be~" Bee boasted proudly. "Talk all you want, their control is thanks to me~" I rolled my eyes, while Naruto's eye twitched at our fellow Jinchuriki.

"So... Have you overcome hate, Naruto?" Nagato questioned.

"Yeah! You taught me what pain really was," Naruto answered. "And Octopops showed me how to handle the Waterfall of Truth. And my parents, and Minxie... Everyone who cares about me helped me do it!"

"Minxie, I'm sure you have a lot you want to discuss with me," Itachi spoke up.

"That is the understatement of the year, Itachi-sensei," I told him, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I mean, you didn't even give me a goodbye hug! All I got was a lousy letter. And it was delivered by Madara, no less! I'm so judging you for that, because ew, Madara. You could have left me your shampoo bottle or something, so your hair could at least live on. But no, you sent a letter instead, leaving me with nothing but a broken heart and volumeless hair."

That made him smile. "I apologize. You deserved more than a letter, but it was all I could give you if I wanted things to go as planned. I wouldn't blame you if you chose not to forgive me."

"You're Itachi," I reminded obviously. "Of course I forgive you."

He smiled slightly again. However, his expression soon turned serious. "I know you have a lot to say to me... But there's something I need to ask you first."

I immediately felt the happiness drain from my expression. I knew exactly what Itachi wanted to ask me. He would want to know about Sasuke, because even in death, Sasuke was more important to him than anything else. Itachi had risked everything for Sasuke, hoping Sasuke would return home to Konoha and protect it, just as Itachi had done before him. Instead, Sasuke had done the exact opposite, and I was the one who'd have to deliver the news to Itachi.

Before Itachi could voice his question, he and Nagato both gained a troubled look on their faces. Suddenly, Itachi made a single hand sign, directing a large fireball at Naruto, Scarlett, Bee, and I. I was able to douse out most of the fireball with a water jutsu, and Bee absorbed the rest of the attack by using Samehada.

Itachi's gaze landed on the sword in Bee's hand. "Samehada." He turned to me. "So Kisame is...?" I nodded in confirmation, trying not to feel sick at the memory of Kisame's death.

"I don't get this!" Naruto exclaimed. "He's still talking to us! So why is he attacking us!?"

"He's an Edotensei, same as Nagato," Scarlett said. "No matter what parts of their personalities remain, they're still being controlled by Kabuto. They can attack at any moment, so keep your guard up!"

She was proven right when Itachi disappeared. Nagato shouted that he was above, and he did so just in time, too, because as soon as I looked up, Itachi was heading right towards me. I jumped into the air to meet him. He and I caught each other's fists.

"Where is Sasuke?" Itachi questioned, throwing another punch my way.

I ducked under his arm, avoiding his fist. "I'm so sorry, Itachi... I know I promised you that I'd help him, but he chose to take revenge on Konoha. He joined Akatsuki!"

Surprise took over his features. "He would turn his back on the village? He would turn his back on you?" We landed on the ground, and he immediately swung out his leg to kick me.

I avoided the attack easily. He'd often done kicks like this while he was training me, so I was an expert at dodging them. "Sasuke turned his back on me a long time ago. He turned his back on the rest of his friends, too. After you died, Madara told him the truth about everything. Madara's manipulating his anger and his hatred, and now, Sasuke's set on destroying Konoha!"

His eyes widened at the revelation. Scarlett took his moment of distraction to appear behind him, swinging a kunai at his head. He dodged her attack easily, jumping away from the two of us and landing crouched at Nagato's side.

Nagato himself looked extremely confused. "The truth? What truth?"

"Madara told me about your true mission, Itachi!" Naruto shouted suddenly. "So was he telling the truth? The Uchiha clan was going to take over the village, wasn't it!?"

I sighed deeply. I had almost forgotten that Madara had told Naruto the truth as well. And now, Naruto had revealed that information to Scarlett, Bee, and Nagato, all at once. I probably should have stressed how Itachi wanted his secret to remain a secret. That was why I deliberately refrained from going into details about the truth Madara told Sasuke when I was explaining Sasuke's actions to Itachi.

"Enough, Naruto," Itachi said, trying to silence the blonde.

"Itachi!" Nagato exclaimed. "Is what Naruto says true?"

"Itachi made himself look like the bad guy to save Sasuke and Konoha!" Naruto announced. "Sasuke knows how much that made you suffer, Itachi! But he's not like you. He's really going to destroy Konoha. He's going to kill everyone that made you suffer!"

Itachi was silent for a few moments. "Does everyone in the village know this now?"

"Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei heard it the same time I did," Naruto replied. "But there's not really any proof, so Kakashi-sensei made me promise not to tell. I don't think anyone else knows."

"And that's how it should remain," Itachi said firmly. "Naruto, you must not tell anyone what you know! I'm holding you to the same promise I held Minxie and Ryuu to, when I first told them the truth. You can't let the Uchiha clan's name be tarnished. And-"

He was cut off by Nagato extending his arm towards Naruto. Nagato used his jutsu to pull Naruto towards him, along with a large boulder. Before the boulder could hit him, Naruto destroyed it with his chakra arm.

"Nice move, Naruto!" Nagato complimented.

"I'm a lot stronger now than when I fought Pain, believe it!" Naruto announced proudly.

"You'll have to take care of Sasuke," Itachi told Naruto.

"I was always gonna!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I was right to believe you could finish this," Itachi said, surprising the blonde.

"Naruto, get me away from here!" Nagato said. "I can't move on my own anymore!" Suddenly, he crouched, casting a summoning jutsu. He summoned a giant two-headed dog and a giant vulture. "Or maybe I can?" The poor guy actually looked confused as he stared down at us from atop the head of the vulture.

I groaned. "Oh, God. Not this again..." I recognized the dog from my fight with Pain. Back then, one of his Six Paths had the ability to summon animals with their own Rinnegan. If Nagato had this ability, did that also mean he had the rest of Pain's abilities? If he did, we were in for one hell of a fight.

I was going to jump in to help Naruto against Nagato, but suddenly I heard Itachi's voice, "Behind you!"

Quickly, I turned my body and swung my katana at him. He jumped away from me, making hand signs for a fire jutsu. Dozens of fireballs flew directly at me, with shuriken hidden within the flames. I got rid of the fire by using a water jutsu, trying not to wince at the sight of the flames. I really didn't like fire, and Itachi had fire for a chakra nature, which really didn't help me at all. I avoided the shuriken by floating into the air and straying away from him. When I looked back, I saw that Bee and Scarlett were helping Naruto fight against Nagato.

Itachi was quick to follow after me, sending another fireball my way. Again, I dodged, which only further distanced me from the others. I blinked in realization. I had no idea why, but it seemed as if Kabuto was deliberately having Itachi lead me away from everyone.

"You've noticed what he's been doing, haven't you?" Itachi questioned, tossing another wave of shuriken at me.

I fended off the shuriken with my katana, and the clatter of metal rang through the air. "Yup. He's using you to separate me from the others. I thought it was because I'm a Jinchuriki, but I think it's more than that. Otherwise he would've tried to lead Bee and Naruto away, too. He must want me for something else."

"That realization isn't bothering you nearly as much as it should." He appeared behind me, swinging his leg under my feet.

I quickly floated into the air, avoiding his leg. "Yeah, well, I'm used to him being creepy. He and Orochimaru were always weirdly obsessed with me. I guess I've gotten used to it." He smiled a little at my words, turning back to punch me. I caught his fist. "I don't know what he has planned, but it's not going to work. I won't be falling into his hands that easily. You don't have to worry about me, Itachi." I grabbed his arm and threw him to the side. He skidded across the ground before turning his body to land back on his feet.

"I suppose you're right. You've definitely gotten stronger. I'm sure you can protect yourself. You've always been able to do that," He said, appearing in front of me. I tried to punch him, but he ducked under my arm. "Still, I can't help but worry about you, about Ryuu, about Sasuke..."

I frowned at the last name he listed. I didn't hold anything against Itachi for worrying about Sasuke; after all, Sasuke was his little brother. No matter what Sasuke did, Itachi would always love him, just like I'd always love Ryuu. Still, I couldn't help the anger I felt at hearing Sasuke's name. Itachi had made so many sacrifices for him, but Sasuke still didn't care. Every time I thought about him, I felt like ripping something in half.

In my moment of distraction, Itachi was able to grab ahold of my ankle, flipping me over. I landed on all-fours, a few feet away from him. When I looked up, I saw him staring at me with a sorrowful expression. He frowned, as if he'd just decided something.

He hesitated before asking, "He hurt you again, didn't he? Sasuke hurt you again?"

My eyes widened, although I knew I shouldn't have been surprised. Itachi had always been able to read people extremely well, myself included. It was impossible for me to keep secrets from him. Still, I had to try. I knew that if I told him everything else that Sasuke had done, Itachi would only blame himself for it, and I couldn't allow that. He'd shouldered enough guilt and hatred to last a lifetime.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, keeping my voice as steady and blank as I possibly could. I had a feeling it wouldn't work, though. He just knew me too well.

"I know you, Minxie," He reminded softly. "He did something to you again, didn't he? I can see it all over your face. Your reaction just now confirmed it. The moment I mentioned him, your expression changed. I saw it in your eyes. You've always been hesitant to talk about him, but you've never been angry about it. So, tell me. What did he do?"

I looked down. I really, really didn't want to tell Itachi the truth, but he wasn't giving me much of a choice. Normally, he wouldn't bother me about things that I didn't want to tell him, but that changed whenever his little brother was involved. This was the one thing he wouldn't let me keep from him. I supposed that in a way, he deserved to know.

I half-expected an attack in my moment of contemplation, but it never came. Maybe even Kabuto was curious to know what Sasuke had done, since he, like Orochimaru, had always been weirdly obsessed with the youngest Uchiha. Again: ew.

I let out a sigh. "The Raikage called for a Gokage Summit. Sasuke killed Danzo there. When we caught up to him, he said that when he finally came to destroy Konoha, Naruto would be the first one he killed." I could still picture that moment perfectly. It was the first time I'd ever felt completely, irrevocably furious. "I was so angry at him for that. I started yelling at him, and I said things, things about you, about the monster he was becoming." Because in my eyes, that's what he was. A monster, one who killed without caring. "He yelled at me to stop, but I didn't. I couldn't, because I knew I was getting to him, and I wanted that. For once, I wanted to hurt him the way he always hurt me." It'd felt good to get back at him, to finally show him some of the pain he was always putting me through. "Sasuke and I had argued plenty of times before, but never like that. We just kept screaming at each other..." My voice trailed off. "Next thing I knew, he had a Chidori in front of my heart."

Itachi's expression darkened. He looked shocked, sad, and disappointed all at once. "He tried to kill you?" That look of complete surprise and disappointment didn't leave his face, even when he reached out his arm to wrap around my throat. I dodged swiftly. I planned to slowly draw him back to where the others were while both he and Kabuto were distracted by listening to my response.

"... I don't know," I muttered, jumping and cartwheeling to avoid his onslaught of shuriken, all while leading him back to the others, little by little. "I mean, Naruto said he knew that Sasuke wouldn't go through with it, but for a moment, I thought he would." It'd been a split second -a nanosecond, really- but it was enough. "And that moment changed everything, because the one thing that kept me hanging onto him for so long was knowing that he would never put my life in danger. Sure, he screwed up my emotions pretty badly, but he never physically hurt me, not even when we were fighting each other. And when we pretended to hate one another, he still protected me, because my life always meant more to him than anything else. But then that changed, too, and... I couldn't recognize him anymore. I still can't." I finally met his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Itachi. I know I promised-"

"Don't apologize, Minxie," He interrupted sternly, cutting me off as he blocked my katana with a kunai. "You have no reason to. I should be apologizing to you. It was unfair and selfish of me to make you promise something like that. Sasuke is my responsibility. I shouldn't have made you feel as if he was yours."

"You see, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd blame yourself. I don't need you to apologize to me, Itachi. You're not the one who held a Chidori over my heart. Sasuke is responsible for his own actions, and you did the best that you could, okay?"

"If that was true, Sasuke would be with you right now. He'd be in Konoha, protecting it. He'd be protecting you. That was the path I wanted him to take. He shouldn't have even met Madara. I tried to protect him from that, but I failed. I failed him."

"'Things happen that we cannot change.' Do you remember when you told me that? Well, the circumstances might be a little different, and I might not have that smooth, all-knowing sensei voice that you do, but that saying is as true now as it was back then. You can't change the past, but your past actions saved both Konoha and Sasuke. You're a loyal shinobi, Itachi, and a loving older brother. And I am so glad I got to be your student."

Itachi smiled gratefully at me. "Minxie... Thank you." He was going to speak again, but he ended up stopping abruptly, his eyes widening. Suddenly, his eyes changed. It took me a single second to realize that his Mangekyo Sharingan was activated.

I quickly looked away from his eyes. My ocular kekkei genkai could handle the regular Sharingan. The Mangekyo Sharingan, however, was an entirely different story. If Itachi used either Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu on me, I'd be screwed.

Thankfully, by that point, I was already close enough to the others to hear their voices. I quickly ran from Itachi, zig-zagging away so that in case he used the Amaterasu, he wouldn't be able to get a clear enough shot. I really wasn't feeling the whole death-by-eternal-flames thing.

"Minxie!" Naruto exclaimed when he saw me return to the field. He was standing on top of the dog Nagato had summoned, only now, it had more heads than before. I quickly used my chakra to levitate into the air and land right next to him.

"Don't look at Itachi's eyes!" I warned. "He's using the Mangekyo now!"

"Watch out, Octopops, Scarlett!" Naruto called to Scarlett and Bee, who were at the feet of the giant dog. "If you get hit with either Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi, it's over!"

I spotted Itachi below us. He jumped onto the beak of the vulture Nagato had summoned. "We'll see about that." His eyes locked with Naruto's, and I feared the worst. I was completely caught off guard when, instead of being trapped in genjutsu, Naruto had a crow escape his mouth. The blonde gagged as the crow cawed and tried to claw its way to freedom. I was left to stare at this occurrence, completely baffled.

Itachi didn't look the least bit disturbed about a crow just casually flying out of Naruto's mouth. No big deal. Birds fly out of people's mouths every day. Totally normal, right? Ugh, shinobi.

I was completely confused while being simultaneously grossed out. But then the crow turned, and that's when I saw what made it so special. The crow had a Mangekyo Sharingan for its left eye.

Itachi shut his eyes, and blood began to trickle out of his right eye. I wanted to panic, because that was a sure sign that he was using Amaterasu, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it. I'd seen him use Amaterasu many times before, but this time, it felt different. But if he wasn't casting Amaterasu, then what was he doing?

"Naruto, Minxie, it's Amaterasu!" Nagato shouted. "Get away from here!"

"No!" Bee exclaimed, throwing his sword in Itachi's direction. Scarlett tossed her own kunai at Itachi, hoping to defer him from casting his jutsu. However, Nagato used his jutsu to repel the sword and the kunai, preventing them from hitting Itachi.

Itachi opened his eyes, but he didn't cast Amaterasu. Instead, his eyes locked with the crow's, leaving all of us completely confused. After staring at Itachi for a few moments, the crow turned and flew back to us. It landed on Naruto's right shoulder, where it remained perched comfortably.

Itachi looked down at us from Nagato's summoned bird, and this time, he really used Amaterasu. However, instead of hitting us, he hit the multi-headed dog. I moved quickly, grabbing Naruto's arm and leaping into the air. My chakra wings enabled me to fly us to the safety of a treetop before the black flames could touch us. Below, the multi-headed dog was engulfed in the black flames of the Amaterasu.

"What the hell just happened!?" Naruto exclaimed. "Did he miss?"

"Itachi doesn't miss," I said, shaking my head. In all the time that I'd known him, not once did I ever see Itachi miss a target. One way or another, he always hit his mark. "I don't know what he did, but it has something to do with that crow that came out of your mouth... Which was totally disgusting, by the way."

I thought back to a conversation I'd had with Naruto a long time ago. He had told me about his encounter with Itachi, during which Itachi made a crow fly into Naruto's mouth. Itachi had said he was sharing some of his power with Naruto and that he hoped Naruto would never have to use it. The crow that had just made a guest appearance now had to be the same crow from that encounter.

I heard a caw and looked up to see said crow flying overhead. I extended my arm, and sure enough, it flew down gracefully to perch on my arm. I redirected my attention back to the battle and saw Itachi use Amaterasu on both Nagato and his summoning vulture. The vulture screeched as the flames spread across its head, flapping its wings wildly. That sent Nagato, whose body was also aflame, falling to the ground.

Itachi jumped off the bird, landing on a treetop near Naruto and I. At the sight of him, the blonde quickly moved to stand in front of me protectively.

"Don't come any closer!" Naruto warned. "I don't know what you just did, but you're not going to-"

"Easy," Itachi said in his calm voice, a great contrast to Naruto's loud and suspicious one. "I'm no longer being controlled. I used a new genjutsu against this enemy jutsu. The Edotensei is undone. This genjutsu orders me to protect Konoha."

"The crow..." I muttered, looking at the black bird that was perched on my arm. "Its Sharingan cast the genjutsu on you?"

Itachi nodded. "Exactly. It emerges in response to my Mangekyo Sharingan."

I heard a thump and turned to see Scarlett and Bee join us amid the tree tops.

"Okay, can someone explain what the hell just happened?" Scarlett questioned, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head at Itachi. "Are you our enemy or not?"

"I can assure you, I'm not your enemy," Itachi replied. "The Sharingan you see in the crow's eye belongs to Shisui Uchiha. His eye that is now implanted into the crow's cast koto amatsukami, the ultimate genjutsu, on me. The genjutsu restored my control. The Mangekyo has already worn off, though."

Sure enough, the crow's left eye faded from a Mangekyo Sharingan to an ordinary Sharingan. Little by little, I was beginning to understand Itachi's motives. After all, this was not my first time dealing with koto amatsukami. At the Gokage Summit, Danzo had cast the same jutsu on me using Shisui's other eye, manipulating me without me even realizing it.

"You mean Shisui the teleporter, the Uchiha's most powerful genjutsu user?" Bee asked curiously.

"Shisui's ocular powers are unique. They create a powerful genjutsu that allows you to control someone without them even realizing it," Itachi explained. "I programmed the genjutsu to protect Konoha into Shisui's eye. I put the command in the crow's eye and then gave the crow to you, Naruto. I never realized, of course, that I'd be using it against myself someday."

"Why'd you have that eye?" Naruto demanded. "And why'd you give it to me?"

Itachi let his Mangekyo disappear, leaving him with his regular Sharingan eyes. "True shinobi do not seek glory. They protect from the shadows. Shisui taught me that, and in turn, I taught that same lesson to you and your brother, Minxie."

I nodded, remembering the day he'd taught us that. It was one of the first lessons he'd ever taught me as my sensei, as well as the first lesson that made me know that there was more to him than there seemed. Turns out I was right. "I remember. You said that protecting from the shadows is the mark of a true ninja."

"It was something Shisui believed wholeheartedly," He continued. "He gave me one of his eyes, telling me to use it to protect the village. He asked me to hide the eye's existence before he died. He made it look like his eyes had been destroyed and took his own life in order to prevent future conflict over his eyes. I helped him. When I last saw Shisui, Danzo had already stolen one eye from him. The other I gave to you, Naruto, a ninja with the same integrity as Shisui. If Sasuke was ever a threat to the village... Then I would have violated all that Shisui trusted me to do. You were the only one who could ever make it right. You said you consider Sasuke a brother. I knew you were the only one who could stop him."

"... You were going to use Shisui's eye on Sasuke," I stated, my eyes widening in realization. "You knew Sasuke would overuse his Mangekyo and start going blind. You knew he'd trade his eyes for yours. That's why you gave Shisui's eye to Naruto. That way, when Sasuke tried using your Mangekyo against Naruto, the genjutsu would be activated. That was your plan. You wanted to cast the koto amatsukami on Sasuke."

My former sensei nodded, confirming my suspicions. "I knew Sasuke would at least try to replace his eyes with mine. He wanted that true power, the eternal Mangekyo. I set the crow to emerge from Naruto once he came in contact with my eyes. The crow would cast the koto amatsukami to protect Konoha upon Sasuke. That was my plan."

"Why didn't you just use Shisui's eye to cast the jutsu upon Sasuke in the first place?" Bee questioned.

"Yeah," Scarlett agreed. "It would've saved us all a hell of a lot of trouble. Your brother's kind of a pain in the ass."

"I couldn't. At least, not then," Itachi answered, apparently taking no offense to Scarlett's description of Sasuke. He must have understood that her description wasn't far from the truth. In fact, it was extremely accurate. "It takes over ten years for Shisui's Mangekyo to reactivate, unless you possess Hashirama Senju's chakra. I had to concentrate on what my death would do to Sasuke."

I had no idea why I was even remotely surprised. Itachi was just being Itachi, as usual. He was thinking thirty steps ahead, setting plans in motion, and somehow outsmarting everyone he ever came in contact with. He was so intelligent and tactful that he managed to resist the Edotensei, of all things. Seriously, there was no end to how amazing he was.

"Itachi... Thanks for trusting me," Naruto said suddenly, making me look at him. "You don't have to worry anymore. You've done enough for the village. Now it's my turn!"

The corners of Itachi's mouth tilted upwards in a smile. "My little brother... He's lucky to have you as his friend." Suddenly, he turned his head, his eyes locking on something below us.

Before I could ask him what was wrong, Nagato reappeared atop the head of a newly summoned lizard. He used his jutsu to repel us, only this time, it was a lot more forceful. His jutsu caused an explosion that engulfed the entire forest.

My body went flying. While I was airborne, I used my jutsu to make tree roots spring out of the ground. The roots encircled my waist and kept me from being thrown back any further. It ended up hurting like hell, though, but I had expected that. After all, I'd done this last time I was battling Pain, too.

I saw Scarlett's body fly past me. Quickly, I formed my chakra into an arm and extended it out to wrap around her before she could go any further. I released my jutsus and deposited us both safely on the ground. I offered her a hand, which she took, and helped her up.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"Considering we're fighting a Rinnegan-user, yeah, I think so," She replied, dusting herself off. "Come on. The others won't be able to defeat him alone."

She didn't have to tell me twice. I quickly took hold of her arm and used my chakra wings to fly us back to the others. Bee and Naruto were struggling against Nagato, but I didn't see Itachi anywhere.

When Nagato spotted us, he used his jutsu to repel us away again. This time, however, I was prepared. I created a chakra arm and used it to get a grip on a tree. I used the tree's momentum to pull us back in Nagato's direction. We landed safely on a tree branch, overlooking the Rinnegan-user.

"You know, that repelling jutsu of his is really starting to piss me off," Scarlett grumbled, glaring her crimson eyes at Nagato. "And why the hell is he suddenly a redhead?"

I looked back at Nagato and saw that she was right. He no longer had white hair. Now, his hair was colored a bright red. His skin had more color to it, and his bones became less prominent under his skin. I used my Mind's Eyes to quickly go over his thoughts and try to figure out what happened, but I came up with nothing. He was no longer thinking like the Nagato I knew, which led me to believe that he was now fully under Kabuto's control.

"Minxie, Scarlett, be careful!" Naruto's voice sounded from a distant tree branch. "He can absorb chakra like last time!"

"Oh, crap," I muttered, touching my palm to my forehead.

"What?" Scarlett demanded, turning to look at me.

"Things just got way more complicated. When Naruto and I fought Pain, he was split into six different bodies, each with their own specific jutsu ability. However, so far, Nagato has used three of those abilities. It's safe to assume that he has the jutsu of each Pain, which makes taking him down a hundred times harder," I replied. "Plus, it looks like Kabuto shut down his personality, so he won't be giving us any hints on how to take him down, either."

Nagato threw both Bee and Naruto away from him. The force of his repelling jutsu sent both Jinchuriki off somewhere in the forest. His eyes locked on Scarlett and I, who were still standing above him. Without warning, he pulled us towards him. I was able to hold on to the tree using my chakra. Scarlett, however, wasn't so lucky. She was pulled towards Nagato and roughly slammed into the ground. A metal contraption appeared out of his body, pinning her to the floor.

I moved quickly, unsheathing my katana and slicing at the contraption, which broke off into pieces. I wasn't expecting those pieces to try and attach themselves to me, however, so I was sufficiently surprised when they did. Naruto and Bee suddenly rejoined the fight once again, and I used a Chidori to cut off the pieces of metal that were attached to me. With another use of Nagato's repel jutsu, Scarlett and I were thrown off into the trees.

Using my chakra to break my fell, I searched for any signs of my Doppelganger. I found her at the base of a tree, rubbing her head.

"How many times is he going to throw us around like that?" She complained irritably. She looked uninjured, for the most part, although the various twigs sticking out of her brown curls made her look disheveled. I knew I probably looked the same way, thanks to the way Nagato kept tossing us around the battlefield.

When Scarlett stood up, however, I noticed something red on her leg. "Woah, are you bleeding?"

"What?" She followed my gaze to her right leg, turning it slightly to reveal a gash along her calf. She cursed to herself, putting pressure on the wound. "How in the hell... Ugh. He must have stabbed me with that metal arm of his." While her voice was calm, her face wasn't. She looked extremely concerned, which confused me. Sure, her injury was pretty bad, but it didn't look severe enough to worry her. It wasn't like she'd lose the leg or anything like that. When her crimson eyes met mine, however, I immediately realized why she was so concerned.

Quickly, I turned my right leg to examine it. My eyes widened at the discovery. My leg was completely fine. It wasn't injured in the slightest, even though it was supposed to be because of my Doppelganger link with Scarlett.

"... I'm fine," I muttered, turning my leg so that she could see it. "Your injury didn't pass on to me. The link is broken, and if that's the case, then..."

"... The Final Battle's already begun," She finished for me, locking her eyes with mine. She didn't necessarily look frightened, but she did look apprehensive, which worried me, because if Scarlett, of all people, felt apprehensive about something, you knew things had to be bad.

I hadn't expected things to happen this quickly. Initially, I had believed that the Final Battle would begin once I faced Madara, but apparently, that was no longer the case. The Final Battle was already underway. I hadn't even found Ryuu yet, and already, things were starting to unfold.

Did that mean that the prophecy was starting to unfold, too? What would that mean for Scarlett's life? What would that mean for the mystery third person's life? I wasn't supposed to die until I made my decision, but what did that mean for them? If the prophecy had already begun, then that meant that both their lives were at risk, because unlike me, they wouldn't have to wait until making my decision to die. All they needed to die was the Final Battle. Now that the Final Battle was starting, how long would it take the prophecy to be fulfilled? How long did they have before their lives were taken from them?

Scarlett seemed to have come to that same conclusion, if the look she was giving me was any indication. She stopped applying pressure to her leg, letting her blood-stained hands hang limply at her sides as the red liquid continued to escape from her wound.

I didn't have time to say anything, because out of nowhere, the ground beneath us shifted, lifting us into the air. I activated my Heart's Eyes, realizing that we weren't on the ground at all. We were actually standing on the back of the chameleon Nagato had summoned. It'd been camouflaging, and we'd ended up right on top of it.

Its tongue lashed out, wrapping around my waist and slamming me against a tree trunk. The back of my head connected with the bark of the tree, and for a moment, my vision went black. It returned gradually, but I still saw dark spots whenever I blinked. When my vision finally began to clear, I saw Scarlett laying on her back on the ground. Nagato was holding my katana, which I had apparently dropped. Holding the blade out towards her, he extended his arm.

For a second, I froze, because I had seen him do this before. He'd been in Yahiko's body back then, but I recognized the move. He was going to pull Scarlett right into my katana, the same way he'd pulled me into that chakra receiver and stabbed me right in the stomach. That day, he had tried to kill me. Now, he was going to kill Scarlett.

I didn't think twice about it. My head was still foggy, and my vision was still blurry, but I somehow managed to push myself off the tree trunk, removing the chameleon's tongue from around my waist. I used my Heart's Eyes to create a split in space, and I appeared in between Nagato and Scarlett, right when he pulled her towards him. Instead of piercing her stomach, the blade ended up piercing my shoulder. I knew that he'd just absorb whatever attack I threw at him, so I threw up an earth wall to separate us long enough to buy me some time.

Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I grabbed Scarlett and used my chakra wings to fly us away from Nagato as fast as my chakra would allow me. I glanced back at him, finding that the earth wall I had created was completely destroyed. It wouldn't be long before he came after us again.

Ignoring the horrible pain in my shoulder, I forced myself to travel faster. Once we were a safe enough distance away, I collapsed against the ground, catching my breath. I examined my injury, wincing at the damage. The katana was still lodged securely into my shoulder. It had gone in through the front of my shoulder blade and was now sticking out from my back.

I grabbed the hilt of my katana, taking a deep breath. Quickly, I pulled it out of my shoulder, hissing in pain as I did so. Once it was out of my shoulder, I dropped the weapon and pressed a hand against my wound to stop the bleeding.

"And to think I complained when you hit my hand with a shuriken..." I muttered, trying both to distract myself from the pain and to gain a response from my Doppelganger, who still hadn't said a word.

"I don't..." Scarlett's crimson eyes were wide, her eyebrows furrowed. She looked completely shocked. "... Did you just save my life?"

"I guess so." I did a little shrug in response, which proved to be a horrible idea since my shoulder was still in terrible shape. I knew from personal experience that getting stabbed in the stomach was worse, but my shoulder still hurt like hell. My eyes locked on a figure approaching us. "And I think I'm about to do it again. Duck!" I shoved her to the floor, right when Nagato's infamous metal arm contraption slammed into the tree above us.

"Minxie, Scarlett, get out of the way!" Naruto's voice shouted. I didn't need to be told twice. I managed to get both Scarlett and I out of the way just in time to see Naruto appear with a Rasengan in his palm, aiming at Nagato.

"Take care of your wounds, ladies~" Bee advised, pulling out his swords. "I'll help Naruto deal with these crazies~"

I wanted to help them, but with a hole in my shoulder, I wasn't exactly in any condition to fight. Besides, Naruto and Bee were more than capable of protecting themselves. Scarlett, on the other hand, was worrying me. My Doppelganger still looked like she couldn't believe what was happening, which scared me and freaked me out at the same time, because I'd never seen her act like this.

"You have to leave," I told her, still clutching a hand to my bleeding shoulder. I knew it wouldn't take long for my advanced healing to kick in, but for the moment, the pain was still present. "Hide your chakra and go to the medical unit."

That seemed to get her attention. She blinked. "What? No. I'm supposed to keep my chakra up at all times, especially if we're separating. That way, if Madara seeks out your chakra, I can confuse the signal. That's the plan, remember?"

I shook my head. "Things have changed. Now that our link's broken, you don't have my advanced healing anymore. That makes you vulnerable. I'm not going to risk Madara finding you. He'll think you're me, which I know is what Ryuu planned, but that plan is void if you can't protect yourself."

"I can protect myself just fine, thank you very much," She snapped, the snobby exterior that I was used to returning. "So I got a cut on my calf. Who cares? I'm fine now. I don't need you helping me."

"And I don't need you dying for me!" I exclaimed, making eyes widen a little. "Which is why you're going to do as I say and get away from here. I know you can conceal your chakra. It might make you a little more vulnerable, but I'll send you with a shadow clone to make up for it. The medical unit will be able to heal your leg better than I can. Once you're there, keep your chakra hidden and lay low until all of this is over."

She stood up abruptly, her features twisting into a scowl. "You seriously think I'm going to listen to you? You might have control of the Creator's chakra, but I don't give a damn about that. You're my Doppelganger-"

"Our Doppelganger link is broken," I reminded. "Our lives aren't connected anymore. You don't have to worry about my life out of fear that you'll lose yours." I finally felt the wound in my shoulder start to close, so I stood up. "Look, you've done enough as it is. You helped when you didn't have to, and I'm grateful for that, but you've done your part."

She opened her mouth to object, but I continued before she could, "You're much more than my Doppelganger. You're a survivor, and if you want to survive this, you have to listen to me. You know that." She closed her mouth, then, and I smiled at her. "You don't have to be my Doppelganger anymore, Scarlett. You're free."

She glared at me for a few long moments, until finally, she gave in. She gave up on glaring at me, and her crimson eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't identify. It was gone as quick as it appeared, and she went back to glaring at me.

"If you die, I'm going to be super pissed," She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

I smiled, creating a shadow clone. "Right back at you, Scarlett."

With one final glance at me and at the others, who were still battling Nagato, she took off into the trees, my shadow clone following closely behind her.

Once she was gone, I was able to focus on the battle unfolding before me. Nagato threw Bee to the side, and Naruto quickly went to aid him. However, the tongue of one of Nagato's lizards encircled the blonde, stopping him. Nagato then latched onto Naruto's chakra. From what I could see, it almost looked like Nagato was pulling Naruto's chakra right out of him. Bee tried to cut Nagato with one of his swords, but that backfired when Nagato grabbed him.

Now, Nagato had both Bee and Naruto in his clutches. That same metal contraption shaped to look like arms was holding Bee in place while a chakra hand was against Naruto's stomach. Nagato looked fully prepared to steal the life force from both of them. I unsheathed my katana, running Chidori through it. I went for a surprise attack from above and swung my katana to slice at the bonds that were attaching Bee and Naruto to Nagato.

My Chidori-charged katana destroyed the contraption holding Bee in mere seconds. It wasn't effective on the chakra that held Naruto, however. I was about to swing at the chakra again when Nagato used his free arm to repel me. All I saw was Bee getting reattached to the contraption before I was tossed into the air.

I was so done with Nagato's repelling jutsu. Seriously, it was just pissing me off. He was making me feel like a yo-yo, and not in the fun way. Grudgingly, I prepared to stop myself using a chakra arm, but it turned out that I didn't have to. Someone caught me, encircling their arms around me and halting my movements. I grinned when I saw who it was.

"Itachi!" I greeted happily. "Finally! Jeez, where the heck have you been? For a second there, I thought Nagato had scared you or something."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes, but I saw a small smirk appear on his face. His eyes were glinting with the familiar sight of his Mangekyo. "Sorry for my disappearing act earlier. I had to take some time to get this going." I looked up and saw a skeletal figure surrounding him. His Susano'o was encasing us both, protecting us from harm as he held me bridal style atop a tree.

"Well, now that you've got it running, it'd be really great if you could save everyone," I suggested brightly.

"Good idea." He set me down gently, and I used my chakra to float beside him. He threw kunai at the lizards as well as the contraption Nagato had summoned. Using the blind spots of the Rinnegan link, he managed to hit each of his targets right in the eyes, leaving them with no chance to get out of the line of fire and destroying the link.

I took his hand and used my chakra wings to fly us down to the others. The skeletal arms of his Susano'o sliced at the bonds Nagato had created with ease, freeing Bee and Naruto. The two Jinchuriki were grabbed by the hands of Itachi's Susano'o and taken away from Nagato. The Susano'o set them down once we were a good enough distance from Nagato.

"Thanks, Itachi!" Naruto said gratefully. "You saved us!"

"This guy's jutsu is no joke!" Bee exclaimed, referring to Nagato.

"Of course it's not! He has the power of the Sage of Six Paths!" Naruto said obviously. "Plus, today we're facing him directly instead of his dead people puppets! Both his power and moves are out of this world!"

The Susano'o had hit Nagato's left arm, destroying it. However, because he was an Edotensei, his arm was already reforming. It took no time at all for his arm to reappear, and he brought his hands together, casting a new jutsu. He threw a black sphere into the air, and that was when all hell broke loose.

The black sphere drew everything directly into it. It uprooted trees and attracted rocks to its core, where they gathered to form a compact circle. Its gravitational pull was so strong that it even caused the ground beneath us to crack. The ground broke off into pieces as we were lifted into the air. Rocks flew around us, and the smaller ones were immediately pulled into the black sphere. From the looks of it, that was where we were all headed. It was just taking us longer to get pulled in.

"What is that thing!?" I demanded, the wind whipping my brown curls around my face.

"Nagato used this jutsu against me once before!" Naruto said. "It's really bad, believe it! If you get caught up in it, you're done for!"

"Naruto," Itachi called, sounding completely calm and not at all bothered by the fact that we were all about to die. "If it's such a sure death, how come you're still alive?"

Naruto immediately froze, and I sweatdropped. "Well, when you put it that way..."

Bee let out a laugh. "In that case, we'll be all right~ We'll get through this fight~"

"This is serious!" Naruto barked. "No more rapping! If we get trapped in that thing, we'll never get out! It's too strong! I only got free last time because Nine-Tails rampaged!"

"Oh, wow," I muttered. "I guess we chose a really bad time to gain control over our biju, huh?"

His eye twitched at me. "This is no time for jokes, believe it!"

"What? I was just trying to lighten the mood!" I defended.

"You can't lighten the mood when we're about to die!" He barked.

"Actually, I think near-death situations are the best time to lighten the mood," I said matter-of-factly. "That's how you dissolve the tension caused by the near-death situation. You can also use a pun or a- OH MY GOD!" I ducked as a tree flew over my head, missing me by a mere centimeter. It was then promptly sucked into the black sphere.

"You were saying?" Naruto questioned flatly. "Please, tell me more about these puns of yours that'll somehow solve everything."

"Forget the puns, we're going to die!" I exclaimed. "I'm not ready for death! I mean, I still haven't travelled the world, or gotten my hair to defy gravity like Kakashi-sensei's, or told Naruto that I'm the one who filled all his instant ramen cups with turnips, or-"

"THAT WAS YOU!?" the blonde shrieked.

I immediately put on a poker face. "What? No, of course not. Who told you that?"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get rid of fifty turnips!?" He exclaimed, flailing his arms around. "I don't even like turnips! No one likes turnips!"

"Well, maybe you should've thought twice about putting cinnamon in the shower head!" I shot back, sending him a scowl.

"Okay, for the last time, that prank was meant for Hayato! How long are you going to hold that over me!?"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I STOP FINDING CINNAMON IN MY EARS!"

"Enough, you two," Itachi ordered, interrupting our little argument. I knew I had to listen to him, because he was using his serious sensei voice, but I still managed to stick my tongue out at Naruto, a gesture which the blonde quickly returned. "One must be calm in order to analyze the situation properly."

My eye twitched at the Uchiha. "Itachi, I love you, but this really isn't time to go all sensei on me and give me a lecture! Just tell me how to get rid of the HUGE black hole that's trying to kill us!"

"I believe that the black sphere Nagato just threw is the central core of this jutsu," He began. "So I suspect destroying it is the answer. All four of us need to simultaneously unleash our most powerful long-distance ninjutsu at that core."

"But I can't aim well under these circumstances!" Naruto objected, which was pretty true. With the way the rubble was flying around us, there was no way any of us would be able to aim properly, much less actually hit our target.

"Don't worry. It'll hit even if you don't aim at all," Itachi assured rationally. "This tactic takes advantage of the core's too-strong gravitational pull."

"So it doesn't matter where we aim -as long as we unleash the jutsu- because the black sphere is set to automatically pull everything towards it?" I guessed.

He nodded in confirmation. "Every jutsu has a weak point. I taught you that, remember? You just have to find it. Now, everyone cast their jutsu! We need to destroy the core before it can pull us into it!" His Susano'o formed chakra into three comma-like symbols that made a spiral in its palm.

"Gotcha!" Bee exclaimed, transforming into Eight-Tails and gathering a biju bomb in his mouth.

Naruto gripped his right wrist with his left hand, creating a Rasen-Shuriken. I created a Rasen-Chidori, only this time, I changed the form of the Chidori so that the lightning was spinning around the Rasengan instead of discharging from it, as usual.

We released our jutsus simultaneously, and all four of our jutsus soared into the air. As Itachi had predicted, they were each immediately drawn to the black sphere at the same time, creating a large explosion. Light flooded the field, and rocks, trees, and bushes flew through the air.

Bee, Naruto, and I all jumped from our respective rocks to land next to Itachi, who was already standing on the ground. When the smoke cleared, we saw Nagato standing a few feet away from us. The Totsuka Blade from Itachi's Susano'o had pierced him right through the chest.

Nagato blinked, the blank look leaving his eyes. He finally seemed to realize what was happening. "Forgive me, Itachi."

"You're back," Itachi noted. "It's the Totsuka Blade. You'll be sealed away soon. Any last words?"

At long last, Nagato's true personality had resurfaced. It appeared as if the Totsuka Blade had broken Kabuto's hold on him. Not that it really mattered now, though. Itachi had told me about the blade, and I distinctly remembered him mentioning that it was used for sealing purposes. In a few more seconds, Nagato would be gone, his soul sealed away forever.

Nagato's face was crumbling, but he still managed to smile. "Naruto, I shall return to our sensei's side. I will continue to view your adventures with him. You are the final volume of a trilogy. Jiraiya was the perfect opening act, but the middle volume was a dud: me. I was such a poor excuse for a middle volume that not even Jiraiya-sensei would acknowledge me. You, Naruto, will make our series a success! You are the final volume, and you must finish what Jiraiya-sensei started and be so amazing that no one remembers the waste that was in the middle... The waste that was me!"

Naruto flashed a thumbs up at the Rinnegan-user as Itachi's crow landed on his shoulder, his blue eyes full of determination. That gesture made Nagato smile.

"Minxie..." Nagato called, making me look at him. His voice was weaker now, since he was being drawn into the Totsuka Blade, but I could still hear him well enough. "Look after him for me, will you?"

I smiled at him, nodding. "Of course, Nagato."

"Farewell..." The redhead gave one final smile before he was completely sucked into the Totsuka Blade. Itachi's Susano'o deposited Nagato's soul into the jar it held, sealing him away once and for all. With Nagato gone, Itachi was able to undo his Susano'o.

I undid my chakra mode in attempt to conserve some type of power. I hadn't overused my chakra while fighting Nagato or anything like that, but since I'd already split up my chakra to make shadow clones, I didn't want to risk it. I couldn't exactly make the decision between Light and Dark if I was dead on my feet. My shoulder still felt sore, but the skin there had reformed, healing quite nicely.

"I hate that Edoten-whatever jutsu!" Naruto announced, his lips tilting into a frown. "You have to fight people you don't want to! Are all the battles like this?"

"That's Kabuto's advantage in this war," I said, my lips tilting into a frown of my own. "He chooses the people he knows will make you the most emotionally vulnerable and purposely sends them to fight you. If we want to win the war, we have to stop him."

He ran a hand through his hair, the frown never leaving his face. Suddenly, he seemed to notice something. "Hey, where'd Scarlett go?"

"I asked her to leave," I answered smoothly. "Fighting Nagato really took a toll on her. I thought she'd be safer if she left, so she did."

"She was injured when you weren't. Does that mean your link is broken now?" He questioned.

Internally, I sighed. He just had to pick now to be perceptive, huh? I couldn't lie to him, so I nodded.

"How's that even possible?" He asked. "I mean, you're Doppelgangers. You can't just break a connection like that, and even though I still kind of hate her, having Scarlett with us wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. No one can deny that she's a good ninja. Having her around was useful."

"Scarlett's not a Jinchuriki like us, or Bee," I replied. "She's not an Edotensei like Itachi, either. Our Doppelganger link is what gave her accelerated healing. Now that it's broken, she won't heal as quickly. She was vulnerable. I couldn't risk her."

That was as much of the truth as I could give him. If he found out about the prophecy, he wouldn't let me hear the end of it. He'd flip if he knew that I was destined to die. I didn't want him doing anything stupid to protect me if he found out, which is why I didn't tell him. Besides, I wasn't planning on dying, anyway. Maybe I wouldn't be able to save everyone, but I still had to at least try.

I could feel Itachi's eyes on me. He had most likely already noticed that I wasn't being completely truthful. I'd always been a horrible liar. The little that I did know about lying was taught to me by him, so of course, he was able to see right through me. However, he didn't say anything about it, which I was thankful for.

"She already told us all she knew," I continued, before Naruto could ask another question. "And she was right about Kabuto being our next priority. We have to stop the Edotensei."

"I'll stop the Edotensei," Itachi spoke up. "I leave Madara to the three of you."

"We fought Edotensei ninja on our way here," Bee said. "Suna shinobi sealed him away, but you can't kill them. There's no weak spot to this jutsu."

"Didn't you hear me earlier? Every jutsu has a weak point," Itachi restated easily. "You just have to find it."

"No!" Naruto objected, making hand signs for shadow clones. "I'll stop it! I already said I would!" Making his clones, however, took him out of his chakra mode. He was only able to make one copy of himself, and neither the copy nor the original had his chakra mode.

"You've overused Nine-Tails' chakra," Bee scolded. "No more clones right now, Naruto!"

"Don't try to do everything yourself," Itachi advised. "I have the best chance to stop the Edotensei, and I've got an idea."

"I'll take care of this war by myself!" Naruto insisted stubbornly. "I can take it all on! It's my duty!"

Itachi stared at the blonde, who was huffing and breathing heavily. It seemed like the exhaustion and fatigue of overusing his chakra mode were finally catching up to him.

By this point, my Itachi-lecture senses were tingling. I knew he was going to give Naruto a speech that would leave everyone wondering how someone so young could be as wise as Itachi was, myself included.

"... You are stronger. You have much more power. But you're forgetting something quite important," my former sensei began. "Remember. You know why the people of your village finally stopped hating and fearing you. You know why they finally accepted you as one of their own. It's because you showed that you understood them. You fought for that acceptance."

Naruto stared at the Uchiha, his blue eyes widening.

"You said it was everyone who cares about you who helped you get where you are now," Itachi continued. "But if you forget that, if you become so powerful that you don't remember why you are now strong... You'll eventually become like Madara. No matter how powerful you become, never try to take it all on by yourself. You'll just fail. Your father was a great Hokage because of your mother, Kushina, and the others around him. No matter how far he rose, he knew that it was his friends that made him strong. You share your father's goals, yes? If that's true, then you can't ever forget. Being Hokage is not about suddenly being recognized in your village, Naruto. Only those who are already recognized and admired will ever become Hokage. Never forget your friends."

Itachi's words of wisdom left Naruto sufficiently stunned. I, on the other hand, was grinning like an idiot. Itachi was the same Itachi he'd always been, and that comforted me a great deal.

"Naruto, I swore an oath to Iruka. I have to protect you. You can't do this alone. If I'm alive, I'm with you," Bee promised, grinning at the blonde.

"I am, too, which you should already know, because it's always been like that," I said, going over to stand in front of my boyfriend. I playfully flicked his nose. "And I can't believe you would forget that! We do things together, Naruto, we always have. You don't have to take on everything by yourself, not as long as I'm here. Not as long as you have your friends."

He rubbed his nose, smiling slightly. "You're right. I guess I just forgot. I thought I had to do it alone." He wrapped his arms around me, and I returned the hug, watching the crow jump off his shoulder and fly towards Itachi. "I'm sorry."

I smiled. "It's okay. Just don't forget again, all right?" He nodded, and after a few more seconds, we parted from our embrace.

When the crow returned to Itachi's shoulder, the Uchiha set it on fire with Amaterasu, surprising all of us.

"Woah, wait!" Naruto cried, but it was too late. The flames were already consuming the crow until nothing was left except for a few feathers. "Why'd you do that?!"

"Shisui's eye won't work for another ten years now. You won't be able to use it against Sasuke," Itachi answered simply. "But you possess something even more powerful than his eye. You have access to Shisui's soul, and that is what he really wanted to pass on. You don't need the eye anymore. You can stop Sasuke without it."

"But you can talk to Sasuke!" Naruto suggested. "Maybe this time-"

The Uchiha shook his head. "No. I tried to do everything by myself, too. I failed. This time, I leave the task to a friend."

"... You're a brilliant shinobi," Bee complimented. "You're not just all about power."

Once again, I was reminded why I loved Bee. Unlike a lot of other people, who judged Itachi because of his past, Bee was open to hearing the full story. He probably didn't understand much of what had happened, but he didn't judge right from the start, and now, he was able to see just how pure-hearted and brilliant Itachi was.

"Killer Bee, Naruto... I expect you'll watch over Minxie for me," Itachi said.

"Fa'sho!" Bee exclaimed.

"Of course, believe it!" Naruto assured with a large grin.

Itachi nodded, turning away. Before he could leave, however, I stopped him by calling his name.

"Itachi!" I called. He turned back to me, a questioning look in his eyes. "Did you really think I'd let you leave without a proper goodbye hug this time?"

That made him smile. "I wouldn't dream of it." I grinned, rushing over to him and jumping into his arms. I hugged him tightly, feeling my eyes water as the reality of the situation finally sunk in. Once he stopped the Edotensei, he'd disappear. I wouldn't see him ever again.

"I'm going to miss you so much..." I whispered, not breaking our embrace.

"I know. I'll miss you, too. But I'm always watching over you, Minxie," He assured softly. "And I am so proud of the kunoichi you've become." He hugged me tightly before letting me go. I didn't even notice I was crying until he wiped the tears from my eyes. "Make sure to talk to Ryuu for me, and do try to stay out of trouble."

I smiled at him. "No promises."

He smiled back. After giving me a sweet kiss on the forehead, he took off. I watched him go until he was nothing but a tiny dot in the distance.

I turned to Bee and Naruto, the tears gone from my eyes. I smiled at them, activating my chakra mode once again. "Let's go, guys."

Third Person's POV

While Naruto, Minxie, and Bee continued their journey, their shadow clones began to arrive at each of the front lines, ready to provide whatever assistance that they could. Their first stop was the Fourth Company, led by Gaara.

Naruto's shadow clone arrived first. While he helped the shinobi forces deal with the resurrected Third Raikage, Gaara and the Tsuchikage were left to deal with the Edotensei Second Mizukage, only moments after sealing away the Second Tsuchikage.

The Second Mizukage, however, lived up to his name. Again and again, the shinobi forces tried to immobilize and seal him away, yet each attempt ended in failure. Although they were all aware that he was nothing but a mirage, they were unable to locate his famed giant clam that was creating said mirages, and were therefore unable to take him down.

Even Gaara, whose strength was at Kage-level, was beginning to tire. Their battle with the Second Mizukage had gone on for too long, and if they didn't find that clam soon, it would never end. The water from the Mizukage's jutsu sank into Gaara's sand, slowing it down.

This is more like oil than water, Gaara noted, watching as the liquid seeped from his sand. It's crumbling my sand defense.

"You guys tried to stop Mu first, didn't you?" the Mizukage questioned, referring to the bandage-wearing Second Tsuchikage. He shook his head in disappointment, stepping over a body of one of the many shinobi he had injured. "You always have to stop the strongest opponent first."

"We did," Gaara muttered.

"I'm clearly stronger!" the Mizukage exclaimed, offended by the redhead's words. "He's nothing more than a mummy!"

"Maybe, but looks can also deceive," Gaara stated. "You're strong."

The Mizukage sighed. "I already told you, I'm not even here. You're seeing my clam's wide range genjutsu. It's a mirage. Physical attacks are useless! Crush the clam or this will never end." Unable to control his movements, he created another water jutsu, this time aiming for Gaara, who was at the front of the battle formation.

His attack, however, never reached the redheaded Kazekage. It was blocked by a wall of earth that rose from the ground. The waves of water crashed uselessly against the earth wall, halting against it.

Gaara turned, his eyes widening at the brunette who was suddenly standing beside him, her features lit up with a smile. Surrounded by a green and gold chakra coat and with chakra wings on her back, she looked practically unrecognizable. Her smile, however, was the same as it always was. "Minxie?"

"Hey there, Kazekage," the Takeda greeted. When she grinned, he could clearly see her sharp leopard's teeth. Her new chakra mode, Gaara decided, made all her features look more cat-like than they already did, which wasn't saying much, considering that she'd always had a feline aspect to her appearance. "Need some help?"

He sighed. "You know you're not supposed to be here. When I encountered Naruto and saw you weren't with him, I assumed you had stayed on the island..."

The brunette let out a laugh. "As if I'd let Naruto go to the battlefield without me. Did you really think I'd stay out of this war without putting up a fight?"

"It was more of a hope, but... I suppose your tendency to completely disregard orders worked in our favor this time."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

He couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face. "It was meant to be one. We were in need of reinforcements."

Minxie lowered the wall of earth she had created, her gaze landing on the puzzled man behind it. She hadn't a clue as to the identity of the man. All she knew was that he was an Edotensei summoning, and that he was, apparently, the person against whom reinforcements were needed. She could tell from his clothing that he was from the Mist Village, and the powerful water jutsu he had performed earlier only confirmed her suspicion.

"Uh, who is he and why is his head shaped like an eggplant?" Minxie inquired not-so-subtly to Gaara, arching an eyebrow in the mystery man's direction.

Said man scowled at her in response. "An eggplant!? My head looks like no such thing, you insolent little brat! I am the Second Mizukage, one of the strongest shinobi who ever lived!"

"Jeez, sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything, Lord Eggpl- I mean, Lord Mizukage," She corrected quickly, trying her best to be respectful. She doubted it was believable, though. "Really, I wasn't trying to be mean or anything like that. My thoughts just have no filter. I pretty much always say the first thing that comes to mind, and, well, your head just reminds me of an eggplant. Also, you have no eyebrows. Maybe you and Gaara can start a club? No, wait! Maybe Lee or Guy-sensei would be willing to donate..."

Gaara let out a deep sigh. As nice as it was to see her again, they had more pressing matters at hand. And quite frankly, antagonizing the Mizukage -however funny it was- would only make it harder to get rid of him. "Minxie, we're at war."

"Oh, yeah, right. My bad." She shot him a sheepish smile. "What do you need for me to do again?"

"The Mizukage you see in front of you is nothing but a mirage. The mirage is created by his giant clam. If we find the clam and get rid of it, we can locate his real body and seal him away. That's the only way we can beat him."

"I can do that," She assured, activating her Heart's Eyes. In addition to seeing into the minds and hearts of others, her kekkei genkai granted her the ability to see chakra as well. She quickly located the clam, which had been hiding its presence using genjutsu.

"Ah, now I see. You're of the Takeda clan, aren't you? Your clan gave my village quite the hard time... They were arrogant and angered me to no end, but even I must admit that they were strong. It's hard to believe a mouthy brat like you is one of them," the Mizukage said.

Minxie's eyebrow twitched in aggravation, but she didn't say anything back. After all, she supposed she deserved an insult or two for calling him an eggplant in the first place. She should really work on keeping her mouth shut, especially when fighting irritable Edotensei reanimations.

The Mizukage no longer looked angry at her. In fact, he even grinned. "Finally, a worthy opponent! Let's see what you and the Kazekage brat can do, shall we?"

Minxie, however, had no intentions of letting him see her at all. She used her kekkei genkai to create a split in space and appear right above the clam. She dove towards the clam, a Chidori chirping brilliantly in her palm. The lightning jutsu cracked the shell of the clam, shattering it into hundreds of tiny pieces.

The real Mizukage watched from behind a rock formation, impressed. She'd destroyed the clam much faster than he'd expected her to. Exactly who was this girl? Before he could move away, she appeared in front of him.

"Going somewhere?" She challenged, Heart's Eyes blazing with chakra.

"Apparently not," He grinned. He was a bit surprised at how capable she was. Her Takeda lineage guaranteed that she'd be strong, but she'd seem so absentminded that he'd doubted her skills. Now, he knew that he was mistaken. The girl had a mouth on her, but she was strong. "You're fast. You got rid of my clam in record time."

"Mmhm, and you're next," She said, unsheathing her katana. She appeared behind him, slicing his body in half. "Gaara, now!"

From above, sand surged over the Mizukage, engulfing him completely. By the time his Edotensei body finished reforming, the only area left visible of him was his head. He looked up and spotted an eye floating in the air, grains of sand dancing around it.

"An eye of sand, eh? You were watching the Takeda girl the whole time, waiting for her to take out the giant clam, preparing your sand... Nicely done!" the Mizukage congratulated, shooting Gaara an impressed smile. "You're gonna be big, kid, and you're browless!"

"Yes! Got him!" One of the shinobi cheered, spotting the sealing tag hidden in Gaara's sand.

"No, it's not working!" another exclaimed. "The sand isn't sticking because of all that slime!"

The shinobi's words, Gaara realized, were true, so he piled even more sand over the Mizukage. He continued moving the sand until he'd created a giant pyramid of sand, trapping the Mizukage inside of it.

"Now's your chance!" the Tsuchikage shouted. He was hovering above the ground on a sand platform that Gaara had provided for him. Minxie floated into the air, taking a place beside Gaara. "Throw sealing tags at him!"

The other ninja did as he commanded, throwing all the sealing tags they could find at the pyramid. They made their hand signs, and the sealing jutsu spread across the sand pyramid.

"Good!" the Tsuchikage said, "We've got this won!"

The Tsuchikage had apparently spoken too soon, because as soon as the words left his mouth, the pyramid exploded. Sand erupted into the sky. When it finally settled down, steam rose into the air. The steam shifted, creating the impression of a childlike face above the battlefield.

"What the hell is that!?" a ninja shouted, gaping at the face that appeared to be made of steam.

"Is it another genjutsu...?" Gaara wondered, his eyes locked on the face that had appeared in the sky.

Minxie shook her head, eyes wide as she looked towards the sky. "No, this feels different from genjutsu. It has to be something else."

"It's the infinite explosion ninjutsu of the Mizukage!" the Tsuchikage exclaimed. "It gave my predeccesor Lord Mu some real trouble! It's called the steam imp!"

"Okay, I'm having trouble connecting the concept of infinite explosions to the term 'steam imp,'" Minxie said flatly. "Seriously, could the Mizukage not think of a cooler name?" She felt something hit her face, realizing that it was hail. "And why is it hailing?"

"Air forced upwards by the steam explosion got cooled in the upper atmosphere and turned into hail," the Tsuchikage explained. "The imp is a clone inside the Mizukage. The exterior of its childlike form is composed of oil, while its interior is water. It can easily heat up and cool down. When it moves, the oil on its surface heats up, vaporizing the water inside of it and making it grow larger, resulting in a steam explosion. And then when the hail cools it, it shrinks to its original size and is ready to explode again."

Suddenly, Minxie had no trouble connecting the two concepts. With a composition like that, there'd be no limit to the number of times that the imp could explode. After spending so much time around Deidara, Minxie felt that she had experienced enough explosions to last a lifetime. She was in no rush to deal with them again, but she figured that this steam imp wouldn't give her much of a choice.

The steam imp took off, running from side to side with unexpected speed. Gaara sent sand after it, but it was no use. The creature was too fast; faster than his sand, that was already weighed down by the Mizukage's slime, could keep up with.

"The Mizukage should be somewhere nearby!" the Tsuchikage shouted. "Don't waste your time on the imp! Go after the original! Another feature of this jutsu is that it greatly weakens the caster while in use!"

Minxie listened to his advice, searching for the Mizukage with her kekkei genkai. She found him hiding behind a rock pillar, looking just as weakened as the Tsuchikage had predicted. The previous Kage grinned when he saw her. Gaara appeared next to her, sitting on his floating sand.

"Right. You're the fast ones of this army," the Mizukage said, huffing weakly, but still with a smile on his face as he regarded the pair. "The two of you really are something, I'll give you that. But I wonder... Did either of you notice that the hail stopped? You may have found me, but my steam imp found you. And with no hail to slow it down, it's gonna explode any second now!"

Gaara and Minxie barely had time to look up before the steam imp crashed into them, knocking them to the ground. Sure enough, hail no longer fell from the sky. The steam imp had grown considerably large, towering over them. Somehow, even though it was much larger, it still managed to be faster than Gaara's sand. It dodged the redhead's attacks swiftly, with more agility than he thought it could have.

When Minxie saw steam begin to sizzle from its skin, she knew it was going to explode. She didn't have much time if she wanted to protect Gaara and the others. She slammed her palm to the floor, using her ground rupture jutsu. The earth began to crack, spliting up into pieces. She jumped into one of the cracks she'd created and encircled a chakra arm around the steam imp, pulling it underground with her.

Initially, she'd planned to trap it alone underground, but her plans were ruined when it began to explode before she could escape. Without a second to spare and not having much of a choice, she sealed the earth with her jutsu, trapping both herself and the steam imp underground.

When the steam imp exploded, it felt more like an earthquake. Gaara shouted Minxie's name as the ground shook, but he received no reply. Even the Mizukage, whose back was still leaning against a rocky pillar, seemed shocked. He hadn't expected the girl to be this impulsive, but he understood why she'd done it. She'd been trying to protect Gaara, as well as anyone else who'd been close enough to be caught in the explosion.

It was a reckless and dangerous action, the Second Mizukage knew, but it was noble in its own right and certainly not something he was expecting a Takeda to do. In his time, all the Takeda he knew were selfish, power-hungry elitists. Minxie, apparently, was not like her ancestors. She was selfless and noble.

That's the thing about selfless and noble shinobi, he thought, disappointed. They always die too young.

The ground opened once again, and steam rose out of the cracks. A hand appeared, digging its fingernails into the dirt. When Gaara saw that said fingernails were painted with a familiar blue nail polish, he quickly ran over to the crack, grabbing the hand. He pulled Minxie out of the earth, helping her up. Her chakra mode had faded and her hair clung to her face messily, but she was okay.

He couldn't help the breath of relief that came with seeing her again. He knew the girl in front of him was just a shadow clone of the one he knew and cared for, but for a moment, everything had seemed so real. He'd actually believed that it was the real Minxie in front of him, putting her life in danger. And for a moment, he'd been terrified that he couldn't protect her. He'd completely forgotten that she was just a clone and therefore did not need to be protected.

The shadow clone in his arms seemed to come to that same conclusion. "You didn't have to help me out, you know. I'm just a clone."

"You're a powerful clone," He corrected. He watched as the steam imp jumped out of the earth, beginning to run back and forth once again. "And I'm going to need you if I want to get rid of that thing."

"Glad we can agree," She muttered. "But first, let's deal with the original."

Making hand signs, she wrapped the Mizukage in wooden branches, winding them tightly around his body. Gaara was a bit surprised that she had so much power left, but he quickly reinforced the branches with his own sand, creating another pyramid around the Mizukage.

Before he could seal the previous Kage away, however, the steam imp appeared, ripping off all the sealing tags in one swift motion. The sand began to fall, leaving the Mizukage's head visible. Gaara and Minxie realized a second too late that the hail had stopped again.

"Haha!" the Mizukage laughed. "I can see everything from here! I was once one of the five Kage, too, you know. As long as I have my oil, Kazekage brat, your sand jutsu can't touch me... Unless, of course, you seal me away real quick. Now, how are you going to take me down!?"

"I was hoping you'd tell us!" the Tsuchikage said.

The Mizukage thought about it for a few moments. "Hm... Nah. I've changed my mind. Sorry."

"You were cooperative until just now," Gaara stated, frowning at the previous Kage. "What happened? You've decided to help the enemy out?"

"Nope, wrong!" the Mizukage sang. "I am a former Kage, after all. And I am helping you out, just in a different way. After all, if you can't win against me using all your abilities, then that means you're weaker than poor old dead me, you fools! And you won't win against the enemy like that!"

His steam imp jumped down onto the battlefield. It had grown substantially by now, standing almost as tall and even wider than the sand pyramid. Gaara and Minxie had thought it was large before, but now, its size was exponential. With no hail to cool it down, it could only grow bigger until it was finally ready to explode.

"Run, retreat!" the shinobi cried, rushing about the steam imp's large feet. "It's going to explode again!"

"I thought I had found the golden child of the five Kage..." the Mizukage muttered, letting out a disappointed sigh as he looked down at Gaara. "But it seems that you're just an ordinary child after all, Kazekage!"

The steam imp exploded, causing an enormous cloud of steam to rise into the air. This explosion was the largest one yet. Hail began to fall from the sky, but none of it touched the other ninja, because they were now all being protected by Gaara's sand shield. He'd saved them all, leaving himself and Minxie's shadow clone to deal with the enemy.

"I'm impressed! You're charging in, resigned to getting hurt, while protecting everyone else at the same time!" the Mizukage exclaimed. "But if you don't stop this, kid, the same thing's gonna keep happening over and over again!"

Kneeling next to Gaara, Minxie brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "You know, I hate admitting this, but he's right."

"I have a plan," Gaara said. "It should work, but I'm going to need your help."

She nodded, and her Heart's Eyes disappeared, leaving only her Mind's Eyes activated. The Mizukage thought back to what he knew of the Takeda clan's kekkei genkai. It wasn't much, but he was aware of the capabilities of the Mind's Eye. Using it, Minxie would be able to see Gaara's thoughts. She'd hear his plan without him having to say a word.

It was a lucky advantage. If Gaara had spoken his plan aloud, there was a chance the Mizukage would hear and plan a counter, even if the redhead had whispered. Minxie's bloodline capability took care of that potential problem. All he could really do was watch curiously, wondering exactly what they were up to. The Mizukage couldn't help the bitter smile that appeared on his face.

Unbelievable. Even when I'm dead, Konoha still manages to piss me off.

His thoughts were interrupted when Minxie jumped into the air, heading straight for the steam imp. The creature was fast, but she was no pushover, either. She was a little delayed because of her lack of chakra, but she was still faster than the average shinobi. The Mizukage wondered who exactly had taught her to be so fast.

When the Mizukage returned his attention to the ground, he found that Gaara had vanished. Minxie wrapped wooden branches around the steam imp, dragging it to the floor, where sand piled over it. Gaara suddenly appeared, directing the sand to encase the steam imp completely.

"Your sand wasn't fast enough, so you used her wooden chains, huh?" the Mizukage guessed. "Nice effort, but either way, it's still gonna explode!"

The steam imp did indeed explode; however, the 'boom' that the Mizukage had been expecting never came. The sand around the imp crumbled, revealing a solid layer of gold underneath it. The Mizukage's eyes widened at the turn of events.

"Gaara told me to run my branches through and across the ground before I used them on the imp," Minxie explained, noticing the former Kage's baffled expression. "He said there was gold dust left there. Your imp has a tendency to melt, so the gold welded right onto it. Gold is about twenty times heavier than water, which is why it got slower. When I threw it to the ground, it wasn't fast enough to escape Gaara's sand."

"I see... But then why no explosion?" the Mizukage questioned curiously.

"The sand that I mixed with the hail got cold enough to cool this thing down," Gaara continued, placing a hand against the golden surface. "Gold has good thermal conductivity, which came in handy for chilling its water vapor and steam."

"That was well played, truly an act befitting a current Kage... I am truly impressed that you came up with such a strategy. You really are... A golden child!" the Mizukage said, grinning down at the redhead.

Suddenly, another shinobi appeared, one with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a very loud voice that carried over the terrain. "Are you all right, Gaara!?"

The redheaded Kazekage nodded. The brunette next to him, however, was not the least bit amused.

"Oh, I'm fine, too!" She called out sarcastically. "Thank you for asking. You're such a caring boyfriend."

The word "boyfriend" made Gaara's eyes widen. Naruto and Minxie's relationship was a new development that he hadn't been informed of, much less prepared for. The brunette's eyes widened as she finally realized what she had said. She looked at Gaara, and the Kazekage could already see panic and guilt begin to take over her features. He stopped them with a shake of his head.

It's okay, he thought to her, knowing that, with the aid of her Mind's Eyes, she'd be able to read his thoughts.

No, it's not, she objected in that stubborn tone of hers that was so familiar to him. It was almost nostalgic to hear her voice in his head after all the time that had passed since they last used their mental connection.

Still, he refused to agree with her. Their romance may have been short-lived, but it was also undeniably pure, and nothing would ever change that. The two would always share a special relationship, even if it wasn't a romantic one. Besides, Naruto and Minxie were both his friends, and he wanted them to be happy. And he'd never seen either of them look as happy as they did now that they were together.

I mean it, he told her, because he did. I'm always going to care for you, but I also care about Naruto. He showed me how to be a friend, but you showed me how to love. And when you love someone, you can't be selfish with them. I love you enough to let you go.

She stared at him, emerald eyes flickering with dozens of emotions at once. She supposed that in her heart, she'd always known that Gaara had never harbored any ill feelings towards her after what had happened between them. The redhead was too purehearted for his own good. But hearing him say it -or more accurately, hearing him think it- removed a huge weight off her shoulders that she hadn't even realized she'd been carrying.

I don't deserve that, she told him, because really, she didn't.

Too bad. That's what you're getting.

When Gaara saw the way she smiled, he knew he'd done the right thing.

Naruto, oblivious to their mental conversation, sweatdropped as he turned to his girlfriend. "Hey, you're only a shadow clone! Gaara's the real thing! Of course I'm a little more worried about his well-being. He's more fragile than you are."

Gaara stared at Naruto, unable to decide whether or not he should be offended at being called fragile.

Minxie, on the other hand, nodded energetically, as if Naruto was completely correct. She smiled, "Oh, yeah, that's true. Gaara's like a pretty, delicate desert flower."

Now, Gaara was sure that he was offended. "It amazes me that the two of you managed to offend me in only a minute of being on the same battlefield."

Naruto wrapped an arm around Minxie's shoulders and shot his redheaded friend a large grin, while Minxie laughed and flashed a peace sign. The two looked awfully pleased with themselves.

"It's a talent, believe it!" Naruto announced.

Gaara sighed at their antics, but he couldn't help but smile a little. "Well, now that we've confirmed your talent for offending me, what's the news on your end? Did you get rid of the Raikage?"

"Yup! He's sealed away where he can't cause any more trouble," the blonde ninja answered. "When I heard the explosions, I got worried. I raced up here faster than Temari and the others, but they should be here soon."

Gaara nodded. "Good. We're almost done as well."

"Yeah, well, where's your enemy?" Naruto questioned. Minxie nudged him and pointed to the sand pyramid, where the Mizukage was still successfully trapped.

"Aw, so you do have friends!" the Mizukage cooed at Gaara. The redhead sighed. He should have expected the Mizukage to offend him as well.

Naruto, on the other hand, was completely horrified. "Oh my... What is he!? That's such a weird body! I thought only you could control sand, Gaara, but this guy's whole body is made of sand!"

Minxie hit her forehead with the palm of her hand while Gaara let out a deep sigh. They loved him, they really did, but his idiocy was something else entirely.

"No, Naruto... That's just my jutsu. His body doesn't really look like that."

"Ha, so you're the smart one of your friends, eh, Kazekage?" the Mizukage laughed. "You make a good pair."

Gaara smiled. He let his sand cover the Mizukage's face entirely, and finally, they managed to seal him away. The Fourth Company was at last able to regroup. Mats were laid out for the injured, and those who knew medical ninjutsu rushed to administer first aid. The rest of the Company, led by Temari, joined them at the sand-covered battlefield.

"Relay our current battle status to HQ," Gaara ordered a shinobi who worked with the telepathic division. The shinobi nodded, quick to obey.

"Good job against the former Kage, everyone!" the Tsuchikage said. "The victory is ours on this battlefield!"

The second Temari arrived, she began giving orders like a drill sergeant. "Extract the wounded and take them to the medical teams! All those capable of fighting, standby until we receive further orders from HQ!"

None of the shinobi questioned her. They immediately set off to do as she commanded, leaving the blonde Sand kunoichi with a proud look on her face. Even Gaara looked proud of his older sister, who actually seemed to be scarier than he once was.

Minxie was anything but frightened. Instead, she brought her hand to her head in a salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Temari rolled her eyes at her friend's teasing. "Oh, shut up, will you?"

Minxie laughed. Naruto knew better than to join in. His girlfriend could get away with teasing Temari, because the girls were actually very close friends. Him? Not so much. Gaara's sister was pretty terrifying when she wanted to be, and frankly, Naruto didn't want to know what it felt like to get smacked with her fan.

"Now that we've finished here," the Tsuchikage began, "You'll probably be redeployed to assist other battle fronts."

"Tsuchikage, you should go seek medical attention," Gaara advised. "Your back is in bad shape."

"I'm fine, Kazekage," the old man insisted, trying to be dismissive about the whole thing. Still, he couldn't help using a hand to rub his back in an attempt to soothe away the pain there.

"You're an old man, Lord Tsuchikage," Temari reminded lightly. "You need to take it easier. You should listen to Gaara."

The Tsuchikage grumbled, muttering something about the younger generation being a pain. Minxie ignored him, going over to him and placing a hand glowing with chakra on his back. She wasn't a medic, but she could at least soothe his pain a little. The Tsuchikage tried to complain, but her jutsu relieved the aching in his back, and she knew it, too, if her smug smile was any indication.

"Naruto, you and Minxie are just shadow clones, right?" Temari questioned, turning to the orange-clad shinobi beside her. When he nodded, she continued, "Then... Where are your originals right now?"

"They're with Killer Bee," Naruto answered. "They're going to fight Madara."

 ~*~

Mitchell was starting to hate plants.

He'd never really cared for the things; at least, not the way Josh did. But Josh was good at taking care of living things, plants and people included. And Mitchell, well, wasn't. The only reason he'd ever even seen plants in his home was because Josh took care of them. But now, he was sure that if he ever saw a single plant again for the rest of his life, it'd be too soon.

He hated venus fly traps. He hated the chakra-stealing, human-venus fly trap hybrids that wouldn't stop chasing him even more.

From the intel HQ had dispatched, he knew that the hybrids were actually called Zetsus, but he didn't care. He had other names for them in mind, names that his parents surely would have scolded him for.

His parents. He hadn't seen them in over three years. The reminder caused an unfamiliar sadness to weigh on his chest, and he slowed down.

Slowing down almost cost him his life. If he hadn't zoned back in, he would've had Zetsu's arm through his chest. He unsheathed his double swords from their place on his back, slicing the Zetsu apart and speeding forward once again.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of any more unpleasant thoughts about his parents. He couldn't lose focus, not when there was a horde of Zetsus chasing him. If he lost focus again, they'd kill him, and he was already too close to reaching the others to let that happen. He'd have to find a way to get rid of the horde before he reached them. He didn't want to force them to fight any more enemies than they already had.

Mitchell wished Shikamaru was with him. The Nara clan member would have been able to think of a plan in a matter of seconds. Of course, Shikamaru would have also never been stupid enough to go scouting alone.

Ino had warned him not to go alone. After their battle with an onslaught of Edotensei shinobi -a group that included their former sensei, Asuma- the blonde Yamanaka had insisted that they should stay together. Even when it was clear that they needed to scout the rest of the battlefield for more enemies, she had been obstinate and refused to waver.

"It's too dangerous for us to separate," She had told him, in that authoritative voice of hers that left little room for argument. "We have to stay together, especially now that we can't tell the difference between an enemy and a friend. Scouting alone is suicide, Hayato."

"I won't be alone," He'd replied, smiling in that lopsided way that usually made her melt. He'd realized that the smile wasn't exactly effective during times of war, because his teammate's blue eyes had remained clouded with worry. "My ninja hounds are only a quick summoning away. Besides, someone has to do it. I'll be okay."

He was not okay. He had been, at first; his scouting mission had started off without a hitch. He'd gone to the front lines, finding no enemies at a close enough range to threaten his unit. Of course, he hadn't expected the Zetsus to pop out of the ground, but that was precisely what happened. In theory, his scouting mission was successful. He had found the enemy.

The only problem was that the enemy had found him, too.

If there were only a few, he would have taken them on. However, the group that had jumped out of the ground was a large one, too large for him to defeat on his own. He might've had a chance if he stopped to summon his ninja hounds, but if he stopped, the Zetsus would surely kill him before any summoning could be done. And if he didn't stop and do something, they would reach the rest of his Company.

Again: he really, really hated plants.

The horde closed in, creating a circular formation around Mitchell. Not having much of a choice, he ran chakra through his twin blades and stopped to face the horde. He cut through the first few with ease. When he sliced at the sixth one, he started to think that maybe, he would actually win.

But then the others surrounded him, and he knew it was a lost cause. His blades were knocked out of his hands, landing somewhere far away from him. He was forced to use taijutsu, but it wasn't enough against so many of them. He was punched to the floor, landing on his back. He hardly even had time to lean up on his elbows before they lunged at him.

Mitchell expected it to be over quickly. He'd seen the Zetsus fight before, and he knew they were ruthless. They would waste no time in killing him. And yet... He was still alive, which confused him.

A flash of emerald shot through the chest of the Zetsu in front of him, making the plant hybrid scream. As Mitchell stared at it, he realized that the flash was actually an arm, only it was made of chakra. The green chakra arm bubbled, gold lining its edges. It formed into a hand, equipped with a chakra claw for each finger.

The arm extended outward, burrowing through the chests of the circle of Zetsus with ease. They screamed when the arm touched them. It was so fast that none of them were able to outrun it. They could only stand there as the arm impaled their bodies, searing through them.

The chakra arm lit up brilliantly. Lightning ran along it, electrocuting the Zetsus and turning them to unrecognizable masses of burned flesh. In only seconds, the enemy was defeated, and Mitchell was no longer surrounded.

Even though the threat was over, Mitchell couldn't find it in himself to get up. He merely watched in a morbid sort of fascination as the chakra arm grew smaller and smaller, retreating to its owner.

Said owner walked with an almost feline grace over to Mitchell. The arm retracted into her back, joining the emerald chakra coat that surrounded her. Colorful chakra wings rested on her back, her brown curls spilled over her shoulders, and her dress dragged over the ground. The presence she cast was so powerful that Mitchell almost wanted to shrink away.

But he wouldn't. What reason did he have to shrink away from the friend that he'd known for most of his life? She wouldn't hurt him. Her appearance may have changed, but that fact surely hadn't. He knew that it never would.

The hand she held out to him was undeniably human and characteristically gentle, although he did notice that it was adorned with sharp claws. A leopard's claws, he knew. Just like her ancestors.

"Not a word about the dress," Minxie warned, her new chakra mode making her look a thousand times more threatening, "or I'll kill you."

Mitchell laughed.

~*~

On the nearby battle front, shinobi were spread out across the terrain. Circles surrounded each of them, serving as their only way to distinguish each other from the enemy.

"Shikamaru, how long do we have to stay like this?" Choji asked his best friend, who stood a distance away from him. "If that big thing shows up again, we're toast."

Shikamaru stood with his arms across his chest. "It's only until Naruto or Minxie gets here. Until then, no one steps inside anyone else's circle. Or else I'll tag you as an enemy, even you!"

Across from him, in her own circle, Ino frowned. "Why not just confirm who we each are by saying things only one of us would know!?"

"No way!" Shikamaru refused. "We already lost some trying that method! Sometimes a lucky guess ends up being right!"

"We can't just stand here waiting," the blonde kunoichi protested. "Hayato is still out there. We need to go after him!"

"Not yet," Shikamaru said. "We can't risk it. We have to wait until Naruto and Minxie arrive. For now, we'll just have to trust that Hayato is all right." But even he couldn't ignore the unpleasant feeling in his gut. Hayato was a late addition to their team, but he was still close to them. Shikamaru wanted nothing more than to go after him, but he couldn't. He had to make the smart call, the right call, even if it hurt to do so.

"Hayato is strong," Choji added, hoping to comfort both his teammates, although he too was worried. "He can take care of himself. He's probably on his way back to us right now."

"Hey, guys!" a loud voice greeted. They looked up to see Naruto appear, his chakra mode lighting up the battlefield. "I finally got here!"

Ino was a bit disappointed that it was Naruto instead of Hayato, but she was grateful for the knucklehead ninja's arrival, anyway. Now that he was here, they could get rid of the remaining Zetsus and go find Hayato. "Naruto, finally!" She cheered.

"We got the heads up from HQ. Thanks for coming," Choza, Choji's father, greeted.

"Though I must say... I'm surprised Lord Raikage gave the okay," Darui added.

"Granny Tsunade convinced the Raikage for me," Naruto explained. "She told him there's no way I'm gonna die until I become Hokage!"

"Even during a war, you're still yelling about becoming Hokage," a new voice said. "I love where your priorities are at."

Ino and Choji's face lit up with smiles at the familiar voice. "Hayato!" they exclaimed together.

The violet-eyed brunette didn't look severely injured, although he did have to lean on the Takeda female beside him for support. He smiled at his teammates, while Minxie grinned from beside him.

"Glad to have you back," Shikamaru told him, a smile on his face.

"Debatable," Naruto muttered, sending a scowl in Mitchell's direction.

"Woah, Naruto, that's a pretty big word for you," Mitchell mocked, pretending to be amazed, "And you even used it in the right context! You sure are a- Ow!" He hissed in pain as an elbow connected with his side roughly. He scowled at Minxie, who continued to stand innocently, as if she hadn't just assaulted him. "What the hell was that for!?"

She shrugged innocently. "You were making fun of my boyfriend, so I retaliated. Now, be nice, or I'll start singing."

There were several things Ino could have shouted in that moment. She could have shouted something about how Minxie's terrible singing would no doubt destroy their already dwindling battle ranks, or maybe something about how Hayato's comments didn't merit a punishment as severe as the brunette's singing. In the end, Ino settled for the ever-classy, "WAIT, BOYFRIEND!?"

Minxie made the mistake of nodding. Ino forgot all about the protective circles Shikamaru had insisted upon and launched herself at the brunette, a million things leaving her lips at once, "You're dating Naruto!? Seriously!? When did this happen!? How long has this been happening!? I'm so happy for you! I can't believe you didn't tell me! Why didn't you tell me!? I want to be a bridesmaid at the wedding to make up for it! Does Sakura know yet!? Oh, man, Forehead is gonna flip out! I can't wait until I see her! I'll be able to brag about how I won the bet! And before you ask, yes, we all made a bet as to how long it'd take for you guys to get together. And I got the closest guess! I was scared I'd lose, though, since, well, you're kind of an oblivious moron who probably wouldn't have noticed how much Naruto loves you, even if he put on a huge musical number about it. But musical number or not, this is awesome! I'm so happy! You're happy, too, right!? Because you totally look like it!"

Minxie was so surprised that she unceremoniously dropped Mitchell to the floor. The violet-eyed teen made a sound of protest, but he was ignored by his blonde teammate, who was obviously much more interested in Minxie's new relationship than his feelings.

Shikamaru stepped out of his circle to stand beside Ino, putting his hands on the shoulders of his teammate, who was practically bouncing with excitement. "What she means is congratulations."

"Yeah," Choji agreed with a smile. "You two deserve it."

"And it was about damn time," Mitchell added.

After sharing a brief look with Naruto, who sent her a loving smile, Minxie turned to the rest of her friends. "Thanks, guys." She turned to Ino. "I'll tell you everything later, okay? But first, we have a war to finish."

"Okay, fine," Ino relented, reluctantly halting her cheerful displays. "But I want details, got it? And nothing is too detailed!"

Minxie sweatdropped. "Understood." Ino squealed and gave the brunette a hug. It was all Minxie could do to hug the girl back.

Naruto had no idea how to react to any of that. The workings of girl world would forever be a mystery to him, and frankly, he was completely okay with that. But at least his friends were as happy as he and Minxie were, now that they were together.

"Well, now that Minxie and I are here, we can find the enemies for you! Let's take down the Zetsus, everyone!"

~*~

Kylie was overworked.

She'd known being a medic during a war wouldn't be easy, but she hadn't expected it to be so exhausting. Her shifts at the hospital were nowhere near as tiring and hectic as her time in the Allied Shinobi Forces' medical unit.

She knew that the white Zetsus were the source of all the chaos. Their attacks had left the Shinobi Forces in shambles, unsure of who they could trust anymore. It had gotten so bad that she, Sakura, and Shizune had to be separated from the rest of their unit and placed under watchful guard as they worked their jutsu. Their medical skills made them targets, and if the Shinobi Forces lost them, the resulting loss of life would be unparalleled. Their safety was top priority.

The injured continued to flood into their camp, and with them, more attacks by the Zetsus. Members of the medical unit scrambled to treat them all while simultaneously avoiding being attacked. It was no secret that morale was running dangerously low. They were beginning to wonder what was the point of it all. What use was healing a few people if twice as many came back injured?

Kankuro had given her a reason. He probably hadn't even meant to, but he'd given her one nonetheless. It had been when the entire Allied Shinobi Force had gathered together, awaiting Gaara's speech before they were dispatched to their respective front lines.

Kankuro had pulled her aside, away from Sakura and the rest of the medical unit. "Hey."

She hadn't been able to suppress the grin that had appeared on her face at the mere sight of him after so long. "Kankuro. You're here." She'd blinked. "I mean, of course you'd be here. Everyone's here. What brings you here, exactly?" He'd stared at her, then, and again, she'd been amazed at her own stupidity. "Don't answer that. I didn't mean why you're here, because that's obvious. We're here because of war, but I meant why are you here here, as in next to me kind of here. Not that you need a reason or anything, because we're friends, and friends don't need real reasons to- I'm just going to stop talking now."

By the time she'd finished embarrassing herself, her face was as red as tomato. She covered it with her hands, trying to figure out when exactly she had become so lame and why the hell she hadn't noticed it before she'd started talking to the guy she liked.

But Kankuro had only laughed genuinely, diffusing any embarrassment she'd been feeling. "I missed you, too, Kimi." She'd peeked at him through her fingers to see him smiling at her. "I just wanted a chance to talk to you before I have to leave."

She'd nodded in realization, removing her hands from her face. "Right. Your unit is the first one being dispatched, isn't it?" He'd nodded in reply. "Well, then, I suppose I should wish you luck, Captain Kankuro."

He'd grinned cheekily at her. "I could get used to you calling me that."

"Kankuro!" She'd exclaimed, smacking his arm and blushing furiously.

"Kidding!" He'd defended, rubbing his arm. "Well, mostly..." She'd hit him again. "Okay, ow! Look, I just wanted to thank you again for everything you did for me, back in the Sand Village. I haven't forgotten any of it."

"It was no big deal. Really, you don't have to thank me."

"It was a big deal. You saved my life, Kimi, and more importantly, you helped me get my little brother back. And the thing is... I haven't been able to get you out of my head."

Her hands had fallen to her sides, her blue eyes widening as she listened to him.

"I know that this is late. I should've said something sooner. I shouldn't have let you leave Suna without asking you out, but I did. And I regret that. And now we're going to war, and I don't know if I'll-"

He'd stopped talking when she'd wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. "It's okay," she'd whispered, "I know." He'd wrapped his arms around her small frame, returning the embrace. And for a brief moment, as they held each other, they could almost see themselves in another world, one where they weren't about to be thrown into a war.

But then the crowd had quieted down as Gaara arrived, and the moment was over.

The blue-haired kunoichi looked up. "I guess Gaara's finally ready." She looked back at the Kazekage's brother, a small smile on her face. "We have to go. I'll see you later, Kankuro."

She hadn't wanted to, but she'd parted from him, beginning to walk away. She hadn't gotten very far before he'd pulled her back to him and kissed her in a way she'd never been kissed before. His kiss had left her breathless and wanting and whole, and God, she couldn't believe they hadn't done this sooner.

When it was over, he'd rested his forehead against hers, "Just in case there is no later."

And that was all it took. That was all she needed as a reason. She kept healing, she kept doing her part, because she couldn't give up hope. She had to make sure that there was a later: not just for her and Kankuro, but for the rest of the world, too.

"Help!" A cry filled the air, snapping Kylie out of her thoughts. She exchanged a look with Sakura, who looked as baffled as she felt. The two kunoichi exited the tent, trying to locate the disturbance. They found that the source was a couple, a woman holding an unconscious man.

"Don't come any closer!" warned the shinobi guard who stood watch in front of the tent.

"Please, he's been injured!" the woman exclaimed, taking a step forward. "He might still be saved with medical ninjutsu!"

"I told you not to move!" the guard barked angrily. "How can you prove that you're allies!?"

"But... At this rate, he's going to die! Please... Help him!" She begged sorrowfully. "Do not let my husband die in my arms!" She pulled out a kunai with her free hand. "If you can't trust me, I'll take my life right here! Just please, save him!"

Kylie and Sakura exchanged a look. It would be risky letting them in. These people could be the enemy, and agreeing to help them would no doubt result in the medics' injuries. But... If these people weren't the enemy, and Sakura and Kylie turned them away, they'd be forcing a woman to watch her husband die in her arms.

"... All right," Sakura said finally. "You can come in."

"No!" the shinobi guard protested. "What if they're-"

"Thank you!" the woman cried, cutting him off. She stepped forward, her husband in tow.

It all happened so fast. One second, they were charging towards Sakura, aiming to kill, and then the next, they were on the ground, laying defeated beneath a blur of yellow chakra.

Not just yellow chakra, Kylie told herself. That's... "Naruto!"

The blonde ninja looked up, grinning at the two kunoichi in front of him, a Rasengan fading from each of his hands. "Are you guys okay? You don't look hurt!"

Kylie grinned just as brightly in reply. "And we won't be, now that you're here."

~*~

Neji was outnumbered.

He didn't realize it at first, but now, he knew it was true. He had completely underestimated the number of enemies surrounding him. He'd always prided himself because of his vision, but clearly, his Byakugan wasn't nearly as powerful as he thought it was. He knew that if he bided his time properly, if he focused himself, he'd be able to get out of this.

But all he could think about was Hinata. His cousin was off somewhere, facing enemies alone, when he was supposed to be protecting her. What kind of cousin was he if he couldn't even look after her? He was failing her, and he hated it.

Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice the Zetsu springing towards him. His eyes widened, and he prepared himself to counter... But he didn't have to, because right before the plant hybrid could reach him, it was ripped out of the air by a large black wolf. The wolf tore the Zetsu apart, destroying its flesh in his jaws. When the wolf was finished, it turned to Neji as if he was an old friend.

The Hyuga blinked at the creature that towered over him. "Masaru?"

The black wolf nodded. "It's been a while, Neji. Good to see you." And then Masaru leaped over Neji, closing his jaws around another Zetsu's throat.

"You okay?" a soft voice questioned. Neji turned to see Rin appear beside him. The Mori heiress was barefoot, having discarded her shoes the moment the fighting had started. It was a good thing she had done so, too. They needed all the sensory shinobi they had to be able to locate the enemy.

"I'm fine," He told her, his eyes going over the many Zetsus that were closing in around them. The two stood back to back, prepared to face the enemy. "Masaru got bigger."

Rin smiled, getting into a fighting stance as the Zetsus approached. "And stronger, but don't tell him that. He's already alpha. He doesn't need a bigger ego."

Neji threw kunai at the Zetsus, hitting a few in chest. "Have you seen Hinata?"

"No," She replied, sending a kick to a Zetsu's stomach. "Last time I checked, she was with Shino. But I'm sure she's fine. She can take care of herself, Neji. You don't have to worry so much."

"I'm not worrying," He denied, punching a Zetsu in the face.

"Yes, you are. You're acting like a worried mother hen. It's actually kind of adorable." She brought out her fans, sending gusts of wind at the enemy and knocking them away.

He glowered at her, his eyebrow twitching in aggravation. "Never call me adorable."

Rin crouched, chucking a boulder at one of the Zetsus. "But it's true! Really, I don't get why you don't have a girlfriend yet. Maybe Ino's willing?"

"Are you out of your mind!?" Neji practically shouted, using his air palm jutsu over her head at one of the Zetsus.

"You're totally right. You and Ino aren't the least bit compatible." She stood up, lifting more rocks from the earth with her fans. "Tenten is obviously the perfect choice."

He blushed a bit, then, suddenly very grateful that Rin was blind and therefore could not see his reddening face. "I didn't mean just that! I meant that we're at war! We have more important things to worry about than my love life! We need to get rid of the enemy, not play matchmaker!"

"You've known me for years, Neji. Haven't you noticed it by now? I'm a multi-tasker!" She announced, stomping her foot. The ground beneath them shifted, and they were elevated above the Zetsus. From up here, they could aim much better at their enemies.

The only problem was that they weren't entirely sure who their enemies were. Some of the Zetsus had already transformed into shinobi from their platoon, and neither Rin's perception skills nor Neji's Byakugan could tell the real shinobi from the fake ones. The battle they fought was a tiresome one. Neji and Rin stood back to back, dodging attacks from the Zetsus, who seemed intent on trying to kill them.

And suddenly, the attacks stops. Wood sprung out of the earth, wrapping around shinobi and Zetsus alike. The wood tightened around them, crushing them easily.

Minxie -or they assumed it was, at least- appeared below Rin and Neji, waving up at them. "Guys, down here! I took care of all the Zetsus, even the transformed ones!"

Neji stared at Minxie's new appearance with something akin to amazement. This chakra was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Every part of her essence -the wings, the coating, the claws- were made of a bright, emerald-gold chakra that he hadn't seen in ages. It was unreal.

Promptly, he shook his head. What if this was a trap? Minxie looked like the girl he knew, but her chakra was completely foreign. It gave off an aura that was entirely new to him, and he couldn't trust it.

At the sound of Minxie's voice, Rin lowered the rock she had raised up, allowing herself and Neji to stand on the ground once again. Before she could move, Neji stopped her.

"Don't," He warned, catching the heiress' arm. The girl before them may have looked like Minxie, but there was no telling if she was the real one, and Neji was not going to take any chances.

Rin frowned. "But she's Minxie."

"You don't know that."

"Uh, yeah, I do. I can tell."

He shook his head. Normally, he trusted her perception, but these Zetsus were tricky. He wasn't going to let her endanger herself. "We don't know if that's the real Minxie. Her chakra looks completely different, Rin. She could be one of those Zetsu clones in disguise."

Silence. And then... "NEJI!!!"

Whatever suspiciousness the Hyuga had felt beforehand completely vanished when Minxie threw herself at him, latching onto him like some sort of koala. She gave him a huge hug, her legs locked around his waist while her arms locked around his neck.

He didn't even have to look at Rin to know that the Mori heiress was grinning. He sighed deeply. "Okay, you were right. She's the real thing. Only Minxie insists on hugging me like a deranged koala."

Minxie smiled brightly, wiping imaginary tears from her eyes. "Aw, you know me so well!" She cooed wistfully.

"Unfortunately," He said, making her sweatdrop and Rin laugh. "Now, get off."

"Nope, not until I get a hug back. Really, Neji, you should know this by now. Accept my love! Otherwise, you'll have a deranged koala hanging onto you for the rest of the war. I mean it."

Neji knew she was serious, so he hugged her back grudgingly. She grinned, releasing him and landing on her feet. "Much better. Now, we should probably-" She was abruptly cut off when Kiba rode in on Akamaru's back, shouting all the while.

"Neji, Rin!" the Inuzuka exclaimed. "We've got a- Minxie?" His eyes widened at the emerald-eyed brunette, who waved at him, as if the chakra wings on her back and the chakra coat around her body were completely normal occurrences.

"Sadly, yes, we've got a Minxie," Neji said. "She's our reinforcement."

Kiba paid no mind to Neji's words. He was too busy staring at Minxie, whose chakra mode seemed to exert radiance. Rin tried to snap him out of it, going as far as to waving her hand on front of his face, but the teen didn't budge.

The Mori heiress rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I'm the blind one."

"Kiba!" Minxie exclaimed, snapping him out of his daze. "Is everything okay?"

He shook his head, ignoring the redness that had formed in his cheeks. "Yeah, everything's fine... No, wait, it isn't!" His eyes widened, as if he'd suddenly remembered something. "We've got a problem! The enemy's closing in on Shino and Hinata!" Beneath him, Akamaru barked in agreement.

At the mention of his cousin, Neji was immediately involved, demanding, "Where is she!?"

"This way! Come on!" Kiba shouted, leading the way. They quickly followed after him, Rin riding on Masaru and Minxie flying with her chakra wings. Neji raced ahead, spotting Hinata about to be punched by a fellow shinobi.

Damnit, the Hyuga cursed. We're not going to make it on time!

The shinobi's hit landed, knocking Hinata into a rock wall. Neji began to shout, but then he realized that Hinata wasn't really Hinata at all. She was actually just a transformed Zetsu.

The other shinobi looked up, "Who next!?"

"The two to your left!" a familiarly loud voice shouted in reply, jumping over the battlefield.

Neji looked up with wide eyes. Was that really Naruto? But then where was Hinata?

"Neji, where the hell are you going!?" Kiba barked. Minxie and Rin were still following behind him. "Hinata's this way, moron!"

Neji quickly joined them. He spotted Hinata once again, only this time, two shinobi with swords were preparing to attack her. He raced forward, ready to stop them, but he didn't have to. Before he could reach her, Naruto appeared between the shinobi and Hinata, catching the swords with chakra arms and saving the Hyuga heiress.

"Sorry I'm late," Naruto said, "But you're safe now!" He kept the swords in place, knocking the two shinobi away with chakra fists from his coat. The shinobi hit the ground, turning back into Zetsus before transforming into trees. Naruto stuck the swords into the ground, turning to face Hinata, "You okay?"

She settled for a nod, eyes wide, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

"Why didn't you let us know sooner that Naruto had arrived!?" Neji demanded of the other shinobi he had encountered earlier, the one he had thought was attacking Hinata.

"Because he just got here!" the shinobi defended. "I happened to run into him first, but I was still fighting! I didn't have much time to do anything else."

"He smells different now, so I didn't notice him," Kiba said. "I couldn't tell Minxie's scent, either. Hers changed, too."

Hearing this, Minxie brought her hand to her nose, sniffing. She turned to Rin, extending out her hand, "Rin, do I really-"

"I'm not smelling your hand," Rin refused, crossing her arms over her chest. Minxie pouted, rejected.

Kiba facepalmed at their exchanged, but continued speaking nonetheless. "Besides, Neji, you're the one with long-range vision. You should've seen Naruto coming."

"He looks different than he did before," Neji muttered, his Byakugan studying Naruto's new form. It, like Minxie's, had completely transformed. "Even his chakra nature's changed!"

Kiba's eye twitched. "Then you couldn't tell, either! So quit-" Rin placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head and stopping his rant. The Inuzuka sighed, grumbling to himself, "Oh, whatever..."

"Are you really Naruto?" Neji asked suspiciously.

"Trust me, he's the real Naruto," Minxie assured.

The Hyuga continued to look unconvinced. "Can you prove it?"

Minxie's eye twitched at her former teammate. As much as she loved Neji, his suspiciousness was starting to tick her off. "What is he supposed to do? Shove ten bowls of ramen down his throat like the real Naruto would? Shout 'believe it' at the top of his lungs?"

"Minxie is right, Neji. This is the real Naruto," Hinata said. "You can tell by his eyes. Besides, he saved me. No enemy would have done that. I'm so sorry, Naruto... We've all become so distrustful."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Now that I'm here, you don't have to fight a defensive battle anymore!" Naruto said easily. "Minxie and I'll find all the fakes for you, one by one!"

Hinata nodded, looking down. It was nice to see Naruto again, but all it did was remind her how weak she was. She wanted to be able to protect the ones she loved, but it seemed like the people she was supposed to protect always ended up protecting her instead. She felt like such a loser.

"Hinata, it's okay," Naruto said gently, making her look up at him. "You've protected me before, remember? That's what friends do for each other. Why wouldn't I repay the favor to you?"

Hinata blinked, flustered. "I-I wasn't... Worrying or anything..."

"I can see it in your eyes. Don't keep beating yourself up. You are strong!"

His words were all the reassurance she needed. They'd given her the confidence boost she'd been missing, making her feel stronger than before.

"Well, now that we've established that Naruto is indeed the real Naruto..." Minxie muttered, shooting Neji a pointed glance. "Who's ready to take down some plant people!?"

Masaru bared his sharp teeth, and Rin drew her fans.

"I thought you'd never ask."

~*~

Luna was overwhelmed.

She was used to being subjected to multiple visions, but this was something else entirely. Visions filled her head without warning, one right after the other, not giving her even a second to catch her breath. If this had happened to her a few months earlier, she would have crumbled under the pressure and given up. After all, why should she risk her life for her visions?

Now, she had a reason. She had friends she cared about, now, and they were counting on her. That was precisely why she'd agreed to come to HQ, where she would be able to report her visions directly the head of the shinobi army. Josh had been assigned to look after her, since he was the only other person in Konoha -besides Scarlett- who knew anything about seers.

His knowledge of her lineage had surprised her, so she'd asked him about it. He'd explained that in his time away from the village, he'd heard a lot of stories about seers. The stories were enough to interest him, so he did his research, and when he wanted to research something, he almost always found results. There was a lot he didn't know -after all, research could only tell you so much- but it was nice to have someone around who knew about her strange talents. It made her feel less alone.

Another vision appeared before Luna's eyes. She gripped the table in front of her with one hand, steeling herself, and reached for the pencil that lay beside her. She dragged the pencil across the paper as her eyes flickered from side to side, absorbing the vision for all it was worth. Drawing while experiencing a vision had been Josh's idea, and now, she was very glad he'd suggested it. Drawing made it easier to keep her mind on track and prevent her from getting lost in her vision.

When it was over, she turned to the Hokage and the Raikage, who were patiently awaiting her word.

"The tide of the battle will change in our favor," She announced, golden eyes glimmering brightly with happiness. "Bee, Minxie, and Naruto's presence has made everything for the better. Each of the Companies will dominate their fields."

Shikaku smiled. "Fantastic."

"It's been confirmed. Naruto and Minxie have reached all the battlefields!" Inoichi said. "The Fourth Company has sealed away all of their enemies! The merged First and Second Companies have also located all their enemies! They're advancing with incredible momentum! The Third Company is also successful! The Fifth Company has the upper hand as well, and the medical unit has suppressed all of their enemies! The Sixth Company is also ridding itself of the remaining Zetsus!"

The confirmation of Luna's vision made everyone in the room smile. Things were finally looking up. They were winning the war.

"Good job, Luna," the Hokage said, making the seer look up. "We wouldn't have been able to reach this much success if it weren't for your visions."

"She's right," Josh agreed. "Your visions are what showed us what to avoid. You helped us find the best course of action and guarded us against threats. I mean, you even told the Raikage that if he wanted to win, he had to let Naruto, Minxie, and Bee pass. We're winning because of you, Luna."

"Indeed," the Raikage said. "I'll admit, I was skeptical of your abilities at first, but now I know that they're real. More than anything, they're helpful. You're not bad, kid."

Luna smiled brightly at their praise. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever felt so happy. She'd always thought that her visions were a curse, but now, she began to realize that they really were a gift. They were enabling her to guide the army and save the shinobi world. It was the first time she'd ever felt needed, as if she was actually doing something good.

"Now we just need to stop Madara, who is approaching with Jinchuriki in tow," Shikaku said. "We should focus our remaining battle strength there and hit him with all we've got!"

Luna was going to nod in agreement, but her plans changed as another vision appeared before her eyes. Her body froze, and her golden eyes widened in horror. Her fingers dug into the table in front of her, scraping across the wooden surface. "No, no, no..." Her voice was a terrified whisper.

Her reactions concerned the entire room. It was Josh who stepped forward, kneeling next to her.

"Luna," he called gently, making sure that he wouldn't startle her, "what is it?"

But the seer only shook her head. "No, no, no... This isn't possible. It can't be... It isn't... There's two of them?"

There wasn't any time for him to ask what she meant. There was hardly even any time for him to think, because the next second, she was screaming, clutching her head in her hands.

"Luna!" the Hokage shouted, standing up abruptly and rushing over to the girl.

"Luna!" Josh shouted, trying to get the girl's attention.

But their shouts were merely cries on deaf ears. Luna couldn't hear anything except her own screaming. Another second passed, and then it was over. Her screams stopped. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fell. Josh had to spring forward to catch her. He laid her gently on the floor.

Tsunade was quick to kneel beside them, touching her hand to the fallen seer's forehead. Her palm lit up with the familiar green chakra of her medical ninjutsu. Josh remained by the younger girl's side, moving her hair out of her face.

"What the hell happened to her?" the Raikage asked, having risen from his seat at the head of the table.

"I haven't a clue," the Hokage replied solemnly with a shake of her head. "Normally, I'd blame a condition like this on chakra exhaustion, but her vitals are perfectly normal. Whatever's ailing her is in her head, not her body."

"How on Earth are we supposed to know how to help her?" He said. "It's not like the girl left us a hint!"

"I think she did," Shikaku spoke up, making all of the room's occupants -with the exception of Luna- turn to him. He held up a piece of paper, the same one Luna had been drawing on. On it, a strange symbol composed of arrows facing in different directions had been drawn. "Do any of you recognize it?"

"... I think it's a written form of seer dialect," Josh answered, gray eyes scanning the drawing. "Luna told me that in ancient times, seers would write their messages in code, to prevent others from unfairly knowing their futures. The code used symbols instead of words. I think what Luna drew is one of the symbols, but I have no clue what it means."

"So the only person who can tell us what it means is out of commission," the Raikage concluded. "Fantastic." He ran a hand down his face. "Is there any way of knowing when she'll awaken?"

"It's hard to say," the Hokage answered, removing her hand from Luna's forehead. "I've done what I can, but-"

She was cut off by a loud gasp, courtesy of their supposedly unconscious seer. Luna's eyes shot open, exposing the liquid gold irises that marked her lineage. Those very irises faded as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, leaving her orbs pale and colorless. Then, her eyes snapped shut, and her body was still once again.

The room's occupants exchanged wary glances. It was clear that none of them had even the slightest clue as to what was going on. Even in ancient times, seers were hardly every understood. Now, the shinobi were starting to realize exactly why.

When Luna opened her eyes again, her pupils were gone, leaving only the bright golden color of her irises. The gold that had initially seemed so rare and beautiful now seemed horribly unsettling. She sat up with a stillness that was foreign to her, rising from the floor. Without sparing so much as a glance to the rest of the shinobi in the room, she made her way to the door.

"... Luna?" Josh called out her name unsurely. The girl didn't listen. He wondered if she could even hear him at all. He took a step towards her, reaching out a hand to catch her arm. "Luna, are you-"

The second his hand made contact with her skin, he was thrown backwards by an unknown force. His body knocked into one of the nearby desks, causing the chairs to tip over. He was so stunned that he could hardly even feel the bruises that he knew were forming on his skin. Tsunade was quick to help him up, her eyes following the retreating figure of the seer who'd injured him. Luna seemed to radiate chakra, and by the looks of it, her chakra was responsible for throwing Josh to the side.

"Has she lost her mind!?" the Raikage demanded angrily.

"No..." Josh muttered. "I think she's in some sort of trance."

"Well, whatever trance it is, it obviously can't be broken by human contact," Shikaku reasoned. "Otherwise we'll just end up injuring ourselves."

The Hokage let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Daisuke, I hate to ask you this, but right now, I don't have much of a choice. I need you to go after Luna. Follow her until this trance nonsense is over and bring her back here. Do your best to keep her hidden."

"Hidden?" Josh repeated incredulously. "She's a seer with golden eyes and no pupils. How am I supposed to hide her? I can't even touch her!"

"If Madara gets ahold of her, this war is lost," the Raikage said. "The damage he could do with a seer in his clutches... It's unimaginable. You'll have to improvise until you figure out where she's going. Keep us updated on her location, and we'll dispatch whatever forces we can spare to assist you until we can devise a proper strategy. Until then, you'll have to take care of her by yourself."

"Her drawing has to be a clue," Shikaku added. "I'll see what I can find on it."

"You can do this," the Hokage assured. "You have my utmost confidence, Daisuke, you know that."

Not having much of a choice, Josh nodded. "All right. I'll keep you posted."

He sprinted off after Luna, until he realized that he didn't need to run at all. The girl was walking at a controlled, average pace away from HQ. Her gaze was set on the path in front of her. He followed her stealthily, not wanting to risk disturbing her. He really didn't want to get thrown back by her chakra again.

Curious, he purposely crunched a twig beneath his foot. Luna's gaze did not shift to him. She remained transfixed on the road in front of her, not sparing him a glance. He crushed another twig, this time even louder, but she still didn't turn. Carefully, he fell into step beside her, making sure to keep a space between them so that they wouldn't touch. She didn't seem to notice him. He doubted that she would, even if he started talking to her.

She took off into the trees, and he was quick to follow after her. They ran through the treetops for a while, the silence between them never breaking. Although it was unsettling at first, Josh found that he was actually grateful for the silence. Without it, he wouldn't be able to think properly. His mind went back to the seer's drawing. Something about the symbol seemed oddly familiar, but he just couldn't place it.

Daisuke, Shikaku's voice appeared in his head, startling him. The symbol is more than just a clue. It's a place. I had to turn it over to see it properly, but it's definitely a forest.

That doesn't narrow it down much. There are dozens of forests in this area, Josh said. Wait, you said you had to turn it over?

Yes. The arrows are actually just a bunch of trees, but in order to see them, I had to turn it over.

Josh could almost feel the gears in his head turning. Almost the way you turn over a new leaf.

Shikaku took a pause. You think she's headed for the Leaf Village?

She has to be. If not, she's headed for the forest surrounding it. Now that I think about it, we're actually only a few minutes away from there, Josh said. Tell the Raikage to hold off on the reinforcements. Luna's tolerating me now, but I don't think she'll take kindly to a bunch of shinobi chasing after her.

I'll pass the message along. Be careful, kid.

Their mental conversation ended just in time, because Luna stopped moving. She jumped down from the treetops, landing on the grass-covered forest floor. Josh did the same, careful to keep enough distance between them.

"She has to choose," Luna spoke up suddenly, making his eyes widen. He was startled that he almost jumped. She ignored him, continuing, "If she doesn't, we lose."

The dead tone her voice had taken concerned Josh very much. The fact that she was rhyming concerned him even more. He wasn't even sure if she was talking to him or to the path in front of her.

"Before this child can set the world right, secrets of the past must come to light," Luna chanted, as if she was reciting some sort of deadly poem.

"Luna?" Josh called. She lapsed back into silence, refusing to reply to the calling of her name. He wasn't sure if the person before him was even Luna anymore. Thoughtful, he decided a different approach, "What about the past?"

That sparked an almost immediate response from her. "No future without a past. The past fight, the last light. And then it ends."

Luna wasn't making even the slightest bit of sense. Josh wanted nothing more than to dismiss her ramblings as nonsense, but she was a seer, and from what he could tell, the ramblings of a seer almost always proved to be more than what they seemed. But he really, really didn't want to make sense of her ramblings, especially since they sounded so much like a new prophecy. And really, he and his friends had more than enough prophecies to worry about. He had no intentions of adding another one to the mix, when things were already so complicated.

"She must take three with her to a world once lost," Luna continued, in that uncharacteristically blank tone that Josh was starting to hate. She spoke in an almost detached manner, as if she wasn't really speaking to him or to anyone at all. "But such a journey will come at a cost."

"What world?" He asked, both confused and curious. "And why three?"

"Three," She repeated. Her voice was a dead chime, an incantation that he wanted no part of. "No more, no less. Three founders, three travelers, three saviors. No more, no less."

"... Well, that didn't answer my questions. I think it actually gave me more." He let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples. He was really starting to regret his time away from Konoha. It'd made everyone think he was some sort of seer expert, even though he knew now that he was anything but an expert. "What world will these people have to go to, Luna?"

"An old one. Later, a new one can be made if the price is met," She replied. "Three lives for peace is a small price to pay, but find a new path and change them, she may."

He shook his head. "Luna, what are you-"

"The decision she must make is one she has come to fear," She continued, cutting him off. "But the answer she seeks lies in what she once held dear."

"She... The one who has to make a decision," He muttered. "Are you talking about Minxie? Is this another prophecy? Who's going to die, Luna?"

She ignored him. She continued walking until they reached a clearing. The grass thinned out in the middle, as if something had been stopping its full growth for a long time. Luna pulled out a kunai from her weapons pouch and sliced her palm. She let drops of her blood fall onto the grass, staining it red. The drops formed together, spreading across the ground. Suddenly, a red symbol appeared on the grass, a circle with a three-headed arrow cutting through it diagonally. The symbol, it seemed, had been there for a while; all it needed to reappear was a few drops of Luna's blood.

The young seer let out a gasp, falling to the floor. Josh quickly knelt by her side, forgetting all about what her chakra could do to him and pressing a bandage to her injured palm. Luckily, he was able to touch her without hurting himself, proving that she had definitely snapped out of whatever trance she'd been in. The reappearance of her pupils proved that idea even further.

"Daisuke?" She whispered. Her voice had once again taken on its familiar soft tone. Now, she was the kind and confused girl he remembered, not the cryptic and almost malevolent seer she'd been only moments earlier. "What in the... Where are we?"

"The forest outside of Konoha," He answered, being sure to use his most gentle tone. He could tell from her expression that she had no idea how they'd gotten here. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Inoichi updated us on the fighting... The tide of the war finally turned in our favor. I think I started having another vision, but... I can't remember it, or anything else after that." She looked to the red symbol on the grass. "Did I do that?"

He nodded. "You told us there were two of them... We had no idea what you meant, and you never got a chance to tell us because you blacked out right after that. When you woke up, you weren't yourself any longer. It was like you were in some sort of trance," He explained carefully. "You led us out here, spoke a few riddles, and drew that symbol on the ground."

Luna stared forward, trying to make sense of all that he told her. It was clear that she'd had a vision prior to blacking out, but why couldn't she remember it? It was obviously a horrible one, if it triggered her blackout, but what could it have been? 'There's two of them' left an uncomfortably large amount of room for interpretation. Two of what, exactly? And why did she bring Daisuke out here, of all places? All the uncertainties made her head spin.

Josh watched her carefully. He had no doubt that she was confused out of her mind. He wanted to help her in any way that he could, but they were at war. He couldn't waste any more time being gentle and cautious. There had to be a reason for everything she'd just experienced, and he needed answers. "Luna, do you know what that symbol means?"

Her head was still spinning, but she looked to the symbol, anyway. "It's seer dialect. It can mean crossroads, or a journey..." Her voice trailed off. "But when it's drawn diagonally like that, it means a journey across worlds." She looked at him, then, catching the wave of realization that seemed to overtake his features. "Why do I feel like you knew that already?"

"I didn't," He muttered. "I just... I think I've seen it before... No, I know I did. It was in the Hokage's library, on a scroll with a dragon breathing blue fire on the spine. I never opened it, but I remember seeing it when Minxie, Hayato, Kimi and I were looking for information about the Takeda clan."

A memory sparked in Luna's mind. "My mother used to write letters to Kimiko Takeda all the time! I remember that the letters were always sealed with a dragon breathing blue fire. That was Kimiko's seal. The scroll that you're talking about had to belong to Minxie's mother."

Josh stared at her for a long moment. "That scroll has to be what Kimiko used to send Minxie away eleven years ago. And if the symbol on the scroll matches the one in front of us now... This must be the place where she used it." Suddenly, everything made sense: the symbol, Luna's actions, the continuation of the prophecy. "You brought us here because you knew that in order to end this war, we'll have to do the same."

Luna was at a loss for words. Here she was, not having a clue as to what her actions meant, yet he seemed to have it all figured out. "What are you talking about?"

"You said it yourself. 'She must take three with her to a world once lost.' Minxie and Hayato... Kimi and I... We need to go back to our original dimension."

~*~

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Air Scythe Jutsu!"

"Lightning Style: Thunder Blade Jutsu!"

All around Ryuu, the battle raged on. It had been an easy victory at first; as the leader of the aerial unit, he had made sure of that. His unit, composed predominately of natives from the Hidden Dragon Village, had flown over the enemy with ease from atop dragons, raining fire and kunai down on them. Initially, they had faced thousands of the Zetsus, but their aerial assaults had taken care of most of them. Now, only a few hundred remained.

Ryuu was sure that his unit could handle them. After all, the Zetsus couldn't fly, which gave the Sixth Company a huge advantage. So long as they remained in the air, they'd be free to attack without having to worry about any retaliation from the enemy. As a former Akatsuki member, Ryuu was well aware of the Zetsus' abilities, and he warned the shinobi of them. A few foolish ones, however, hadn't fully listened, and the Zetsus were able to absorb their chakra.

Once the Zetsus began transforming into the shinobi, chaos ensued. Ryuu tried his best to uncover the fakes using his kekkei genkai, but his field of vision only went so far. His unit was forced to come to the ground and engage in combat there. He remained in the center of all the fighting, shouting orders to those around him while simultaneously taking down enemies and warning his comrades of the imposters.

Ryuu knew he was overusing his eyes, but he didn't care. He was a war general, the commander of his unit, and there was no way he was going to let something as trivial as chakra exhaustion prevent him from doing his job. The more logical part of him knew that he should take a break and give his eyes a rest, but he didn't listen to it. Besides, he couldn't take a break, even if he wanted to. The Zetsus were all particularly vicious wherever he was concerned. They all seemed to be targeting him specifically, aiming to kill whenever they crossed his path. He knew why, too.

As he fended off strikes from each of them, he heard Madara's message loud and clear: You are a traitor, Ryuu Takeda. You abandoned Akatsuki, and you will pay for that with your life. You may defeat the Zetsus, but you are powerless against me, and you will meet me on the battlefield. So go on and lead, little general. You'll be joining your sensei in the afterlife soon enough.

Ryuu could feel himself weakening. He responded to the attacks more slowly, and his vision grew more and more hazy as time went on. He hardly even noticed a Zetsu disguised as a shinobi creep up behind him and swing his katana, aiming to kill. In the end, it was Reyna who jumped in to save him, taking the strike of the katana to her arm. Ignoring the pain and the blood, she wrapped one of her whips around the enemy's neck and pulled his head off of his body. His body fell, and his severed head followed a moment later, transforming back into their original Zetsu form.

"Are you blind!? That thing was right in your face!" Reyna shouted, not seeming at all bothered by the blood leaking from her wound. Her shouting drew the gazes of a few other shinobi, who appeared shocked by the fact that she dared to talk to their captain like that. Reyna, as expected, didn't give a damn. She was Ryuu's friend before she was a part of his unit, and she was more than qualified to call him out whenever he was being an idiot.

If it weren't for the familiar sound of her voice, Ryuu wouldn't have known that it was Reyna in front of him. The girl's image had altered so badly in his failing vision that all he saw was a mess of disconnected shapes and colors. He blinked a few times, and his vision began to clear. He found his former teammate glaring at him, turquoise eyes stern and unrelenting. The second he saw the blood on her arm, his eyes narrowed into a glare of their own.

"I'm fine," He practically hissed at her through gritted teeth. "Worry about yourself. Have Takeshi heal your arm."

The redhead snorted. "Like I give a damn about my arm when you're-"

"That was an order, Reyna," He cut her off, leaving little room for argument. "Now." Before she could chew him out any longer, he jumped right back into the chaos of the battlefield.

Reyna let out a frustrated growl, wrapping each of her whips around a Zetsu and dragging them to the floor. With the aid of her kekkei genkai, she stopped their breathing, and they were dead even before they hit the ground. She found Takeshi seconds later. He was speeding across the battlefield, with smoke spewing from his fingertips. When he saw her, he quickly rushed to her side and healed her arm. The two stood back to back, facing an oncoming horde of Zetsus together.

"Ryuu's being an arrogant moron," Reyna complained. The way she sliced at whichever enemies came at her was a clear enough expression of her frustration.

"He's Captain Arrogant Moron, now, in case you've forgotten," Takeshi reminded lightly, sending a wave of fire at the enemy.

"Being captain of the aerial unit doesn't mean he should exhaust himself," She snapped. "I know you've noticed it, too."

He nodded, not bothering to deny it. "I'm surprised he's even still alive after all the chakra he's wasted. His movements are getting sluggish, and with the way he's overusing those Heart's Eyes of his, I doubt he can even see anymore. If he keeps it up, he'll be dead before this war's over. Or, at the very least, blind."

"... What am I supposed to do?" The redhead's voice was quieter now, filled with worry. "How do I protect him from himself? If he dies, I-..."

She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't have to. Takeshi already knew exactly how she felt about the male Takeda that seemed intent on getting himself killed. Takeshi knew the worry he was feeling for Ryuu was practically nothing compared to that which Reyna must be feeling -the girl was still in love with Ryuu, after all- but he understood the sentiment well enough. Ryuu was his friend as well, and he'd hate to lose him.

And really, Ryuu was doing nothing to ease their worries. The Takeda seemed almost insistent on putting himself in harm's way. He had to know he was driving himself to the point of death, but apparently, he didn't care. They were used to his pride and his stubbornness, but that was a dangerous combination in times of war, especially since the enemy seemed particularly interested in killing Ryuu. They had no idea why this was, but it only made Ryuu's safety that much more of an issue.

"We'll just have to look out for him," Takeshi said finally, hoping that they'd be able to do so. "We'll be his eyes until his sight starts working properly again."

And that was exactly what they did. They fought their enemies fiercely while simultaneously keeping their eyes on Ryuu, making sure that he was still alive. He had yet to sustain any major injuries, but he got slower and slower with every move he made.

"Reyna, Takeshi, heads up!" Dai's voice shouted. The pair immediately leaped of the way, just as a metal cube fell where they'd been standing, crushing the Zetsus underneath it. The silver-haired teen landed in front of them, green eyes lit up with adrenaline. "Was that awesome or what?"

Reyna rolled her eyes, while Takeshi muttered a "show-off" under his breath. Both their reactions made Dai grin happily.

"Thought so. I'm sure we could get rid of the remaining enemies if we used our team specialty," Dai continued. "But we'll need Ryuu for that. So, where is Captain Hardass?"

"He's right-" Reyna stopped speaking when she realized that Ryuu was, in fact, not right there. While she and Takeshi were distracted, the Takeda male had vanished from his previous spot. "No... Where the hell is he!? Takeshi, find him!"

"Already on it," Takeshi muttered, focusing his chakra. In addition to being the medic of his team, he was also the sensor. He located Ryuu's chakra in seconds. "He's 100 meters north, so- Damnit! We need to go now! He's been cornered!"

Reyna didn't need to be told twice. Together, she, Dai, and Takeshi rushed north. Ryuu's situation was indeed as dire as Takeshi had predicted; the emerald-eyed commander was almost completely surrounded. He was fairing well -he was a Takeda, after all- but the exhaustion was taking its toll. He was slower and therefore more vulnerable. And with both his hands occupied with an enemy, he couldn't possibly defend the blind spot behind him.

And suddenly, a horrible reality made itself known to Reyna: We're not going to get to him on time.

Ryuu was ripped off his feet and pummeled to the floor. The Zetsus swarmed over him, stabbing and punching at him. He was sure that they were going to kill him, but suddenly, they stopped, looking at him with twisted smiles on their faces.

"Don't look so shocked, Ryuu," a Zetsu said. "You're our old comrade, after all. We're going to kill you, of course, but Madara wants us to make it special. You betrayed him, remember? And for what? Your sister?" The plant creature grinned. "You really should save yourself the trouble and tell us where she is. We know she's joined the battlefield, but we really doubt she left you, her precious twin brother, all alone and defenseless. So where is she, Ryuu? Where is she hiding?"

"Go to hell," Ryuu replied venomously, ignoring the blood that was trickling out of his mouth.

The Zetsu laughed. "Figures. You betray the Akatsuki, but not your own flesh and blood. Madara told me you wouldn't. He called it the 'Takeda flaw.' You know what else he told me? 'Leopards may have claws, but they burn under the Uchiha fire like everybody else.' It was nice seeing you again, kid. Now, die!"

The Zetsus leapt forward, but with a flash of green and gold chakra, they were effectively ripped in half. The familiar sound of birds chirping was all that could be heard as each of the Zetsus were ripped apart, forced into a defeated heap on the floor.

Ryuu watched as he took in the familiar form of his twin sister, who looked nothing like the cheerful and easygoing kunoichi she was. The chakra coat surrounding her made her look all the more fearsome. She purposely left one Zetsu alive, the one who'd been speaking to Ryuu beforehand. Effortlessly, she held up the plant creature by the throat, practically suffocating him with her chakra.

"You tell Madara that these leopards are fireproof," Minxie spoke with an undeniable power that he'd never seen her use before. "And if he ever goes after my brother again, his oh-so-special Uchiha fire won't stop me from ripping his throat out." She shoved her Chidori-illuminated hand through his chest, "Although my lightning seems to be just as effective." She let the Zetsu fall to the floor before turning to her brother, emerald eyes clouded over with worry. She'd gone from murderous to caring in a span of only two seconds, which didn't at all surprise him.

The fact that she was here, however, angered him. "You're supposed to be on the island. What the hell are you doing on the battlefield?" He demanded. Without even the strength to sit up properly, however, he didn't seem the least bit threatening.

"Saving your ass, obviously, so you're welcome," She answered smartly, a smug smile on her face. She quickly knelt next to him, looking over his injuries. She frowned at the sight of the blood escaping from the various cuts all along his body, as well as the obvious weariness that came from chakra exhaustion. "You overused your Heart's Eyes, didn't you? Were you trying to get yourself killed!? How could you be so reckless!?"

"I learned from the best," He muttered, making her smile. He found himself returning the gesture, relieved to see his sister amid all the chaos. It was enough to remind him that all of this fighting was actually worth it. Suddenly, he shook his head. "Don't think this makes me forgive you for leaving the island when I specifically told you not to."

She pursed her lips, mirroring his stubborn expression with one of her own. "Well, I'm in no rush to forgive you for almost getting yourself killed, either, so I'd say we're pretty even."

"Ryuu!" The twins were joined by Takeshi, Reyna, and Dai, who immediately gathered around their current captain. Minxie gave Takeshi the space he needed to heal her brother, who refused to look any of them in the eye, knowing they were all going to scold him for his less-than-logical actions.

"I think I'm going to have to start calling you Captain Dumbass," Dai began, breaking the momentary silence. His tone was light, but it was clear that just like the others, he'd been worried, and was just as angered by Ryuu's impulsive actions.

"If you weren't already bleeding, I'd beat the crap out of you for being such an absolute idiot," Reyna snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line," Minxie said. "As his sister, I get first dibs."

"I'll settle for the third spot, then, although I'm pretty sure you and Reyna are enough to make anyone remorseful," Takeshi said. "And before you complain, that was a compliment." He glanced at her, taking in her new form and smirking. "Nice dress, Konoha."

Her eye twitched at the reminder of her current attire, but she couldn't help but smile a little at the old nickname. "Never speak of it!"

"Captain Ryuu!" a new voice called. The group turned to see a shinobi from the aerial unit: a native from the Hidden Sand, by the looks of it. "Your sister helped us get rid of the enemy. We've taken them all down and are regrouping right now. We'll be waiting for your word, sir!"

Reyna turned to Minxie, an eyebrow raised. "They're done already? How long ago did you get here, new girl?"

"About ten minutes," the brunette replied. "You guys were at the back of your unit, so you were my last stop. I'm just a shadow clone, though. My original is with Naruto and Bee right now."

"Gather the injured and have our medics start healing them," Ryuu commanded, the strength returning to his voice as Takeshi healed his injuries. "We'll wait for further instructions from HQ." The ninja nodded, running off to pass along the order.

Dai and Takeshi helped Ryuu up. With his wounds mostly healed, he looked disheveled, but relatively much better than he had a few moments before. "We should join them."

Thunder rumbled in the sky. Dozens of storm clouds appeared, gathering above the entire aerial unit. They sparked with a fearsome white lightning that seemed only seconds away from crashing to the ground. Water began to fall, transforming from a light drizzle to a raging storm in a matter of seconds.

Minxie stared at the crying sky, emerald eyes wide. "Woah. Talk about a storm."

"That's not a storm..." Reyna spoke in an uncharacteristic whisper. They all turned to stare at her, but she wasn't looking at the sky. She was staring into the distance, eyes wide and body trembling. Her voice shook as she spoke. The girl looked absolutely petrified.

It was only when they followed her gaze that they saw the source of her fear: an enormous wave of water, barreling towards them like a tsunami, with the shadow of a man in its center, controlling it.

"... That's my father."

~*~

Normally, Scarlett liked the rain. She'd never been too keen on people, but rain, she enjoyed. Running through the rain was even better.

Running through the rain while being chased by a horde of relentless Zetsus, however, wasn't so great.

Honestly, she was surprised she was even still alive after all that she'd just been through. It wasn't long after she'd separated from Minxie, Bee, and Naruto that the Zetsus found her. She'd been masking her chakra, but she couldn't exactly completely hide her appearance. Plus, traveling with Minxie's shadow clone was a one-way ticket to becoming a target.

But Minxie had stayed true to her word. Her shadow clone protected Scarlett, making sure no harm came to the Doppelganger, who had agreed to keep her chakra hidden. Keeping her chakra hidden was a double-edged sword, however, since it kept her from using her chakra at all. Without it, she was vulnerable. And there was nothing Scarlett hated more than being vulnerable.

Minxie believed she'd taken care of this vulnerability by providing a shadow clone, but Scarlett knew better. Powerful as it was, Minxie's clone only had a small portion of the real Minxie's chakra, and eventually, that chakra would run out. And when it did, Scarlett would have no real means of protecting herself.

The Zetsus were caught off guard by the striking resemblance that Minxie and Scarlett shared. It was clear that they hadn't known about Scarlett at all, but now that they did, they sure as hell weren't going to leave her alone. That was why Minxie's clone told Scarlett to run while she dealt with the Zetsus.

That had been miles ago. The clone hadn't returned.

Scarlett knew that meant that the clone had been defeated. It was the first time she'd ever found herself actually wishing for Minxie's presence, even if it was in the form of a shadow clone. Annoying as she was, Minxie was strong; there was no denying that anymore. And unlike Scarlett, she wasn't weighed down by a leg injury, or by a lack of chakra.

"You can run, but you can't hide from us, look-a-like!" the Zetsus called after her as she jumped from tree to tree. She rolled her eyes. 'Look-a-like' was the name they'd chosen to give her, because of how much she looked like Minxie. The morons probably thought that they were being original. "We are the land!"

"What you are is annoying," Scarlett snapped, not bothering to look back at them. "Can't you go and photosynthesize like normal plants, and, I don't know, not chase me around?"

If they took offense to that, they didn't show it. They didn't stop chasing her, either, so she figured it wouldn't have mattered either way. She dropped from the trees and sped across a clearing, where the ground had turned muddy from all the rain. She jumped into the trees once again, knowing that if she stopped for even an instant, she'd be killed.

As she continued running, a thought occurred to her: it was too quiet. All the time the Zetsus had been chasing her, Scarlett had known it. The plant creatures weren't exactly stealthy or discreet; in fact, they were rather loud, always taunting her and laughing after her with the intent to kill dancing in their bright yellow eyes. She hadn't remembered a single moment of silence in all the time that they'd been chasing her.

Unsurely, she slowed down. She looked back, finding that the horde was no longer behind her. The realization made her frown. With her leg injury, there was no way in hell she could have outrun them. She knew that for a fact, and yet, the horde was nowhere to be found. It was almost like it had completely vanished.

Scarlett knew she should keep running. It was the smart thing to do, the safe thing. But she couldn't help the curiosity that was nagging at her gut: what exactly had made the Zetsus stop?

Oh, screw it, She thought, turning and backtracking her previous path. It was probably the stupidest decision she would ever make, but she'd already disregarded all her previous philosophies by choosing to trust Minxie. What else did she have to lose?

Her curiosity wasn't enough to make her completely abandon her caution, however. She carefully and silently retraced her steps. She heard voices coming from the clearing she had passed and quickly hid behind a tree.

"What are you doing out here!?" She heard one of the Zetsus demand. That made her raise an eyebrow. The creature sounded almost apprehensive, with a level of something akin to fear in his voice. She didn't think the Zetsus were capable of feeling fear.

"So you've come running after me." That voice. She hadn't heard it in what felt like forever. She wasn't nearly as familiar with it as Minxie was -and boy, was she thankful for that- but she could still recognize it. It was as cold as the Konoha gang had described, with an undeniable undertone of power seeping through it. "... Or not, it seems."

Scarlett sincerely hoped that she was wrong. She really, really hoped that the voice didn't belong to who she thought it did. Carefully, she peered out from behind the tree, and sure enough, it was him. If she wasn't hiding, she would have groaned. Why, of all people, did it have to be him? And even worse, he seemed to know that the Zetsus weren't really concerned with him. He knew that they'd been chasing after someone else: her.

"I passed by two towns on my way here, but they were both deserted..." The cold voice continued. "It seemed really odd... Do you know anything about it?"

"We'll do the questioning!" the Zetsu at the head of the formation shouted. "Why are you outside!?"

"If you hate it that much that I'm outside, you ought to capture me." It was impossible to miss the challenge in his words. "Especially since you outnumber me this time."

The Zetsu paused, eyes narrowing. "You... Have you done something to our original...?!"

There was no real answer, but his next words were answer enough, "With this many of you, I hope it's more of a challenge this time..."

The Zetsus charged, but as Scarlett saw the powerful chakra radiate from the youngest Uchiha, she knew it was a lost cause. He cut them down effortlessly, the eternal Mangekyo Sharingan blazing in his eyes. The Zetsus were consumed by the black flames of Sasuke's Amaterasu. The skeletal warrior form of his Susano'o surrounded him like a protective cage.

Scarlett wanted to laugh at the thought. What does he need protection from? He's already killed all the Zetsus. The fallen plant clones lay on the floor, defeated and charred by black flames that, even with all the rain that fell mercilessly from the sky, still hadn't been extinguished.

The Susano'o plucked a Zetsu off the ground, forcing him to stare into Sasuke's Sharingan. "Tell me everything."

"It's war... Take down... The enemy..." the Zetsu muttered, lost in the Sharingan's genjutsu pull.

Sasuke didn't look all that surprised. "Hn. So Tobi's launched things already."

"Capture... Killer Bee, Naruto Uzumaki... And Minxie Takeda..." the Zetsu continued. "If you don't hurry... More and more will... Join up with them..."

Sasuke was silent. He looked down, his lips tilting upwards slightly. "Hn... Have you forgotten, Naruto...? What true strength is...?" He unsheathed his katana. With a flick of his wrist, he sliced at the Zetsu's neck, effectively separating his head from his body. "It's time for me to find you. It's time to finally cut you down!"

Wow, Scarlett thought, somewhere between impressed and disturbed. And I thought I was crazy. This guy is a real piece of work.

One of the Zetsus jumped to his feet, beginning to run away. Sasuke's Susano'o caught him, sending black flames his way and turning him into nothing but burnt flesh.

"You're not Konoha shinobi... You're not part of the promise."

Scarlett had no idea how that could be considered rational reasoning, but she didn't really care. At least she wasn't the one being subjected to the Amaterasu. She thought back to what exactly the promise he spoke of entailed. If she remembered correctly, it was that very promise that had brought Minxie's Dark side to the surface. She wondered how Minxie would feel if she knew that Sasuke was still intent on keeping that promise.

She decided not to ponder the thought any further. Team 7's mess was none of her business, anyway.

With that thought in mind, she stood up, only to feel a rush of pain run up her leg. She collapsed onto the branch of the tree, and her gaze fell on her right leg. Although it was bandaged, it was still giving her a hard time. And, more than anything, it was a reminder that she wasn't invincible, a reminder that she'd almost died.

And Minxie saved you. More than once, the annoying voice in her head told her. She figured it was her conscience, which had the habit of speaking to her now more often than not. She hadn't heard her conscience in years, but now, it spoke to her all the time. She blamed Minxie and Mitchell for that. Her conscience hadn't dared to interfere until after she'd met them, after she'd started to let them in.

I didn't ask her to, Scarlett snapped back. She was never one to back down from a fight, even if said fight happened to be with herself.

But she did, anyway. So you owe her. You know that. And your ticket to paying that debt is right there in that clearing.

But he's a maniac! She protested. He beheaded Zetsu!

You're no better. In fact, you've actually done worse.

Damn it. Scarlett scowled. She hated it when her conscience tried to advise her. She hated it even more when her conscience was right. She should've expected it to be just as much of a smart ass as she was, after all.

She should run and never look back. That was the smart thing to do, and Scarlett always did the smart thing. She was always running.

She was so tired of running. She believed in self-preservation, yes, but what was there left of her to preserve? She never stayed in one place long enough to actually live. By the textbook definition, yes, she was alive, and she'd survived a lot in her lifetime. But maybe she didn't want to just survive. Maybe she wanted to do more than preserve herself. Maybe she wanted to actually live.

She let out a sigh, briefly letting her head rest on the tree trunk.

I'm so going to regret this...

Finally, she released the hold she had on her chakra, allowing it to flow freely through her body. That immediately drew the attention of the Uchiha, who turned around to stare at the tree she was hiding in. She ran chakra to her eyes, turning them Minxie's shade of emerald green. She jumped down from the tree, eyes downcast, and stepped into the clearing.

There was a long silence. Sasuke's eyes took in her form, studying her. "... Minxie?"

"Sasuke. It's been a while."

~*~

"Any news from HQ yet!?" Naruto's shadow clone asked, eager to be of use to Gaara's unit.

The Kazekage shook his head. "No, not yet. Just be patient, Naruto."

Minxie's shadow clone let out a laugh, making both of them look at her. "I can't believe you just used 'Naruto' and the word 'patient' in the same sentence."

Naruto eye twitched at her, and he opened his mouth to deny her words -because, hello, he'd waited over three years for her to realize his feelings for her!- but he was cut off before he could begin by the sensor ninja of the group.

"There's something coming this way..." the ninja muttered, eyebrows creased in concentration. "Over there!" He pointed to the tallest rock formation that overlooked the Fourth Company, and sure enough, a new, bandage-covered figure had appeared.

"An Edotensei," Minxie muttered, staring into the eyes of the resurrected body. "But who is he?"

"He's my predecessor, the Second Tsuchikage," Ohnoki, the current Tsuchikage, answered, his gaze on the bandage-clad man.

"But I thought you guys already sealed him away!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"He must have fragmented himself and avoided our sealing," Ohnoki decided.

"And he's not alone!" the sensor shouted. "There's another one!"

The group followed his gaze to the top of the rock formation, where another figure had joined the Second Tsuchikage. He was a tall man, clad in battle armor. His long, raven-colored hair fell to his back, swaying slightly in the wind. But the thing most unsettling about this man were his eyes: red eyes that came to life with the glow of the Sharingan.

"Who the hell is that!?" Naruto demanded, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the mystery man's Sharingan.

Ohnoki knew that the younger shinobi wouldn't recognize the raven-haired man above them. How could they? The man was a relic of the past, from a time and generation long before their own. But as much as he hated it, Ohnoki remembered, and suddenly, he knew that the war was only just beginning.

"That man..." He took a pause, not wanting to finish his thought. Perhaps if he didn't voice his words, they wouldn't be true. But one look at those Sharingan eyes, and he knew that there was no escaping this reality. "... That's Madara Uchiha!"

The Fourth Company burst into a chorus of surprised gestures and sounds. Madara Uchiha was, essentially, the ringleader of the Akatsuki, and now, he was standing right above them, arms crossed over his chest and Sharingan dark and unforgiving.

"Wait, what in the hell is going on!?" a shinobi shouted.

"What do you mean?" Naruto pressed.

"Look closely at his eyes," Gaara said. "He's an Edotensei. He's been dead for a while now."

Madara watched this scene unfold in silence. He paid little mind to the shinobi expressing their shock and outrage, and instead took time to examine them and gain some insight on the situation. It was clear that they were at war. The ninja wore headbands that said 'shinobi' along with an array of different clothing, from each of the Five Great Nations. They had to be some kind of united army, which Madara found laughable.

He did not find his current state laughable, however. This was not what he had wanted. He was an Edotensei with a reanimated body instead of the real one he'd been expecting. He didn't know why he was suddenly revived in this strange form, but it was clear that things weren't going according to plan.

Temari couldn't hide her shock at the fact that Madara Uchiha was actually standing above them all, watching and studying them with his blazing red Sharingan. "But... I thought HQ reported Madara somewhere else, approaching with a bunch of Jinchuriki!?"

"If this is the real Madara Uchiha..." Minxie began, barely making sense of it all, "Then who the hell is behind that mask!?"

She didn't expect for Madara to turn out to not be Madara at all. She didn't expect for him to be revived as an Edotensei. But most of all, she didn't expect for him to lock eyes with her the moment she spoke.

He stared intently at her, face blank and unreadable, the picture of a practiced, emotionless shinobi. But what gave him away were his eyes. They bore into hers, harsh and unforgiving, two pools of red that gleamed with nostalgia and promises of the past. She could feel them watching her, looking not at her but through her, as if she was something entirely new yet achingly familiar at the same time. And then, not taking his smothering gaze away from her, he spoke:

"Akira."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for updating so late; I know you guys have been waiting forever. Sadly, I have this thing called school, which is really gross and takes up practically all of my time. It's the worst. I would've had this up sooner, but it was my birthday on Sunday (finally 16, heck yeah!), so I didn't get a chance to finish it. However, here it is now! I hope you guys enjoy it.

I also hope you don't hate me for the little cliffhangers I put in this chapter. I'd love to tell you more about them, but I'm afraid you'll have to stay tuned to learn how things will turn out ;) And I'll just sit here, laughing maniacally.

SO LIKE NARUTO ENDED AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE???? SERIOUSLY. LIKE I KNOW I HAVE THIS FANFIC TO WORK ON AND ALL BUT NOW I HAVE NO MANGA UPDATE TO READ. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MYSELF? I AM SO HEARTBROKEN. HOW WILL I GO ON?

Literally, I feel like I'm going through a breakup or something. My friend was with me as I read the final chapter, and she kept giving me strange looks because I kept on squealing and silently crying. Psh, as if it's my fault that I was emotional!

What did you guys think of the ending? I found it a little rushed, but I liked the way things turned out in the general sense. I'm just happy that most (*sobs a little*) of my precious babies are still alive.

In other news: my friends are the most amazing people on the planet. When I went to school on Monday, I saw that they decorated my locker for my birthday and got me a Marvel cake at lunch. It was the best day ever. I'm really obsessed with Marvel, so the cake was perfect, and it tasted delicious! I'm so glad that I have people who understand and support my tendecy to fangirl.

I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday, and I also need to give a huge thank you to all of you who helped me remove that plagirized story on fanfiction.net. You guys are the best. You emailed the support team and posted reviews on the story, and now, it's been officially taken down. I'm so grateful for that; you have no idea. It's incredible to know that I can count on you guys, and I'll never be able to make it up to you. So, really, you have my sincerest thanks.

I also want to thank you for your dedication to this story! Seriously, your comments make my day. Now, I'm gonna go sob in a corner as I remember that Naruto is indeed over. Love you guys and see you again soon!

-smilescutie3311 xoxoxo