Chapter 49: Chapter 8
"RASENGAN!"
The melon-sized orb of concentrated chakra had obliterated Sasuke's ANBU armor, leaving him naked from the waist up, and had once again sent him flying. The Uchiha prince landed on his back, the mind-numbing effects of sustaining the Deadly Tempest earlier had sapped the tainted chakra from Orochimaru's cursed seal, causing the black flames to dissipate off of Sasuke's body.
You could literally hear a pin drop as Naruto rose to his full height, Hinata moving to his side. To those from Konoha who knew Minato Namikaze, it was as if he was standing before them, save that he was now a redhead and he wore a haori instead of a trench coat. But he was anything but.
"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, seeing her husband-to-be being sledgehammered back by her former teammate. The pink-head turned her attention towards Naruto. Instantly, she saw red. On gloved hand balled into a fist, she let out a feral scream and charged at Naruto.
"Sakura, NO!" Tsunade shouted, holding her student back.
"Let me go, Tsunade!" Sakura shouted. "Look what he did to Sasuke!"
Rinnegan activated, Naruto looked at the gathered Konoha shinobi. His earlier visit to Konoha showed that they were not under Danzou's genjutsu, meaning that their hatred for them was indeed genuine. Which was good in Naruto's case, meaning that the gloves were now off.
Naruto deactivated the Rinnegan. "Well, isn't this the reunion," he said, looking at his former teammates. "Although we are now on opposite sides." Tossing a glance to his wife, he said, "And here, I thought they would be happy to see us."
Hinata gave him a dry grin. "I think not," she said.
From his place on the ground, Sasuke managed to get out, "Dobe...the Emperor...you?!"
"It's true," Kakashi said, raising his hitai-ate, exposing the Sharingan. Naruto saw that it was the Magenkyou. "Obito confirmed it. Uzumaki is the Emperor of the West."
It was then that the Sannin and to the shinobi who had went to the West began to connect the dots, as the full totality of what was now revealed to them. Naruto Uzumaki was the descendant of the Six Paths Sage. Naruto Uzumaki wielded the Rinnegan. Naruto Uzumaki was the Emperor of the Western Empire.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, as did Jiraiya's. Up until Jiraiya's return from the Western Empire, the West was the last place that Naruto would have ended up in. Now, he was back, and seeing as how they screwed him over, was an even bigger threat to Konoha than Orochimaru, Kumo and Iwa combined.
"How did a dead last like you become the Emperor of the West?" Asuma demanded.
"You can thank your father and those two idiots," Naruto said, referring to Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Your father tried to stunt my growth. When that failed, Tsunade and Jiraiya banished me, and tried to kill me by sending hunter ninja after Hinata and myself." He pulled out a Hiraishin kunai and begun to spin it from the ring on one finger. Unlike his father's tri-bladed Hiraishin kunai, these were of Naruto's design. Black carbon steel, with the Hiraishin seals carved onto the blade itself (think Lee Christmas' throwing kunai).
"I should have had you executed," Tsunade seethed. "Damn it, I should have killed you the moment that you arrived with Jiraiya."
"Now that's no way to treat your godson...or rather, your great-nephew," Naruto replied. "How would my parents think about the both of you breaking your promise to look after me after they died. If you want the true culprit of the Nine Tails' attack on Konoha, it's Obito himself. Besides, you kill me, the Nine Tails will kill you in retaliation."
"You are no son of Minato and Kushina," Jiraiya shot back. "You killed them! You are just a demon in human skin!"
Naruto chuckled, sending chills down the Sannin's - and everyone else's - spines. "You really should reign in your temper, Pervy Sage," he replied. "I could had you and the others killed back in Kimon and your heads sent back to Konoha. But you should be glad that I decided to cut some time for this little reunion." He began to leak potent killer intent as he continued to speak, addressing the Sannin. "I'm sensing plenty of bad blood between the three of us. The memories are overwhelming, to tell you the truth. How many crimes have you committed against me and my family?"
Naruto began to count off their crimes on his fingers. "First off...you went along with Sarutobi's scheme to make me into a weapon, instead of following my father's final wishes of having me seen as a hero. And what else? What else?! Oh, that's right...the both of you and nearly all of Konohagakure no Sato favored a potential traitor and banished me for doing my job." His gaze fell upon Tsunade and Jiraiya. "But the biggest crimes of all came from you two. You betrayed me, and by extension, betrayed my parents."
"Betray?" Jiraiya repeated. "Betray? You're wrong, Naruto. We didn't betrayed Minato and Kushina. We honored them! Every single day you suffered growing up in the Leaf, that was to honor their sacrifice they made in allowing you to live! You were nothing more than a mistake! An accident! Sensei lost his wife, I lost Minato and Tsunade lost her niece. You were a living reminder of what we had lost! For that, you had to pay."
"Funny, because I met them a couple of years back. You see, as a fail-safe, they left a portion of their souls inside the seal as a last resort should I reach eight-tails or decide to break the seal," Naruto retorted. He grinned evilly. "They know about your crimes against me. They wanted to tell you that the both of you are in deep shit."
"You lie!" Tsunade shouted.
"I never lie, hag, not when it comes to family or about my skills," Naruto replied. "Whether you believe if or not is no consequence to me. The both of you betrayed my parents by choosing the Leaf over my parents."
"You are not the son of the Yondaime, Demon!" an ANBU wearing a hawk mask, who had not been separated from the others, shouted.
THUNK.
A kunai pierced the porcelain skull. Blood spurted out from the wound as the man fell over, dead before he had hit the ground. Kurenai looked at her former student in horror, as it was Hinata who had tossed the kunai. The Empress Consort reached behind her back and retrieved her dual kukri knives, readying herself for the battle that was to come.
"Nice shot," Naruto complimented his wife. He cracked his knuckles as the Imperial forces backed off, taking to the roofs, as they knew that this battle was going to be very wild. "Don't worry about my soldiers who are surrounding you. They will not interfere in our little 'reunion.'"
"You have got to be out of your mind to think that the both of you can win against us," Jiraiya said. "A banished genin and a missing nin against two of the Sannin and the best shinobi that Konoha has to offer?"
"You forget who I am, Jiraiya," Naruto replied as he activated the Rinnegan. "I am the unpredictable shinobi of Konoha. Oh, wait. I am not a shinobi of Konoha. Tsunade saw to that."
He snapped his fingers and a shadow clone appeared. It was of Naruto, but it was anything but. As the direct descendant of the Six Paths Sage, Naruto wielded the Rinnegan, having unlocked it at the Valley of the End during his fight with Sasuke Uchiha. In his years in the West, Naruto had honed his skills under Kurama's tutelage. One signature jutsu of anyone using the Rinnegan was called the Six Paths Jutsu. In truth, there were seven paths, the seventh being the Outer Path. Naruto, however preferred using the other six paths, as the Outer Path pertained to life and death itself.
Nagato had derived his own jutsu, the Six Paths of Pain from the original jutsu. Naruto was no different. Unlike Nagato, who used bodies and chakra receivers for his Jutsu, Naruto preferred reinforced Shadow Clones. Unlike his standard kage bushin, these were reinforced, and would not dissipate when struck hard enough. They would only disperse upon Naruto's command. Naruto called his own variant of the Six Paths Jutsu the Wrath of the Six Paths. Naruto himself used the Deva Path, incorporating it into his fighting style.
The clone looked scary, even for the shinobi from Konoha. The reddish-blond hair was spiked upwards. Dark markings were on his face, eyes, chest and arms. He was naked from the waist up, showing off a muscular body. He wore a tattered black hakama with a red flame pattern. A pair of greaves were on his shins, although one was covered by the hakama, while the other leg had tucked into the greave itself. Last his arms had a metallic look to them, as if they were made of an indestructible metal. This was the strongest of Naruto's paths, the Asura Path.
Sasuke got back to his feet...and fell back to his knees. Whatever Naruto had hit him with had drained him of his chakra. "Dobe...you killed Itachi. You took my rightful vengeance from me!"
Naruto responded by making a 'blah-blah' gesture with his hand.
"I will make you beg for mercy! Then I will take your throne...and your wife!" the Uchiha finished, looking at Hinata. He had not forgotten that she nearly chopped off his balls back in Kimon. But from the look of things, she appeared to be even stronger than Sakura.
'The Dobe will pay,' Sasuke thought darkly. 'Then I will take his wife as my prize. She will pay for what she tried to do to me.'
"Yawn. You couldn't beat me at the Valley of the End. You couldn't beat me in Tea Country. Right now, I'm 2-and-0 against you," Naruto replied. To the summoned path, he gave its marching orders. "Keep Hatake, Sarutobi, Gai and Yamato occupied. The Sannin are mine. The ANBU are expendable."
"SIR!" Asura Naruto barked out and prepared to fight.
Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "I am going to enjoy humiliating you in front of your men," she said.
"You can try," Naruto retorted. "I'm not the same Naruto Uzumaki you banished."
Before anyone could make a move, however a massive broadsword landed in between the group from Konoha and the Emperor and his wife, blade-first. Kakashi's eyes went even wider in horror as he recognized the blade, as did Sasuke and Sakura.
The Kubikiribocho. The Head-Chopping Cleaver.
And its owner stepped into view, standing behind Naruto and Hinata. One thought to have died while in Wave Country.
"Well, well, well," Zabuza drawled. "If it isn't 'Copycat Hatake.' I must have done something good in the past. Today is my lucky day."
"You...you should be dead!" Sakura screeched.
"And yet, here I am," Zabuza said. He then addressed Naruto and Hinata. "Far be it from me to interfere with both you and the missus's problems regarding Konoha, but Hatake and I have unfinished business...and I've come to play, Chief."
Naruto knew what he wanted. Zabuza wanted Kakashi's head. Naruto had no problem with that, since he already beaten the crap out of his former sensei back in Tea Country. Naruto had promised that Zabuza could kill his former sensei and he was a man of his word. "He's all yours, Zabuza," Naruto said.
The Demon of Kimon grinned underneath his bandages as he strode forward and retrieved his sword.
"Stay out of this," Kakashi said as he pulled out a pair of chakra sabres, modeled after the White Light Chakra Sabre that both his father and himself once carried. "This is my fight."
"GET THEM!" Tsunade ordered.
With that, what would become the Konoha-Imperial Conflict has begun.
With Naruto...
Jiraiya and Tsunade Senju were two of the three Legendary Sannin, the former students of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was the Mountain Toad Sage, Konoha's resident spymaster, self-proclaimed super-pervert and the trainer of Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash. She was the Slug Princess, granddaughter and great-niece of Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, a legendary medic-nin and healer, and one of the best kunoichi in the Elemental Countries, the third Senju to assume to post of Hokage.
Their opponent was their godson - Tsunade's great-nephew, as Kushina Uzumaki was her niece. They had the chance to choose family over the village, the chance to honor Minato and Kushina's final request. In the end, they decided to follow the whims of their former sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi in his plans to make Naruto Konoha's weapon. In the end, they decided to forsake their godson.
And he was not happy. To say that their former godson was not very happy was saying that Water Country is a little wet.
He was the son of the village hero and his wife - Konoha's Yellow Flash and Uzushiogakure's princess, also known as the Red Death. He was the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails Demon Fox, the dead last who they had banished when it became clear that not only did Sarutobi's plans to condition him had failed, but the fact that he could not be controlled.
Fate sure had a way to bite someone on the ass. Sasuke Uchiha had attempted to flee from Konoha, believing that the village was not helping him in his quest to kill Itachi. Naruto had been banished and later marked for death because he was viewed as a threat to the Leaf, Tsunade and the council using the convenient excuse of using excessive force.
While Sasuke trained under Danzou, Naruto (and Hinata) had participated in a war which united the West under his rule seven years earlier. While Sasuke gained the Magenkyou, Naruto had the most powerful of bloodlines, the Rinnegan. While Sasuke had everything given to him, Naruto had worked and fought long and hard for everything he had. The Emperor of the West faced off against the two remaining Sannin. Jiraiya and Tsunade assumed that if the hunter-nin did not kill Naruto, then he would die without Konoha's protection.
There was no love lost between Naruto and the two Sannin, and he made that point known by making the first move, forcing both Tsunade and Jiraiya on the offensive. In a burst of speed, the genin-turned-Emperor was upon the two elder shinobi, punching and kicking. Naruto could have went for an easy win, but chose not to. He wanted to do this up close and personal.
Tsunade and Jiraiya found out the hard way that this was not the same brat they had banished seven years earlier. Far from it, Naruto was not holding back, as he tagged both Jiraiya and Tsunade with several brutal shots. Sonshi had tutored Naruto not only in the art of combat, but in the art of tactics as well, which is why he was holding his own against the two Sannin.
"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster," Sonshi had told him during his days as a warlord in the Unification Wars.
Naruto knew how Tsunade and Jiraiya had fought. Tsunade had her super-strength and the Slug Contract, while Jiraiya had the backing of the Toads and Sage Mode. While the seals he had drawn up had done its job of nullifying the summoning jutsus (as well as his own), Naruto still had to contend with their other abilities.
Sidestepping a Rasengan from Jiraiya, Naruto grabbed a handful of Jiraiya's hair and slammed him to the ground. Raising one foot to stomp the Toad Sage's head into a fine paste, he failed to notice Tsunade coming in from behind, preparing to cave in Naruto's head with a chakra-powered punch to the skull.
Imagine her surprise that it was not Naruto's head she destroyed, but rather a wooden log. Naruto had avoided the blow, and had reappeared behind the Godaime.
"Banshou Ten'in!"
Tsunade felt herself being lifted off her feet and flung backwards towards Naruto, who caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Using the momentum from the Banshou Ten'in, he arched his body backwards, planting Tsunade head-first into the ground via a vicious belly-to-back waist lock suplex (i.e., a German Suplex). Getting back to a vertical base, Naruto began to punch Tsunade in the face repeatedly. After the first two blows, Tsunade managed to get her hands up in order to block her face from Naruto's onslaught of overhead punches.
A battle cry from overhead had drawn Naruto's attention from his attempts to punch in the Godaime's face. Looking up, he saw that Sasuke has now recovered. Chokuto in hand, he was looking to impale his former teammate. Naruto got out of the way, while Tsunade rolled out of the way, lest she wound find herself impaled on Sasuke's weapon.
Naruto faced off against the Uchiha prince. Magenkyou spinning, Sasuke went on the offensive. Naruto pulled out a black Hiraishin kunai and parried and deflected the attacks from the Uchiha. A backhand followed by a double open-palm strike to the breadbasket forced Sasuke back to the ground, just as Naruto's senses went haywire.
Spinning around, he saw Tsunade lifted an overturned pillar, twice as big as he was in her hands, showing off her super strength. With a yell, she heaved it towards Naruto. The Emperor of the West responded by jumping up, running across the pillar before leaping off and kicking the Godaime in the side of her head, knocking her down.
Turning back towards Sasuke, he saw Jiraiya charging in instead, headbutting Naruto, forcing him back. At the same time, Sasuke, now on his feet, tried to outflank him from behind. Naruto saw him, grabbed the last Uchiha and used him as a shield as Jiraiya tried to punch him. Instead, the super-pervert nailed Sasuke right in the skull. Naruto knocked Jiraiya away and flung Sasuke into Tsunade.
Pulling out a scroll, Naruto opened it, stained some of his blood on it, thus activating the scroll. As Sasuke saw from his place on the ground, it was a storage scroll which contained Naruto's signature weapon - the O-katana (think Vergil's Yamato from Devil May Cry). The O-katana he wielded was forged from the metal found inside a meteorite, the blade considered to be indestructible and incredibly sharp, as well as highly adaptable to chakra. Naruto had found it while returning from a campaign in the north. The sword was hidden inside a cave inside the Lahja Mountains.
That and over four hundred cases full of gold bars, which he used to fund his campaign of unification, and later used it to build the Empire.
Sasuke looked at the sword and retrieved his own chokouto. "Nice sword," he said. "I'll take that off your hands as well. You are not worthy of having such a weapon in your possession. It would be better suited for me, Dobe."
Naruto unsheathed his weapon. "You are not worthy of this blade, Uchiha. The sword recognizes me as its master. It will reject you."
Jiraiya, now recovered, saw that Naruto was distracted with Sasuke and activated Sage Mode. Drawing upon his senjutsu, he created an Odama Rasengan. With Sage Mode activated, it gave him a boost in speed, of which he used to charge at Naruto from behind.
Naruto smirked as he sensed Jiraiya's attempt to kill him with his father's signature move. Not breaking eye contact with Sasuke, he uttered the words, "Imperial Style: Flash Step."
Even with the Sharingan active, Sasuke could not follow Naruto's movements (or copy the technique), as he moved incredibly fast, as Jiraiya found out the hard way. Instead of impaling Naruto, Jiraiya found that his Rasengan had went through an after-image of his former godson.
Naruto emerged out of the technique, on Jiraiya's side, sword raised over his head, his intentions made clear.
SLASH!
THUMP.
Jiraiya's outstretched arm fell to the ground, the Odama Rasengan dispelling, its chakra depleted. Jiraiya's shock was short-lived, as Naruto kicked him in the breadbasket, knocking him back, blood erupting out of his stump like a geyser. Sasuke stood there, shock evident on his face as his brain processed what Naruto had done.
"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade shouted, having witnessed the amputation of the super-pervert's arm by Naruto. Her face twisted into rage, she jumped to her feet, ready to attack yet again before Naruto stopped her.
"Ah-ah-ah, Senju. I would be more worried about your teammate rather than me," Naruto said, looking at Jiraiya. "He's starting to go into shock from the blood loss. I'd give him ten, twenty minutes tops before he bleeds out without any treatment," he said in a casual tone as if he was discussing the weather. "So what's it going to be? Fight me and let Jiraiya bleed to death? Or don't fight me and save his life?"
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya, then back at Naruto. Gritting her teeth, she knew that this battle between herself and Jiraiya against Naruto was over, as he was right. She turned from the Emperor and began to save Jiraiya's life, lest he bled to death. She was out of this fight, as from the look of things, she had injured and dead shinobi on her hands.
Turning back to Sasuke, who had quickly gotten over his shock of seeing one of the most powerful of the Sannin being crushed so easily, he brought his sword into a ready stance. "Now...where were we?"
Sasuke smirked as he raised his chokuto. "I was going to show everyone here why I am an Elite. I think Emperor of the West would suit me better than a dobe like you."
"You always loved the sound of your own voice, didn't you, Sasuke?" Naruto said as they circled. "You wouldn't last five minutes in the Empire. Face it. You are second best."
That made Sasuke mad. "You think that you're the only one who knows swordplay? I was taught by the best in Konoha."
Naruto raised his sword in a formal salute, Dooku-style. "Then show me, Sasuke Uchiha. Let's see if the so-called Uchiha Elite is a match for the Emperor of the Six Paths."
With that, the duel was on.
With Hinata...
Aside from Kurenai and Cell Eight, Saukra Haruno faced off against Hinata Hyuuga. The shy, meek, insecure shinobi that had her ass handed to her by Neji was gone. In her place was a medic-nin, forged in the fires of the Unification Wars. Sakura had kicked herself for not realizing it sooner, that the former heiress to the Hyuuga was not only the Empress Consort, but the head of the medic-nin program.
But now, as Sakura found out as she and Kurenai's team surrounded Hinata, Hinata was an unknown. She was not the insecure genin who got her ass handed to her by her elder cousin. She was Naruto's wife, which made her the Empress Consort of the West.
'Whatever,' Sakura snorted as she prepared for the inevitable fight. 'I've trained under Tsunade. I'm her true successor to becoming Sannin. Not that pig Ino. Hinata will soon see that fact first hand.'
Sakura would find out just how wrong she was, as Hinata had brought her down in ten hits (think Jun's 10-hit combo), knocking her out cold, her tenketsu points sealed.
Kurenai gave the order to attack. Hinata calmly countered the attacks from her former teammates. Kurenai had went for an easy win - or so she had hoped - with her signature Tree Binding Death jutsu, only to find out that Hinata's enhanced Bykaugan had neutralized her genjutsu. Shino attempted to use his kikachu to drain her chakra and force Naruto to surrender, only to see Hinata incinerate the tornado of kikachu with what she called the Deadly Tempest.
Hinata then dropped Shino with several senbon needles laced with a slow-acting poison. The poison wasn't lethal, but was designed to attack the nervous system, meaning that Shino would be out of it for a while...and he will need plenty of time to recover.
The battle was now three-on-one, as the Inuzuka and his dog - now mimicking Kiba - and Kurenai fought Hinata. The Empress Consort, as they had found out, had some new tricks, as what remained on Cell Eight learned the hard way.
As Hinata was distracted with Kiba and Akamaru, Kurenai attacked from behind. Kunai in hand, she was ready to stab Hinata in the back.
"Eight Trigrams: Kaiten!"
SMACK.
Kurenai knew of the Hyuuga's Kaiten, or Rotation. She knew that it was an defensive move, designed to deflect any type of projectiles, as she had seen Neji Hyuuga use it against Naruto Uzumaki during the Chuunin Exams.
Hinata, however, had made it into an offensive weapon.
Her body covered from head-to-toe in chakra, Hinata spun on her heels, the waves of chakra emerging from her body. To Kurenai, it was as she she had taken one of Tsunade's super-punches to the face, as she found herself being propelled into the air. A volley of poison-laced senbon needles soon followed and met its target, leaving Kurenai in the same state as Shino. She fell back to the ground, having been taken out of the fight, leaving Kiba and Akamaru to face Hinata.
With Hinata preoccupied with Kurenai, Kiba and Akamaru struck. "Gatsuga!"
Hinata knew that Kiba wasn't above cheap shots when her back was turned (she also did the same while back in the west). They were ninja, after all. Knowing first hand as to how the Gatsuga worked, Hinata performed a second Rotation, knocking Kiba and Akamaru out of the move, knocking them both to the floor. Kiba and Akamaru got back to their feet, but noticed the ever-familiar Eight Trigrams Pattern that they were standing on, which meant one thing.
"You're in my range, Kiba," Hinata confirmed.
"Aw, crap," Kiba muttered.
Moving faster than the normal eye can track, Hinata struck both Kiba and Akamaru. As she had used the 64 Palms, she split it in half, striking Kiba 32 times, and Akamaru 32 times. As Kiba found out, judging from the sealed chakra points, the broken leg, fractured wrist and broken ribs, Hinata had upgraded the 64 Palms so that she can tear muscle and break bones.
Kiba knew that he was out of the fight. Akamaru would be spending some time with Hana at the kennels. But despite everything, he considered himself lucky that Hinata did not hate him that much. Worse case scenario was that she could have killed him and Akamaru.
"You could have went easy on us!" Kiba lamented.
"I did. I didn't kill you," Hinata replied. "Despite you asking me out when we were kids, you were the nicest to me. This is your one-time deal, Inuzuka."
With her former cell effectively neutralized, Hinata bowed out of the fight.
With Kakashi and Zabuza...
Seven years earlier, Zabuza Momochi was thought to have died in Wave Country. Of course, Kakashi had embellished the reports on what had happened during the mission. He said that Sasuke and Sakura had defended Tazuna, while he himself took out Zabuza. Naruto, being the dead last, did nothing.
But he did not suspect that both Zabuza and his partner used a powered-up blood clone and fled to the West as the Mist Hunter Ninjas closed in. In the seven years since their last encounter, Zabuza had hooked up with a group of Mist refugees living in the Southern Region and later, hooked up with Naruto in his quest to unify the West.
The price Zabuza asked for? Kakashi Hatake's head.
Aside from Kakashi, Zabuza had to deal with the ten ANBU who had came to assist the Sharingan-wielding shinobi in killing the Demon of Kimon.
Or rather, the five ANBU, as Zabuza had cut them down without batting an eye, showing to Kakashi that Zabuza's skills has drastically improved in the years following his 'death,' wielding his oversized sword as if it was like a normal katana.
The remaining ANBU kept their distance as they watched Kakashi and Zabuza locked in a life-or-death duel. Kakashi had thought that without water for Zabuza to perform his jutsu, that this would be an easy match for him to win, and that Zabuza would die for real. But for someone who once preached 'look underneath the underneath,' he had underestimated the former Mist Swordsman, as he found himself on the defensive against Zabuza's barrage of attacks.
The fight between the two shinobi (plus five ANBU) had moved inside a building. Had Kakashi and the others were paying any attention, they would have noticed that the building in question was a damaged restaurant, a popular eatery for the shinobi and civilians in Suna. Perfect for Zabuza, as he could finally use his silent kill to get rid of the annoying ANBU that were keeping their distance.
Once Kakashi and the ANBU were inside, Zabuza pulled out several smoke bombs and threw them at Kakashi and the ANBU. Once they were properly distracted, Zabuza retreated into the kitchen.
Out in the dining area, in the midst of several coughing fits, Kakashi managed to get out, "Be on your guard! Zabuza could be anywhere!"
Zabuza's laughter echoed through the restaurant. "Got that right, Hatake. I am everywhere, and nowhere," his disembodied voice said. "The heart...the lungs...the spine...the brain...the liver...the kidneys...and the jugular. The body's seven most vital spots. So many ways to kill, so little time."
"Be careful," Kakashi warned the ANBU with him. "He is the master of the silent kill."
"Too late," Zabuza's voice said, the smoke finally clearing. "Your friends are already dead."
Kakashi looked around, and sure enough, the bodies of the five ANBU were sprawled all over the floor. Then Zabuza appeared from behind, hoping to take Kakashi's head on in one swing. Instead, the Demon of Kimon ended up cleaving a log in two. Zabuza spun around and deflected several kunai flung at him from Kakashi.
Soon, the two men had locked blades.
"Come on, Hatake," Zabuza said. "I just want to take a little off the top."
The swordfight then resumed, with Zabuza beating down Kakashi's defenses. Kakashi managed to break the stalemate and fired off a Great Fireball Jutsu, of which Zabuza managed to block, giving him enough time to unleash...
"KAMUI!"
With Asura Naruto...
Yamato, Asuma, Maito Gai and thirty ANBU who were inside the impromptu arena charged towards Naruto. But Asura Naruto stood in their path. "I am going to enjoy this," Asura Naruto said as he prepared to attack. While ten of them assisted Kakashi against Zabuza, the remaining ten stood with their ANBU commander.
"Spread out!" Yamato shouted. "Give him multiple targets! He can't take us all on!"
"I got him!" Asuma shouted as he went through handseals which Asura Naruto recognized. Snake. Rat. Snake. Tiger. "Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!" he said before blowing a cloud of chakra-enhanced gunpowder at Asura Naruto, enveloping him. Asuma was the son of Hiruzen and Biwako Sarutobi, a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, one of Konoha's top shinobi. So he thought he would cinch an easy victory over what was the village dead last.
Asuma had read the files on Naruto, as he was privy to his father's plans regarding the Uzumaki. He was one of many who had assaulted him as a child. The shinobi academy had sabotaged his training. Even Konohamaru's friendship to him was false, as it was an attempt for the Sandaime to have Naruto grow an attachment to the village. The only thing he had for him was that fact that he was the jinchuuriki and that he knew the shadow clones.
As Asuma began to make the handseals for a fire jutsu, the cloud of gunpowder suddenly blew back towards the ANBU and the Jounin. Gai's eyes went wide as he saw a single sheet of paper fluttering in the black cloud. A sheet of paper with an intricate series of writing centering around a single word: Explosive.
"Move!" the spandex-wearing Jounin shouted. "Exploding tag!"
Asuma, Yamato, Gai and Yamato managed to get out of the way, along with five of the ANBU, just as the tag detonated, ending the lives of the other five ANBU in a violent explosion. Asura Naruto grinned. Apparently, Asuma had forgotten - or did not listen to Kakashi - that his primary element was wind, so blowing back the gunpowder was easy enough with a wind jutsu, followed by a explosive tag, causing Asuma's initial plan to literally blow up in their face.
Tantos drawn, the remaining five ANBU charged at Asura Naruto, who charged at the five. As Asuma and the others watched in horror, Asura Naruto knocked the attacking ANBU as if they were not worth the effort, knocking them aside. Judging from the unnatural angles and the blood pooling from their bodies, it was a safe bet to say that they died instantly.
Asuma produced his trench knives and focused his chakra into the blades. Gai removed the weights from his legs. Yamato attacked first with his tanto, only to find that it did not affect Asura Naruto in the slightest. Asuma rushed in, hoping that the Flying Swallow would be enough to cause some damage onto Naruto.
Asuma slashed at Asura Naruto, who blocked the attack with his forearm. Sparks kicked off from the metallic arms, but what shocked Asuma was that there was no damage.
'That's impossible!' Asuma thought. 'The Flying Swallow can cut through steel!'
Asura Naruto looked amused as he cocked his head to the side. "Is that your best, Sarutobi?" he taunted.
Asuma's response was to launch a punch to the face, of which Asura Naruto calmly caught with one hand. Gai took this moment to blindsight Asura Naruto from the side and tried to bumrush in. Without breaking eye contact, Asura Naruto's hand lashed out and caught Gai's neck in an iron grip.
Asura Naruto turned his head to Gai, now having lifted a foot off the ground. "Wait for your turn," he said, flinging him into Yamato, who tried to attack while he was distracted. The 'Green Beast of Konoha' and the Mokouton-wielding ANBU captain crashed together in a heap, leaving Asura Naruto to deal with Asuma, having caught his other wrist when the Sandaime's son tried to punch him yet again.
Asura Naruto looked at the trench knife, then back at a defiant Asuma. "I remember those knives," he mused. "I remembered that you tried to kill me with them when I was six."
"You killed my mother, you demon bastard! I should have killed you when you were a baby!" Asuma spat out.
"Typical," Asura Naruto said, right before...
CRUNCH.
The sound of bones breaking was heard throughout Suna. Inside the Kazekage Tower, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Cell Nine winced at the sound. Asuma screamed as Naruto crushed both his hand and the trench knife with it, rendering both his hand and the knife useless. Asura Naruto dropped Asuma to the ground, the latter's hand and trench knife mangled and bloodied. When he brought his other hand to bear, Naruto responded by snapping his arm at the elbow.
As Asuma sank to his knees, Naruto's knee smashed into Asuma's face, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious.
"Damn you, you unyouthful demon!" Gai shouted as he unlocked four of the eight gates.
Asura Naruto kicked Asuma out of the way and beckoned Gai. "Come...so I can end you," he said. Like Asuma, Gai was also guilty of assaulting him in his youth. Asura Naruto charged at Gai...
...only to find himself encased in a tree, courtesy of Yamato and his Tree Binding Flourishing Burial.
"Did that do it?" Yamato whispered to himself, as he stood, knowing full well of the Mokouton's ability to rein in the power of a bijuu. "Did that stop him?"
From inside the tree, Asura Naruto gave his reply: "No. It did not. Fire Release: Deadly Tempest!"
With eyes filled with horror, Yamato, and Gai watched as the massive tree was reduced to carbon from the inside out, followed by Asura Naruto charging out of the destroyed tree, which collapsed onto itself, his intended target now clear. Yamato was on the receiving end of a metallic fist crashing against his jaw, breaking it in three places, which was followed by a kick to the sternum which sent him crashing through a wall, putting him out of commission.
Gai - now having unlocked seven of the eight gates - moved in to combat Asura Naruto. With Asuma and Yamato out of commission, it was now up to him to take down the demon.
"You will pay for your un-youthfulness, Demon!" Gai shouted as he knocked Asura Naruto into the air, high above Suna. As Gai launched himself after him, he follow through with the Reverse Lotus, unleashing a vicious barrage of punches and kicks. To anyone who had seen Gai and his former student perform the Reverse Lotus, the technique would be finished off with either Gai or Lee hitting their opponent with one fist and one foot, resulting in terminal velocity for the unfortunate person on the receiving end.
That, however, was not going to happen, as Gai attempted to deal the final blow, Asura Naruto disappeared...and reappeared behind Gai. Hands interlocked and raised over his head, Asura Naruto dealt the Green Beast of Konoha a vicious hammer punch that sent him back to Suna, where he made an impact crater upon landing. But Asura Naruto was not finished just yet. Upon returning to the streets via shunshin, Asura Naruto strode over to Gai, who was trying to get back to his feet, and failing, as unlocking the seven gates had depleted most of his chakra.
Standing over the fallen Gai, Asura Naruto looked down in triumph. "Not so fun when the 'demon brat' fights back, isn't it?" he taunted as Gai tried to crawl away. "You sent me to the hospital many times following you using me as a punching bag for your Gouken techniques." He raised one sandal-ed foot. "You thought I had forgotten that, haven't you?"
"Naruto...please...show mercy," Gai pleaded.
"The gods show mercy. To those who tried to kill me as a child, I show none," Asura Naruto said, right before slamming it down onto Gai's spine. Gai screamed as he felt his spinal cord snap in several places. "Your shinobi career is over, Maito Gai. See if you can get Tsunade to fix your back."
Maito Gai whimpered as he tried to use his legs, but could not. The pain became too great, causing him to pass out. Looking at the carnage surrounding him, Asura Naruto felt a small measure of revenge. His battle was over. With a POOF, he dispersed himself.
With Naruto and Sasuke...
Sasuke Uchiha was furious. He was an Uchiha. An Elite. One of the strongest Shinobi in Konoha. He wielded the Magenkyou Sharingan. He was trained by both Kakashi Hatake and Danzou Shimura. All of Konoha had recognized his strength.
Then there was his former teammate. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki, the Demon of Konoha, the Fox in Human Skin, the Dead Last. When Naruto was banished, he was pardoned. Despite his loss (and that he used the Cursed Seal), Sasuke had claimed his greatness, saying that Naruto would have lost were it not for the Nine-Tails in his body.
But as Sasuke was given anything and everything he wanted, Naruto had to work hard for what he had. While Sasuke lived a relatively peaceful life as Konoha's prince, Naruto had fought in the West, making alliances and forging an Empire under his rule, bringing about a peace that has not been seen since the time of his ancestor, the Six Paths Sage.
Simply put, Naruto had surpassed the self-proclaimed 'elite Uchiha.' Naruto would admit that he had gotten lucky at the Valley of the End. But following their fight in Tea Country, it had became clear that Naruto was the strongest of the two. And once Sasuke knew that the Emperor and the dobe was one and the same, it had pretty much enraged him.
Naruto had no problem mixing it up with his own blade, which was why he and the Uchiha were currently in the middle of a vicious sword duel, Naruto effectively neutralized both Jiraiya and Tsunade. Sharingan versus Rinnegan, the Emperor versus the Elite.
"How are you so damn strong?!" Sasuke snarled as he and Naruto locked blades. "You can't be this strong, Dobe! I am an Uchiha! That strength should be mine! How is it you are so damn strong?! Why can't my hatred defeat you?!"
"I earned my strength through hard work. Even now, I don't use my Rinnegan as a crutch," Naruto replied, right before headbutting the Uchiha, followed by a roundhouse to the jaw, knocking him to the ground. "That is the difference between us. There is no hatred, only passion. Through passion, I find strength."
Naruto continued to deflect and parry Sasuke's attacks as he continued to speak, reciting what Sonshi had told him when he learned the ways of the samurai. "Through strength, I gain knowledge. Through knowledge, comes serenity." He backhanded the Uchiha, busting his lip. "There is no chaos within me, only harmony. Through harmony, I gain victory. Through victory...my chains are broken."
"You talk to damn much!" Sasuke shouted.
"And you have learned nothing," Naruto replied as the battle intensified, the two former teammates-turned-enemies' flurry of swordplay - Sasuke's shinobi swordplay and Naruto's samurai and Mist swordsmanship - intensified, until the two men ended up in a second blade-lock.
"Your power...give it to me!" shouted the Uchiha prince, activating the Sharingan.
Naruto broke off the blade-lock with a headbutt to Sasuke, which was followed by him planting both feet into Sasuke's chest, knocking him backwards.
Naruto sheathed his O-katana. "You can't win, Sasuke," he said as his opponent stood up. "You're better off just giving up. I have long since surpassed you. I proved that at the Valley of the End. I proved it again in Tea Country. And I proved it here. I have nothing else to prove to you."
Sasuke's eyes were closed. "No. You're wrong, Dobe."
Naruto had a pretty good idea as to what was going to happen next, as he watched bloody tears emerge from his eyes. He steeled himself for Sasuke's final trump card.
Sasuke's eyes opened, revealing the Magenkyou Sharingan. "Prove to me that you can die! AMATERASU!"
The strongest of the Fire Release jutsu and the strongest jutsu that an Uchiha can master. The flames of Amaterasu are said to be the fires of Hell, hot as the sun, and said to be unavoidable, the flames capable of burning everything in its path, reducing whatever is caught in the flames to nothing but ash.
Naruto's response to Sasuke's attack was to activate his Rinnegan, falling back into the Deva Path.
"Shinra...TENSEI!"
Sasuke's eyes showed complete shock as the black flames were extinguished. In a futile gesture, he raised his hands to block the incoming pressure wave, only to find himself once again on the receiving end of the Shinra Tensei, Naruto's jutsu flinging him back into a wall.
Naruto was upon him in an instant. One punch to the sternum had caused Sasuke to cough up blood. This was followed by Naruto unloading a vicious barrage of punches into Sasuke's chest and torso, Sasuke's body jerking like a rag doll with each blow. The coup de grace came with Naruto punching Sasuke through the wall.
"Looks like I win again," Naruto said smugly. Turning from the mangled Uchiha, Naruto walked back into the street. Then he stopped and turned around.
Sasuke, despite being badly injured, stumbled out of the hole Naruto had made with his body. "Dobe...we...are not...done yet!"
"I'll give you this much. You're persistent," Naruto admitted, "but the battle is over. You lost. The Sannin lost. It's over."
"Damn you...DAMN YOU!" Sasuke snarled as the Cursed Seal went into overdrive as he went into Stage Two of the Cursed Seal.
His skin turned into a shade of dark gray, the lips a shade of blue. A black four-point star-like mark appeared in between his eyes, above the bridge of his nose. His hair had gotten longer, ending at his waist. The eyes no longer had the Sharingan. The sclerae turned black, the irides now yellow. Last, were the large webbed hand-shaped wings on his back.
"DIE NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed as he rose into the air, right before diving at Naruto, claws outstretched, ready to rip Naruto apart.
Had Sasuke been paying any attention, he would have noticed the smirk on Naruto's face. Or the ball of chakra-infused lightning in his hand.
"Imperial Style: CHIDORI!"
Sasuke's eyes bulged out of its sockets as Naruto nailed him with Kakashi's signature assassination jutsu, payback for Sasuke doing the same to him. The Uchiha prince screamed as the electricity coursed through his body, playing haywire with his chakra and nervous systems...and leaving a fist-sized hole in his shoulder - the same spot where Sasuke had done to Naruto years earlier, not to mention giving the people watching this fight a good view of his skeleton.
The force of the Chidori sent Sasuke sailing back to the mangled remains of Konoha's shinobi. Tsunade and Sakura had their hands full. Sakura wanted to go after Naruto, but Tsunade had ordered her to remain behind to help with the wounded. Asuma's hand was mangled, the other arm broken. Kurenai and Shino had been poisoned by Hinata, while Kiba and Akamaru had several broken bones. Gai's shinobi career was pretty much over, as his back was shattered. Yamato also had several broken bones, and Jiraiya's arm was severed.
This battle was over.
"You used the Chidori on me back at the Valley of the End," Naruto said as Sasuke returned to normal. "Consider us even."
He turned from Tsunade and the others. Hinata, having watched the fight from the sidelines, walked over to greet her husband properly.
However, in her rush, she did not see Kakashi emerge from the restaurant from where he was fighting Zabuza moments earlier, having won his battle. Seeing as how Naruto had won, Kakashi did the only thing he could do.
He targeted Naruto's wife.
"RAKIRI!"
Naruto saw that Kakashi had Hinata in his sights. If Konoha came out as the loser in this conflict, then the Emperor would be without his wife. Kakashi was fast, but Naruto was faster. He performed a Flash Step, closing the distance and shoving Hinata out of the way, just as Kakashi's Rakiri struck Naruto square in the chest.
Sharingan spinning, Kakashi saw that he did not kill Hinata, but he did catch Naruto. Tsunade and Jiraiya, despite being badly injured, looked upon the scene with grim satisfaction. Perhaps now Minato and Kushina could finally rest in peace with their killer dead. With this act, the Empire would be robbed of their Emperor.
"I got you, Demon," Kakashi grated. "I finally got you."
However, the look on Naruto's face was not disbelief that Kakashi had tried to kill him, but rather amusement. As Naruto rushed to intercept Kakashi's Raikiri, he had activated the Preta Path, which allowed him to take the full brunt of Kakashi's Rakiri without the effect of death. Kakashi's look of triumph turned to one of total shock as Naruto absorbed the jutsu. Even Tsunade and Jiraiya saw that Naruto was still alive, and not dead on his feet.
It was because of this development that Kakashi did not notice his impending doom coming from behind.
THWACK.
Kakashi's eyes bulged as he felt pain. Looking down, he saw the familiar shape of a massive sword sticking a foot out of his chest. Kakashi's eyes widened in horror as he recognized the blade, stained with his blood.
The Kubikiribocho.
"No..." Zabuza whispered from behind as he yanked his blade out of Kakashi, having got the jump on Naruto's former sensei. "I got you, Hatake."
"Za...Zabuza?! How...?!" Kakashi gasped.
"Water clone," was all that Zabuza had said. "You really thought that you suckered me, didn't you? You forgot about my water clones."
During the fight inside the restaurant, Zabuza had retreated into the kitchen, broken the kitchen's sink and used its water to create a reinforced water clone, of which he sent after Zabuza. Naruto had warned him of the Sharingan's abilities and now the Demon of Kimon was thankful that he had listened to the Emperor's advice. All he had to do was wait for the perfect time to strike. And it came when Kakashi tried to kill Naruto with the Rakiri.
Naruto and Hinata backed off several steps as Kakashi turned around, and looked into the face of the man thought to have been sent to the Other Dimension by the Kamui. Kakashi was looking into the face of his executioner. He was dead either way, as the wound Zabuza had delivered to him was mortal.
"For the crimes of betraying both the Uzumaki clan and my father, your sentence is death, Hatake," Naruto coldly decreed. Turning to Kakashi, he gave his former sensei his parting words as Zabuza raised Kubikiribocho, savoring the look of horror mixed with fear as he knew what was coming. "Death comes for us all, Hatake. But when you die, something far worse awaits you."
The blade of the Head Chopping Cleaver slashed its way through flesh, muscle and bone. Kakashi's head fell forward, while the body keeled over, the stump spilling blood in the street, the body twitching before finally going still.
Kakashi Hatake was dead.
"Which is that you die with no honor," Naruto finished. Turning to Zabuza, he asked, "Happy now?"
Zabuza nodded. "Very."
Naruto turned to the injured Konoha shinobi. Sasuke had reverted back to human form following the Chidori to the chest and was being tended to by Sakura. Hinata made a signal, and the Imperial forces converged onto the scene, weapons drawn.
"Our battle is finished here," Naruto intoned. "Take your wounded and leave my sight."
Tsunade, now having stabilized Jiraiya, glared at her former godson. "This isn't over, Naruto!" shouted the Godaime. "This is nothing but petty hatred and vengeance on your end!"
"For the moment, it is over," Naruto replied. "You call this hatred. I call it retribution. You say this is vengeance? This is justice. But this is only the beginning, you hag. This is the beginning of the end for the Leaf. Go back to Konoha and tell them that the dead last has returned. Tell them that as the Yellow Flash brought Konoha's rise to power, the Emperor of the Six Paths will bring about its reckoning. Either leave under your own power...or I can send you back in a box. Make your choice now."
Tsunade wanted to fight to the bitter end, to go out fighting. But Jiraiya needed immediate medical attention and her jounin were grievously injured. The Imperial forces parted, making a path for the beaten and wounded Konoha shinobi to pass through with the help of the surviving jounin who were kept from the battle at blade-point, Tsunade giving one final hate-filled glare at Naruto, now placing the kage-style hat back on his head and walking away from the battle, Hinata at his side.
As Tsunade and the Konoha shinobi departed from Suna, a fourth party - unknown to either Konoha, Suna or the Imperial West, made his own escape. A white-haired shinobi with glasses.
Otogakure, Rice Country - several days later.
Inside his laboratory, Orochimaru was going over some notes in regards to his new test subjects when Kabuto came running in, out of breath. Without looking up from his notes, he said, "You're a week late, Kabuto. I hope you have a very good reason as to why you are behind schedule."
The Snake Sage had ordered Kabuto to investigate the Akatsuki's movements, which had led Kabuto to Suna. There, disguised as a Suna Jounin, Kabuto had witnessed the deaths of both Deidara and Sasori at the hands of the Emperor and Empress Consort. But before Kabuto could leave, Suna was placed under martial law, the civilians evacuated to several fallback spots.
Then the Akatsuki invaded, and Kabuto ended up fighting alongside Suna and the Imperial forces against the Six Paths and their 100,000 White Zetsu Army. Kabuto had a first-hand look as to how the Imperial forces - shinobi and samurai - fight. He also got a good glimpse of how the Imperial Medic Corps went about their work.
But most important, he knew the identities of the Emperor and his wife, and of their connection to Konoha.
To Orochimaru, the Western Empire was an unknown to him. Upon hearing about the Pekara Outpost in Wind Country six months earlier, he had sent Kabuto to investigate. What Kabuto had managed to find out was that a high-ranking official and his wife had conducted inspections on the Pekara branches in the Elemental Countries. Grudgingly, he had to admit that the Imperials were strong, especially the Man in Black's commander of his elite unit of bodyguards.
"I know I am behind on my time," Kabuto panted. "There is a development. The Akatsuki has been destroyed."
That caught Orochimaru's interest. "Explain."
And Kabuto told him what had happened. He told his master about the Akatsuki Invasion of Suna, of how Konan and the Six Paths led the surviving members of the Akatsuki and 100,000 White Zetsu Clones against a joint force of Suna shinobi and four battalions of Imperial shinobi and samurai, and of how despite being outnumbered 2-to-1, the joint Suna-Imperial forces were victorious.
"There's more," Kabuto continued. "I know the identity of the Akatsuki mastermind. It was not Nagato as we originally expected. You knew him as Tobi, but in truth, his real name is Obito Uchiha."
Orochimaru was surprised. "So there were two Uchihas in the Akatsuki...interesting. Continue."
"The Akatsuki were killed to the last man," Kabuto said. "Hidan...Kazuku...Konan...Nagato...Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Obito had been captured alive and will face execution upon being sent to the Western Empire."
"Hmm...one less headache for me," the Snake Sannin said. "Anything else?"
Kabuto grinned. "Yes. The Emperor and his wife...I know who they are." Not wanting to keep his master in suspense, he told him. "The Emperor is the one who was banished for doing his job. The Emperor is Sasuke Uchiha's former teammate, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."
If Orochimaru was surprised before, this took the cake. "Are you telling me that the Emperor himself is Naruto Uzumaki? The dead-last?"
Kabuto nodded. "His parents were Sarutobi's successor and the Red Death herself."
That gave Orochimaru pause. As a former Konoha shinobi and one-third of the Legendary Sannin, he knew of Tsunade's family history involving the Uzumaki and the Senju. "Mito Uzumaki was wife to Hashirama Senju, and Tsunade was her granddaughter. Kushina Uzumaki was Tsunade's niece..."
Kabuto immediately caught on. "...and Naruto Uzumaki is Tsunade's great-nephew."
Orochimaru cackled. "Tsunade, in her infinite wisdom, banished her great-nephew! They screwed over the direct descendant of the Six Paths Sage! So who is his wife?"
"The former Hyuuga Heiress. Hinata Hyuuga. From what I found out, she is the founder of the Western Empire's Imperial Medic Program there. I hate to say it, but the Imperial program is a lot more advanced. And speaking of Tsunade..."
Orochimaru stopped laughing. "What?"
"She came to Suna hoping to get back on Gaara's good side in fighting with Suna, and to try and negotiate an alliance with the Emperor. Backing her was Jiraiya, several of their senior Jounin and several of Naruto's former teammates, including Sasuke Uchiha. Uzumaki has gotten strong. Even stronger than the Uchiha. His wife as well. They both had come a long way since Konoha."
"I bet that the reunion did not go as well," Orochimaru mused.
"That is an understatement," Kabuto replied. "Tsunade had sicced Kakashi and the other Jounin on the both of them. Out of everyone, Maito Gai, Asuma Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Sasuke had it the worst. Sarutobi suffered a broken hand and a broken arm. Maito Gai...well, his shinobi career is effectively over. Jiraiya lost his arm. And Sasuke - despite using the Cursed Seal ended up with a Chidori in his chest."
"Uzumaki did all of that?" Orochimaru asked. When Kabuto nodded, Orochimaru added as an afterthought, "Well it's a good thing that he hates Konoha as much as I do. I actually feel a little better with him not agreeing to our alliance, not to mention losing to his captain of the guard."
"Kakashi Hatake is dead," Kabuto reported.
"Naruto killed him?"
"No. Zabuza Momichi - the Demon of the Mist - took his head."
Orochimaru took a moment to take all of the news in. "This might work to our advantage. If there is one thing I can count on, is that dear Sasuke cannot stand the fact that someone like Naruto is stronger than him. I may be able to get my body just yet."
"Should I organize a retrieval team and intercept him from Tsunade and the others?"
"No. I can wait a while longer."
"What about Naruto and the Western Empire?"
Orochimaru thought about it for a moment. "It's clear that we are not on Naruto and Hinata's radar, and that they hate Konoha as much as we do. So we will leave them and their merchants along for the time being. Send word to the Raikage. Uzumaki and the Western Empire is off limits." His smile grew sinister. "But if Sasuke refuses to come to my side...I can always be an Emperor."
Konohagakure no Sato, at the same time...
It had been midnight when Tsunade and the remains of her forces had returned to Konoha. Since that time, she, along with Shizune and Sakura had been hard at work stabilizing the badly injured shinobi, even going as far as taking a soldier pill in order to keep working. As she had been busy with Jiraiya, Shizune and Sakura had been tasked along with the doctors in treating the injured shinobi, as well as compiling a casualty list of the ANBU who were killed.
Konoha Hospital, Dawn.
Shizune and Sakura gave their reports to Tsunade, who had just finished treating Jiraiya.
"Sixteen ANBU dead," Sakura reported as she handed Tsunade a scroll. "Here are their names. Kakashi Hatake KIA."
Tsunade nodded grimly. She had brought two hundred jounin level shinobi with her to Suna, and yet when Naruto and Hinata had used their forces to block them from interfering at blade and jutsu-point. Seeing as how the jounin were outnumbered and outmatched, the remaining jounin had no choice but to comply.
Tsunade found them outside Suna, and ordered them to help with the wounded and the dead...after demoting them to Chuunin. They were not allowed to take Kakashi's body, as that was incinerated in one of the many pyres outside of Suna.
"And the others?" Tsunade asked.
Shizune went over her notes. "Out of the group that was attacked by Uzumaki and his wife, Kurenai Sarutobi and Shino Aburame were affected by an unknown type of poison which makes the chakra and nervous systems go haywire. It's not lethal, but it is extremely effective."
"Were you able to get samples?" Tsunade asked.
Sakura shook her head. "The poison works pretty fast. Despite taking blood samples from both Sarutobi and Aburame, there was no poison in their system. Either way, both of them will be out of action for about a week until they recover. Considering what has happened to the others, they got off lucky."
"And the others?"
"First up is Maito Gai," Shizune reported. "There was too much damage from where Uzumaki had crushed his spine. He won't be able to walk again. His shinobi career is finished."
Tsunade nodded grimly. "Continue."
"Asuma Sarutobi's right hand was crushed, along with his trench knife, which proved to be quite a challenge for the doctors to remove without having to remove the hand altogether," Shizune said. "We were able to save his hand, but every bone in his finger has been broken. He also has a broken left arm at the elbow. He's looking at several months of recovery."
Sakura continued after that. "Kiba Inuzuka has suffered several broken bones, including those in his left leg, a broken radius and a broken wrist. Akamaru had been placed in the care of the Inuzuka vets. Yamato's jaw is broken in three places, and a fractured chest bone. Sasuke Uchiha was the worst off. A Chidori-sized hole in his chest, half of the ribs are either broken or fractured, and the electricity from the jutsu has overloaded his nervous system and chakra reserves."
"How long will he be out?" Tsunade asked.
"A month. Month and a half at the most," Sakura replied. "What about you? Are you okay?"
"That brat gave me a concussion when he suplexed me," Tsunade grated. "Jiraiya...we couldn't save his arm. He died on me twice, but I managed to revive him." She sighed in frustration. "How in the hell could he have gotten so powerful? Sensei made sure that we conditioned him, not to mention that we stunted his growth."
"He was always the unpredictable one," Sakura admitted. "He beat Kiba, and Neji in the exams."
"He should not have that kind of power, Sakura," Shizune said. "Such power could be turned against us in the long run. If there is anything I know about the Uzumaki, is that they never forget who wrongs them."
"You forget that I am also of the Uzumaki, as Mito was my grandmother," Tsunade pointed out. "But first and foremost, I am a Senju. Naruto has made it clear that he is a major threat to the Leaf. The bodies of Hatake and the ANBU slan has made that point very clear. Monitor Jiraiya and the others. I must tell the council that Uzumaki and the West is now a certified threat."
Shizune and Sakura nodded as Tsunade vanished down the corridor.
Underneath Konohagakure, hours later...
Inside his inner sanctum, Danzou Shimura was furious. The Sharingan in his eye was spinning, his body leaking killer intent. The man known as 'The Darkness of Shinobi' had just returned from an emergency council meeting, in which Tsunade had delivered some devastating news.
Naruto Uzumaki was the Emperor of the West. The dead-last, the Kyuubi brat, was the most powerful man on the Western Continent. The same Naruto Uzumaki who had killed Honmura and Koharu over a year ago. The same Naruto Uzumaki who had rendered him helpless inside his own underground chambers.
The same Naruto Uzumaki who can lead an army into Konoha and crush it under his heel.
People change in the seven years following their banishment, as Danzou's co-conspirators found out the hard way.
The council had been in an uproar when the revelation was revealed. The civilian side of the council wanted Tsunade to declare war on the Empire, or by extension, their allies in Spring, Water and Wind. That idea was shot down by the clans, as they would be outnumbered 5-to-1.
But Danzou still could not do anything, as Naruto still had the evidence pertaining to the stolen bloodlines he had on his person, lest he earned the wrath of the Godaime and the Last Uchiha.
All he could do now is plan.
OMAKE!
Hokuto no Naruto
Snafu's Notes: Kudos to Azure Dragon of the East for inspiring this idea via PM.
Naruto's response to Sasuke's attack was to activate his Rinnegan, falling back into the Deva Path.
"Shinra...TENSEI!"
Sasuke's eyes showed complete shock as the black flames were extinguished. In a futile gesture, he raised his hands to block the incoming pressure wave, only to find himself once again on the receiving end of the Shinra Tensei, Naruto's jutsu flinging him back into a wall.
Naruto was upon him in an instant. One punch to the sternum had caused Sasuke to cough up blood. This was followed by Naruto unloading a vicious barrage of punches into Sasuke's chest and torso, Sasuke's body jerking like a rag doll with each blow. The coup de grace came with Naruto punching Sasuke through the wall.
"Looks like I win again," Naruto said smugly. Turning from the mangled Uchiha, Naruto walked back into the street. Then he stopped and turned around.
Sasuke, despite being badly injured, stumbled out of the hole Naruto had made with his body. "Dobe...we...are not...done yet!"
"I'll give you this much. You're persistent," Naruto admitted, "but the battle is over. You lost. The Sannin lost. It's over."
"Damn you...DAMN YOU!" Sasuke snarled as the Cursed Seal went into overdrive as he went into Stage Two of the Cursed Seal.
His skin turned into a shade of dark gray, the lips a shade of blue. A black four-point star-like mark appeared in between his eyes, above the bridge of his nose. His hair had gotten longer, ending at his waist. The eyes no longer had the Sharingan. The sclerae turned black, the irides now yellow. Last, were the large webbed hand-shaped wings on his back.
"DIE NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed as he rose into the air, right before diving at Naruto, claws outstretched, ready to rip Naruto apart.
Had Sasuke been paying any attention, he would have noticed the smirk on Naruto's face. Or the fact that his killer intent was radiating from his body like a flame, literally burning off his haori, flak vest and mesh shirt, revealing his own scarred torso (think the scars which Kazuya Mishima has sans the large scar on his chest). The Emperor met him in mid-air, his foot smashing against the demonic-looking Uchiha's face, knocking him back.
As Sasuke got back to his feet, Naruto struck.
"A-TATATATATATATATATATATATATATA TATATATATATA..."
CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH...
As Tsunade and Jiraiya watched in complete shock and awe, Naruto unleashed a massive barrage of punches with both hands, striking at the Uchiha's 708 acupressure points. To anyone watching this, it was as if Naruto had moved at an inhuman speed, even faster than Rock Lee and Gai combined as he pummeled Sasuke with his fists, the Uchiha's body jerking around violently like a rag doll from the impact of the blows.
Then Naruto switched from his hands to one foot, kicking Sasuke just as fast...
"...TATATATATATATATATATATATATATA TATATATATATA..."
CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH...
...right before resuming punching him again, only this time with one hand, not slowing down...
"...TATATATATATATATATATATATATATA TATATATATATA..."
CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH...
...and Naruto returned to using his other hand like he had done earlier at the start of the technique...
"WA-TAH!"
KA-POW!
The final blow had knocked Sasuke ass over head, crashing in front of Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"Imperial Style: Hundred Crack Fist," Naruto said as he retrieved his Kage-style hat. With a flourish, he placed it on his head, turned around and begin to walk away. "It's over for you, Sasuke."
"Dobe..."
Once again, Naruto stopped in mid-step, but did not turn around.
Sasuke, still in Stage Two, got back to his feet, shrugging off Tsunade's attempts to help him. "We're not done yet, Dobe!" he shouted as he coughed up blood. "Don't you turn your back on me!"
Slowly, Naruto turned his head. "I got four words for you, Teme. Omae wa mou shindeiru." (You are already dead.)
"Is that so?" Sasuke snarled back, taking a step forward, then paused as his body began to jerk and twitch violently. Sasuke screamed as he felt his body's internal organs begin to break down, his head swelling to inhuman proportions, the hair falling out of his deformed skull. His torso also began to swell as he fell to his knees.
"Uz...uzu...UZUMAKI!"
BOOM.
That was Sasuke's final word as his head literally exploded, with his body following soon afterward. All that remained of Sasuke was everything from the waist down, splattering Tsunade and Jiraiya with bits and pieces of gore. Sasuke's legs twitched before finally going still.
'Damn it,' Naruto cursed. 'That was the third vest and haori I destroyed this week. Now I need a new one.'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone