"Sigh...I know you probably have some questions, but it isn't the time for that right now..." - Eiji decided to not beat around the bush.

"...why do you have to be like this. You never tell anything and distance yourself from everyone...sorry I know you probably have your reasons, but I just can't keep watching anymore. You were looking for that, right?" - Eiji's sword appeared in Tenten's hands while she showed it to him.

'When did she...? Can she smell where weapons are or what?' - Eiji was conflicted since he didn't have to search for his sword now, but on the other hand...

"...what do you want?"

"I want to understand you...why are you doing all this?" - Tenten

"Sorry, can't tell you." - Eiji wasn't stupid enough to think that anyone would believe him that this is a fictional world, or based on one and that he somehow reincarnated there.

"Figures...I already expected that...the only thing left for us to do now is, to fight as fellow shinobi's." - Tenten's puppets took out what looked like guns.

Eiji was surprised seeing something like guns in this world, but he didn't seem to try to defend.

With a sigh, the puppets fired their guns at the same time, and kunai flew out of them at a ridiculous speed.

But Eiji didn't dodge and just let himself get hit.

"Interesting...you really improved a lot since the last time I saw you..." - Eiji started to pull the kunais out while his wounds already started to regenerate.

"I'm not finished!" - suddenly she appeared beneath his line of sight in front of him and got into an Iai-stance with Eiji's sword before drawing the sword.

However with Sage-Mode, he expected that, and just lightly moved his upper body sideways to dodge perfectly.

But what he did not expect was that after missing she used the rotation movement and switched the hands with which she was holding the sword, enabling her to slash again.

Blood flowed in mass while one of his arms was cut.

Eiji looked at his missing arm and Tenten and then suddenly smiled: 'It looks her Kenjutsu improved even more...even I wouldn't dare to switch hands while performing a technique...'

"You really surprised me there...you know what? You wanted answers, right? You can keep my sword until we meet next time, then I will answer what you want." - after saying that to Tenten, he turned around to the rest: "It was fun playing with all of you, but you are on a mission, right? Anyway, next time we meet, I won't hold back anymore and will kill you if you get in my way, so look forward to it."

Before anyone could respond, he suddenly disappeared.

'Next time, huh?' - Tenten looked at Eiji's sword.

While Sakura healed Naruto's face, Kakashi used the time to rest and was soon again in a state to fight.

During that time, Ningame arrived with Guy and Gaara on his back.

Sakura stopped threatening Naruto and rushed to Guy to examine Guy, but when Ningame started to report what happened, she took the antidote she prepared against Sasori's poison, which she researched when she treated Kankuro back in Sunagakure.

But even with the antidote, the poison already damaged his organs and it looked like it was too late.

Luckily Chiyo was there: after hearing that Sasori is dead, one of the things she sweated to deal with before she dies, was over and she used the One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu to "thank" Guy for dealing with Sasori.

But since he was still alive, she didn't need to sacrifice her life fully.

Soon he opened his eyes and everyone was jubilant until Naruto's crying reminded them of the other one: Gaara.

With his face completely swollen and full of teas, it made him look even more pitiful.

But like in the original timeline, this time Chiyo exchanged her life fully to resurrect him.

"..."

"..."

"What are you doing?" - Eiji looked at Ukon who was lying naked on a tree.

"Shut up, this explosion destroyed all my clothes!"

"Sigh...whatever, let's go. Today was a complete disaster, I just want to take a bath and go to bed."

"I can't move, because I ran out of chakra from using the Level 2 curse mark, so you'll have to carry me." - Ukon said that with a bored look while watching the sky.

"..." - Eiji moved his hand to where his sword usually is, but when he couldn't feel it he remembered that he gave it to Tenten.

But he really wanted to cut Ukon into pieces at this moment, so he started to gather his chakra.

"Hm?" - he stopped when he saw a letter bird flying to him.

He took the letter from its claw and read it.

"Hehehehe..." - Eiji suddenly started to laugh evilly.

"What's written there?" - Ukon asked curiously.

"It's from Sasuke, it looks like he really found it."

"Oh? Didn't you complain a while back ago that the chance to find it is slim and that if he doesn't make any progress on that, that you would just move onto another plan instead?"

"Hehehe, looks like I can be lucky for once too...Ukon, it looks like you may get your revenge pretty soon..." - Eiji smiled amused.

At Orochimaru's hideout, Kabuto stormed into Orochimaru's room: "LORD, OROCHIMA-"

"Just cut it out and tell me which hideout was destroyed this time." - Orochimaru sat in front of a desk with a giant map on it.

Kabuto looked nervously around even though there was no chance that someone could eavesdrop here: "It was the one, where his corpse is...and it looks like it's missing now..."

"You...don't mean?" - after realizing, Orochimaru gritted his teeth furiously.

It was one of his most important research subjects - in fact, it was so important that only he and Kabuto knew about it.

"But this isn't all..." - Kabuto held a letter in his hands.

"Kabuto, I'm really not in the mood for long explanations right now, so spit it out!"

"It's a letter from the Shiki Ryuu...apparently they want to offer us a trade..."

"A TRADE?! HAHAHAHAHA!!! After sending Sasuke to destroy one base after the other, and now even stealing "that", they have the guts to offer us a trade? Kill as many of their employers as possible, that will be my answer!"

"But, Lord Orochimaru...you should at least look at what they - no the leader is offering us..."

"Kabuto...I hope you know that you are treading on thin ice right now...alright, tell me and I hope for you it's something interesting."

"Eiji Nakamura wants to exchange Sasuke Uchiha for learning the Edo Tensei. He stated that he will make sure that Sasuke cant fight when the exchange takes place."

"Hehehe...interesting...this is most likely a trap, but we don't have a reason to not take the bait. It makes it easier for us to deal with them once and for all..."

At a cave, the Akatsuki were assembled - or at least their chakra phantoms.

"Deidara and Sasori are both dead." - Pain

"Those two, eh...? Who got em in?" - Kisame

"Sasori died to that Taijutsu Jounin from Konoha, Might Guy." - Zetsu

"Again that bizarre beast? And Deidara?" - Kisame

"It was the Lost Hokage." - Pain

"Eh...how interesting..." - Kisame

"He turned out to be more dangerous than expected, so from now on he will be considered as an enemy." - Pain

"I think recruiting him instead, would be wiser." - Itachi

"Given the information, we have on him, it's unlikely that he would accept...furthermore Sasuke Uchiha is by his side and they're likely searching for you."

"Uhh, that sounds bad for you, Itachi...so do we gang up on him then? The more the merrier, right?" - Tobi

"Hold up. He has a nice bounty on his head, so let me handle him." - Kakuzu

"Oh, not again. We don't have time for your bounties..." - Hidan

"Uhm, by the way, who do I pair up with?" - Tobi

"For now, join Kisame and Itachi until we find someone new."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to it, Itachi and Kisame senpai!"

"Welcome to our team, Tobi." - Kisame smiled amused.

"..." - Itachi