Dealing with Pests

Konoha

Back in college, I had only a vague idea of what my life would look like at age twenty-five. My student loans would have been paid off, I would have a job that I somewhat enjoyed, and perhaps there would be a steady girlfriend in the picture. Nothing too extravagant but more than enough to be satisfying. Yeah, I also had dreams of coming up with a big idea and striking it rich, but I knew just how unlikely that was. A source of motivation were all those hallucinations would amount to.

Of course, my current reality is even more fantastic than those dreams: supernatural ninjas? Actual plots for world domination? Being in the very center of it all in a new body?

Honestly, it was a lot to chew at times. More so because it was all from an anime I was very familiar with. Makes me question the logistics of it all. Was Kishimoto the creator of this universe? Or was he just viewing the events from Earth? But if he is the 'god' of this unfinished story, as of what I remember of my old life, was he out there adding in details that were twisting the timeline? Would I someday run into something specifically designed to wipe out 'Naruto' in an attempt of character development for 'Boruto'?

There was no way to be certain and thus the best response to those queries was to push them aside and focus on the present. Needless worrying would only stress me out. Leave me with hair like Jiraiya's.

Not a good look on me…

It's a good thing that this world had some positives to focus on instead. Friends and acquaintances, good food, indoor plumbing; even the amazing view of Konoha right before the sunset as seen from the Hokage Monument. The bustling of people living their everyday lives. Some filled with joy while others stewed in malcontent, but each had their own aspirations for the future.

Too bad none knew of the storm brewing on the horizon. Oh, there were plenty of experienced veterans familiar with the darkness of the ninja life, but none knew just what was waiting around the corner.

And if I got my way, they would never learn of it. I would do my best to ensure that.

Not for the Leaf per say, even now there are some with lingering animosity towards me, but for the different people I actually cared for and because of how bad the final endgame was. Either stuck in the Infinite Tsukuyomi or sucked dry of chakra by Kaguya. Both outcomes were undesirable and not something I would allow to happen. My death being a requirement in the two plans simply guaranteed my protest.

Anyways, looks like she had finally arrived.

"Hey Naruto." Greeted my expected guest.

"Sakura, you're just in time." I waved her over. "You've probably grown used to it, but this sight brings back memories for me."

"No worries there. I'll never get tired of seeing the sun set from up here. I think you picked a great spot to talk." She commented to which I agreed. It provided a scenic setting along with privacy; one I enjoyed and the other I appreciated when it was available. Privacy could be hard to come by in a hidden village.

Sitting down next to me on Minato's head, we spent a few moments in silence before she broke it. "So, Shizune told me about your promotion."

"Hhm? Oh, I received it the day we got back. It wasn't a total surprise to me though." I replied.

"I'll bet. You and Lord Jiraiya took out those Akatsuki shinobi so easily. You must be at least special jonin by that alone."

"There's that, but I also figured all the missions I'd done over the past year helped my case." I shrugged.

"What kind of missions?" She inquired.

"I started with a bandit elimination." Which ones to mention? "Afterwards I did some find and retrieve for different clients, intel gathering, escorts, and even bounty hunting. It was an eventful year."

"Well no wonder you got promoted! You probably have more experience then a lot of our friends. I can't even imagine what doing missions with you would entail now. More S-rank nin?" She shook her head. "I can see why Lady Tsunade didn't reactivate Team Seven."

"Actually, that's because I requested it. Let me explain," I interjected before she could get upset, "I want to be able to pursue the Akatsuki and Tsunade already had the idea of creating squads to hunt them down. So, I figured that with our new communication scrolls, whenever a squad found their trace, I would just head out to meet up with them. Having to bring others along would slow me down."

"Are you really that fast that Lady Tsunade would allow you to move alone?"

"I am. Besides time and space techniques, I can probably travel long distances faster than anyone live." With the aero-step I could use my chakra cloak to its fullest without worrying about being seen by people on the ground.

"Incredible. You really benefitted from that trip. I guess I would have been deadweight if we teamed up again, huh?" Her good cheer from earlier less visible.

"No one could realistically be expected to keep up, Sakura. It's not a slight against you. And besides, after two months I'll be able to take any type of mission meaning we could team up even if it wouldn't be an official Team Seven thing."

"Why two months?" She asked, no longer as downcast.

"With the attack on Gaara, we believe that the Akatsuki is mobilizing right now. I go back to active duty next week and for the following two months, I'm on standby in case we get intel of their movements meaning no missions that go outside our walls."

"Oh, okay. That seems logical." I'm glad it did because I had argued my case with that reasoning so I would have time to focus on important stuff rather than on filler missions. As it was, I had barely managed to extend my inactivity period in order to fit in sneaking off to Tenchi Bridge tonight.

"Enough about that, have you started on what we talked about?" I asked with a side glance.

"Huh? Oh, about the training?" Sakura asked to which I nodded, "No. I have no idea where to start and I haven't seen Kakashi in the three days since we got back." Her shoulders sagged.

"No idea where to start you say? Well, I've been working on something that should help you. It definitely did so for me." As I said that, a burst of chakra unsealed something from my gauntlet.

Despite my hesitations about revealing more about my abilities than I wanted to, there were ways that I could strengthen my allies without giving my enemies too much leverage. This tool was one such method.

"How many storage seals do you have on those things Naruto? And what are these for?" She asked picking up a belt from the stack I had deposited on the ground. "I don't really need a belt, never mind this many."

"You remember the training tool I mentioned to Lee?"

"You made more?" She asked looking at them with a more appreciative eye.

"Yes ma'am. I made some for you, our old classmates, Team Gai, and even Konohamaru's team. I want you to distribute them." I explained.

"Really? Thanks Naruto. These must have taken you a long time to make with how complicated they look." She gushed.

"I think you forgot what my signature jutsu was Sakura." I laughed. With a few clones, it hadn't taken over twenty minutes.

"Right. Those shadow clones are really useful. But still, thank you."

"You're welcome. And I have some words of guidance if you want to hear it." I offered, looking her straight in the eye.

"Uhm, sure," Taken aback by the sudden intensity, she took a while to respond, "I never thought that you of all people would be offering sound advice but please, anything would help."

"Okay," I took a moment to gather my thoughts, "I think most people would agree that a great ninja is one that is strong in body and mind. They should be fast, quiet, and efficient. I realize that not all situations allow for these characteristics but when you make good use of them, conflicts can be ended quicker and more decisively. It's also easier to develop those traits than obtaining powerful jutsu to rely on. You following so far?"

"Yeah." She nodded. Where did she pull that notepad from? Eh, not important.

"Now what does this look like for you, you're probably wondering. Well, this is what I think: for the most part, you don't need to worry about the mental aspect. I haven't seen you in action so I can't judge your kunoichi mentality, but I do remember how smart you are. That ability to think will take you far. So, that leaves the physical side of things. You're really good with enhancing your strength with chakra, you will likely get even better with time but what you can start doing now is raising your baseline strength. That tag should help with that, speed as well. Wear it only when doing physical training and I guarantee results. Especially if you can facilitate muscle repair and strengthening using your medical knowhow. That kind of training and my rapid regeneration is one reason for my current strength."

The sound of pen on paper could be heard over the general din of the still lively village. Is this how teachers feel when students actually pay attention to them? It's not a bad feeling.

"There is likely a limit to how far you can push your body in that fashion, but you won't know until you try it." You always need a disclaimer. "Through that method, you would be faster, stronger, and better able to react to perceived stimuli. Even if you don't become a frontline fighter, those would benefit you as a medic while avoiding danger." Taking a breath, I forged on. "With your good control and intellect, I think you could get even more out of Tsunade's super strength technique. Instead of focusing on attacks only, use it towards movement. By channeling precise bursts of chakra and calculating time and angles, I think you could have your own variant of the body-flicker. You probably know better than me if that's physically possible."

"It might be," She said hesitantly, "There would be so many variables to account for, like reinforcing the muscles in the legs and spine and then keeping the body oriented while in motion. Making sure the chakra expelled is focused towards propulsion of the user would be another thing…"

A clearing of my throat brought her back to reality, "It's good to know it isn't a mere pipedream. Having high speed along with your high damage potential makes for the best combination. The final thing that I remember from your sensei's style is that she lacks ranged attacks or simply doesn't use any. I assume it's the same for you and was thinking ninjutsu could help you there. What's your elemental affinity?"

"Earth. Before you ask, I haven't had the most time to train it with all the training and hospital work I've been doing." She preempted me.

That was the expected answer, but not too pleasing. I knew few earth techniques and they all came from Jiraiya's repertoire; not the kind that someone with small reserves and an untrained affinity could reasonably use. Even with great chakra control.

"Okay. That can be a long-term goal then." I settled. Perhaps later on. "My other suggestions are genjutsu and using your ninja tools. Those can supplement your other abilities regarding your lack of range. Overall, I think you should work on your physical training and figuring out that body-flicker technique. I hope that provides some clarity."

"Yeah, it does," Making a few last-minute marks before closing the notepad and stowing it away. "Thank you, Naruto. I had thought you were being patronizing when you said to expand my skillset, but you just gave me excellent starting points. And the training belt. That will really help." She said with a radiant smile.

"No problem Sakura. I may not be able to actually train you at the moment, but I can definitely provide guidance. You are also much easier to help than the others."

"Yeah, I suppose training a clan shinobi must be challenging." Sakura agreed.

The majority of the Konoha Eleven were clan kids. Heck, even I came from one although it could be considered endangered. Anyways, from a young age they had been introduced to the shinobi arts that their clan used and had developed their style around their unique techniques. Some clans hardly restricted their members; the Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Sarutobi, and many more. Everything was open to them. Once upon a time, it would have been very possible to run into one of those members who were proficient in every art. The worst type of ninja to face.

On the other hand, were those clans with jutsus or abilities that had been honed over generations and taught to each member. That resulted in capable fighters yes, but they were also stuck into a pre-determined mold. Specific taijutsu styles, ninjutsu, team formations, etc. For one of them, rising in strength was a matter of becoming better with their clan techniques and adding minor alterations here and there. And that is what made helping them so hard.

But, because every ninja was expected to stay fit, the weight belt could be easily incorporated into their training program. Things that involved taking up chakra that would normally be used in clan techniques required more forethought and likely a more convincing argument.

Sakura though, she had no clan and even as a medic she was more attuned to Tsunade's brand. Meaning she had offensive capabilities and I knew enough about how they worked to offer advice.

"That's right." Standing up, I turned to face the village proper. "Well I'm heading back down now, but before I leave, I want to offer a word of caution."

"What is it?" She asked while rising to her feet behind me.

"Take a look around. From up here, the village might present a unified front but don't let it fool you. Not every Leaf nin is on our side." I stated.

"…You're saying there are traitors in our forces?" The alarm was apparent in her voice. "Does Lady Tsunade know about them?"

"I suppose you could call them traitors. And she has her suspicions."

"What are we doing about them?"

"Well, it is a given that any outside force would seek to plant spies within our borders. But it isn't those that I worry about. It's the rogue aspects within our command structure. Not everyone is happy with the current state of things."

"If that's the case, why not ki- eliminate them?" She asked stumbling over the last part.

"Because they are not without support. They have been around for some time and there is no telling where their roots don't reach. Even the anbu could be compromised."

"The hokage's own forces…"

"Yes. I'm telling you this for two reasons. One, because I want you to be alert and remember that information is crucial in the shinobi world. Especially that about one's abilities."

"You…you want me to keep my progress a secret?"

"It's for the best. As you already know, I'm a high-profile target for various reasons," I said looking over my shoulder and catching a look flash across her face, "Therefore, I'm already doing my best to limit what they get on me. As an old teammate, it wouldn't be wrong to assume they could have an eye on you as well."

"I'll do my best as well," She nodded, "So this is why you have been so tightlipped about your training? You're afraid of someone creating countermeasures for you?"

"Partly. Like I said, information is key."

That is one theme that was prevalent during the latter part of the series. One didn't need to look very hard to see it; Shikamaru defeating an S-class ninja. The link of manipulation going from Black Zetsu to Madara to Obito and then to Pain and the Akatsuki. All could be explained by having or lacking certain information. So, as of now, no one where I stood exactly. Danzo, if he was as competent as he liked to pretend, likely knew I was strong but not how big of a threat I actually was. Those outside the village knew even less; and I like it that way.

"Secondly, there are ongoing attempts at filling up the open space left by Sasuke." I continued, "They are trying to force Tsunade's hand to place their own agent in our team."

"But you have your own task for now." Sakura pointed out. "Meaning the team isn't active yet and therefore they have to wait two months before they can make something like that official."

"Right," I nodded, "But if it does go through…"

"We would have a spy at best or an assassin among us." She finished to which I affirmed.

According to Tsunade, Danzo wanted to place someone around our age into the team. I automatically guessed it would be Sai but realistically, the cripple could have various people who meet that requirement working under him. And even if it was Sai, I don't think I have the right personality to sway him to the light side like Naruto did. That's just not my thing. Without that factor, Sai would basically be a robot carrying out orders from a hypocritical old man and that's not the type of person I want around me. Sakura would undoubtedly feel something off about the guy, but extra warning shouldn't hurt.

"I really hope Lady Tsunade doesn't let that happen." Sakura said worriedly. "When did internal village affairs become so out of sync?"

"Is it really so surprising? Just this week you found out something the whole village had been keeping a secret. I would think this much easier to manage as compared to learning that your parents had been lying to you for the last decade." Honestly, corruption and humanity went hand in hand.

"I guess. Hey Naruto. I want to, um," I waited while she tried to find the correct words to express herself, but after a few false starts, decided that I could meet her halfway.

"Sakura, if you're trying to say what I think you are, then it's okay. Perhaps okay is not the right word, but we all said and did things we now regret while we were young, and I won't hold it against you. Not when you seem genuinely sorry." I meant it. As a laidback sort of person, I didn't really hold grudges. In this world with past transgressions against Naruto being passed onto me, I had decided to bury them for the most part. I didn't care enough about the general public to let them have any hold over me. Not when those negative emotions could lead to really bad consequences if not controlled.

"And I am! I said so many hurtful things and hit you so many times. I was horrible to you while you took it all with a smile. No one ever defended you because they saw you as some kind of monster. Even my own parents, which rubbed off on me." Her eyes were red with tears waiting to be shed. "I need to apologize Naruto. Even if only for my sake, to get this weight off my chest. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for taking advantage of how nice you were and putting you down. I'm sorry for making your life harder than it already was. I'm sorry for everything I did to hurt you."

Looking at me the way she was, almost pleadingly, I didn't doubt her sincerity. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I said my next words hoping she would take heed of them, "I forgive you Sakura."

Letting the tears fall at last, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

Returning the gesture, I noted how awkward I felt doing this. Not the hug, but rather the idea behind it. It just didn't feel right when I knew the person she should really apologize to was not here anymore.

For now, all I could do was give her the chance to unload.

-GoS-

Kusa

Everyone looks down on the byakugan as being the weakest of the three dojutsu and they're technically not wrong. One of the others lets you copy handseals, create genjutsu via eye contact, and unlock even crazier abilities. And that eye is considered the weaker precursor to the third one.

But the white eye is certainly not useless. As long as you don't mind the bulging veins around the eyes, it allows for a visual range of several kilometers, x-ray vision that still makes no sense to me, and telescopic sight. Not too bad. Its definitely something that I could benefit from with my preference for assassination techniques.

My sensing capabilities served me well enough I suppose.

Sitting under the shade of a tree while molding the natural energy around me to my needs, I was more than aware of the two signatures a few kilometers out and slowly coming closer. One was dimmer than the other, no doubt Orochimaru angling for the surprise attack. I feel it as the first one reaches the point I had designated ahead of their arrival and knew the moment had come.

It was show time.

'Kurama.'

"Do it."

I made a handseal that I hadn't needed to in quite some time and felt my partner do the same.

'Ninja art: -'

"-Shadow clone jutsu."

My chakra surged to answer my call, maneuvering in ways it had grown accustomed to. As it moved in my pathways, something accompanied it. The two energies combined and left my tenketsu points to form an almost perfect copy of myself.

The same black attire covering everything below the neck. Same armor covering the torso and forearms. Same blonde hair and whiskers. Typical me in every sense.

But in the middle of the orange pigment, the clone's eyes were a vivid red.

"Such a strange sensation," He grumbled looking down at a clenched fist. "Although different, the sheer power in this form is substantial."

There was also that. His voice was nothing like mine. Really, one would think his voice would change to reflect the different body however, it remained just as powerful. Where I a lesser man, I might have felt jealous. The satisfaction of a jutsu working on the first try kept me strong.

"That's probably the natural energy. Trust me, my baseline is no where near that level" I stood up and started walking away, "Try not to have too much fun."

I could have said good luck, but that wasn't a factor here. We called this technique the shadow clone because that's what it was, essentially. It had a conscious just like a regular one but in this case Kurama was taking the driver's seat by sending his mind into the clone. Similar to the Yamanaka, his body didn't move but he was possessing the clone which came with all the benefits. He had my innate familiarity of a bipedal form along with all my techniques at his command. And on top of that, was the natural energy.

No, the one in need of luck was Kabuto in this case. Maybe kami would have mercy on him, because Kurama definitely wouldn't.

Taking a roundabout path and aero-stepping over the wide trench, I focused my mind on the matter at hand. Kabuto would be engaged near the bridge while I would attack Orochimaru from the side. That would be Kurama's 'go ahead' to engage while I dealt with my opponent. My first strike was set to kill a regular shinobi, but the old snake was beyond that point now. So instead it would function to further separate the two Sound-nin and force him to shed his skin. From there, it was simply a matter of 'killing' him multiple times until he assumed his true form. And then die permanently.

That was the gist of the plan; start with him on the backfoot and keep it that way. There were too many unknowns about his abilities to specify further with any accuracy. Although physically inferior, he was a sannin. A survivor of two wars and countless scuffles since leaving the Leaf. Which included a stint with the Akatsuki. Altogether, he had more experience fighting and winning than both of my lives combined. Hence, a certain degree of respect was warranted. I lost nothing by taking him seriously.

And so I would.

Reaching an optimal position, I turned off the arc I had made and sprinted towards Orochimaru.

My senses register the terrain and wildlife seemingly frozen in place as I navigate among the trees. Within seconds, the distance had been closed and I was on the ground inside his guard.

Planting a foot, I bled my momentum and power into a spinning kick into his midsection. I could feel through my sandal his skin breaking and innards being liquified as he was launched into a flight path just clearing the tree line.

Pulsing my chakra, I leapt in pursuit.

Quickly catching up I was able to take stock of his condition. His chest cavity was destroyed, but that wasn't the noteworthy observation. His skin was decaying while his chakra presence seemed to be moving inwards. So that's how it worked, huh? Well it's still too slow.

Aiming my hand, a blue sphere of chakra formed and was fired into his center mass sending him crashing to the ground. A fireball was soon to follow turning the impact zone into a pyre.

Landing on a branch overlooking the site, I waited. That was the second time he'd shed-

I tilted my head and allowed a blade to shoot past my ear from behind. Dropping from the branch, I again dodged a swipe that could have potentially beheaded me.

Turning around, we made eye contact, slit pupils on bars.

"Naruto-kun, what an unpleasant surprise." He hissed; eyes narrowed.

With his pale skin, reptilian eyes, and fang-like teeth, I could see why just his appearance would create fear. But unlike during the incident in the Forest of Death, he wasn't facing a weak genin now.

"I take it dear old Sasori was defeated? Perhaps you Leaf ninja aren't… completely useless." He continued. I didn't bother responding. Instead, my eyes took in the blade in his hand: the Kusanagi. A legendary double-edged jian that could cut through almost anything and extend using chakra. I made up my mind to take it today. Especially after he went through the trouble of summoning it for me rather than risk it disappearing with his death.

Not getting a reaction, he switched tactics, "It's such a shame Sasuke-kun isn't here. Witnessing the possibilities offered by Senjutsu; it would have driven him further into my control."

Seems he, like everyone else, was working off outdated information. Sasuke was not a trigger word anymore.

But I already realized his intention was to stall…

Looking him dead in the eye, I raised one leg and smashed my foot into the ground destroying it and the clone which had been creeping up to the surface. I didn't say anything, but I didn't have to. The gesture said it all.

With a practiced movement, a kunai fell into each hand and then the slight haze of wind chakra swept over both. Giving them a twirl, I shot forward.

Our first clash saw Orochimaru being pushed back as my Senjutsu enhanced strength overwhelmed his. The second saw him re-directing my strike and mitigating the force behind it. After that, a pattern developed. One of deflecting and evading of flashing metal. I had doubts whether or not Sage mode would protect me from the Kusanagi, so I dodged or parried each attack. All the same, I continued to advance as he shifted from the ground to among the treetops and back.

A couple exchanges later and my opportunity came up. Locking his blade between my kunai, I channeled more chakra into them and with a flick of the wrist, sliced off of his hand with the extended wind blade. I allowed him to jump back as I grabbed the sword before gravity did. Tapping the hilt to my chest plate, I couldn't help but smirk as it was sealed away.

That was easy.

That out of the way, the delicate touch was no longer needed. I could get back to the plan of killing Orochimaru until it stuck. The same snake who was currently fleeing. Couldn't have that. Ignoring the trails of the mud clones, I followed the chakra presence I had memorized by now.

Two seconds later, my flying knee turned a piece of wood into splinters. In the same movement, an air platform formed in front of my leading foot and was used to propel me out of the path of a wave of flames. Another aero-step allowed me to dodge the huge serpent that burst from the ground in an attempt to swallow me. With little effort, water coalesced from the air to form a whip that I used to slice at the softer underbelly and dispel it. Orochimaru had ran using the snake as cover but I kept track of him. A body flicker and then a punch to the liver sent him careening through a number of trees before stopping. Once again, he came out of a crater free of injuries and another body shed.

He ran through a set of handseals and literally spat out thousands of snakes that flew towards me. I know shinobi have a number of jutsus that require spitting things out, but something about doing it with seemingly living snakes was just wrong. As such, I was more than happy to destroy them with a hurricane of swirling wind blades.

Speeding forward again and molding chakra, I grabbed his hand from its path to slam on the ground and broke that wrist. My free fist then jabbed him in the stomach with considerable force, enough to cause internal damage but not send him flying. When his inevitable reflex presented itself, I launched an original jutsu down his throat and leapt back. Checkmate.

Wind release: liquid nitrogen was something that I created while experimenting with elemental chakra and temperature. The idea came to me after my success with the hot water bullet; after wind water had been my best trained affinity and I thought it would be easiest to change its composition first. So that was accomplished and then I decided to head in the opposite direction but with wind chakra. And thus, after a long time my clones did a field test of the cold gas jutsu and I named it liquid nitrogen. It wasn't real ice release but it was the next best thing.

I had assumed it would be a good counter to Diedara and his explosives which could range from microscopic to mushroom cloud big, but I think Jiraiya's fist ended that experiment early. I had still used it on the cave but that had mainly been in case he prepared some type of dead-man's trap ahead of time. Either he hadn't or the jutsu was cold enough to prevent them from going off. I didn't really matter.

It was certainly affective against Orochimaru. His current body was on all fours gasping from asphyxiation and pain as the jutsu had went down his throat and into his organs, instantly freezing what it touched and everything in the immediate area. I would imagine it a very painful yet quick way to go for a regular mortal. In this case, he had to shed his skin twice in quick succession; once to leave the flash frozen corpse which shattered after the act and again to escape the frostbitten body that had to come in contact with the solid gas on the way out of his mouth.

Reaching out a hand, the familiar buzz of the rasenshuriken built up and was waiting to go before he went through his final transformation. He had taken the form of a giant white snake made up of smaller snakes. It was obvious that shape wasn't meant for battle like this, it lacked the hands that ninja used to be most effective. Made sense it was used as the last resort.

But the instant he was out, I hurled the dense jutsu and had it explode right after slicing him in two. The barrage of visible and cellular-level wind blades left his carcass as a bloody lump of flesh, all structural integrity lost.

Feeling his presence fade from my senses, I allowed myself to relax somewhat. The fight hadn't lasted that long, but Orochimaru was a slippery one who had faked his death many times before, so I had been on the lookout for such tactics. This time was the real deal, however. The three sannin had just became two.

"About time you got done." Spoke my partner from beside me.

"It was Orochimaru," I shrugged, "Even if not on our level, he was not someone who would go out without a fight. He almost used the impure world reincarnation near the end there."

"So that's what he was attempting? A sly one; the other did not amount to much. Next time, I'm fighting the superior opponent."

"Do remember that you lost the coin flip. Its not my fault you ended up with four-eyes." I laughed. "But I don't have a problem with letting you pick first later on."

"Good. Here. I burned the rest of him." Laying in his hand was a sound forehead protector and a pair of glasses with a broken lens. The same pair Kabuto would constantly adjust to do that 'light glaring off the glasses' trick. I always assumed they were for that purpose alone; I doubt someone like him couldn't fix his eyesight.

Taking and sealing them away, I turned back to the snake, "I took his sword so there's no point in digging around for his forehead protector."

"Then all that's left is cleanup." A thin stream of fire left his mouth to envelop the corpse. I snorted at this. Give a fox some ninjutsu, don't be surprised by how much he enjoys using them. Like getting a new game.

Taking the cue, I created a dozen clones. A few went to round up the skin that had been shed while the rest spanned out to find the snakes hideout. It was unlikely they had left a direct trail to their base on the way here so we would have to search from the point I first felt them and outwards.

"So…"

"Nothing." He shook his head, "Not using my negative emotion sensing nor your radar. We were completely alone today."

"I didn't pick up anything either. Let's pray it's because there was nothing to find rather than them subverting our senses." I hadn't been certain if chakra sensing worked on any of the Zetsu, but searching through emotions should have found them if they had indeed watched the battle.

"Either way, we've lost some of our advantage with this move." He commented while staring at the flames.

"Perhaps. But this was a calculated plan of action. We'll deal with the diverging plotline and whatever it throws at us."

"May it be better than the alternative."

We had been working under the assumption that everything would go according to canon or at least be guided by it. I didn't really remember what effect the two snake summoners had on the plot between the first encounter with Sasuke and the point where Orochimaru was killed. Maybe something minor, maybe not. Fact was, they were dead, and anything could result from that change. But that was the risk when doing something bold.

And we weren't done changing the script just yet.

"We're done here. Onto the next step." He smiled. The anticipation was clear.

"Yup. You want to stay out or should I summon you later?"

"I'll remain in this form for a while longer." He answered before leaping away.

I saw that coming.

…

I don't have the time nor expertise to reverse engineer a key to the barrier seal.

I wasn't too prideful to admit it. I was decent at fuinjutsu and could accomplish novel things with it, but I was no prodigy with the art. So hacking and entering through the main entrance was a no go.

But we weren't without options. Waiting until the dead of night, after I had felt the single source of emotion inside dampen, we improvised. Moving around until we were near the sleeping target but not right on top of them, I used my new sword to burrow into the dirt and past the layer of rock until I felt no resistance. After twisting the Kusanagi around some, I pulled it out and was left with a tunnel roughly the width of the blade in diameter. It was perfect for what I had in mind.

Sitting down, I took out a storage scroll and unfurled it. Applying chakra to the seal released a kit with various medicinal tools and supplements; from that I took out the small purple capsule which held a general anesthetic agent. Holding it in my palm, I channeled my chakra.

Slowly, air gathered to form a sphere with the capsule at its center. Moving my hand away left it looked like the pellet was floating in place. Clasping my hands together in the bird hand sign, the sphere obeyed my demand and quickly constricted and expanded back to its previous size. That pressure was enough to rupture the capsule and purple smoke filled the sphere allowing the naked eye to see the shape of the wind construct.

Now came the hard part.

Before our eyes, the air bubble sunk to the ground and entered the tunnel I had formed. Following the path to its endpoint, it exited into an area that was likely another room based on the air pressure. Annoying; I had been aiming for a hallway, so this just created more work. Even with sage mode enhancing my control, this manipulation of wind chakra was not easy.

Closing my eyes to further concentrate, I had the bubble move around in the room until I felt the area where the air in the room was intermingling with that of the corridor. Forcing it against the door, the shape of the bubble distorted as it squeezed its way between the door and the frame piecemeal until it popped back into shape on the other side. Guiding it forward towards the only chakra signature, I once again had to feel out a shift in pressure signifying a door and then push the bubble into the crevice. Now in the right room, it was child's play to maneuver the bubble over the target and have it disperse releasing the gas.

Back outside, I slumped in relief. That was a real test of my abilities. Didn't even want to consider just how long it would have taken in my base form without the boost in control and passive sensing to guide my technique. Too long.

"Good job." Kurama patted my shoulder, "I'll handle the capture."

"Yup, all you." I nodded while packing up the health kit.

Two clones popped into existence and using the malleability of being chakra constructs transformed into large beetles that crawled down the tunnel. Moments later, they flared chakra as our signal.

A couple substitutions later, Kurama and I stood in a dark room with the only bit of light coming from the sides of a door. Feeling for the doorknob, it was of course locked. So it got slashed to pieces. Stepping out into the hallway, I took a look around. The walls were made from a clay-like material shaped in odd swirling panels. Candles hung from the walls in regular intervals casting light and shadows at different areas. Not the most comfortable of hideouts. Actually, if the desired outcome was something similar to an Egyptian tomb, then the interior designer succeeded.

Horrible taste aside, I followed Kurama as he walked over to the only occupied room and simply opened the door. Forming some handseals as he approached the bed, chakra gathered on his hand which he slapped onto the target's head leaving a chakra restricting seal.

And just like that, Sasuke Uchiha had been neutralized. All it took was some stealth, knockout gas, and a tailed beast putting a seal on him. The irony.

"Well Kurama," Stopping beside him to run an eye over the avenger, "Looks like you finally got one over an Uchiha."

"This one is nothing compared to the other two. He hasn't truly annoyed me for one." He snorted.

Bringing out the med-kit and getting to work, I replied back, "Yeah, but that's an unfair comparison at the moment. Remember that in less than six months he would have won against three S ranks, obtained the eternal mangekyou, and then the rinnegan." Pulling the needle out of Sasuke's arm, I detached it from the full vial which I carefully placed into the kit. "Matter of fact, even after double-teaming Kaguya, he had enough left in the tank to capture all the loose tailed beasts in a genjutsu and seal them in individual chibaku tensei formations."

Shippuden moved slowly from my perspective of watching it but when I really crunch the numbers, the pace was astronomical. In what I estimate to be less than a year, Naruto went from struggling against Kakashi to being able to create hundreds of clones each strong enough to defeat kages. And Sasuke who had a more impressive first showing had a similar power creep. Even if they were handed some of that power, it's still insane. That's why when I consider my strength and progress over the years, I try not to allow my ego to inflate too much. It was impressive yes, but it wasn't the greatest feat.

"Tch. That was the other timeline. No one will use me like that ever again. And it's only a matter of time before I can re-pay that pretender." He growled, which was weird when he was wearing my visage. And having to imagine his face behind mine while using that jutsu, I just realized that Kurama didn't have whiskers. That little detail was not terribly important, but it still made me wonder why I had them. Another mystery in this life… His eyes then locked onto something else. "Hopefully that takes effect faster than when Madara did it."

"Yeah. And that it provides something on the same scale." I agreed looking at them too.

A vial of blood, a couple hairs, and a bit of flesh. The things that would set me on a path to reaching new heights. Like the Ultimate Uchiha, I wanted to awaken the six paths chakra on my own. Due to only the Indra reincarnate having achieved it before, neither of us knew what to expect. It wouldn't be the rinnegan because I didn't take Sasuke's eyes and it probably wouldn't be six paths sage mode because I didn't have the ten tails' chakra. Besides those two outcomes, there was nothing else in particular that Hagoromo was known for.

If it wouldn't give me that sage mode, then I was personally hoping for beyond Hashirama level life force and regeneration plus a unique bloodline. Just something that matches being able to summon meteors or rip out souls. That and for it to activate before I left my prime behind. Unless unlocking it would reverse all the wear and tear of old age.

"I'm done." Taking a spool of ninja wire, I made quick work of restraining him. Made from durable metal fibers, he wouldn't be escaping them anytime soon without access to his chakra network. Hefting him up and over a shoulder, we left the small room to find somewhere more suitable for a conversation

…

Like expected, the base was void of life besides Sasuke. It wasn't surprising but after seeing how large and detailed it was, I couldn't help but think Orochimaru had it built simply because he could. Similar to the wealthy owning multiple houses or vehicles.

Maybe my poor opinion of it arose from the lack of critical information. I hadn't banked everything on it, but I had come with the loose expectation of finding some documents in the base that would corroborate my outsider knowledge. Damning evidence against Danzo showing his dealings with Orochimaru set aside in advance in case the cripple ever betrayed the snake. Or perhaps information on the Akatsuki members that Orochimaru had interacted with before being chased away. Anything of that sort really. But of course stuff like that was noticeably missing from what I had recovered.

Instead I had found things like notes about inhumane experiments going on in different hideouts and various cadavers. Even then, the details were not presented in a way that would help in locating these other bases. Luckily for me, I had someone who had likely visited a few of them and could be persuaded to rat them out.

Speaking of Sasuke, a number of the notes found were about him; his training regimen and the cocktail of substances that were developed for him. Lack of morals aside, the snake had seemingly used all the resources at his disposal to strengthen his next vessel. They were carefully prepared and administered to get the best results so Sasuke wouldn't have to worry about strange side effects at all.

I'm sure Tsunade can make use of them. Perhaps make a few tweaks and then make them available to Leaf forces; preferably after Danzo was dealt with.

Which we could have started working on if the snake had kept a few memories of the past laying about. I can only hope the information I am looking for exists, otherwise I may have to commit forgery.

A shift in empathy draws my attention to the youngest Uchiha.

Confusion. Fear. Determination.

Despite becoming somewhat aware of his current situation, he made no external movements. I could almost feel his mind going from zero to a hundred while calculating ways to escape. All while not letting his captors know he was conscious.

Like a true shinobi. I expected no less from someone trained by Orochimaru

"I know you're awake." I adjusted my posture.

There was no response but slowly, bending at the waist, he sat up off the ground. After almost three years, black eyes locked onto blue. They then darted around taking in my position sitting on a raised platform in front of a giant snake head and the extra candles that I had lit around the room. His gaze rested temporarily on the Kusanagi held between my hands before returning to mine.

While he was doing that, I took notice of how his white top basically left his chest open to attacks. I don't quite think he had reached a level where physical protection was optional.

"What are you playing at Orochimaru?" Sasuke glared.

I was momentarily confused before I realized what was going on. With a flick I had the blade pointing at him before having it extend and zip past his neck, leaving a shallow wound. "This is no mere genjutsu Sasuke, and you are not hallucinating." Willing the sword back to its natural length, I sealed it away. It had only been present to make a point. "Hello Sasuke, its been a while, hasn't it?"

"Naruto?" I watched his eyes widen before he started struggling with his restraints. "No. I will not be brought back like this! You hear me Naruto?! I will not allow it!"

"I don't think you are in any position to state such a thing. Your chakra has been sealed; you're not going anywhere unless I decide so." I replied.

"Then release me!" He shouted. "You have no right to do this to me!"

"You abandoned the village, Sasuke. Several of our comrades were harmed trying to bring you back." And you stuck a hand into my chest.

"I didn't ask to be brought back!" He refuted, "I made my choice to pursue my goal, they made theirs. Plea- Don't do this Naruto. As someone with their own dreams, don't take mine away. Not after what I did for you."

"Did for me, you say?" Wait. Did he actually believe…

"I defeated you and could have killed you, but I didn't. I let you live so you have no right to intervene with my goal! Returning me to Konoha will be the end for me, so let me go like I let you go at the Valley."

Huh. He actually thinks he did me a favor. Even after driving a chidori into my chest…

I don't know if Naruto really died from that incident or if it was an unfortunate coincidence when my presence overwrote his, but he's no longer here. And I doubt anything Sasuke did was beneficial. So his argument held no sway over me. Even more so because I did not plan to return him to the Leaf just yet; he could end up playing an important role.

"It's not that easy," I said. "I made a promise to bring you back, even if you had to come kicking and screaming."

"Then I'll come back myself. After I've killed my brother." He replied instantly, "Let me go now and after Itachi is dead, I will return to Konoha. You have my word."

I let the proposal sit in the air for a moment before replying, "And why would I do that, Sasuke? Why risk it?"

"The Akatsuki are after those like you. People who have tailed beasts in them. If I get my way, Itachi will die leaving you with one less threat to worry about. It would benefit us both." He outlined.

"My presence here along with the Kusanagi would suggest that Orochimaru was dead." I started, "Taking into consideration that I easily defeated him, what makes you think I worry about the Akatsuki?" Answer me that.

"Hn. That fool wasn't the strongest member in the organization, they had a leader…"

"A leader?"

"Yes. A leader and other strong shinobi. He didn't speak of them often, but he made secret bases and countermeasures for a reason." Is what he finally went with. Not at all useful but it led to my real demand well enough. I stood up and moved to steps closer causing his jaw to clench.

"You're not wrong Sasuke, I do have a certain empathy for you and your dreams of vengeance. So, I will accept your promise of coming willingly after the deed is done but I want something else right now."

"Which is?"

"In return for freeing you, I want the location of every hideout you know of. Big, small, empty, occupied; I want them all. Do that and you will be allowed to pursue Itachi." I offered looking him straight in the eye.

"Just that? Simple hideouts?" I nodded once. After some mental deliberation, he relented. "Fine. I have been to-"

"No." Moving quickly, I brought out a map and writing utensil and freed one of his arms. "Mark down them." Taking the proffered pen, he jotted down four different locations with one spaced out further from the rest. He looked at me when he had finished but I knew better, "You can't hide your deceit from me Sasuke. I said all of them." He hesitated before making one last notation.

"I've done what you asked for so unseal my chakra." He all but demanded.

"The seal will come off in a minute or so," Making sure I had everything placed away, I went to leave before pausing. "One last thing, I plan to deal with the Akatsuki sooner rather than later. If you waste time, you just might lose your chance at your brother." I thought about making a threat about going back on our deal but decided otherwise.

With my piece said, I began walking to the exit where his voice reached me, "What are you going to do with those locations?"

Hmm, was that worry for his future team members perhaps?

"I'm sure the hokage would appreciate having the location of these five bases. I'll turn them over to her. I look forward to our next encounter Sasuke." And with that I left the room.

Once in the hallway and out if Sasuke's sight, I nodded to Kurama who made a handseal to disperse the chakra restricting seal. With his chakra back and an arm free he should soon be able to escape the ninja wire, there are plenty of tricks for that after all.

Giving Kurama the map and a custom storage scroll, I made three clones who quickly transformed into nondescript ninjas in black attire and plain masks. Taking the cue, my partner transformed as well.

"I leave the rest up to you." I told him. "I don't know if he plans to form his team again, but its best if you hurry."

Red eyes glanced over the other clones before looking back at me, "Got it. Safe travels."

"Thanks. Good hunting."

The next few seconds saw us blowing a hole in the ceiling and escaping into the light of dawn. I was heading back to the village while they would go looking for the different bases.

The hope was that they would find and search them all by the time I reported back to Tsunade in a day. It would really help in circumventing any anger she feels about this stunt. Seeing how far Kurama's mind could extend away from his body was why he had accompanied my clones. The results from this test would factor into later plans.

Running over the barren land, the events of the past twenty-four hours swirled around in my head. There were things that could have been changed but, in the end, it was a day of repeat successes. Kabuto was dead along with his master. Although I could have tried to obtain the location of the Shinigami mask, I knew he wouldn't have easily given it up. Not when he likely knew I was going to end him either way.

And dealing with Sasuke had been the most important event. Ok, likely second most important when considering the return of Madara and Kaguya, but he was up there. Not only for his DNA, but also to guide him down a certain route. The ideal outcome was him finding Itachi and learning the real reasons for the Uchiha Massacre from his mouth rather than someone else. From there they would likely fight and Itachi would die by Sasuke's hand like he intended and then Sasuke would return to the Leaf. In this scenario he wouldn't have been used by Obito to attack Bee nor the kage summit and wouldn't be branded a criminal by every nation. Everyone would be better off in this hypothetical outcome.

Everyone but Obito but that's perfectly fine.

-GoS-

SASUKE POV

Sasuke Uchiha once again found his hand being forced by factors out of his control.

First it had been his own brother slaying every member of their clan except him, then it had been Orochimaru putting a curse seal on him and tempting him with power, and most recently another person had thrown his plans into disarray.

Of course, he hadn't been completely without choice regarding the second occurrence, but it had made sense in his mind. Konoha was keeping him from his potential. Therefore, he would use the pitiful snake who had asinine dreams of taking his body and then kill him. Before the might of an Uchiha, Orochimaru would be nothing more than a steppingstone. After that he would have formed a team to help track down Itachi and then prevent interference while he avenged his clan. Said plan had to be adjusted now.

"Hello Sasuke, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Naruto Uzumaki. His old teammate who had graduated bottom of the class but had proven to be more than meets the eye. Yet despite his hidden strength, Sasuke would never have foreseen what transpired in that base.

"You're not going anywhere unless I decide so."

That Naruto was not the same one he left barely clinging to life at the Valley of the End. The new one had been confident and collected as he laid down the ultimatum. And why wouldn't he be? He had managed to sneak in and place Sasuke in a disadvantageous position from the very beginning and from there the tone had been set. It was only his pride that had prevented him from openly pleading to be allowed free. His very dream had been at stake after all.

Yet, although he had gotten away, he couldn't help but feel as if he had been toyed with. Without his sharingan, it was hard to analyze the situation with the clarity he was accustomed to, but he felt positive that Naruto had been pleased by the final outcome. Something that made him seethe as he reflected on that event. To be played like a fool…

It would never happen again. He knew just the deterrent to prevent it.

With that he put on a burst of speed to arrive at his destination faster. With the possibility of Leaf forces coming after the hideouts, time was of the essence.

'Finally', he thought as the water-based Southern Hideout came into view. But the sensation of relief did not last for long.

This base was used to hold prisoners for whatever reasons Orochimaru might need of them. As such, they were kept behind bars at all times. That was not the case at the moment; various people could be seen milling about on the island. Their white rags denoted their status.

As Sasuke walked from the water to the underground entrance, the recently freed prisoners made a path for him. None looked eager to interact with the obvious shinobi. That reaction persisted as he made his way deeper into the hideout, they would take notice of him and immediately back away in fear.

Seeing one area where the ex-prisoners had gathered and were making noise, he went to investigate. A few steps away from the crowd, someone in the back saw him and with wide eyes nudged his neighbor. Looking over and then behind him, his cry of 'shinobi' went up and the group dispersed leaving the door they had been attempting to break down.

Sharingan blazing, Sasuke stepped up to the door which opened as he got close enough and a figure leapt out at him. It was only the fact that he recognized the person and had come for them specifically that stayed his hand.

"Sasuke-kun! You came for me!" Exclaimed Karin as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Hn." He ignored the way she was inhaling his scent. "Karin, what happened here?" Had the Leaf raided the base already? And if so, why leave Karin who was an underling of Orochimaru?

"Do we have to talk about that just yet? Can't we stay like this for a while?" She asked tightening her arms around him.

"…" He didn't say anything and just pushed her off.

"Fine." She huffed, but came back to stand in his personal space. "A squad of ninja invaded the base earlier. They were dressed like black-ops and had no visible signs of allegiance to any village. They swept through the hideout taking all the notes and scrolls laying around before freeing the prisoners and leaving."

Sasuke pondered that for a moment. That attack happening hours after Naruto got the location from him was oddly convenient. That meant Konoha was responsible, but how did they respond so fast? Or maybe…

"Did you pick up any details as to their identities or motive?" He inquired.

"They had large chakra signatures. Each had more than Lord Orochimaru. They were also similar in a way. Three of them felt like the sun, threatening to destroy anything that came too close. The fourth one, I don't know how to describe it. Potent like the others yet more eager?"

Sasuke gave her an expectant look, asking her to keep going.

"They arrived so fast; one second everything was fine and then the next these monster chakra signatures were there. They were all sensors, I felt them when they activated their techniques. Usually I can hide from that type of detection but one of them found me. I- I thought I was going to be killed." The memory of that chakra bearing down on her still raised goosebumps on her skin. She took a breath before hesitantly continuing, "He asked me about the location of other hideouts. And I- I gave them. I didn't want to, but I was terrified."

Sasuke watched the usually confident girl shake in her shoes and found that he could not blame her for that display of weakness. Not after he himself had been brought low by the same person he suspected attacked the base using his clones. And he at least had had the assurance that his old teammate would not kill him.

Although, wasn't taking someone's dream away essentially killing them?

"That doesn't matter anymore Karin. Orochimaru is dead. The different hideouts and even the escaped prisoners no longer serve a purpose." He said once she had gathered herself.

"Is that really true?" She questioned. "One of them said that to the prisoners but I thought it was just to make them stop cowering in their cells. And of course after they left those unwashed brutes tried to attack me! Like I was the one who locked them up!" She fumed in her typical way.

"Yes. I saw the proof." He left it at that.

"But Lord Orochimaru had taken so many precautions. Could he really be dead?" She wasn't close to him, she doubted even Kabuto would be considered as close to his master, but she knew that at least. The snake summoner had been addicted to his pursuit of immortality.

"It doesn't matter if he survived. He's gone now and I'm moving on to what I joined him for." Turning off his sharingan, he looked her in the eye, "I'm forming a team to help me find Itachi. I want you in it, Karin."

And that's the latest chapter, thoughts?