## Amegakure ##
Amegakure no Sato, otherwise known as the hidden rain village. This is a small, yet highly industrialized hidden village. Its architecture is composed of several metallic skyscrapers with rowed ducts connected to them and many power lines surrounding. As its name suggests, it rains almost constantly due to a storm above the village. All the water seemingly ends in a large lake that surrounds the village.
History has always been grim for this village. Located in the middle of the five great nations didn't exactly help much either. While this location was excellent as it provided good trade routes that boosted the village's economy it also had problems, and the main one was war. The rain village, and many other small villages, would always get caught in the battles of the great five nations. Even if they chose to remain neutral, they were dragged into endless conflict until one side admit defeat.
This was what had happened during the last great ninja wars. The second great shinobi war had crippled the village as she stood between three of the great nations. Konoha led by Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, Iwa led of Oonoki, the Sandaime Tsuchikage and Suna, led by their Sandaime Kazekage and wielder of the Iron Sand bloodline. Ame and their leader Salamander Hanzo was forced to participate in this battle and during it, the Sannin were born.
And then came the third and last great ninja war. A war that managed to involve all of the five great nations. Out of those five, the fire and the earth country clashed with unprecedented fierceness, and Ame paid the price by being the battlefield. By the end of it, the hidden rain village was in total chaos. Thousands dead and even more injured. The surviving became nothing more than war refugees, surviving as the years passed by.
Eventually Hanzo was removed from power by none other than Uzumaki Nagato or as he is known, Pein. He defeated and killed Hanzo and every one of his followers, becoming the new leader of the rain village. Pein, the self-entitled God of Peace, rules the rain village with by an iron fist and anyone who disobeys him, gets killed.
The Deva Path, or Yahiko's body being controlled by Nagato, stood in the tallest building in the village. Pein's Tower as the building was called, from there Nagato could see to the far ends of his village, right to the gates. It made him a higher power to anyone below as he stood watching over his village, untiring and unyielding.
"Good job"
Pein turned around from his balcony on the tower to gaze at the owner of the voice. Tobi was standing in the room wearing the usual black cloak with red clouds and, as expected, his orange mask in place, with the right sharingan glowing behind it.
"Tobi" Pein said as he watched the man slowly approach him.
"With the Sanbi captured we now have five of the nine bijuus. Nibi from Kumo, Sanbi and Rokubi from Kiri and the Yonbi and Gobi from Iwa" Tobi said and Pein nodded.
The Akatsuki had already captured five of the nine bijuu. They had targeted these jinchuurikis since they had no backing from their village. Utakata, Roshi and Han travelled alone through the elemental nations, making them easy targets for the Akatsuki members. The Sanbi was released so Pein took him down and captured him. And Yugito had simply been ambushed in a mission and thus giving Akatsuki the Nibi.
"What will we do about the rest?" Pein asked "The Hachibi will be harder to get since we will most likely have to go through the Raikage as well. Then we will need the Ichibi, Nanabi and finally…the Kyuubi" Pein said and Tobi nodded.
"Neither of those fours will be easy to take. The Raikage will be a problem and the Kyuubi brat has grown strong" Tobi said sighing.
"We already have the Kyuubi's chakra from that fire temple kid Sora sealed in the statue" Pein neutrally said but Tobi chuckled.
"And you think Naruto will just stand by and watch us take the other bijuu. For reasons I don't understand, he made it his personal mission to stop us. You heard what he said at the meeting, he's going to hunt us down" Tobi chuckled but Pein remained unchanged.
"No one will stop my quest. Anyone that becomes an obstacle will simply be removed with extreme prejudice" Pein replied in his monotone voice until his Rinnegan began glowing as he focused on Tobi. "Even you Tobi. I know that you are not Uchiha Madara like you claimed and, frankly, I don't care as long you stay out of my way" Pein said and Tobi chuckled.
"You forget your place Nagato" Tobi warned. "I was the one that taught how to properly control the Rinnegan. You should be more respectful to your betters" Tobi said with his sharingan glowing a menacing red.
"It doesn't matter since our interest are aligned" Tobi replied not wishing to push Pein to far from his control. "For now" Tobi added in thought as he could always kill him should it be necessary and take the Rinnegan for himself.
"How are you planning on getting the remaining fours bijuus?" Pein asked curious about Tobi's plans.
"I-" Tobi began but was interrupted when he felt Zetsu approaching. "Strange" Tobi thought as he hadn't requested anything of Zetsu as of late. "What is it?" Tobi asked annoyed since as he was interrupted.
"I should tell you that Sasuke is dead" Zetsu replied and Tobi's eyes widened.
"WHAT" Tobi yelled in outrage. "What happened?" Tobi asked completely bewildered. He couldn't phantom how could Sasuke had died. "EXPLAIN NOW" Tobi yelled glaring at Zetsu who seemed to remain calm and unaffected.
"He died in his battle with Itachi" Zetsu simply replied and Tobi's jaw dropped.
"Take it from the beginning" Tobi ordered as he calmed himself down.
"I cannot explain any further" Zetsu said and Tobi raised an eyebrow.
"And why not?" Tobi asked irritated.
"Because Naruto-sama ordered me not to" Zetsu replied and Tobi scowled. The blonde had yet again interfered with his plans.
"Looks like things are coming to bite you on the ass" Pein said as he bit back a chuckle. The whole persona of Tobi being Madara had begun crumbling down the moment Naruto revealed his grandfather back in the chunnin exams, three years ago.
"Tsk" Tobi sighed in annoyance. "That blonde brat is always where he shouldn't be. Where is Itachi now?" Tobi asked wanting to get some answer from him.
"He returned to Konoha" Zetsu replied and Tobi sat down as he began to nurse his temples.
"This isn't going well" Tobi sighed. He had everything planned out until Naruto started making a mess of everything. Even now, almost seventeen years of planning to get Sasuke just washed away with him getting killed.
"I could bring him back if you wish" Pein offered and Tobi sat up at the realization that Nagato could bring him back, although at the cost of becoming even more fragile.
"Where is Sasuke's body?" Tobi asked towards the white plant on the ground.
"Reduced to ashes" Zetsu simply replied.
"I guess it can't be helped" Tobi said as he walked into the balcony and overlooked the city. "He in the end he was just another pawn" Tobi thought to himself.
"You were saying about the other bijuu" Pein said as Tobi refocused on their current objective.
"Since Itachi has betrayed us that leaves one man shorter. I'll be heading to my hideout and I will begin preparing the Zetsu army. We will need all the numbers we can" Tobi explained.
"Are you heading towards the mountain's graveyard?" Pein asked but Tobi shook his head in denial.
"No. I will be at my main hideout. The one that no one besides me and Zetsu now about" Tobi said and Pein didn't seem pleased not knowing where to find Tobi.
"Until then" Tobi said and warped away.
## Few Days Later ##
Tobi watched as the Gedo Mazo statue slowly funneled chakra into the white Zetsu. Several white Zetsu were being produced from the chakra generated from the bijuus. It seemed like a factory, and a highly efficient one at that. Bijuu had a limitless supply of chakra since, once empty, they would just refill given an appropriate waiting time.
"How many?" Tobi asked towards the original Zetsu. Tobi was simply watching the vents unfold with a smirk. He was literally watching the birth of his army, one that, in time, would be big enough to topple the elemental countries if need be.
"We have three thousand as of now and I estimate we can achieve five thousand by the end of the week" Zetsu replied and, although he couldn't see it, he knew that Tobi was smiling behind that mask.
"Excellent" Tobi happily replied. "I trust they will obey only me correct?" Tobi asked and Zetsu nodded. Tobi really didn't want for his army to march into the battlefield only to be told to return home by Naruto.
"I will be at other hideout in the meantime" Tobi said and swirled away.
## Mountain's Graveyard ##
Tobi arrived at the base of his hideout and simply began walking towards the entrance. He was deep in thought and giddy at the prospect of having his new army that he wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings. Tobi kept walking until his foot hit something. He looked down to see that he had kicked an arm and a bloody one at that.
"What the hell?" Tobi said out loud as he took in his surroundings, only for his eyes to widen in shock, disbelief and anger. All at the same time.
This hideout was the place where the Uchiha Clan was living and the very same reason why Tobi chose his other hideout to build his army. All around the entrance into the hideout were bodies. Some of them were turned into stone, with shock clearly written into their faces, like they were petrified in an instant.
Arms, legs, pieces that he didn't knew they belonged to human body to begin with were sprayed across the grounds. Pools of blood everywhere and the stink of decomposing bodies filled his nostrils. Swords, kunai and shurikens filled the grounds and the massive walls that surrounded the entrance. Even those old bones that were there, even before Madara had showed him this hideout, were now nothing more than ash.
And that was until he noticed just the amount of pieces there were. Tobi estimated at least one hundred bodies and that was just counting the petrified ones. Tobi approached one of them and gasped when he saw a three tomoed pattern in the rock.
Tobi quickly approached the entrance but noticed that it was blocked. When he approached it, he saw some message still imprinted in the wall, burning in black flames. "Compliments of the Kyuubi brat" Tobi read in absolute anger and hate. The brat had somehow found about his hideout. Oh Naruto would pay very dearly for this.
Years of planning, all gone in the blink of an eye. The Uchiha Clan, years of training, supplies, one decade to prepare to their plan and everything just washed away.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Tobi yelled to the skies and cursed Uchiha Madara and his grandson. This wasn't a battle to begin with…it had been a massacre.
## One Day Earlier - Konoha ##
It was a beautiful and sunny day all over Konoha. The hidden leaf village basked with sunlight. Merchants opened their stores and various shinobi could be seen jumping from rooftops to rooftops. Up in the walls, several shinobi stood guard, watching the horizon for any sign of trouble.
"This is boring" some chunnin replied as he stretched his arms and popped his back. "I hate surveillance gigs" he said.
"You complain too much soldier. Eyes front" Ibiki ordered and the chunnin immediately assumed a correct position. "Heads up" Ibiki said and the chunnin turned to him confused.
*Swoosh*
"Whooah" the chunnin cried as he stumbled due to some blonde shinobi blurring in front of him. "Who was that?" the chunnin asked as he already lost vision of him. The chunnin hadn't even sensed him approach and only caught a glimpse of yellow hair.
"Senju Naruto" Ibiki replied making the chunnin's jaw drop.
"What is he doing here?" the chunnin asked. Everyone had heard about the Senju clan heir.
"Morning workout" Ibiki said and the chunnin gulped.
"At that speed?" the chunnin asked stupefied and Ibiki chuckled.
"You don't get S-rank status by being lazy" Ibiki explained chuckling and made a head motion towards the chunnin who took a step back as Naruto blurred by them again.
"That is insane" the chunnin cried in disbelief and Ibiki chuckled again.
"Heads up" Ibiki said but this time the chunnin caught glimpse of a purple blur. The chunnin spinned around until he dropped on the floor with his head spinning.
"And that?" the chunnin asked.
"Senju Hinata" Ibiki replied.
"Senju?" the chunnin asked confused.
"I'm surprised you don't know. The whole village already knows those two are engaged" Ibiki replied only to smirk at the chunnin's shocked face.
"The brat is only seventeen" the chunnin pouted.
## With Naruto and Hinata ##
"How come you didn't wake me up?" Hinata asked as she caught up with Naruto. Both of them were running on the walls around Konoha in their warm up routine for the day.
"You looked peaceful on your sleep" Naruto replied looking back.
"How many laps you have left?" Hinata asked.
"Just the one" Naruto replied and raised an eyebrow when he saw Hinata smile.
"Race you home" Hinata said as she blurred away from Naruto and quickly disappeared from view.
"That's cheating" Naruto yelled as he also picked up speed.
## At the Senju Compound ##
"I won" Hinata said smirking as she watched Naruto arrive.
"You cheated" Naruto pouted.
"YOU WANT TO SAY THAT TO MY FACE?"
Both Naruto and Hinata heard yelling coming from inside the compound. Both of them opened the door and walked inside to see a strange situation that, funnily enough, everyone saw coming. Both Tobirama and Nao were staring at each other with sparks flying across their eyes. Itachi was at the table and could only sigh at their antics.
"SENJU"
"UCHIHA"
Both of them yelled as the sparks intensified and their chakra spiked. "Can't you keep her in control?" Naruto asked towards Itachi who gave him an 'are you serious face'.
"I just got my life and I want to keep it" Itachi simply replied.
"Alright knock it off" Kushina said but both Tobirama and Nao didn't even move. "Don't make me go get my sword" Kushina replied sweetly making everyone pale. Tobirama and Nao quickly stopped their antics and split apart. Just another day at the Senju Compound.
*Poof*
There was a cloud smoke right in the middle of the room, gathering the attention towards it. When the smoke cleared, a single toad was standing in the middle of the room with a scroll in his mouth.
"A message from Ero-sennin" Naruto said as Tsunade walked towards the toad and collected the scroll.
"Jiraiya has found the Uchiha Clan hideout. It seems Nao's information was right" Tsunade said as she destroyed the message and placed on the table the hideout's location.
"Of course it was" Nao said crossing her arms.
"Jiraiya is waiting on us. Now what?" Tsunade asked towards the dragons.
"We strike" Tobirama simply said as he got up. "According to Jiraiya the hideout has a single entrance that is located in the crater. We will have higher ground and we will be able to ambush them" Tobirama explained.
"Don't we think we might be rushing this?" Tsunade pondered.
"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt" Tobirama said as Tsunade had to agree. For those who were born and lived during the clan wars, they knew war better than anyone.
"So we will attack at night and Naruto will use his Kirin jutsu…makes sense" Minato said nodding, making everyone blink and turn to him.
"What?" Minato asked confused and Kushina just slapped her forehead.
"Sometimes I wonder why Hiruzen made you hokage" Tobirama said and pretty much summed everyone's thoughts.
"And once we ambush them, we will do what?" Hashirama said getting suspicious.
"We will kill them all" Tobirama coldly said making Hashirama flinch at his tone.
"You are insane" Hashirama said with a shocked face. "They were just following their clan head. Some of them might be good people like those two" Hashirama said pointing towards Itachi and Nao. Both of them remained silent as they watched both Senju brothers bicker.
"We might not have other choice" Naruto softly said and everyone turned to him.
"You too" Hashirama said shaking his head. "You would slaughter nearly three hundred Uchihas just like that" Hashirama asked in disbelief.
"Dammit Hashirama" Naruto said slamming his hand on the table, making everyone flinch. "Don't take me for some naïve kid. You know very well what Nao said about their plans. They have above fifty mangekyous Hashirama…fifty" Naruto stated. "They can conquer any village with the right plan and their numbers alone" Naruto explained.
"They CAN, it doesn't mean they will" Hashirama firmly said and Naruto shook his head.
"And would you be willing to wait and find out?" Naruto asked and Hashirama remained silent. "Itachi…what's your take on this?" Naruto asked towards the silent Uchiha.
"I made peace with my clan a long time ago. Their fate is not mine to choose" Itachi simply said and Naruto sighed.
"Baa-chan" Naruto said turning towards Tsunade who smiled in understanding.
"I'm the Hokage Naruto, my primary concern is the well fare of the village. You are the leader of the dragons, so it's your choice to make" Tsunade replied and Naruto nodded and watched as everyone looked at him, waiting for his answer.
"Kurama…your opinion" Naruto said in thought as he wanted one last opinion before making his choice.
"I don't know what the fuss is about. You have already killed more than three hundred" Kurama simply replied but Naruto remained silent.
"But those kills were never premeditated. The Uchiha clan hasn't done anything yet, they may be arrogant or vicious but that isn't cause for termination, it was all Fugaku. How would you justify killing three hundred people which most might be innocent" Naruto thought sighing.
"That is war Naruto. Most of the times neither side is right or wrong. They simply fight for what they think is right. They fight for revenge, power, land, money and even love. It doesn't matter and that is why my father and your predecessor tried so hard to bring peace but, in the end, he failed" Kurama replied and Naruto slowly nodded, his mind clouded by Kurama's words.
"Perspective is a funny thing wouldn't you say?" Naruto rhetorically asked chuckling. Kurama just raised an eyebrow. "Look at Nagato. I don't know what made him that way, but for him to chase peace so vehemently. He holds nothing back to reach his goal and I can easily tell that Fugaku is simply manipulating him"
"To Nagato peace is achieved by pain, when mankind know each other's pain, then they will understand each other and cease this pointless bloodshed. Then we have Fugaku's point of view, a man who simply wishes to rule the world. And finally me…" Naruto said smiling as he looked up to see Kurama.
"I will bring peace to this world on my own. I will carry this world's hate and lead it to a brighter tomorrow. I will bear the burden of my choices and I will bring peace to the world in my own way. This world is but an orphan child and I will unite it under one banner, not through force or an illusion, but through love and understanding" Naruto said as he made up his mind. He would bear the burden and he alone would suffer with the pain and consequences his choices may bring.
"There will be no Konoha, no Kumo, no Iwa, no Kiri and no Suna. There will only be one people…on a lonely planet. There will only be one shinobi" Naruto finished as he looked towards Kurama whose jaw was on the ground.
"Y-you" Kurama stuttered as he tried to come with the right words. Kurama chuckled as he looked towards the grinning face of Naruto. "Then I will help on your quest…as will all of my siblings" Kurama said as he brought his fist down for Naruto to bump it.
"You have your answer I see" Kurama said and Naruto tilted his head on confusion. "You are ready to meet him" Kurama said.
"Mee-"
Naruto was about to ask who he was meeting when he simply toppled to the floor unconscious.
"NARUTO"
Everyone on the outside world yelled as Naruto fell to the ground. Hinata was already upon him running a diagnose jutsu but everything seemed fine with him. His heart rate was stable and his chakra network seemed to be running normally as well. Although everything was fine with his body, his conscious mind wandered off into the beyond and into unknown places.
"I see you decided to bring him before me" some old man said as he watched the Kyuubi approach him with Naruto unconscious on his head "Kurama-kun" the old man added lifting his head and displaying two silvery Rinnegan eyes.
The old man floating in front of Kurama had deep wrinkles, a long beard and short light greyish-colored shaggy hair that spiked up in the front with two distinctive parts of his hair resembling horns and a chin-length braid hanging in front of his left ear. He had pronounced eyebrow ridges with small horn protrusions above them. He also had a Rinnegan-like marking on his forehead. He wore a white full-length cloak (haori) with a high collar, revealing his necklace with six red magatama. On the back of his cloak was a reflection of a seal which had the Rinnegan with nine magatama in three rows beneath it.
"Just like you said old man" Kurama said giving the old man a toothy grin.
"That I did" the old man replied chuckling as he watched Kurama lower Naruto into the ground. Naruto squirmed on the ground as he seemed too deep into some dream.
## First Memory ##
"Kaa-san…Kaa-san" a little kid yelled in glee as he ran through the halls of the palace where he lived. The little boy had short and spiky brown hair but the most interesting fact about him would be his silver eyes, with several concentric circles around them.
"Slow down Hagoromo-kun" some woman replied with a gentle smile. Hagoromo just grinned as he looked at the smiling face of his mother. She had very delicate facial feature. She had long, sweeping light colored hair that touched the ground. Most noticeably were two horn like protrusions which stuck out from her head, a trait shared with her son. Her eyebrows were cut very short, an outward symbol of royalty, and she wore a dark shade of lipstick on her lips and a dark shade of nail polish on her long fingernails. She wore the transitional high-collared hime-kimono which was adored with intricate lines and tomoe running down the center and edges of the gown.
"Look, look" Hagoromo hurriedly said as he sat on the ground in lotus position. Kaguya, the woman in front of him and his mother, just smiled at the bubbly actions of her son. Hagoromo took a deep breath as he concentrated. A small gust of wind was felt and Kaguya raised an eyebrow as she watched her son start to levitate from the ground.
It was nothing more than a simple inch at first, but he kept going higher into the air as the time passed. One minute later and Hagoromo was already three feet of the ground. "Careful now" Kaguya warned, concerned that her son might hurt himself.
"I can go higher" Hagoromo said, desperate to prove himself. In a burst of air, Hagoromo rose nearly ten feet into the air in the fraction of a second. "See" Hagoromo said smiling triumphantly.
"HAHHH" Hagoromo shouted as he lost his concentration in the midst of his own celebration. Hagoromo started falling but instead of hitting the hard and cold floor of the palace, he found himself on his mother's arms. "My bad" Hagoromo said chuckling while Kaguya just smiled.
## Second Memory ##
"This is as far as you will go" a now older version of Hagoromo shouted. He looked like he had just passed his teens and became a young adult. Hagoromo was standing in the way of a colossal beast.
The beast was titanic in size with each limb being just big if not bigger than bijuus themselves. The beast possessed visible legs, which it used along with its right arm to stand, as its left arm was missing at the elbow. Its facial appearance was possessed of a single ear on the right side of its head, while its mouth, which contained straight teeth and a nostril, moved to the left side and several horns formed on various parts on its head with two underneath its chin.
All in all it was monster in every way of the word. It had no conscious and knew no end. Its only goal was to reclaim what was stolen from him, chakra. With a single swipe of his tentacles, entire continents were split in half, with a mighty roar, oceans were vaporized. Hagoromo was fighting the Shinju or as most now know it, the Juubi.
"Rinbo: Hengoku" Hagoromo shouted as he slammed his staff on the ground and gigantic pulse of gravity was unleashed. The beast, that could easily destroy the lands, was flung back, tumbling through the ground, crashing and destroying mountains until it came to an end, and yet, it seemed unhurt.
"To think you were unhurt against such attack" Hagoromo said as he took a deep breath. Sweat was pouring down his face as he stood his ground against the strongest beast alive.
"Senpou Myojinmon (Sage Arts - Gate of the Great God)" Hagoromo said as dozens of red toriis fell from above, pinning the Juubi to the ground. Large red gates pinned his tails, arms and legs as the beast was momentarily trapped. "This should buy me enough time" Hagoromo said as he felt the beast struggle as his gates start to crack.
Hagoromo sat on the ground in lotus position as he began to concentrate. Small rocks around him started levitating and a small gust of wind swayed by. Hagoromo slammed his hands together and slowly began to drive them apart. A pitch black sphere started forming between his hands. A buzzing sound was heard as this black sphere started growing in size, reaching the size of a football until it stopped.
"Chou Chibaku Tensei (Big Planetary Devastation)" Hagoromo said as he released the black ball and watched it sail through the air and high into the sky. The sphere started glowing and the whole planet started shaking. Chunks of earth, big as mountains themselves were ripped from the ground, giving birth to gigantic craters.
The Juubi broke his restraints and pinned his tails to the ground, in a desperate move to secure himself to earth. "Nii-san now" Hagoromo yelled towards his brother who was in the ground in meditative position.
"Sealing Style" Hagoromo's brother said as he slammed his hands on the ground. "Sixteen Trigrams Divine Seal" the brother said as hundreds of purplish chains, almost transparent, rose from his location. These chains quickly made their way towards the Juubi like snakes, they slithered towards their target. The chains wrapped themselves around the Juubi and started siphoning their chakra into Hagoromo who gritted his teeth, feeling the heavy chakra enter his body.
"ARGHHHH"
The Juubi yelled to the skies as the beast started shrinking. The beast's form started wavering and the skin itself started withering away until it remained nothing more than a brown husk, depleted of life. Hagoromo absorbed all the chakra of the Juubi and tumbled forward, using his arms to steady himself and taking deep breaths.
Hagoromo looked up at the sky to see the new addiction. A new planetary form had just been created and inside it, the depleted husk of Juubi, sealed away for all eternity. "W-We won nii-san" Hagoromo said as his brother held him by the shoulder.
"Yes we did" his brother replied smiling as both left the battlefield.
## Third Memory ##
We see Hagoromo again, but this time he was already at an old age. He stood in the middle of a circle with several kanji in it. Around him, stood all the nine bijuu, still young as they had just been born from being split from the Juubi.
"Shukaku, Matatbi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuou, Saiken, Choumei, Gyuuki and Kurama" Hagoromo started as all the bijuu listened in. ""You will always be together...even when you are separated. And one day, you will all become one...With different names...in different forms than you exist now. And unlike when you were within me...you will be led down the right path. When the time comes...you will know...what true power is..." Hagoromo said as he released his last breath. All the bijuus bowed their heads to their father.
"You will seek someone worthy and when you find him…bring him before me" Kurama remembered his father's request as he let out a lone tear.
## End of Memories ##
Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes, still a bit hazy from the rush of memories, and caught his surroundings. He looked around and spotted Kurama behind him grinning like a mad man. Naruto got onto his feet and noticed a floating old man in front of him.
"Hagoromo" Naruto started he took in the appearance of the man in front of him. "Otsutsuki" Naruto breathed out in shock looking at the sage of six paths, standing right there in front of him. "Is this some joke?" Naruto asked annoyed towards Kurama who chuckled in return.
"I assure you I'm very real" Hagoromo replied as he stopped floating and stood on the ground. "It's very nice to finally meet you face to face…Senju Naruto" Hagoromo said smiling as Naruto's jaw dropped. He had very good reasons for it, after all, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, father to all ninjutsu and to all shinobi was standing right in front of Naruto.
"It's an honor to meet you in person" Naruto chuckled nervously, bowing to the sage in respect. "How are you here if I'm not so bold to ask?" Naruto carefully asked as he didn't want to anger him.
"When I created all of my sons and daughters, I sealed my last chakra into Kurama" Hagoromo replied and Naruto's jaw dropped. "And I gave Kurama the task to find a worthy heir, one that shared my beliefs. I guess you could say it was poetic justice for you to bear the Rinnegan as well" Hagoromo chuckled while Naruto just nodded dumbly.
"You knew all along?" Naruto asked towards Kurama.
"Of course" Kurama replied puffing his chest in pride. "I kept this fact hidden and searched through the ages for the man my father said that would unite the world and bring peace. I thought that man was Senju Hashirama but I was wrong and moved on. Then I thought that man would be Namikaze Minato but he failed as well. But the moment I first met you, I could see it through your eyes that you would be the one"
"Hashirama is a good man but his to soft and forgiving. Minato is exactly like him, strong, caring and forgiving to a fault. Tobirama is the opposite of his brother and Minato. He cares only for the protection of his own people and he would do anything for them, regarding what damage we would cause to the others."
"You bear the best attributes from each of them. You do whatever it takes to protect the people you care for but you still feel bad for any pain you cause to the other side. Even know you are pondering if you should kill the Uchiha Clan. It's true they may be innocent but killing them would a crucial strike against the Akatsuki and Tobi. For some reason you are able to see beyond that and make choices for the greater good no matter the consequences"
"A true leader Naruto…that is what you are. It is a curious thing, Naruto, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well"
"You speak as if I am a leader. Would a good leader be willing to simply lay waist to innocent men for the greater good?" Naruto asked and Hagoromo smiled. He reminded himself so much in that boy. All the struggles he had endure because of his eyes and powers.
"We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving" Hagoromo said as Naruto turned to him.
"So should I just ignore the fact they betrayed the village and went to work towards a man that killed thousands of innocent people? How do you know when it's right to kill, most likely, innocent people?" Naruto asked and Hagoromo smiled.
"That is your choice to make" Hagoromo said and Naruto groaned.
"Give me some answers old man" Naruto complained. "You are older, wiser and more powerful than me" Naruto said but Hagoromo only chuckled.
"You are right on two counts. I am older" Hagoromo said flicking a string of his grey hair. "And I am wiser since you are nothing but a knuckle head" Hagoromo said chuckling as Naruto's eyes twitched "But I am not more powerful than you" Hagoromo said and Naruto's jaw dropped.
"B-but" Naruto stuttered at Hagoromo's outrageous claim. "You created the moon. While I am strong myself I could never achieve something like that" Naruto said refuting the old man's claims.
"It always seems impossible until it's done." Hagoromo said and Naruto pondered if he would be able to do such feet. He was broken from his thoughts when Hagoromo started walking towards him. Hagoromo arrived near him and placed a hand above his chest. "I can feel it and you can as well. You are stronger than me" Hagoromo said smiling as he watch Naruto slowly nod and agreed with him.
"You still didn't answer my question old man" Naruto said knowingly as the sage chuckled.
"My life ended many centuries ago Naruto. It's your turn to watch over the world. I can show you the path but only you can walk on it" the sage replied and Naruto groaned. It looked like no one was going to give him straight answers.
"So should I just kill them and be done with it?" Naruto pondered.
"Is it the possibility of regret you fear?" Hagoromo asked and Naruto slowly nodded. "Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the happiness of their people" Hagoromo said and Naruto chuckled.
"You are right. I would do everything for the happiness of my people but what about the other's happiness" Naruto countered.
"We could stay here all day long arguing about philosophical points of view and never reach the right answer. Every choice you make will have its consequences. It's how you deal with them that defines who and what you are" Hagoromo explained and Naruto nodded.
"I will stick by my choices and I will finish what you started. I will unite the world under a single banner and the world will know peace" Naruto said grinning making Hagoromo nod his head.
"It's time for me to leave" Hagoromo said smiling as he lifted his hand onto the air. Specks of light could be seen emanating from his hand, who by now was almost see through. "I have nothing else to give other than these two things" Hagoromo said as he took out his six tomoed cape and placed it around Naruto. When he was finished he picked up his staff and placed it on Naruto's hands.
"The staff is my greatest weapon and the one that I wielded in my fight against the Juubi" Hagoromo said as Naruto grasped the staff tightly. Naruto hit the staff on the ground and watched as the ground shook and several ripples appeared on the water.
"Did you never found it strange that bojutsu was the first art you learned and yet you mastered it so quickly and at such young age?" Hagoromo questioned as he watched Naruto do some experimental swings with his new weapon. With a single swing, powerful gusts of wind erupted from it, another swing and a cloud of fire rose from it.
"And the cape?" Naruto asked curious while Hagoromo just grinned.
"It makes you look bad ass" Hagoromo said while Naruto and Kurama sweat dropped. "I'm leaving" Hagoromo said as his whole body started becoming transparent. "The world is in your hands now…it's my legacy to you" Hagoromo said as he exploded into shining particles of light.
"Let's go change the world into a better place Kurama" Naruto said and Kurama nodded, taking Naruto from this plane and back to his own world.
## Back in the Real World ##
Only a few seconds had passed since Naruto had fallen unconscious on the ground, and the whole compound was a riot. Hinata and Tsunade were all over Naruto trying to diagnose just what happened. Minato and Tobirama were scanning Naruto's seal for any possible mal function or possible overload of him having the whole Kyuubi.
And that was when it happened. Naruto suddenly opened his eyes to reveal his Rinnegan glowing in a silver color. As his eyes opened a small shockwave was released, sending everyone tumbling backwards. Naruto smiled as he started getting up.
Everyone watched in shock as a white cape started manifesting itself all around Naruto. He now wore a white full-length cloak with a high collar, with several black Magatamas. On the back of his cloak was a reflection of a seal which had the Rinnegan with nine magatama in three rows beneath it.
As if things couldn't get any weirder, a metal staff started forming in his right hand. To some it would seem like some piece of metal, but it was so much more. It was lighter but stronger than steel. Naruto ran chakra through his staff and everyone watched as a broken circle appeared at one end while he rested the other on the ground.
While moments ago Naruto seemed too confused in what to do or what to choose. This Naruto seemed to radiate peace and understanding, his eyes seemed to betray wisdom beyond ages. It was as if Naruto had been reconnected to a lost piece of himself. It looked like Naruto had found inner peace.
"So" Naruto said breaking everyone from their trance "You won't believe who I just met" Naruto said grinning.
"N-Naruto" Minato stuttered as he looked towards his son. "Where did you get that staff?" Minato asked in shock. There wasn't much information regarding the sage of the six paths, but anyone shinobi worth his salt would at least know the legend that created chakra.
"I met him, Hagoromo Otsutsuki" Naruto said while everyone looked at Naruto in confusion. "You know him as the sage of the six paths" Naruto said and everyone's jaw dropped.
"I know that feeling" Naruto said as his new staff disappeared into his storage seals and he sat down. "I thought it was a prank from Kurama when I saw him in front of me" Naruto chuckled while everyone just listened in.
"Apparently the sage sealed some of his chakra into Kurama to be released when Kurama had found a worthy heir. I met him and talked to him. He advised and gave me his staff as a gift" Naruto said and everyone slowly nodded like some robots in sync.
"We will strike at night…no survivors" Naruto simply said and Hashirama had eyes widened at Naruto's choice.
"I won't be a part of this…sorry" Hashirama said as he walked out of the room, making everyone sigh.
"Let's gear up and prepare" Tobirama said and the remaining dragons nodded.
"Don't get caught and come out clean" Tsunade warned. "I don't want the daimyo of the Fang Country breathing down on my neck for attacking his land" Tsunade said and everyone nodded.
"What about Miko-chan" Kushina said sadly. "She was like a sister to me and I know that she would never go along with this" Kushina said and Nao chuckled sadly.
"Mikoto is a submissive and broken woman" Nao began and Kushina focused on her. "Did you know she has the mangekyou because she betrayed you" Nao said and Kushina was shocked.
"Betrayed me?" Kushina asked confused. "But she never did anything to hurt me in any way what so ever" Kushina explained.
"I know how" Minato replied sighing. "Now that I know that Tobi is Fugaku everything is clear to me. Mikoto told Fugaku where you would be delivering Naruto" Minato said and Kushina was shocked but she knew that it was true. Kushina had only told Mikoto, her sister and most trusted friend.
"Mikoto was responsible for the attack on Konoha. Only I, Hiruzen and his wife, and a select few of anbu knew of your location at that time" Minato said and Kushina sighed wondering how Mikoto could betray her like that.
"I guess I will find out what happened tonight" Kushina said and Minato nodded.
"Send word to Jiraiya about our plans" Tsunade said and Minato nodded, placing a scroll on the toad and watched him dispel in smoke.
## At Night – Mountain's Graveyard ##
It was a surprisingly clear night. There were no clouds making a perfect starry sky in the fang country. It was also a full moon, shining brightly high in the sky, illuminating the grounds. Outside of the Uchiha's hideout was complete silence. There was no wind or any type of animals. It was the quiet before the storm.
Naruto was sitting on the edge of the walls that led down into the crater where the hideout stood. Behind stood all the dragons with the exception of Hashirama who chose not to participate in this. Naruto's hair swayed in the wind as the moon shone in the sky. To anyone else it would look like a terrifying picture, Naruto sitting down with masked shinobi behind him.
"About time you arrived…ero-sennin" Naruto said as Jiraiya arrived near them in a shushin.
"I was far away already. I didn't want to stick around while I waited for decision on what to do" Jiraiya explained and Naruto nodded, rising up.
"BYAKUGAN" Hinata shouted as her eyes flared to life and several bulges appear around her eyes. Hinata sat down as she concentrated slowly on expanding her range so she could gaze inside the hideout.
"This hideout is massive. There are hundreds of chambers, hallways extending for miles" Hinata explained.
"But there is only one exit right?" Naruto asked and Hinata nodded confirming. "What about their numbers?" Naruto asked, wanting to know if the Uchihas were all present.
"342" Hinata answered and Naruto nodded. It slightly below their numbers when the clan was supposedly slaughtered a decade ago.
"According to Nao's intel they have at least five members capable of using Susanoo. She didn't know anything about the other's powers because they kept to themselves" Naruto mused to himself.
"I'm going in" Naruto said and everyone nodded and went to do their part of the plan. Naruto's part was to infiltrate the hideout. Naruto took a deep breath as he restrained his chakra levels to their lowest level and with his level of control, only a skilled sensor would be able to pick him up.
Naruto jumped down and quickly approached the main entrance. It was blocked by some gates but Naruto could easily pass them with his Kamui. "All clear" Hinata said through his intercom. Hinata would guide Naruto's movement through the base and warn him against possible enemies.
Naruto nodded and phased through the door and into the hideout. Like Jiraiya had said many times, enemies never look up, so Naruto kept to the ceilings as he made his way through the hallways. "The first junction is twenty meters upon your next left" Hinata said and Naruto nodded making his way towards the first strategic point in the hideout.
Naruto focused and noticed that no one was around. He placed a hand on the ceiling and watched as kanji flowed from his hand, embedding itself on the wall, until disappearing completely from view. Naruto made a tiger seal and noticed as the seal slightly glowed before vanishing again.
"First seal in place" Naruto replied in a low voice, through the intercom. Naruto continued on his path, avoiding potential cluster sites and easily sneaking around any Uchihas that came around. It wasn't like they were expecting anyone sneaking in.
Naruto phased through the ground beneath him and he came into another room. Naruto clung to the ceiling as he looked down to see some Uchiha resting on a couch. Naruto could feel that the Uchiha was still awake, although he was near the place where Naruto would need the next seal.
"Wha-" the Uchiha was about to yell when his screams were muffled by a swirling sound. Naruto had used his kamui and, in a blink of an eye, had sent the Uchiha into his dimension. On the outside, a clone of Naruto had taken the Uchiha out of his dimension and promptly dealt with him.
"Fifth seal in ready" Naruto said as the seal glowed and disappeared as well. Naruto nodded to himself on a job well done and quickly sank into the walls as a couple of Uchihas stepped into the room.
"Where the hell is Ryuu?" some Uchiha groaned.
"Maybe he's in the hall" the other replied as both Uchihas went searching for him.
Naruto sighed in relief as he didn't want to set off any alarms, yet. Naruto made his way towards the last place and cursed his luck as the last place was crawling with Uchihas. Naruto counted at least twenty since the last place seemed like some living room or social room.
"How the hell am I going to plant the seal? I can't warp them all at once" Naruto cursed to himself. The plan wouldn't work without every seal being placed in the right place.
"Henge" Naruto muttered to himself as he transformed himself into the Uchiha he had just killed a few moments ago. Naruto sank to the outside of the room and simply walked through the doors like some ordinary member. Naruto approached the wall and very discreetly applied the seal without anyone noticing.
"There you are Ryuu" Naruto heard someone calling and turned to see two Uchihas approaching. "Are we still on for tonight?" the Uchihas asked and Naruto cursed his luck. He had to run just into the people that were looking for him.
"Hinata-chan…tell my clone to read the Uchiha's mind I just sent" Naruto silently said through the intercom. "Tonight?" Ryuu (Naruto) said as he tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Don't tell me you forgot?" the Uchiha asked in disbelief. Naruto was wondering what else to say when he felt a rush of information.
"Oh right the poker game" Ryuu said making both Uchihas chuckle. "I hope you are ready to lose" Ryuu smirked.
"Alright then. We will see you tonight at midnight" one Uchiha said as both of them walked off and Naruto sighed in relief. Naruto walked out of the room and once he was outside of everyone's view he simply swirled away of the hideout and arrived near Hinata and the others.
"Close call" Naruto said to out loud. "All the seals are in place, let's get the rest of plan going" Naruto said.
"Hinata-chan…you're up" Naruto said and Hinata nodded as she took a deep breath and she sat down. Not even five minutes later Hinata had entered sage mode with purple markings on her face. "Senpou – Sekka no Ame (Sage Arts – Petrifying Rain)" Hinata said as heavy rain started to fall. (1)
"Mito…place a barrier around Hinata-chan since she's vulnerable when using this jutsu" Naruto said towards Mito as he looked towards Hinata who sat on the ground completely still.
Naruto channeled chakra into his right hand and sent a beam into the sky. From the dark clouds of rain, several thunders roared as they lit up the night sky. Everyone turned to Naruto in confusion as his Kirin jutsu wasn't part of the plan. "Just in case" Naruto said and everyone did their part.
"We are ready" Tobirama said and Naruto nodded as he brought his right hand and made the tiger seal. "Activate" Naruto said.
Deep inside the hideout, the seals started glowing and the ground started vibrating slowly. Only a few seconds later, the whole cave started shaking. "This place is caving" some Uchiha said as specks of dust fell from the ceiling. "EVEYBODY OUT" the Uchiha yelled and everyone started running outside so that they didn't get crushed to death. Little did they know that inside was still safer.
"We made it" some Uchiha said as he jumped outside, taking deep breaths. "Uhm rain?" the Uchiha muttered as he looked up to see heavy rain and thunders. "Some luck" the Uchiha thought to himself as the hideout decided to cave when it was raining.
"Are they all out?" Naruto asked towards Hinata who nodded. Naruto made another tiger hand seal and activated an explosive tag he left at the entrance of the cave. With a loud explosion, the only entrance to the cave had been completely sealed off.
"ARGHHH" some Uchiha yelled making everyone looked towards him.
"Sabaku Taiso (Giant Sand Burial)" Gaara said as several Uchihas were enveloped by sand that rested beneath their feet. With the confusion on the hideout caving, they didn't notice that the whole earth beneath their feet was actually sand. The Uchihas were simply crushed to death.
"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK" some Uchiha yelled placing everyone on high alert. Every single Uchiha had their sharingan blazing and were looking for their enemies.
"ARGHHHHH" another Uchiha yelled as he fell to the ground, trying to scratch something of his arms. "GET IT OUT…GET IT OUT" the Uchiha yelled in despair as he watched his right arm begin to turn grey and unresponsive. Everyone watched in shock as their friend squirmed in the ground until he remained completely immobile and grey, turned into stone.
"ARGHH" another one yelled as his arm began to turn grey as well. The Uchiha fell to his knees as he tried to ignore the pain. Another Uchiha decided to take matters on to his own hands and took out his blade. In a burst of speed, he sliced the dying Uchiha's arm off.
The arm fell to the ground as it turned completely into stone. "ARGHH" the Uchiha whose arm just got cut off continued screaming as he started turning grey. It appeared cutting off his arm didn't even slow it down. "It's the rain" another Uchiha said as he noticed that the rain had chakra in it. "TAKE COVER" the Uchiha yelled and no one questioned him.
Some summoned their Susanoo shield, others took cover behind some rocks or the bones that were on the grounds and the others rose some kind of mud walls to shield them from the rain. "We managed to take out almost half" Tobirama said. They were still watching from above the walls. Hinata's rain and Gaara's sand took out almost half of the members since they were all caught off guard.
"Let's finish the rest. Me, Tobirama and Minato will go in first" Naruto said as both blondes and Tobirama jumped down, landing in the crater. The whole ground was riddled with Hirashin seals and, as such, the remaining Uchihas never knew what hit them.
"Hiraishingiri (Flying Thunder God Slash)" Tobirama said as he appeared next to an Uchiha with his Raijin no Ken (Thunder God Sword) extended. The Uchiha's head simply slid down his neck and hit the ground with a thumb sound. The head hit the ground but Tobirama was already gone.
"Rasengan" Minato said as an Uchiha was blasted back. Another Uchiha took the opportunity to attack Minato but only sliced air as Minato appeared behind him and slit his throat.
Naruto flashed into the middle of five Uchihas who felt in appear. The Uchihas raised their swords and kunais. As the Uchihas were preparing their strike, Naruto flexed both wrists as long black metal blades erupted from both his palms. Naruto extended both blades forward as he spun around quickly killing all five Uchihas at once. Before the blood could even touch him, he was already gone.
"I know that you are there, come down" Mikoto said with her mangekyou glowing and a red rib cage around her. Mikoto watched as one shinobi jumped down from the roof and landed in front of her. The shinobi bore blood red samurai styled armor with a dragon symbol emblazed in the chest plate. The shinobi had long red hair and had an equal colored mask covering his face.
"You can take your mask off. I know who you are Kushina" Mikoto sadly said and watched as the shinobi's mask fell to the ground revealing Kushina who had a sad expression at seeing the person she considered a sister. "I don't know how you are alive but it's good to see you again" Mikoto said smiling.
"Did you really tell Fugaku where I was giving birth?" Kushina said with a neutral face. Mikoto only nodded.
"Why did you do it?" Kushina asked frowning. "I thought we were like sisters" Kushina said.
"What would you choose Kushina?" Mikoto asked but Kushina was confused. "Minato or Konoha" Mikoto added and Kushina remained silent. "I chose to stay by my family's side but now I regret it" Mikoto sadly said.
"You can put all of this behind and come with us. It's not too late Miko-chan" Kushina desperately said and Mikoto gave a hollow chuckle.
"Always the forgiving heart" Mikoto said smiling as her eyes glowed and her Susanoo increased, an arm sprouted from her Susanoo and a red sabre appeared in its hand.
"Futon no Yoroi (Wind Armor)" Kushina said as her body became surrounded by a ghostly white aura. Mikoto swinged her sword but caught only air as Kushina was long gone. Her wind armor drastically reduced wind resistance, allowing Kushina a large boost in physical speed.
"Wind Slash" Kushina said as she channeled charka through her katana giving it a blue hue. Kushina flicked her blade and released a blue wave. Mikoto brought her sabre and simply broke it like nothing. Mikoto's Susanoo raised her sabre and was about to swing it down when several golden chains sprouted from the ground, wrapping itself around her arm and pinning her Susanoo to the ground.
"Miko-chan stop this" Kushina pleaded but Mikoto just smiled sadly as she blurred through hand seals.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Great Fireball technique)" Mikoto said taking a deep breath and unleashing a torrent of flames. The flames washed into the ground but only hit Kushina's after image. Kushina's sword glowed a brighter blue as she reappeared next to Mikoto's Susanoo and sliced its arm off. The Susanoo's arm fell to the ground and simply faded from view as another one was born.
Mikoto dropped her Susanoo as the chains fell to the ground and retracted back into Kushina. Kushina flexed her blade forward and channeled a large amount of chakra through her body. "Dragon Dive" Kushina said as she exploded from her location, flying forward at blinding speeds towards Mikoto.
Mikoto smiled sadly as her mangekyou pattern seemed to change. "Kuronosu (God of Time)" Mikoto thought to herself as her eyes pulsed. She saw Kushina begin to slow down until she stopped. Mikoto looked around and even the rain seemed to stop and over in the air. All around her, everything had come to a halt. "I'm sorry old friend…I hope you can forgive me" Mikoto sadly said as she placed herself right in front Kushina's sword.
"Why do you wish to die?" Naruto asked as he suddenly appeared next to both woman. Mikoto's eyes widened when she saw Naruto.
"How can you move? My ability can slow down time to the point that everything stops" Mikoto said surprised.
"I can do something similar so I easily felt what you were doing" Naruto chuckled and Mikoto was surprised to see another time related ability. "You didn't answer my question though" Naruto said and Mikoto lowered her head.
"I deserve it. After everything I did, all the lives that were lost because of me. I just want to lay it behind me and rest" Mikoto said sadly and Naruto nodded allowing Mikoto to make her own choices. "Thank you" Mikoto said as she stopped her jutsu and Kushina pierced Mikoto's chest with her sword.
"N-No" Kushina said in shock as she delivered a fatal blow to Mikoto. She didn't understand what happened. One moment Mikoto was far away from her, the other she was right at the tip of her blade. "W-why?" Kushina asked sobbing as her friend laid at the death's gates.
"(cough) I-it was my choice Kushina-chan" Mikoto said smiling as a trail of blood ran down from her mouth. "D-do you f-forgive me?" Mikoto barely managed to get out. She could feel her life slipping away.
"Of course I do Miko-chan" Kushina said and Mikoto let out her last breath. Kushina lowered her body's friend to the ground and looked at Mikoto, who had a gentle smile in her face. "NARUTO" Kushina screamed and in a flash Naruto was by her side.
"What happened?" Naruto asked fainting confusion.
"B-bring her back" Kushina said as tears ran down her face.
"No" Naruto simply replied, closing his eyes. As much as it hurt him to see his mother in tears, he wouldn't change Mikoto's choices.
"What?" Kushina roared getting up and standing at Naruto's level. "Bring her back" Kushina ordered but Naruto remained still. Kushina jumped towards Naruto in rage who simple held her as she weakly punched his chest. "P-please bring her back" Kushina pleaded and Naruto shut his eyes to stop tears from coming out.
"I know it's hard but she chose this fate. Accept it and honor her memory" Naruto said and simply held Kushina as she cried openly. A few minutes later Kushina had calmed down and both son and mother split. "Feeling better?" Naruto asked with a small smile while Kushina just stared at Mikoto's dead form.
"It's done" Tobirama said as he arrived near Naruto. He looked around to see that the Uchiha clan had been decimated. "What about the bodies?" Tobirama asked.
"If your opponent is of a choleric temper, seek to irritate him" Naruto said and Tobirama raised an eyebrow. "Leave them behind as a message to Fugaku" Naruto said and Tobirama shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't care less.
"No" Kushina softly said. "I want to bring Miko-chan with me and give her a proper burial" Kushina said and Naruto nodded smiling as he tossed Kushina a sealing scroll.
The Uchiha Clan, one of the strongest clans in the whole elemental nations, one of the founding's clans of Konoha, possessing of hundreds of members and bearer of the sharingan bloodline, had been massacred in a few minutes.