Chapter 24: To Home We Go

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Naruto's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp East)

"NARUTO PLEASE! GET UP!" Ino screamed desperately.

Naruto heard her.

"Son, you gotta get up. Every morning, especially when it's hard! We Uzumaki don't quit! So we always get up, ya know?"

His mother, he could hear her.

"Listen Naruto I know chakra control is boring but we gotta do it. So you gotta get up."

Iruka, his first sensei and someone he considered a brother could hear him.

"I thought you were gonna smack my mask off ne? Guess you'll have to get up."

Kakashi is his odd yet reliable sensei. He pushed Naruto's buttons. Yet now he could hear him.

"Naruto. You will get up."

The last voice he didn't know yet he could hear it. Naruto felt determination and anger swell within him. He wasn't strong enough, but he could not quit. It was time he supposed. Time to live as he was, time to use the burden he held. He wouldn't fail his friends or himself.

'Nine Tails, our deal.' He thought angrily.

'It's not a deal brat. It's something you and others have forced upon me.' The beast countered bitterly.

'You rather risk death or a fate worse?' Naruto asked, now furious.

'I like you much better when you are an angry brat. Take it, just know if you lose control I'll destroy everything you love.' The beast warned.

Naruto nearly screamed as the corrosive chakra covered him near instantly. Jozu, realizing what he was doing, slammed his blade down quickly. But the Kyubi amped Naruto, caught this on his forearm. Before slamming a fist into Juzo's face. The force and speed caught him off guard leaving him flying through the air stunned.

'This form hurts. I can't keep it going safely. Every second I nearly lose myself in hatred. Need to end this now!'

Naruto chased after him as he held his blade behind his head. As he got close his cloak of chakra seemed to go into his tanto. Naruto smiled at Juzo who was still flying through the air helplessly.

"Uzumaki Style: Raging Blood Wave!" He screamed as he slashed downward, creating a wave of red energy that hit Juzo causing an explosion. Naruto collapsed and fell unconscious.

Ino stared shocked both at what Naruto had done and how he must have done it but before she could say anything the horror had returned.

"God damn not too shabby at all. It hurt like hell, if it wasn't for leader-sama it would've done something." Juzo said his cloak was gone in the front revealing burnt skin and the slash. Despite it, he seemed unbothered. He then nonchalantly raised his blade to finally maim the demon but heard someone screaming.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" A busty blonde woman quickly appeared within his guard. So fast she was that he barely managed to wedge his sword before her fist. He planned to deflect her punch and counter. But the second she first touched his blade it shattered. Bits slicing into both of them. The woman unsurprised, continued her momentum landing a follow-through punch. The force of the blow made Juzo cough up blood as he flew back. The fragments of his blade cut him and the woman. The blood from which, seemed to be absorbed by the giant blade that quickly reformed. "This is the turf of one of three Sannin. Tsunade Senju! The Leaf and its inhabitants are my allies. So if you intend to kill today… it's your funeral." She said simply, she stood in front of the three downed Genin.

"Tsunade, a legendary warrior. I didn't expect someone so… lively. Sorry to do this, but Leader-sama said no risk." Juzo said as he climbed to his feet. A basket-sized bruise on his ribs showed the damage Tsunade had done. Yet to the shock of the various Leaf shinobi it faded. "Too sloppy today, Kisame will never let me hear the end of it." He then simply sheathed the giant blade on his back and ran.

"HEY, YOU LITTLE SHIT GET BACK HERE!" Tsunade screamed as she charged.

"Isn't she here to help us?" Ino asked from across the clearing. She received no answer from her unconscious teammates.

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Kakashi's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp South)

 Kakashi had known he was likely unmatched. Maybe back when in his anbu days he would've been able to hang. But now being inactive for a year as a sensei he simply wasn't at his peak. He had been training to achieve it again, but it was slow going. Kakashi had to wonder if this is how his Genin felt when they fought.

Kakashi feigned a slash high before firing off a leg kick. Kisame didn't even bother to dodge or check it. He merely tanked the powerful kick while swinging his wrapped instrument. Kakashi jumped back and weaved hand signs as he did. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" A boulder-sized flame raced toward Kisame. He merely smiled as he slammed his sword into it. Kakashi panted as he watched the blade absorb the flames. The only damage it achieved was burning off the bandages.

"Say hi to Sammeheda." Kisame chuckled. "Ninjutsu isn't very effective against me."

Kakashi grits his teeth as he signed his next jutsu. "Oh really? How about physical attacks?" He asked before screaming. "Earth Style: Rising Stalagmite!" Large pillars of earth suddenly rose around Kisame who merely smashed any that came close. As the attack ended several of the pillars towered around Kisame. "Oh, but we're not done! Earth Style: Sudden Avalanche!" The pillars suddenly shattered into pieces, filling the sky with debris. Kisame smiled widely as the smashed earth fell all around him. As the earth fell, dust filled the air for an instant before Kisame's voice rang out.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

The earth was blown away from the water. An absurdly large wave was spat out from Kisame's mouth. It quickly filled the clearing knocking over trees as the forest momentarily became an ocean. Kakashi managed to jump over the water and stick to it. But Kisame was on top of the wave and was already within Kakashi's guard. He swung Samaheda diagonally. Kakashi manages to barely dodge before the sword seems to swell and cuts through his clothing and the top layer of skin on his shoulder. It was painful but Kakashi held his cool until he felt how low his chakra had become. The sudden loss made him drop into the water.

'Water Style to the highest degree. An odd sword, that seems to shave and absorb chakra. And physical abilities that put me to shame.' Kakashi thought as he sent chakra to his exposed Sharingan. 'Can't afford to hold anything back!' Kakashi's three tomoe Sharingan turned into a shuriken-looking design. "Mangekyo Sharingan!" He called defiantly. But to his shock, five sharks were heading towards him. Kakashi looks past them to see Kisame looking down from the surface. Kakashi knew he may be screwed, but he wouldn't go down alone!

"Kamui!" He called out desperately as the sharks closed in. Kisame merely quirked a brow before suddenly his arm appeared to be sucked in by a portal. With a scream of pain, it was torn from Kisame's body. The water was dispensed, as an unconscious Kakashi lay on the ground with several bite marks showing he had not escaped unharmed.

"I never expected a decent fight from a Jounin. I'll remember you Kakashi Hatake." Kisame said as he lifted Samaheda to the wound. The sword seemed to phase into Kisame for a moment before he pulled it back. A fully functioning arm in place of the stump. "Not bad at all. Been a while since anyone landed anything clean on me. Anyway." He raised his blade to finish off the helpless Kakashi but was suddenly floored by a flying body. The two rolled against the ground in a tangle of limbs. It was Juzo! Had he last to the nine tails?

"Sorry, but they're with me." Tsunade said defiantly, as she stood before the two men.

Kisame and Juzo rose. Kisame merely chuckled at her arrival.

"That makes more sense if you lost to that little upstart. I'd be taking the Executioner's Blade." Kisame said playfully. "I won't lie and say she's an easy mark but-"

"No, leader sama said no risk. We can't afford setbacks." Juzo countered.

"Well, not disagreeing with him," Kisame replied. "Let's leave then."

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Tsunade challenged as she flew towards the two.

"That's where you're wrong," Juzo said as he revealed a summoning scroll it poofed as it summoned a red-haired young woman. Her purple-ringed eyes seemed to scan them all before she pulled a scroll that covered the two men and herself.

"God will judge you one day." She said simply as the scroll sucked the three of them in before poofing away.

Tsunade sighed at them getting away. She then turned to the unconscious Kakashi, lifting him. It seems like she was being punished for being too kind. Since she now had to deal with and escort Sakumo's brat and his brats. To the leaf. She knew Hiruzen would've had a word if he heard she let Leaf shinobi die. She supposed it was time to visit Shizune anyway.

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???'s POV (Nearby Naruto's Group)

 Unforeseen to the others was Zetsu grabbing Dosu's unconscious body and fading into the earth.

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Naruto's POV (???)

 Naruto groaned tiredly as he woke up. His eyes were facing the sky and his entire body ached deeply. He could earnestly say he had never been as tired as he was now. But he was glad to see he was alive. His mind seemed to finally catch up. The thoughts of the battle previously held snapped into his mind. He attempted to race up to his feet, but realized he couldn't move! His mind raced, as he figured he was somehow restrained. His attack had failed and the man must've taken him! He once again attempted to move but his body was numb. Drugged, the captors had drugged him then! He wasn't in a building based on the moving outside sky. It was moving, he must be in the process of being carried away!

"Ino! Neji! Kakashi! Where are you? Are you okay? Some creep is carrying me off!" Naruto roared as he desperately attempted to move any part of his body.

"Hey bastard, don't make any assumptions. Especially when you're talking about the boss. At least if ya know what's good for you." A gravelly voice responded.

Naruto's eyes widened considerably as he realized he wasn't alone. Yet the voice didn't sound like the giant sword guy. His willpower allowed him to move his head to the side to stare at the man. He had short red buzzed hair. His eyes were green and heavy, underlined by bags. His features were sharp, sticking out amidst a flurry of freckles. A lit cigarette rested in his mouth, the man managing to puff repeatedly with no hands. He wore a kimono left undone tied at his waist and his upper body was covered in bandages. On his wrist was a scroll wrapped around it so the blank side was exposed. Showing a small seal in the center.

"Bastard, don'chu ya know it's rude to not answer?" He started angrily as he drew a dagger from the kimono as he approached the blonde. Naruto was helpless as the man lowered the point to his throat.

"Screw you, bastard! Where are you taking me!" Naruto demanded defiantly.

The man chuckled at Naruto's counter with his own tick. "I like your spunk ya bastard." He countered happily. "Ya can relax, Boss saved the lot of youse. Personally, I don't care much for shinobi. Would've let the bunch of youse die. But the Boss says we gotta help out the Leaf. So here we are." He flicked the small bit of cigarette off the white surface they stood on. Drawing another from the scroll on his wrist and lighting it with his finger. "The Boss told me to come grab her and youse. So I brought the manager to get youse home safe and sound."

"Manager? Boss?" Naruto asked, confused by the strange smoking man.

"She did mention you were unconscious. Shame you missed what was sure to be an epic ass kicking. Well shit, at least youse had the honor of being saved by The Big Boss Tsunade. I'm the number two man Dez the Smoker." He said with a smirk.

Naruto's eyes widened when he heard the name of their savior. He may have never been a book nerd, but there weren't many female shinobi in the world as renowned as Slug Sannin Tsunade. "Wait, so who's the Manager?"

"That would be me, young sir." A female voice quietly interjected. Naruto and Dez both turned to see a basketball-sized slug on the ground facing them.

"Mam!" Dez dropped so quickly to the ground that his cigarette went out.

Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at this, shocked at the man's reaction.

"Your manager is a tiny slug?" He asked, confused.

"I am indeed a slug, though I doubt many would call me tiny. I am named Katsuyu. This is merely a small portion of myself communicating to you currently. The rest of me is currently carrying you and your friends." Katsuyu explained.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"If you wouldn't mind Dez show him. It will be a bit simpler than explaining."

"Right away Mam!" Dez hollered, jumping up and picking up Naruto with both arms and holding him over his head.

"Put me down you…" Naruto was stunned into silence as he saw where he was. The team was riding on a glamorous white slug with three blue stripes on its back. Easily the size of a large mountain that was sliding through the forest they had traveled through to arrive at the mission. The slug looked fairly innocuous except for its ability to crush trees beneath it with no complaint. He had heard about summoning creatures. Even the tale of Katsuyu, the acidic slug known to be in the service of Tsunade. But the tales and reports did not do it justice. Something like this could destroy villages! His eyes strained as he looked for his friends. Seeing further up the slug were Ino and Neji both resting both sitting up and awake. Kakashi was there too but unlike the others was unconscious.

"Thank god, I was worried about them. Are they hurt?" Naruto asked as he finally relaxed a bit."

"Well, youse all had been thoroughly beat down by the time Boss ran off the bastards." Dez added as he held the blonde. "Time to put you down."

"Hold on, at least bring me to my friends!" Naruto hollered as it looked that Dez prepared to slam him.

"No way in hell ya dirty shinobi bastard!"

"Dez please help the boy." Katsuyu interferes softly.

"Damnit, yes mam." He said grumpily as he continued carrying the immobile blonde. Now walking him over to them as the miniature Katsuyu faded into the original. "Ya lucky the Manager is so kind."

"Whatever bastard." Naruto replied with a smug grin. He expected a poor reaction from the temperamental man but instead he merely dryly chuckled.

"Not bad brat. But that's my word! Ya, absolute bastard!" Dez replied as he threw the blonde savagely into the resting Ino and Neji. The three turn to a ball of limbs as their instincts fail them in their exhausted bodies. They manage to untangle in a couple of minutes all three glaring at Dez. The man merely smiled as he walked towards the back of the slug. Joining Tsunade who was standing on the back seemingly prepared for some kind of ambush.

"Naruto! You're ok! I'm so glad." Ino called as she hugged the prone blonde. As she held him close to her she whispered into his ear. "We do need to talk about what you did. But I'm going to let it go for now. I'm simply too happy we're all ok." She seemed to almost cry before letting go of the blonde. And sitting back seemingly allowing Neji some chance.

"Naruto… I'm sorry." He said simply looking down ashamed. "Before I had failed you both as comrades simply due to my arrogance. Now I fail due to incompetence. I left Ino to battle a Jounin on her own. Arrive after you have been beaten down. Just to be shut down as if I'm nothing. I'm supposed to be some genius, yet it seems I'm nothing more than an arrogant failure."

"Neji… I'm sorry too Naruto if it wasn't for you getting back up we would've all died." Ino said dejectedly.

Naruto felt lost for a moment. Before he smiled slightly. "Guess we're all failures then huh?" Neji and Ino both stared back stunned. Before Ino smiles back.

"We'll have to work harder to make sure next time that bastard comes we can kick his ass!" Ino is now fired up. She didn't truly feel better but recognized that Naruto was attempting to uplift them. Neji looked confused by the two before he gave an exhausted smile.

"I suppose that is logical… if not a bit simple." Neji added. The three then grew silent. It wasn't necessarily awkward, more of there was tension in the air. All three young adults seemed to be inside their minds.

"I… I don't know how to go about this sensitively. But I can't stop thinking about it." Naruto broke the silence.

"What do you mean blondie?" Ino asked.

"I-I was outnumbered, and I kept giving them outs. I tried to let them go… But they wouldn't back down. So I killed one of them. Some woman, she couldn't stop me, and I… I killed her… just because it was easier. I could've tried to restrain them. But I was too worried about you guys so I cut her down like some kind of sick fuck!" Naruto yelled, his voice breaking throughout the shout.

"I… I did too…" Ino mumbled simply. "I was so terrified I did what it took to get out. I didn't even realize I intended to kill until I did. But we did what we had to do, Naruto." She finished softly.

"She's correct. It seems we all did. We were prepared for this day though." Neji added. "I agree it was incredibly painful. I never expected it to be so surreal myself. But we must steel our hearts as shinobi. We will be expected to kill when told." Ino nodded quietly at this.

"Sure if you have no other choice but… just because they're from somewhere else we should kill them?" Naruto dejectedly asked, some level of disgust in his voice.

"It's the job Naruto. I agree it's not ideal but… Well they were going to kill us."

"We must do what the village asks us to do." Neji finished simply.

Naruto seems to stare up into the sky at that statement. "Well, when I become Hokage I'll make things better." He said simply.

"What are you gonna achieve world peace?" Ino asks with a smile. Neji seems to be just staring a bit intently at Naruto when he starts.

"If that's what it takes, believe it." Naruto stated confidently.

"Hmph and here I thought your task of changing my clan would be hard. Now you intend to end all wars?" Neji inquired.

"I don't just intend to become a Hokage or be a famous one. I intend to become the best Hokage. Make this place I love the best it can be. Earn people's admiration and trust. Whatever it takes. So if I gotta end war or change the traditions of some old-fashioned clan I will. I refuse to give up or back down when it comes to my dream. Never giving up is my nindo, ya know?" The two teammates smile as this and the three settle into a comfortable silence.

Tsunade and Dez stood at the ready at the back of Katsuyu. Both were tense as if they were waiting for an inevitable fight. A small Katsuyu formed out of the slug next to them.

"They still appear to be tracking us Tsunade-sama. Their chakra is potent and foul, as such easy enough to detect. Should they choose to attack us, things will become difficult." The slug reported.

"Ain't that the truth, youse are the strongest Big Boss but those two are truly dangerous. Not to mention that even if Katsuyu and I worked together, either one of those bastards would likely make short work of us. It'd be two-on-one. After only a short while." Dez informed, taking a big drag as he and Katsuyu waited for Tsunade's opinion.

"First off, stop calling me boss you damn chimney." Tsunade said with a glare at her number two. "Secondly we should be fine, they likely are just observing to see if they get a second shot. Once we get close they will fall back." As if the words were prophecy all three relaxed as they felt the two powerful signatures falling back. Apparently not willing to risk the trouble.

"I know those Leaf dudes are supposed to be some kinda big shots. But what kinda kid is worth the trouble of tangling with Big Boss?" Dez pondered.

"It is rather strange, Tsunade-sama. If they wanted to kill them it seems odd that they would manage to last until we arrived." Katsuyu agreed.

"The blonde is a jinchuriki. I believe the son of Kushina Uzumaki." Tsunade replied with a small frown. "I always hated sticking those destructive beasts into kids."

"Hmm, I've hearda of them, they are quite powerful. But the two of them were infamous S-rank shinobi. Seems odd they would want him when they are already on top of the world. Not to mention those cloaks. Weren't we looking into a group with black cloaks with red clouds? Bastards are supposed to be real tough guys." Dez continued.

"Akatsuki is their name. We're looking into them due to the criminal world having info that all of their members are S-rank missing ninjas. Shinobi in their caliber gathering would be a red flag to all the villages and our own business. But considering how hard it is to get substantial info on them, the fact they want at least the Nine-Tails, and the power they already yield. It's doubtless they are something we should look out for. We'll have to report this to sensei." Tsunade concluded.

"Ah the old bastard himself, wonder how good his tobacco is. The rich guys always have the nicest smokes." Dez said with a crooked smile.

"You're lucky I don't break your spine for smoking those around me. You realize how incredibly toxic they are to your health right?"

"Smoke if you got 'em. What's my old man always told me anyway." Dez said as he removed his spent cigarette and replaced it.

"Well, then you got guard duty. Katsuyu, you are not keeping him company." Tsunade ordered annoyed.

"Oh come on Big Boss! Don't be such a cruel dame!" Dez called out pitifully.

"For that last comment, you are banned from smoking for the rest of the day!" Tsunade hollered as she stomped to the front of Katsuyu.

Dez whined as he sat and held up a hand sign. Sadly throwing the lit cigarette he had. "Smoke Style: Drifting Smokey Gaze!" As he said this he exhaled his last drag. It came in clumps that somewhat resembles eyes. He was annoyed with the punishment but Big Boss ran a tight ship. He should've known to keep his head down. The nail that sticks up gets hammered after all.

"There! Now no bastards will sneak up on us! Big Boss is gonna be proud of me!"

"I'm sure Big Boss will…" Katsuyu said politely as her smaller form merged into the larger one.