Chapter 35

''Hello, Kazekage,'' Naruto greeted as he appeared within Gaara's office.

''Naruto,'' Gaara took a look at the person in front of his desk. It was definitely Naruto, but he was curious, he looked older and his hair had grown much longer. The younger look was all but a memory now. However, that was nothing, what was terrifying was the amount of power he was feeling from the blond - The power that was far superior than anything he has ever felt from anyone. ''What happened to you?'' He could only ask that, even though he knew the blond had come here for something.

''Evolution,'' Naruto responded calmly. ''I'm not here for small talk.''

''I'd imagine so,'' Gaara stated, knowing that the blond wasn't the one who visits people to see their health. ''Then, what can I do for you?''

''You'll have to follow me,'' Gaara wasn't given much time to respond as he suddenly disappeared from his office. He appeared within the desert of the Wind Country, a bit far away from his village. ''I have come for the Bijuu that resides inside of you.''

Gaara fixed Naruto a stern look. ''That isn't an option. If I remember correctly, when a Bijuu is extracted, its Jinchuriki dies. I'm afraid I cannot die now, there is still much I have to do.''

''Don't worry about dying. I will still return you to your office after I have completed the extraction.'' Naruto responded, walking a bit closer to the Jinchuriki. The sand around Gaara began to move swiftly, causing the blond to come to a halt.

''What do you plan to do with Shukaku?''

''It is nothing bad. Don't worry, Gaara, I only plan on ensuring that no one can ever become a Jinchuriki ever again. I don't plan on fighting you over this; so will you simply stand still as I remove your burden?''

Gaara was silent for a few moments. If he was anyone, he would have been thrilled at the prospect of having his burden removed from him. But, ''Shukaku is no longer a burden to me.''

''I see,'' Naruto responded calmly. ''But it doesn't change anything. I will still take Shukaku from you.''

''I thank you for sparring my life years ago, but I cannot allow that to happen.'' Gaara said. He was indeed thankful that his life had been spared years ago, but he wasn't gone to allow this to happen if he could help it.

''It appears so,'' Naruto heaved a sigh. ''I guess I have no choice then,'' he went through hand seals, before slamming his hands on the ground. ''Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Gedo Mazo.''

In a monstrous puff of smoke, the demonic statue of the Outer Path appeared within the desert. Its mere presence was enough to forced Gaara to take a step back. Its roar tore through the desert, in a terrifying sound that reached down to the core of his being. What made Gaara's heart beat a bit faster was the fact that despite the obvious power the statue was emitting, Naruto still felt stronger than it. He knew that this was one fight he couldn't win.

He'd heard much about Naruto's strength, he had faced the blond before, but that was long ago. He had grown up now, and it appears that Naruto has grown far better than him.

Naruto didn't look like he was going to battle, no he was standing behind his summon, arms folded across his chest. It was odd. He knew Naruto liked to fight, but he didn't appear to be looking forward to fighting him. Was he simply going to allow the summon to fight him?

'That isn't just a summon you fool!' Shukaku growled out within Gaara's head.

'What is it then?' Gaara questioned, in a curious tone.

'You don't need to know, but you can't defeat that thing alone. If that thing is not enough, you have him. You have sensed that he is almost three times as powerful as he was when you faced him.'

'What do you suggest then?'

'Let me out!'

Before Gaara could respond, Naruto was right behind him - arms still folded across his chest. 'Fast,' Gaara thought. But because this was basically his home ground, he was able to get his defenses up. However, Naruto didn't attack him, he merely spoke, ''Resisting is futile. You're only delaying the inevitable, and each time a second passes, your village becomes aware of what is happening around here. They will come and may possibly end up killed.''

He disappeared after those words left his mouth.

Gaara wasn't just going to give up like that, even though he knew that his chances were low. He was a Kage, and wouldn't just back down without a fight. And so, he summoned his sand. The largest amount he could possibly, with the amount of chakra he had.

But all proved futile as he couldn't break the statue. And when the statue moved against him, it attacked in them in the form of chakra chains that proved powerful enough to pierce through his sand. He was forced to let Shukaku out, but it appeared that it was just what Naruto wanted, as the chains moved towards him with more speed and power than before and when they finally caught him.

When Gaara was caught, he felt it happen. He felt Shukaku being ripped out of his body. It was painful, and draining his life energy in large bounds. He felt his life leaving him. He tried desperately to cling on to it, to keep the lights switched on, but it was proving to be much of a bigger task.

The only thing that kept him awake for long enough were the screams and curses of Shukaku. The Bijuu was yelling about not going inside that thing. Its yells grew louder by the second, but they became silent after a few moments.

Gaara felt depleted of his energy, he was barely keeping his conscious. Yes, he knew it, he was going to die. Naruto hadn't denied that he would die. But he had said he would take him back to Sunagakure. He just didn't know whether it would be dead or alive. He hoped for the latter. If it was the latter, then it would prove that Naruto wasn't as evil as other people were saying he was.

Slowly his vision became blurry and he could no longer keep his eyes open. It didn't take long for him to drift off into the world of darkness.

He was dead.

A few minutes later

Gaara looked at his hands; his face still had that blank mask he always carried.

He was alive.

He was alive!

''I am alive...''

He looked around him, Naruto was standing just away from him, arms still folded across his chest, but he wasn't looking at him, no, his eyes were staring at the glaring sun. Even though the sun blazed in full power within the desert, Naruto still stared directly at it. Perhaps they were having some sort of contest.

There was no sign of that humanoid beast that Naruto had summoned.

At that moment, Gaara realized something; he was no longer a Jinchuriki.

''Do not be so surprised that you are alive even though you know you were dead a few minutes ago. I did tell you that I would take you back to Suna.'' Naruto spoke, slowly turning his face towards Gaara.

Gaara was lying down the ground as he inspected himself. He then stood up before replying. ''I wasn't sure if you would take me back to Suna alive. You've never shown to be merciful towards your enemies.''

''Uchiha Naruto has no time for petty words. If he was going to kill you, he would've said so,'' Naruto paused for a moment. ''And you are mistaken, Kazekage; I am not your enemy.''

''Konoha has banished you - only a few know this.'' Konoha had not revealed it to the public that Naruto was actually banished. They just revealed that he was no longer a shinobi of their village and that he was part of the Imperial Kingdom of the Rice Country, as it was now called. ''I had thought that you would hate all of Konoha's allies, especially I since I did nothing against your banishment.''

''You considered me an ally because I once shared the same burden as you... The banishment means little to me. I don't need Konoha,'' Naruto responded passively.

''I understand that, but if it was me, I would have been furious at the act of betrayal. I don't understand their reasons and I don't intend to, but their actions are not just.''

''Do not concern yourself with trivial matters, Kazekage,'' Naruto stated, waving his right hand in a dismissive manner. ''I told you, I have no need for Konoha and what I have always thought of the village hasn't changed.''

Gaara wasn't naive enough to believe that Naruto cared very much for Konoha that even though they banished him, he wouldn't hate them. What was certain was that the blond already hated Konoha for what it did to him. Tsunade herself had conceded that Naruto has 0% care for the villagers of Konoha. The only ones who were oblivious to it were the villagers themselves.

This made him curious though. If they knew that Naruto cared not for the villagers, and still hated them for what they did to him, why did they keep him around? Did they believe that he would forgive them in time? Were they not afraid that this would be the last blow that would drive him to take action against them?

Naruto has just admitted it, he has no need for Konoha - could this be the reason he left without a fight? ''The logical thought you must have had of Konoha is that of hate. Morever, you're not a very forgiving person, I imagine that your hatred towards those people is the thing that has not changed.''

''That may be so,'' Naruto responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

''I have a question though; what do you plan to do against those people? You hate them for what they did to you; the logical conclusion would be making them pay, from someone like you. I will ask again, what do you intend to do about your hatred towards Konoha?''

If someone like Naruto decided on attacking Konoha, he would do much damage - So much that would leave the village in shambles. If he was planning on revenge, could it be the reason he was collecting the Bijuus? No doubted it. But it wasn't impossible.

''You are a curious person, Kazekage.'' Naruto stated, calmly and a little smile flickering through his face. ''So, if I said I wanted to destroy Konoha, would you stand in my way?''

The most surprising response came from Gaara, it was a rather bitter chuckle. The response made Naruto raise a curious eye brow. ''Who knows? Despite my believes and everything, the decision I would take would be the one that is best for my village.''

''Ho? Everyone thinks best for their village. The elders of Konoha banished me thinking of what was best for their village and you would leave Konoha if it meant that your village might suffer because of Konoha's own actions,'' Naruto sounded a bit amused by the thought.

Gaara shook his head. ''What Konoha did is different from what I would do. You were born in Konoha, and your father was their greatest Hero. What they did to you is an insult to your father's legacy. I will not be abandoning them if I choose not to involve my village. Aimply, I will be giving them a chance to correct their mistakes and face their own problem.''

''You have a good mind. You will be of some use to the world after all,'' perhaps keeping him alive was a good thing after all.

''In this world, there are those who refuse to shoulder their responsibilities. If you choose to attack Konoha, it wouldn't be because you are evil; it would be the results of their own actions. I believe if they are to learn humility, they must correct their mistakes on their own. If every time they dig themselves into a hole and someone is always there to dig them out, they will never learn and will continue to do as they have been.

Sometimes it is better to allow a child to learn walking on his/her own. Konoha will never realize its mistakes. But I am a firm believer of the saying that revenge is not the answer. If you chose revenge, I would try my best to convince you otherwise.'' Gaara smiled, a bit, at his last words.

''This is an interesting conversation I wasn't expecting to have with you, Kazekage,'' Naruto spoke turning away from Gaara. ''Let us return to your office. I wish not to cause panic over your village. You have done well in maintaining peace, I wish not to take it all away.''

This time, Gaara felt like there was something carrying him as he disappeared from the desert along with Naruto. They appeared inside his office. ''Aren't you going to sit down?''

''No, I have to reach Kumo before the day ends,'' Naruto responded.

Gaara had the decency to look troubled. After what took place in the desert, he was positive that he was going after Kumo's Jinchurikis. ''The Raikage will surely hunt you down for what you are about to do.''

''I am prepared to face that.''

''So tell me a good reason I should not make you my enemy,'' while he knew that sending Hunter-nins after Naruto would only result in their deaths. However, he couldn't allow him to do as he pleased because of that.

''A new world will come where there will no longer be Jinchurikis, and be happy, now you have the chance to finally live as a normal human. All the Jinchuriki I will face will get the chance you are given,'' Naruto responded, not really giving the effort to construct something persuasive.

''I don't believe this is all just to give Jinchurikis a second chance to live as normal humans.'' Gaara was positive that it wasn't all about that. There was certainly a reason behind all these, other than the one Naruto gave.

''I wish not to be your enemy. You will prove to be a good ally to Guren. But if you insist, I won't convince you otherwise.''

Gaara shook his head. Naruto was being much more forward than normal. But the choice was given to him. And he understood the consequence of each choice. ''Why then, did you help me to fend off the Akatsuki when they attempted to capture me?''

''You would be dead if I hadn't done that.'' Naruto gave a short, straightfoward response.

Gaara nodded, not doubting a single word. ''Tell me then, do you plan to use the Bijuus for war?''

Naruto shook his head. ''No, I have no such plans. I can assure you that if any village plans to attack you because you no longer have the power of Shukaku, I will be there to crush any them.''

''Can I take you word for it?'' Naruto merely gave Gaara a blank stare. ''Yes, then.''

''Hit the training ground in these next days. If not, you will be a disappointment. I like to believe that your power is not dependent on Shukaku.'' Naruto disappeared after he spoke those words left his mouth.

''I wonder what surprise I will have to face during the Kage Summit.'' although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he felt light without having to worry about Shukaku. Could he finally be happy? Now he would no longer have to worry about giving his children the burden of containing Shukaku. Could he start planning for a family?

Kumo

''So this is where you hide,'' Naruto spoke, floating above Killer Bee and Yugito. They were at a remote island near Kumogakure. The island had no trees; there was just small pile of rumbles. A single glance around the place, and Naruto could tell that this place was used for training purposes.

Both Yugito and Killer Bee were surprised by his sudden appearance. Despite his change in physical appearance, Yugito could never mistake his presence. And this time, it was even more oppressing than before.

''You!''

''Ah, you recall me,'' Naruto then dropped down the ground, and looked straight at the Jinchurikis.

''Who is he?'' Killer Bee questioned, as though he'd never seen Naruto before.

''Uchiha Naruto, you fool!''

''The former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi? He has become much more powerful than before, yoh!''

''That much is obvious,'' Yugito nodded in agreement. Both Bijuus within them agreed on that note. ''What do you want?''

''I have come for Matatabi,'' Naruto responded simply.

''You serious?'' although Killer Bee knew the answer, he couldn't help but ask.

''He is serious,'' Yugito responded to Killer Bee's stupid questioned. She gritted her teeth. ''You saved me from Akatsuki just so you could take my Bijuu for yourself,'' It was not a question. By all means it looked that, and Naruto did deny it.

''It appears that way. Now will allow me to take Matatabi without a fuss?''

''That is not an option. I can't let you take her away from me. And I don't even know what you plan on doing with her, added to that, she belongs to Kumogakure. You can't have her!'' No she wasn't going to allow her Bijuu to be taken away. She would die, literally, if something like that happened. She had escaped death once and she wasn't looking forward to face it again.

''What makes you say that Matatabi belongs to Kumogakure? You don't know the Bijuus origin; you didn't give birth to her? When you were born, the Bijuu was alive, so what then gives you the right to say that the Bijuu inside you belongs to Kumogakure?'' Naruto questioned the woman who dared to think that the Bijuu she carried belonged to Kumogakure.

''We may not know the origins of the Bijuu, but-'' Naruto cut off Yugito before she could say anything else she didn't fully understand.

''But nothing. Your claim over the Bijuu is that you were the ones who captured it. If it works like that, then if I capture it should belong to me. You didn't create it, you found it roaming around the world and made it your weapon.'' Naruto paused for a moment. ''You are a Jinchuriki, don't say such nonsense. Bijuus do not belong to anyone. If someone can say that they are his creation, it is Hagoromo.''

''What gives you the right you claim it then?'' Yugito challenged. She eyed Killer Bee wondering why he was no longer talking. She could really use his help about now. She didn't even know who Hagoromo was. But she got the feeling that the Bijuu inside her knew what Naruto was talking about.

''Because I'm a Sage, and anything that is formed because of chakra cannot deny me.'' Naruto gave his response. ''Humans take Bijuus as beasts who need their guidance to survive or as just their weapons. But if another species was to come and hold you captive and tell you now that you belonged to it, you would be cursing, calling them evil, abductors. You simply don't have the right to say something belongs to you if you didn't birth it.''

''What do you think of Bijuus then, Mr. Sage? You are a former Jinchuriki yourself, and you housed a Bijuu that hated humans more than anything,'' it was Killer Bee who questioned.

''I do not think that they are weapons. However, I think of nothing of their current form. They are just pieces of something special.'' He wasn't going to tell them what, but the Bijuus would know what he was talking about.

''Pieces of something special? What do you mean by that?'' Samui questioned as she made her appearance, flanking both her sides were Omoi and Karui. They were here for the training they did every now and then.

Naruto didn't bother to look at those that had arrived; he had already known that they were coming. ''That is a story for another day. But you Jinchuriki understand it better than anyone than Bijuus are not just mindless beats. In fact they are anything than mindless. Killer Bee would know that more than anyone.''

''This guy is ridiculously strong,'' Omoi whispered, looking straight at Naruto. The others had noticed as well, but didn't say anything about it.

''We know that. What does that have that to do with what you want?'' Yugito questioned, staring straight into the eyes of Naruto.

''Nothing really, I just thought I should waste time talking,'' Naruto responded with a shrug. ''Now then, how are we going to do this? Will you allow me to get what I want quietly? Or do you wish to fight an already lost battle?''

'Bee, we are going to have to be careful. This guy isn't your average shinobi, and he is unlike anything you have ever faced before. Fighting someone with the Rinnegan isn't a really good plan. But it can't be helped. Just make sure we don't lose,' Gyuki spoke to Bee, in a somewhat serious tone that caught Bee off-guard.

''Samui stay out of this,'' Yugito stated, knowing what the woman couldn't do much about the current situation. Samui didn't have to ask why. Getting involved in a battle with both Killer Bee and Yugito was something out of her league, especially if their opponent was Him.

Naruto sighed. ''Your choice is to fight, then. I really don't feel like it, so I won't amuse you much.''

'My opponent is Uchiha Naruto; I can't go hold back on him. I will show him that I am not just an over-sized monster!' Yugito thought, transforming into her Bijuu form. Killer Bee did the same, having being already advised that he should not take things lightly by a serious Hachibi; he was certainly not going to fool around.

''I guess this can't be helped. But I will have to end things quickly,'' Naruto thought to himself.

''Bijuudama!'' Killer Bee roared, having pulled a fast one. He could see that Naruto was still pre-occupied with his thoughts. It was better to catch him off-guard than allow him to prepared.

The Bijuudama was launched at Naruto who merely stood still as the Tailed Beast bomb made its way towards him. It tore through the ground as it sped towards the blond. When it for close to him, he raised his right hand and the ball of energy stopped for a second. Using his own power, he deflected the Bijuudama to another location, away from him. He didn't bother to look at the explosion that followed.

''I don't plan on fighting you, children,'' he stated. He was here for the Two-tails. He would get the Hachibi some other time, but not today. So Killer Bee had to go, for now. ''I have no interest in you, so you will have to excuse us.'' He stated looking at the eight-tails. Instantly at that moment, a large portal opened beneath it and swallowed it.

''What have you done to Bee?'' Yugito roared, rushing towards Naruto in her Bijuu form. She did not take long to reach the blond. His reaction was raising his right hand again. But that did not stop Yugito from attempting to swat him away with one of her paws.

To her own surprise, her attempt was a success. She hit the blond and sent him rocketing into the rumbles of rocks. However, it did not take long for him to recover, and he looked just fine, like a giant paw had not smashed him into a rumble. ''That was unexpected,'' Naruto spoke. He hadn't been expecting to be hit, but it happened. He went through hand seals, before slamming both his hands on the ground. ''Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Gedo Mazo!''

Once the demonic statue of the outer path appeared, team Samui was ready to enter the battle. But Naruto sent them to another dimension so that they didn't have to interfere with what he wanted to do.

''What the hell?'' Yugito roared again, seeing her friends disappear, if that wasn't bad enough, she had Naruto and his summons to deal with.

''Did you really think that transforming would give you a better chance of winning? I told you, the battle was already lost. You cannot defeat me, neither can Killer Bee.''

''Will see about that,'' Yugito charged at him again.

Naruto sighed. ''How troublesome,'' he muttered as the Gedo Mazo made its move towards the incoming Bijuu. It didn't waste time as the chakra chains came to life and the Two Tails was forcefully removed from Yugito. Naruto then sealed it within the Gedo Mazo.

''I am sure I was dead...'' Yugito said to herself, holding out both her hands. She looked around; she was still the same place she had been when her Bijuu was extracted from her. She was certain she was dead a few minutes ago. How was she alive then?

''I told you, I wanted the Bijuu inside of you. I never said I wanted to kill you,'' Naruto spoke, floating a bit away from Yugito.

The blond woman turned to face him. There was no sign of the thing he had summoned, nor the Bijuu that was extracted from her. ''Where are my friends? If you have hurt them, I swear to you, I will kill you.''

Naruto wasn't amused. ''Do not make idle threats,'' he rebuffed her. ''But, your friends are alright. I had only come here for your Bijuu. I will return again for the Hachibi.''

''Do you think Raikage-sama will allow you to do that? Moreover Killer Bee is a lot stronger than I am. He will not go down easily,'' she believed it. She was also certain that that Ai will be very angry about this. She made sure to tell Naruto that. ''The Raikage will be angry with you when he hears of this.'' When Ai was angry, things turned out to be nasty for whoever angered him.

''Why would he be angry?'' Naruto questioned. ''If he loves you, he will be happy that you are no longer a Jinchuriki. He should be happy that you can now get the chance to live a normal life. Don't you think that he should be happy that you can now have what you have been robbed?''

Yugito wanted to say he would be happy, but there was no way. Ai would be very much concerned about the power he has lost, the Raikage does respect power more than anything. Now she would no longer be of use to him than she had been. She will no longer be a guardian of Kumogakure.

''Only your friends will look at you as they have been, and nothing much will change with the villagers even though you are no longer a ''demon whore''. They will say once a demon whore, always a demon whore,'' Naruto stated quietly. ''Ai will never look at you in the same way.''

Yugito couldn't think of anything to say but to blame Naruto for it. ''If that happens, it will be because of you! You have taken away the only thing that made me useful!''

''Yet it is the same thing that made you miserable.''

''It does not matter! It was all I had! I had accepted my burden, it was my burden, my curse,'' the last word was a whisper, but Naruto heard her.

''Forced into a weapon from a young age, no social life given whatsoever at that time. Loathed by the villagers as a demon whore, the very villagers you risk your life protecting. You became dependant to the very thing that cursed you, and now without it, you feel lost. This is sad.'' It certainly did look like he was sad about the matter, which of course was unlike him.

''What do you wish for me to do now? The only thing I am good at is fighting; I have given up on most things. Do you even know how much it will hurt me now that I will be hated without a good reason?'' Her voice was loud, barely holding herself together.

Naruto merely shook his head. ''What have they done to you? Now you think being hated because you are a Jinchuriki is a good reason? You are certainly broken,'' looking up at the sky, was the opening Yugito needed before she jumped onto him.

However, Naruto caught her fist and allowed her to fall her to the ground as he was floating in air. ''I guess I must take responsibility for my actions.'' He stated. ''If you need power, you know where to find me. I will give you something that will make you useful. Isn't that you like being a useful tool, far better than living your own normal life?''

Was it really like that? Did she really like being a useful tool that she would sacrifice her own happiness? The lack of answers infuriated Yugito. ''Am I supposed to be grateful for the offer?''

Naruto merely fixed her a blank stare. ''I better return her friends before she starts crying,'' he held out his right hand. A large portal opened from above the people he had sent away returned. However, what he was not expecting was a Bijuudama to suddenly rush towards him. Despite this, he still dodged it and looked back at Yugito.

''Yugito, are you alright?'' Karui questioned worriedly, rushing over to the blonde woman.

Yugito did not respond. Physically she was alright, but mentally, she was not.

''She is alright, physically,'' Naruto responded for Yugito before looking at Killer Bee, who seemed ready to attack him again. ''I suggest you transform back to your normal form. I have not come for you. However, if you insist, you will die.''

''Just do as he says, Bee!'' Yugito yelled in a firm voice. If they sought to fight him, someone would surely end up dying - she did not want any of that. If they allowed him to retreat, they could regroup and work on a counter attack then next time he comes for Killer Bee.

''You sure?''

Yugito nodded. ''Yes. I have already lost my Bijuu and in no state to fight. Our opponent is not just a normal shinobi. You cannot fight him and protect us all at the same time, allowing him to leave is our best option.'' The thought she had lost her Bijuu made her bitter, it was even clear in her tone that she was by far pleased.

'I agree with Yugito, Bee,' Hachibi stated within Bee's mind. 'Judging by his actions, I can say that he'd only come here for the Two-Tails. And don't you find it odd that even though Yugito is no longer a Jinchuriki she is still alive?'

'That is indeed curious. Perhaps Mr. Sage wishes us no harm and is only interested in the Bijuus we carry.'

'It appears that way,' Hachibi nodded in agreement and spoke again. 'In any case, we should do what Yugito says.' Though he did not doubt Bee's power, this was no ordinary opponent. He knew that when dealing with the Rinnegan, things were already not within their favor. And he was certain that the Gedo Mazo was summoned here. Fighting with that thing around was a risk.

''Okay,'' Killer finally responded towards Yugito and walked over to her before looking at the blond again. ''What do you hope to achieve by this?''

Naruto merely turned away from the group before speaking. ''I should leave before the others arrive,'' he was speaking to himself really.

''Were you serious about the offer?'' Yugito questioned, getting the feeling that the blond was ready to leave.

''Yes,'' Naruto responded, still looking away from the group. A second later, he vanished into thin air.

''Yugito, what is this thing about the offer? You should not make deals with the devil,'' Karui was the one to say those words.

''I wouldn't call him the devil,'' Yugito said before shaking her head. Now she was defending him? Damn that bastard! Now she was confused because of him. ''You know what? Never mind. Let us just go home.'' Even the word home felt oddly strange to her. Was it really her home or was Kumo just her prison?

Samui looked at the space Naruto had been at and shook her head.

A week later

The land of Iron was as cold as it was rumored. Mei had never been into this place before, but she knew that Kage Summits were held here since this country always remained neutral to everything within the Elemental Nations. The Samurai never involved themselves in shinobi wars. Instead, they chose to watch and allow shinobi to ruin their world.

Perhaps only Onoki had been into a Kage Summit before, but she was certain those other Kages had never been to one. The Kages tended not to agree to come to these meetings unless the situation was serious and it would be for their benefit if they came. She could say that coming here would benefit Kirigakure anything, but she came anyway. It was for the best of the Shinobi world.

She would do anything within her limits to ensure that this place was a peaceful place for everyone.

''Mizukage-dono,'' the voice of the young Kazekage snapped her out of her thoughts. The young male was with his siblings, as always.

''Kazekage-dono, it is so lovely to see you,'' Mei responded, ever so smiling warmly. ''How are you?'' Of course she had heard what had happened to him, Naruto had told her all about it. She was a bit mad that he refused to tell her what he wanted to do with the Bijuus.

''I am well, you?'' Gaara never lost his usual expression despite the warm smile that the older woman was giving him.

''I am good. I'm told by the guards that the other Kages have already arrived; we are the last ones to come here, shall we head out to meet the others?''

Gaara nodded, and joined Mei and her company as they made their way towards their destination. They were not here to rest but to get this summit started and see where everyone else was standing.

Upper room

''So you have finally decided to show up,'' Onoki greeted the two Kages as they appeared within the meeting room. He had been waiting for them to show up. It wasn't good for the young ones to keep the elders waiting. They should have been the ones to arrive first. He didn't even acknowledge Gaara as a Kage, yet.

''Yes, we have,'' Mei decided to amuse the Tsuchikage in a rather smooth tone that earned her a glare from the short man. Even though she has less experience than him, she wasn't simply going allow him to walk over her.

Naruto would be disappointed if she did that.

''As far as my time tells me, we are not late for the meeting. Perhaps you are being like that because you have far more pressing matters to deal with than us,'' Gaara also responded as he took a seat. Of course Tsunade was surprised that he could say something like that. If anything, she had expected the red haired to keep quite.

''Cocky brat,'' Onoki retorted. ''I don't know what you mean by 'you have far more pressing matters to deal with than us' but need I remind you that you have also lost your Bijuu?''

Gaara shook his head calmly. ''There is no need for that; I'm aware that Shukaku was taken by Naruto - I had a good chat with him after he took it away. What I meant was that, losing Shukaku isn't a crisis to me and my village.'' If anything, people seemed to be a little lively since Shukaku was no longer with them.

Onoki narrowed his eyes at the Kazekage. ''Did you simply give your Bijuu away? Could it be that you are working with him? If you are, it would explain why you have not sent hunter-nins after him.''

''There is no need to throw suspicions at me Tsuchikage-dono. I'm not working with Naruto. I did not send my Hunter-nins to their deaths because I know that he doesn't want to use Bijuus as weapons. If we start suspecting everyone we can even suspect that Konoha is behind it. Anyone would find it curious because Madara came back to life, and Naruto ''leaves'' Konoha. After that, he starts collecting Bijuus. One can assume that this is all Konoha's ploy,'' Gaara paused for a moment, bowing his head slightly at Tsunade. ''I meant not to throw suspicions at you, Hokage-dono. I was just trying to prove a point.''

Tsunade shrugged, understanding him. Behind her were Sasuke and Kakashi. ''I understand,'' she said, knowing that Gaara was indeed just trying to prove a point. She didn't think that there was a hidden agenda behind his words.

''You may all be working with him,'' Onoki again added the fuel, speaking in a careless tone.

''Enough of this!'' Ai exclaimed, hitting the table with his right fist. His guards, Bee and Darui didn't seem to be too surprised by this action.

Tsunade sweat dropped, remembering the similarities between her and the Raikage. If it was her room, she would've been the one doing what the Raikage did. Add more to that, she would have certainly broken the table.

''I agree with the Raikage,'' Mifune spoke calmly. ''As chair of this meeting, I move to start this summit. And please Kages; speak after one has finished speaking. I will not tolerate violence in this place.''

Tsunade cleared her throat to speak. ''I had called this meeting to discuss the current situation within the Elemental Nations. The issues that I wanted us to discuss were Madara, Naruto and ''Imperial Kingdom of Rice''. What bothered me the most was the Tsuchikage attack on the Capital of Rice. Regardless of how powerful the country is becoming, attacking it was just provoking violence.''

''I have to agree with Hokage-dono on this one,'' Mei stated, after Tsunade had spoken. ''Your attack on the Capital of Rice only makes you look power hungry. And the attack was on Naruto. If anything, he had not done anything against your country to warrant that attack. If he had chosen to take your attempt for an assault as an sign of war, you would have been asking for our help now because he would be coming after you.''

''And I doubt anyone would have helped you out since you started it,'' Tsunade added, keeping herself composed.

Onoki merely snorted in response before fixing Mei a look. ''You are only defending him because you are sleeping with him. But that is to be expected, everyone protects their interest after all.''

''That was uncalled for, Tsuchikage. My personal relationship with Naruto has nothing to do with my views.'' Mei stated, not trying so hard to defend herself.

Sasuke shook his head slightly; this wasn't what he expected of a Kage meeting. Wild accusations were being thrown around the room and it wasn't getting them anywhere. He entertained the thought that if Naruto had been here, he would have surely done something. Yes, when Naruto was present, things got done in time. The blond didn't have time to throw about meaningless words. If he'd been here, things would have taken another twist, but things got done.

At least that was something good about Naruto.

While it appear that something suspicious was going on between Naruto and Gaara, he wouldn't think that Gaara was someone who would side with Naruto of he knew he was planning something bad. That reason ruled out the Kazekage for making a deal with Naruto and another questionable thing was that Gaara should've died if his Bijuu was taken away from him but he was alive and well. According to Tsunade, the Kazekage wasn't telling what had happened.

Thinking hard, Sasuke could assume that Gaara may have been brought back from the dead. Naruto had died before and then came back to life. If he was able to make himself come back from the dead what was standing in his way from bringing others to life?

This kind of meaningless talk was starting to get on Ai's nerves. The bigger problem was that Naruto was hunting down Bijuus and they had to deal with that problem before he started doing anything evil. An attack on one of his shinobi was a personal attack on him; he wasn't going to allow Naruto to get away with it.

''You are all forgetting the bigger picture here. It now no longer matters if Onoki provoked a war with Naruto. Naruto has become a threat too great that we cannot allow him to roam free about this world. If he is not enough, we also have Madara to deal with. Have you all forgotten that Naruto has been successfully hunting down Bijuus?'' The Raikage spoke in a loud firm tone.

''Finally, someone with some brains,'' Onoki mumbled silently.

''I would advice that you refrain from making such comments, Tsuchikage. I understand that you are older than your fellow kages, but that doesn't give you the right to make such disrespectful comments,'' Mifune stated in a stern tone. As the neutral party in all these, he was going to try his best to ensure that these talks were peaceful.

Onoki merely shrugged in response.

''Perhaps this isn't of concern to you because you have all lost your Bijuus. However, this is a serious matter that has to be dealt with. If anything, Naruto should be branded an international criminal. He is wanted for his crimes in my country and the Tsuchikage's village.'' Ai was looking directly at Tsunade.

''What are you expecting from me?'' Tsunade questioned in serious tone and composed expression on her face.

''He was your shinobi. Hand on over everything you know about him as well as Madara. Should you refuse, we will think otherwise,'' the Raikage was firm in his tone. It was obvious that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Tsunade eyed her guards, Kakashi and Sasuke for a moment before she sighed. ''I'll hand over everything you want. However, I'm afraid I'll not offer any help in dealing with Naruto unless we confirm that he is planning something that is not good or attacks Konoha directly. Nevertheless, I'll offer my help in dealing with Madara as I guess we all agree that he is a threat that we cannot allow to live.''

''I'll also send my help in dealing with Madara. However, like the Hokage, I will refrain from igniting war with Naruto,'' Gaara stated. He had confidence in his belief that Naruto wasn't going to suddenly come to his village and demand what he wanted. He would only fight if it came to that. But for now, he would take Naruto's word.

''The same can be said for me,'' Mei stated, calmly. She was not going to start a man hunt for Naruto. He was her fiancé after all.

''Are you that afraid of his power that you will simply turn a blind eye even when he attacked you?'' Onoki questioned, looking straight Gaara.

''Not at all,'' Gaara responded. ''I have my reasons and you cannot possibly understand them.''

''Tsuchikage and I will talk about Naruto. Since we all seem to agree that Madara is also a threat, how do you propose we deal with him?'' Ai said, his eyes darting around the room to see who would come with the first suggestion.

''Combining our top shinobi to deal with him would be our best option.'' Mei suggested in a thoughtful tone. Gaara nodded in agreement with her, as well as Tsunade.

Tsunade added to what had been said. ''Naruto has proven that an amry is not an obstacle. Then if Madara is like Naruto, sending an army after him would only result in countless deaths.''

Before anything could be sad, the devil himself burst into the room through the roof. He settled besdide a wall facing everyone. ''Why don't I make it easy for you? Deal with me now? This saves you the trouble of hunting me and you Kages are the strongest of your villages, who better to deal with me than you?''

The reaction from everyone was instantaneous; the seated Kages stood up and prepared themselves for battle, while their respective guards got hold of their weapons.

''Uchiha Madara, it is really you,'' Onoki stated, glaring down at the infamous Uchiha. The sight of the man infuriated him. It made him relive the embarrassment of long ago making his blood boil to dangerous degerees.

''This will be fun. I hope you've improved Onoki,'' Madara stated standing a bit away from the Kages - he was standing next to the wall, with the window. ''Let us wait for Naruto to appear.'' He stated, ever so calmly, folding his hands across his chest.

On cue, Naruto appeared next to his grandfather. However, as soon as he appeared, the Raikage was in front of him in lightning speeds. On reflex, Naruto brought the Gunbai he was carrying for Madara. The Raikage's lightning punch hit the gunbai, and never reached the blond. Seeing his surprise attack blocked, Ai retreated.

''I forgot to hand this over to you,'' Naruto stated, handing Madara his gunbai. The legendary Uchiha took it without a word. However, he noticed Naruto's change and increase in power.

Sasuke and Kakashi narrowed their eyes at this view. Naruto's new appearance was something, and those two looked more alike. The Gunbai that Naruto gave to Madara was the same that he'd always used before. The fact that he'd come here meant that he knew that Madara would also be here. Sasuke knew that Madara is Naruto's grandfather, and the one who trained him. He wasn't surprised like this in the same way as Kakashi.

''Could you be the reason behind, Black Zetsu's disappearance?'' Madara asked, so casually.

''Yes, he is dead.'' Naruto responded in the same casual tone as his grandfather. There was no longer such a thing as black Zetsu, he had consumed him.

''That is unexpected. But it does not matter anyway, he's served his purpose. You're doing well with the hunt. And you seem to have gotten a power boost. I must say, I never expected you to hold such power,'' Madara stated, eyes, narrowed at the blond on his right.

''Neither did I but it happened. How do you wish to do this?'' Naruto asked looking at the Kages, one by one.

Ai was already thinking of blowing up because this was so damn infuriating. The dare they talk like that while in their presence.

''I only have interest in the Kages,'' Madara gave his response. ''But the Uchiha over there seems to be interesting,'' he said looking over to Sasuke. He did recognize that the left eye of Kakashi was one of Obito's eyes.

''Arrogant fools!'' Onoki yelled at the two. They dared converse so casually despite the current situation? He floated in the air and charged a particle style jutsu at both Uchiha's.

Naruto merely raised his right hand, and the jutsu disappeared without harm. ''He is indeed an interesting fellow,'' he spoke continuing with his conversation with Madara. ''I've prepared a battlefield for you and the Kages. This environment isn't best suited for a good battle.''

''That is fine by me.'' Madara responded calmly.

Kurotsuchi couldn't believe it. They'd just ignored his grandfather in favor of continuing with their conversation and had dealt with his jutsu like it was nothing. Utterly unbelievable!

''What is the meaning of this, Naruto?!'' Tsunade demanded in a stone cold tone. Sasuke was asking himself the same question. It was Naruto who told him that he and Madara didn't agree on certain things; however, they looked to be getting along just fine. And Madara did not appear to be surprised by Naruto's new change. He seemed older now, no longer 17 years old. Gaara and Mei were also not surprised by his change. It led him to believe that they had seen him before in this change.

Naruto didn't respond to anything. "hello Mei," he said with a small smile.

"Naruto, why didn't you tell me that you were going to come here?" Mei asked, looking straight at the blond.

"There was no need. I'm not the main attraction after all," Naruto responded before releasing a wave of pure chakra that sent everyone backwards. Even Madara was pushed slightly away from him.

'Such chakra, and I can feel that it was only a little that he released. Damn, he is indeed a monster,' Onoki thought glaring down at Naruto. To be able to release such chakra without even lifting a finger was something impressive, not to mention that the chakra seemed very potent, far potent that what he had felt of Madara's long ago.

'Is it me or has he grown strong?' Tsunade thought, hands held in front of her face - she had brought them out when she was shielding herself from the chakra Naruto had released.

Naruto pointed at all the Kages, counting them. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5," he said before clasping both his hands putting everyone on guard. The kages disappeared in a flash of black and Madara followed suit.

"Where have you taken my brother!?" Temari demanded, holding her fan tightly.

Naruto didn't respond; he locked eyes with Killer Bee. In an instant, he was right behind the Jinchuriki. The second he was faster than the Jinchuriki was all Naruto needed to send him away into another dimension where he would be able to extract the Eight-tails without distractions.

Sasuke quickly rushed towards Naruto and attempted a high kick at the blonds' temple. Naruto caught Sasuke's leg easily enough with his left hand, before pushing back to throw the Uchiha off balance. He made some distance between himself the guards of the Kages.

"Stay here and don't make noise. Your kages will be "okay"', he disappeared after those words escaped his lips.

Darui shook his head. This had just become troublesome, and he'd thought that the Kage meeting was going to be dull. He couldn't sense the Raikage anywhere and it also seemed that no one could sense them. He couldn't even sense Bee. This meant that they may be probably out of this country.

"If my brother dies, I'll kill that bastard!" Temari promised.

Somewhere…

Naruto had teleported the Kages and Madara to the place he'd battled Nagato. The place was good enough for Madara. "Now then, why don't you show me the power of Kages?" Madara asked, looking at the kages before him.

Looking at the notorious Uchiha, Gaara now knew why Naruto said those words. ''So this is why he told me to hit the training ground or else I would be a disappointment.''

''He told you that too?'' Mei questioned, earning a nod from the Kazekage

"We'll have to work together if we are going to take him down," Tsunade said looking at her fellow kages. Madara had the Rinnegan as Naruto and the blond seemed confident that the man could take them, underestimating him would not do them any favors.

"I agree with the Hokage. If he is anything like Naruto, we'll have to combine our efforts," Mei said in agreement with Tsunade. She had seen Naruto battle before and even spared with him before his change during some time he'd come to see her. Fighting someone like that alone was not advisable to anyone.

Ai snorted and activated his lightning cloak, "You can stand here talk, I'm attacking…" the Raikage charged at Madara.

Later

As soon as the Kages were all lying down on the ground, barely with any chakra left, Naruto jumped down into the battlefield. He had watched everything, and quite enjoyed watching the battle. It was a bit sad though that the battle was pretty one sided. Even though the Kages were formidable opponents, Madara was a mountain that could not be moved by anything normal.

''They all seem okay,'' Naruto stated, walking around the fallen Kages. Their clothes were shredded to pieces, gashes and bruises all over their bodies, and their bodies were leaking some amounts of blood. Really, they leaking blood, and if they continued to leak more blood, they wouldn't be okay as Naruto put it.

''I figured you would've a headache if one of them ended up dying by mistake,'' Madara stated, looking straight at Naruto and his movements carefully. There was certainly something odd with the way he was walking, if his change in physical appearance was not enough to worry him, there was also the power increase.

''It would have been indeed a headache. Two of them are allied with my Country; it wouldn't have appeared good if they died. If anything, one could've just said I allowed them to be killed and was working with you to eliminate the Kages,'' Naruto responded calmly, before standing over Mei. He placed his right hand on her forehead for a moment.

They were all conscious, barely.

''It would not have mattered to you if one of them died. You don't really care for the other three,'' Madara stated, standing a bit away from the fallen Kages.

''Perhaps. But things are at a crucial stage right now, and I feel that I have been waiting for too long. I can't have anything going awry to disturb my preparations.'' Naruto responded while he was still standing beside the Mizukage. He then proceeded to walk away from her, but when he was passing the Raikage, the man grabbed his right leg.

''B-bastard, you will pay for this!''

''..?'' Naruto felt a spike of chakra from the man. Despite having little chakra left, he was still going to use all that he had to try and put some damage on him. If it was not desperate he would have applauded it. A burst of lighting short from the Raikage's hand and ran through his body. However, he did not even scream. In fact, he merely looked at the man dead in the eyes. ''What will I pay for exactly?''

A gritted his teeth. He was barely keeping himself conscious and that last trick had drained him. ''For all these that you have done, for taking one of my Bijuu, you will pay.''

''The Bijuus don't belong to you. And I have not yet done anything bad. I only allowed Madara to have his fun. You shouldn't complain if you're still alive. If I want to, I could kill you right now,'' Naruto stated, ever so coldly. ''You should be grateful that you're not dead fool.''

''I will get you for t-this, even if it is the last thing I do. And if you touched my brother, I'll kill you!''

''How boring,'' Naruto sighed. ''The likes of you can't do anything to me. You failed to beat Madara, do you possibly think you can defeat me?'' Ai didn't respond, his eyes closed off as he drifted off to sleep.

''I wonder why you aren't finishing them off now...'' Madara stated in thought. He was certain that when they recovered, they would be planning to hunt them down. And it would get annoying to the point where it would result in their deaths.

''If they die now, the whole shinobi world will spring out of control. These Kages are what keeps this balance, however, should they suddenly die, each great village will be without a leader. Most villages hate each other and their leaders are what keeps them from doing anything. If they died, each village would become like an angry mob. Everyone would run free,'' Naruto explained as he walked towards his grandfather.

''It would be fitting for the last stage of this world,'' Madara stated.

''For the world you are planning it doesn't matter what kind of situation the world is currently at. Whether at war or not, it doesn't trouble Tsuki No Me,'' Naruto responded looking over the sky.

Madara said nothing about it. ''Did you collect the Eight-Tails?''

''Yes. This leaves only the Kyuubi,'' Naruto responded, never looking at his grandfather even though he could feel the narrowed look the man was giving him. It didn't matter, he was certain that Madara would not attack him here.

''You work pretty fast,'' Madara commented. He'd moved quickly to seal the Bijuus within the Gedo Mazo. If he knew where the Kyuubi was located, he would act now. Knowing Naruto, it would be better for him to act now with the blond seemingly incapable of utilizing all his powers. But not everything was completed. He would have to wait until the last piece was added. ''When will you seal the Kyuubi?''

''Soon,'' Naruto responded. ''How did they do?''

''They were not so bad,'' Madara said, knowing what Naruto was asking. He was a bit curious how they would have performed against the blond though. However, he got the feeling that he was never going to see that. But it didn't matter anyway.

Naruto was silent for a few moments. ''I guess I should bring them here,'' he said holding a single hand seal. As long as the guards were in that room, they were in contact with his chakra, this means that he could bring them here to this battlefield.

The guards were all spat out by a portal that opened, just away from the kages. As soon as they appeared, they all rushed towards their kages, checking for a pulse.

"Naruto, I suggest you stand down or we will be forced to take you down as well as Madara. The battle with the Kages must have surely taken a lot out of him…" Kakashi said, raising his forehead protector.

''This is going to become boring,'' Naruto stated, as he disappeared from his grandfathers side. He appeared in the middle of the Kages again, drawing the attention of the guards who were ready to slice him in half. ''I'll see you soon, Madara,'' he said before disappearing out of sight with the Mizukage, Kazekage and their respective guards.

''What just happened?'' Killer Bee questioned at Naruto's actions. Madara also found it curious as he had expected the blond to leave things as they were.

''Naruto took away those he sees as allies to his country,'' Sasuke responded. ''I can say that this was nothing to both of them. Naruto said Madara just wanted to test the Kages. It is obvious that Naruto would want to watch it since he was also interested. This would explain why no one died.''

''Are you saying that he teleported the kages here just so they could test the powers of the Kages?'' Darui questioned, looking at the legendary Uchiha, who seemed to be in thought. But he too disappeared.

''Yes. This was all just for their amusement,'' Sasuke said those words a bit bitterly than he intended. This was surely going to cause an international outcry, and Naruto just watched it happen. News was going to spread out fast that the Kages were defeated by a single man. It wasn't a secret that Naruto's strength was comparable to Madara's. People were certainly going to be asking themselves questions now...

If our Kage couldn't do it, then who will?

''This just got even more troublesome; both of them have the Sharingan, Rinnegan and can use Mokuton jutsu," Kakashi said. The battlefield was a clear indication that Mokuton had been used on the battlefield. None of the kages could use Mokuton, if Madara had the Rinnegan like Naruto then he had to be able to use Mokuton like Naruto.

''You cannot forget that Naruto appears to be much stronger than he was, and I bet it has to do with all his physical changes,'' Sasuke reminded his former sensei. He was now starting to think that the banishment just gave the blond enough room to work.

Later at Kiri

''I thought I was actually going to die,'' Mei said, looking over her bandaged body. She really had been hit bad. That man was a monster just like Naruto. She had never been so out matched in her life like she was when facing that man.

''Naruto-san said you would say something like that when you came to,'' Choujuro said, smiling a bit to his leader.

''Naruto?''

''He brought us back after the battle with Madara. I thought that he had betrayed us when he told us not to interfere. But now I realize that we would have just died if we entered the battle,'' the mist nin stated, a bit down that he couldn't do anything to protect his leader. He was glad that she was alive though.

''He had told me to hit the training ground if I didn't want to be a disappointment. I don't think I would have been prepared for that battle even if I had trained tirelessly,'' Mei responded looking over to the ceiling.

''So he knew that the battle was going to take place. He probably knew that all the Kages were going to survive, but why do you think he allowed you to face such a man?'' Choujuro questioned all but curious about everything.

''Who knows?'' Mei really didn't know. ''What would you have done?'' She looked at Choujuro with a small smile. She was curious how he would offer his response. He was not the kind of person to express his opinion. She would offer him a chance to express himself whenever she got the chance. It would do well for his confidence.

''I-i don't think I would have allowed you to enter into such a battle. I mean if I was the one to m-marry you, I would never allow anyone to hurt you like that, not when I have the power to stop it,'' Choujuro gave his honest opinion. He did so carefully so not to offend the Mizukage.

''You are sweet child Choujiro. I am sure you will make one girl a happy person,'' her warm smile and sweet tone made the boy blush deeply. ''Naruto knows I am a shinobi; pain is nothing for a shinobi. And we mostly learn through experiences. I can say that experiences are a whole lot more valuable than the things you hear and see.''

''What experience could you have gained from such a dangerous battle?''

''Even though I know Naruto, I was not sure that I would survive. And I was fighting that battle to win, not to put a good performance. Madara is not our ally, Naruto is. Even though those two seem to get along, not everything can go according to plan. Madara could have just decided to end our lives.

When facing an opponent such as Madara, a lot of emotions are experienced. When the battle started, I was confident that we would win, but as the battle progressed, I realized we couldn't. We Kages don't like each other, but during that battle we learned to work together to defeat a common enemy. When we started working together, we appeared as though we would win. However, our hopes were crushed, even in our combined efforts, we couldn't win. But even though the situation was hopeless, we fought till our bodies could not.''

Choujuro was silent for a few moments, but Mei spoke again before he could.

''In that battle, I learned that when people share a common goal, they can work together despite being enemies. I also faced a hopeless situation, yet I kept going. I experienced true fear, true power and what it means to fight a lost battle. I now know my limits and understand that what I belief to be true could be shattered before my eyes. Do you know what that does to me as a person, Choujuro?'' Mei smiled, a bit brightly. ''It makes me much stronger.''

Choujiro also smiled. ''Naruto-san must be a nice person to make you go through all that so you can become much stronger.''

''I am not too sure about being nice, but he is not so bad.''

''Does this mean that even his enemies learned what you learned?''

Mei shook her head. ''No, their hatred towards him has only intensified. Only I and the Kazekage possibly learned something this useful.''

The Following Day at Dragon Land

"I see you're no different from the humans you hate," Kurama growled, glaring down at Naruto with a hateful glare. Its tails were swinging in barely contained fury and the winds behind it picked up dangerously, uprooting the trees within the area.

"I'm no different? You misunderstand me, Kurama. To me, you're not a weapon of chakra and a pet that needs to be tied down on a leash. I recognize your existence as a being powerful and with as much knowledge that no other human than me has," Naruto responded calmly, looking straight at the Beast before him. He wasn't the least concerned by the display of power from the Bijuu.

Kurama sneered. "you've only been alive for a handful of years, human. Don't you dare think that you know about this world more than me," a roar and more winds picked up in front of Naruto, picking up some debris.

Naruto stood still while his hair danced with the air, still not the least wary of the Bijuu. "I existed before you did, Kurama." Naruto said, but didn't comment further on it. "What I'm doing is simply setting things right before my eyes. Hagoromo created you and other others because he feared the rebirth of the Juubi. I fear no such thing, and will revive the Juubi."

"In doing so, you are going to deny my existence and the other Bijuus."

"yes," Naruto didn't deny it. "You shouldn't complain, Kurama. Your existence also brought the end of another being, should you complain if the same is to be done? some humans eat animals for their survival, should they cry when animals eat them for their own survival?"

Kurama settled for glaring down at Naruto. It was indeed true that all nine Bijuus were parts of the Juubi and were created by Hagoromo when he separated the Juubi into nine pieces, and they were parts of that being. However, that didn't make what Naruto was planning to do any right. He was alive and his existence wouldn't be rejected and denied by a mere human.

"Kurama, what good has your existence brought to this world? Humans aren't willing to understand you and merely use you for your power. Jinchurikis are born because you exists, you are used a equalizers within the shinobi villages because you exist. I seek to a new balance that won't have to depend on you, and a new world will arrive where there will no longer be Jinchurikis and your existence will be a mere memory. I will return you to your original form and correct the blunder that Hagoromo made when he brought about your existence," Naruto stated staring deep into the eyes of the Bijuu.

"Foolish human! Do you even know the danger the Juubi poses, do you even understand its power?" Kurama hissed, ready to erase the existence of this pitiful human from the face of this wretched world.

"Do not treat me like a child, Kurama. I'm older than you, older than your "old man"', Naruto said, releasing a wave of powerful chakra that froze the great Nine-tailed demon Fox. Kurama had never felt so much chakra from a human. No, this was chakra that no human should posses. Not even the old man had this much chakra!

Still, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He raised his right paw and attempted to swat away the blond under his might. However, before his paw could even hit the blond, an invincible hand grabbed it when Naruto raised his right hand. It wasn't exactly a hand that grabbed him, but it felt like it. He couldn't even power his way out of the hold.

His tails swapped towards Naruto in a blinding speed with intent to do greatly harm him if not kill him. However, another powerful force hit him. This time, he was pushed backwards by the force that hit him. Naruto was still standing in the same position he had been, but there was a large crater in front of him, created by the jutsu he used to blow Kurama away from him.

Naruto went through hand seals, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Gedo Mazo!" in a large puff of smoke, the demonic statue of the outer path appeared into the land of dragons.

Kurama quickly did a Bijuudama and fired it at the statue, but before it could even hit, it was sucked into another dimension thanks to Naruto. Before Kurama could do anything, a portal opened above him and the Bijuudama that had been sucked into another dimension was spat out towards him. He quickly brought out all his tails to protect himself from his own Jutsu.

The Bijuudama hit the Bijuu and the contact created a large explosion that caused a mushroom of debris to pick up.

"Go Gedo Mazo, take the Kyuubi in," Naruto commanded and the demonic statue charged straight into the mushroom of debris.

A few minutes later

''I have finally found this place,'' Madara stated, as he appeared before Naruto who was sitting on top of the Gedo Mazo. He'd just finished sealing the Kyuubi, and this wasn't what he was expecting.

''Madara,'' Naruto said, looking down at the man with narrowed eyes. ''It can't be a coincident that you happen to find this place just after I have sealed the Kyuubi.''

''It is not. You have become too powerful and if I waste more time, you may just increase your power. I have no choice but to play my card.''

''Interesting,'' Naruto stated, as he stood up. The Gedo Mazo disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto fell down the ground on both his feet,

''At this stage I've to forget about my fight with you,'' Madara stated, holding a single hand seal.

It was then that Naruto felt excruciating pain all over his body. It felt as though his muscles were being torn part one by one. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He tried not to scream in pain, after a minute or so, his voice tore through the greenly land for a few minutes before it became silent.

From shoulders to ankles, chakra rods sprouted around Naruto's body. He couldn't count how many they were, but almost his entire body was covered with those manipulative chakra rods. He was also panting and sweating heavily, a few blood drips coming from his mouth.

"H-how? I thought my death and being one with Kaguya would remove your hold over my body?" Naruto spoke in a barely audible tone, eyes narrowing down at his grandfather. He didn't think that this would happen.

This was the second surprise…the first being black Zetsu…

"Hashirama cells infused with yours so that you didn't have to control them separately and didn't have to worry about them taking over your body once didn't have enough chakra to hold them. However, my cells are a different matter. I lied when I told you they would also fuse with you. They had no role in your awakening of the Rinnegan or Sharingan," Madara explained, walking towards an immobile Naruto. With the number of rods around the blonds' body, he had no doubt that Naruto would not be able to move for some time.

"You planted a seed for this in your own cells?" Naruto asked, surprised, but it was still not evident on his face. "How didn't I see this coming?"

"I don't blame you not seeing it. You can't always see everything," Madara stated, stopping a bit close to Naruto. His Susano'o came to life, alarming Naruto.

"Do you plan to kill me?"

Madara merely smiled. "Not at all. Why would I kill my only grandchild?" Madara responded. However, his next action was contrary to his words. A blade of his Susano'o burst out from the ground behind Naruto and pierced through his back and came out of his gut.

It was not to kill him, but to weaken his body. With a weakened body, there would be less resistance. "I've no doubt that if I'd left you like that, you would've made things difficult, but I'm not quite done, yet." The blade was left imbedded on him, even when Madara deactivated is Susano'o.

Madara walked far closer to Naruto prompting the blond to ask. "What are you doing, grandfather?"

''You are much more powerful than me; I cannot even hope to equal you. I'd always known that you'd surpass me one day. However, even though I'm proud, I must succeed in the Moon of the Eye plan. Perhaps in that world, you will smile like your mother would've wanted you,'' Madara stated calmly.

The last part caught Naruto's attention. His left eye widened a bit. ''What are you talking about?'' Naruto asked in a deathly quiet tone.

''When she died, she said some ''nice'' words to you. You just didn't understand because you'd just been born,'' Madara said, raising his right hand. ''That is for another day.''

''What are y-'' Naruto was cut off when Madara drove his fingers inside his eye socket. If he hadn't been in enough pain already, now this. He suppressed by all his might the urge to let loose of a loud shrill. Madara took out his left eye. Naruto's heart beat begun to beat a bit faster. He didn't like where this was going.

''The Gedo Mazo must be in one of your dimensions and I can't summon it while you have it trapped in there. However, I know that I can't access your dimensions. This is why I took your left eye. White Zetsu also told me that it has a rather intriguing ability,'' Madara before pushing the eye into his empty right eye socket. He'd come prepared for this.

''What do you know of that eye', ability?'' Naruto was growing paler by the minute and the fact that he was losing more blood was not doing him any good.

''I've restricted your movements, weakened your body, taken your left eye, and now I will take away your power. Though I've restricted your movements, you're not yet fully under my control.''

Naruto grit his teeth slightly. This wasn't good at all. If he allowed things to worsen than they were already, he'd probably end up unhealthy. However, he was not given much time to think because Madara clasped both his hands and the chakra rods begun to glow with Naruto's chakra. He could feel his chakra leaving him. The more chakra Madara took, the more his body weakened, and his hair color changed to white. However, the infamous Uchiha couldn't absorb everything.

''Why can I only take your chakra?'' Madara asked, feeling Naruto's power coursing through his body. The power he was feeling made him grin sickly as it was just unbelievable. To think that Naruto had this much power and he'd only taken some of it.

''T-that is m-my eye you...are using...and my ability...'' Naruto responded in between his labored breaths.

Madara tried summoning the Gedo Mazo, but it still failed to appear. He was not deterred though. It only meant that Naruto had gone all out when hiding the Statue from him. ''Stay right here, I'll search your dimensions for the Gedo Mazo,'' Madara stated before he disappeared into one a portal.

Naruto cursed. He couldn't even use his chakra, nor anything of his abilities. His weakened body and chakra didn't help any matter and the lack of his right eye wasn't doing him any favors. He would eventually recover his power. However, the damage was grave.

A few minutes later, Madara returned. His Susano'o came to life, and its blade swept past some trees before hitting Naruto with a direct hit. The hit sent a weakened Naruto flying and crashing into some trees. Madara was upon him again, the hand of his Susano'o grabbed him, squeezing his body. ''Where is it? Why can't I summon it?''

Despite some of his bones breaking under the squeeze of the Susano'o, Naruto managed to respond. ''I never said t-that was...in one o-of my dimensions...and you can't summon it, even if y-you are using my...eye. As long as I exist in this world, the Gedo Mazo will only be summoned by me.''

Madara gritted his teeth and slammed Naruto down the ground. The chakra rods tore through Naruto's body, inflicting more damage.

His perfect Susano'o came to life. Its blade sped towards the downed blond, but didn't pierce him. It cut through to the ground and remained there. ''Relinquish your control over it.''

''N-no.''

Madara didn't think twice. He pulled out his blade from the ground before doing a downwards swing at Naruto. The blade of his Susano'o hit the ground and the impact created a resounding boom. Madara turned away from the debris that had picked up in front of him.

Naruto was crawling away from him. 'He is regaining his mobility,' Madara thought realizing what was happening. However, to be able to dodge that attack, the blond must have sacrificed some of his power, weakening him further. It still worked well for him.

He cut through the air with his Susano'os blade, sending a power wave at the crawling blade. A number of trees were cut down and large amounts of debris picked up under the swing of his blade. The blast that was let loose, hit Naruto sending him further away from his grandfather.

Madara dispersed his Susano'o and followed after Naruto. He found the blond, barely standing, cloak torn apart, a few remaining chakra rods still fully imbedded around his body, blood flowing out freely of his mouth, and some other parts of his body.

''Will you summon the Gedo Mazo, or do I have to kill you and find it myself?'' Madara questioned, standing away from Naruto.

Naruto breathed a bit, before falling down on his knees. ''D-do as...you... like,'' he finally said.

''What I wanted was for you to relinquish control over the Gedo Mazo, but you don't want to do that. I guess I've no choice but to take both your eyes. It should be enough for me to claim the statue...'' he started to take giant steps towards Naruto.

Now, Naruto wasn't going to allow himself to become blind. The beating he'd received had broken off some chakra rods and this gave him the spade he needed to dig himself out of this hole Madara had put himself.

Before Madara could take steal Naruto's right eye, the blond held out his right hand, fists balled before opening it. A small black ball appeared. Madara didn't waste a second to make some distance between him and Naruto.

Boom!

A large explosion rocked through and created some gusts of wind. Dust picked up and Madara was forced to shield himself to avoid being blinded by the debris and being hit by the gusts of winds. When the explosion cleared, there was nothing but a large crater and no Naruto.

''Tch','' Madara growled. ''He got away…''