Leaf Ninja Quest #83

youtube.com/watch?v=-Ug070QK674&index=7&list=PL3AC39BCAE0A97F85

The first few years of Naruto's life that he remembers go by. Living alone in an apartment from as early as he can remember. He is left money that he can use to go out and buy food, but it's mostly used on cup ramen. Over these years, only a single person other than Naruto ever enters this lonely little apartment.

Occasionally Sarutobi Sensei will come by to chat with Naruto when he drops off his allowance. You can tell that Naruto is very fond of the old man, and he's just about the only person so far that Naruto's had any real positive reaction to. Where the other adults are dismissive or even outright malicious, the Third Hokage always greets Naruto with a warm smile. However, even he was not always looked up to by Naruto.

You see several occasions where Naruto asks about his parents, or why he has to live the way he does, or why he's treated like he is. Yet every time, the Hokage sternly refuses to answer. You feel Naruto's faith in him dwindle over time.

Among his peers, all of them also seem to hold disdain for Naruto. You don't remember ever interacting with him yourself, but you see several kids you recognize bullying him for one reason or another. Naruto starts saying that he'll become Hokage and show them all, but you can feel the despair he actually suffers. He doesn't know why he's treated the way he is, or if anything he can do will even stop it. He starts pulling pranks in addition to talking big, just to get noticed. It's the only thing that keeps him from getting lonely.

You see a brief scene where Naruto tries to fight off some bullies to save a young Hinata. It doesn't seem to have registered too much to Naruto, but you get the feeling that it was probably really important to Hinata.

>Continued

Eventually, you reach a certain day. You know the type. Where it seems the whole world has it out for you. Naruto's questions are shot down particularly hard by the Third, and his pranks get him into even more trouble than usual. Naruto slinks away into the woods, only to run into some more kids that rough him up. You hear Kurama chime in.

"Heh. I still can't believe Naruto never snapped at any of these people." he chuckles. "If I had gotten any control over him during this time, I would have made them all regret it. Well, Naruto and I hadn't interacted yet. He didn't even know I existed. Not until this day. When everything changed for Naruto, and for me."

As the other kids fade from view, Naruto gets up to his knees and wipes his face.

"When I'm Hokage..." he grumbles. "Then you'll all be sorry you ever talked bad about me... You'll all respect me then..."

"When you're Hokage, huh?" you hear a voice that's familiar to you, but not to Naruto. "I don't think the position is all you might believe it to be."

Naruto looks to the side to see a man with an orange mask wearing a black cloak with red clouds come into view, seemingly warping into place.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Naruto asks, stepping back a bit in surprise, but clearly annoyed. "What do you want?"

"Hello, Naruto." the masked man greets. "I am like you. I too dreamed of becoming the Hokage, once. But I'm here to give you a much greater purpose than that."

"Yeah, whatever." Naruto scoffs, just getting angrier with every word the man says. "You probably just couldn't cut it. I'm not gonna give up like you!"

>Continued

And yet he still went out of his way to recruit her. I wonder what got his attention in this timeline, given that he had even less interaction with her than in canon. Do you think Obito was playing matchmaker? Like, he was spying on Konoha as he always does and saw "hey, that girl seems to have a weird thing for the kid I'm brainwashing. Might as well hook them up, give him at least one nice thing".

"Why do you want to be the Hokage, Naruto? So that everyone will look up to you? Will that make up for all the years of torment you suffered?" Obito asks. Naruto's anger suddenly drops as he starts thinking more deeply. "These people all hold you in contempt for reasons beyond your control. For your whole life, you've had to live without parents or anyone else to support you. You've had to life on your own. What good will recognition from these people be, who would do nothing to reach out to you? Even if you became Hokage, they would be worthless. They would merely act as though they had done nothing wrong, and continue to treat the next child in your situation just as badly until he made something of himself... or died. I've seen it all before."

"W-what do you mean?" Naruto stutters. you can feel him getting anxious thinking about Obito's words. "I'll just become Hokage, then I'll be the greatest ninja ever! Then no one will ever get treated like I am again, I can make sure of it!"

"As a child, it's easy to believe that, Naruto." the masked man responds. "But this world cannot be fixed so easily. It is broken nearly beyond repair, and the Hokage is just another part of that system. Just look at your Hokage. He does nothing to make the people of the village treat you better. And it's because he considers their loyalty more important than your feelings. Because he doesn't want to risk pushing them out of line by punishing them for their treatment of you, you are forced to deal with the consequences. It's easier for him to leave things at the status quo and let you suffer. If you just went along with it, and eventually succeeded in becoming Hokage, wouldn't that just justify your treatment?"

>Continued

Shame there was no one else around at the time to offer the opposite point. That of "If you betray Konoha and turn missing-nin, wouldn't that justify their treatment of you?". I mean, my opinion of the kid has improved in recent threads, but the fact remains that he basically proved everyone who hated him right by becoming the monster they feared.

"There lies the problem, you see. The new generation always grows up with ideals in their heads. But they are crushed by cruel reality every time. Those that wish to help everyone, that aren't willing to sacrifice others. They either die, or are forced to change. The only ones that remain are those that are willing to let others suffer to maintain things the way they are. Every Hokage has been like this. Even if they did care about the well being of every villager in the Leaf, what happens to anyone else is of no consequence to them. This system of villages hasn't stopped people from killing each other, it's just made it more efficient. And it can't be changed by any Hokage. Their job is to kill, like all ninja. No matter how they dress it up, this is just a world of killing and dying, and the Hokage is just another piece in that broken system. If you stay here and become a ninja, become Hokage... you will end up just like all the others. All too willing to let others suffer. And the cycle would continue."

"S-so what am I supposed to do, huh?" Naruto asks, his fists shaking. He had never really thought about what being Hokage meant before, just that he wanted recognition. He's not willing to accept all this man has said as what being Hokage would mean. "You think I should just do nothing? Yeah, right! You're just trying to put me down like everyone else!"

"I'm not, Naruto. I'm here because you are special. Rather than being Hokage and perpetuating this cycle, you alone can help me save everyone in the entire world." the masked man reaches his hand out to Naruto. "You can do what no one else can. If you come with me, I can show you how to become the greatest hero this world has ever known. We can create a world where no child ever suffers like we have again, where people are never left wanting for others who care about them. Where everyone can have everything their heart desires."

>Continued

I want to be surprised that Obito's lying about how people are, but I'm not.

Oh god.

Naruto's going to see the Road to Ninja memories.

Oh man, that's REALLY gonna fuck with his head.

The thing is, he doesn't think he's lying. Obito's crazy, remember? We see in others what we recognize from ourselves, and at this point Obito is a very broken person. It's easier for him to assume that everyone is as fucked up as he is and just hiding it better than to acknowledge that what's happened to him is a horrible outlier.

It has to be done in secret, since the people in power now would not accept such a drastic change, they want to lord over others. So most people will never recognize your contribution. But I will. As will the rest of our comrades. I promise, you will never be lonely again. You just have to come with me."

Naruto perks up at being told he is the only one who can do something, and at the promise of never being lonely again, he starts to reach out his hand.

"Y-you promise, right?" Naruto asks, as his hand grasps that of Obito. "I guess I don't need a lot of friends... just a few I can trust... Will I be able to trust these guys?"

"They are all ninja that are fed up with this world, with their own wants and desires." the masked man answers. "I think by learning about them, you can come to understand the true nature of this world. All you have to do is ask."

Naruto and Obito start to disappear in a distorted swirl, as Kurama talks again.

"Now, I was watching all of this, of course." he begins. "For years, I had merely watched. But this development drove me to rage, harder than anything ever before. This was the man that had taken control of me six years earlier, I knew it. And Naruto was just doing as he said. Though Naruto did not even know of my existence, I decided that he needed to know just how furious I was. I raged against my seal with every bit of energy I could muster. I knew it wouldn't break it, but I didn't care. I just wanted to cause Naruto pain. I wanted to make my presence known."

As Naruto and Obito reappear in a cave somewhere, Naruto feels a searing pain in his stomach, as do you. It's enough to be completely debilitating, and Naruto clenches his stomach and falls over. You hear Obito's voice, but can't make out what he's saying as Naruto fades out of consciousness. When he opens his eyes again, he's laying before a giant sealed cage, the Nine Tailed Fox within, looking the angriest you've ever seen any creature.

>Continued

I think Obito's issue is by now his brain is so scrabbled he honestly believes this is true, like utterly believes it and black zetsu is still fucking with him remember we found out he'd been mind buggered pretty bad. We are just seeing the end result of all that mind jumbling, though it's clear Obito does want to save the world which is good, his brain is full of fuck so he thinks this is the best way

"Naruto Uzumaki, you little fool! If I could escape from this damn seal, I'd tear you limb from limb!" Kurama snarls. "I've been sealed inside you from the day you were born, and I never imagined you'd do something like this!"

Where you'd imagine most people would recoil in fear, Naruto merely looks up to meet the Nine Tail's gaze. Up until this point, you haven't once felt the weight of loneliness leave Naruto's mind. But at Kurama's words, something changes in Naruto. Before the fox can say any more, Naruto speaks.

"Y-you've been with me? All the time? So I've... never been alone?" Naruto stammers out his sentence, ignoring the still present pain in his stomach. "What's your name?"

The Nine Tails immediately stops snarling. The shock has halted any of his rage at once. It's almost as if he can't process what he's been asked. "Kurama." he says simply. The tailed beast remains dumbfounded.

"Kurama. Well, you already know who I am." Naruto forces a smile through his pain. "Sorry for leaving you alone in here all this time. I hope we can be friends from now on."

"Friends?" Kurama's rage returns instantly. "You are nothing more than a cage, holding me back! Out of fear, I've been sealed! And once I get out of here, I will show you humans that you had good reason to fear me! I shall have retribution!"

"Sorry." Naruto repeats himself. "I guess you didn't ask to get stuck with me. But I won't ignore you any more. You seem like you know all about me, but I don't know anything about you. I want to fix that. Then I think we can become friends."

"Again with the friends nonsense. Get out of my sight!" Kurama roars. "I could never be friends with a human!"

Naruto fades back into consciousness, and both the cage and the fox begin to disappear.

"I'll come back tomorrow, Kurama!" Naruto smiles again as he loses sight of the tailed beast. "And if that's not enough, I'll come back every day after that! Until you can finally call me your friend."

>Continued

Naruto disappears from his mindscape and reawakens to find Obito, sans mask. Obito goes on to explain everything about the Nine Tailed Fox, while Kurama talks to you once again.

"Never once had I been asked for my name. I shrugged it off. He was just a stupid kid, after all." the fox grumbles. "I had only been treated like a tool to be used or a danger that had to be locked away. One naive kid wasn't going to change my mind. But he wasn't lying. He returned the very next day. And every day after that."

You see Naruto's days continue, training under Obito, taking time every day to enter his subconscious and speak with Kurama.

"Whether it was only for a few minutes, or hours, every day he would come." Kurama explains as you watch. "If I hurled insults at him, he'd take it in stride. If I refused to speak, he would just talk to me about whatever came to his mind. Eventually, I would humor him sometimes and answer a question or two. Then, he would talk about that for hours on end. He really was annoying, that boy."

You see a few memories float in front of you. They seem to be of all the other Akatsuki members.

"Naruto's time in the Akatuski shaped his ideals, somewhat." the fox tells you. "Every single member, he tried to get in their head. Never having any connections back in the Leaf, he wanted to know what these guys believed in. He wanted to know that he was saving them, too."

Four memories float in front of you.

>A.Say something first (Write-in)

>B.View Nagato and Konan

>C.View Kisame and Deidara

>D.View Kakuzu and Hidan

>E.View Sasori

>F.Other

Just seeing Kon's memories at all is going to fuck with his head. We've been playing Kon as a guy who's totally fine with improvements going slowly so long as they happen at all. That's going to contrast pretty hard with Naruto's love of revolutionary changes. The fact that we've been more or less succeeding at that is going to confuse the hell out of him, though I imagine he'll be happy to see it even if he doesn't understand how it's possible.

B.View Nagato and Konan

>>B.View Nagato and Konan

>D.View Kakuzu and Hidan
I think him rationalizing his desire to save everyone with the guy who will do any atrocity in the name of making money (and steals other peoples' organs) and the guy whose religion compels him to murder everyone he meets in as horrible a fashion as possible. I think that was probably the big turning point when he decided "If I want everyone to be happy, I can't do it in the real world".

Also, just realized: Hidan and Kakuzu are the worst possible pairing, tactically speaking. Leaving aside their hatred for each other, Kakuzu needs fresh hearts after a hard fight and Hidan's favorite move is to destroy his opponent's heart. Pairing them is self-sabotaging.

>A. "...he really believed it, too. That the world wasn't always changing. How...sad."

>>A.Say something first
Hey Chromi Fu misses you too by the way, you wanna come back to her when theis is all over? (this not be alone thing made me think of she)

>B.View Nagato and Konan
Lets do this in order

[Also guys we should totally try to get Shino to somehow deliver Chromi to Fu, think of the points it'll get him!]

Chomei, not Chromi. And yeah, we should do that. But later, it breaks the flow of the conversation to bring it up now, we don't want to be rude to the giant demon-fox.

>>B.View Nagato and Konan
Let's move on.

Back

Sorry about the delay guys, something came up

..that's true...lets not fuck with the fox in a mental space... remember to bring it up at the end. For now Story time

Is it errands? Nah, I'm just kidding. Take as much time as you need.

You reach out to the memory with Nagato and Konan.

As the scene fades in, you see Naruto entering a cave from the heavily raining outside. Nagato and Konan are within.

"Hey, I checked out that place just like you asked!" Naruto smiles. "And nobody even knew! Heh, transformation jutsu is my specialty! I've trained so hard, you need magic eyes like you to pick me out!"

"Excellent work, Naruto." Nagato replies. Naruto explains the exact layout of a building he went to see, as well as who is there. "Yes, no doubt that is the right place, given what we know of Hanzo. All the others are red herrings. Thanks to you, I didn't have to risk revealing any of my Paths. I'm grateful, Naruto."

"Hehe, it was nothing." Naruto rubs the back of his head. "Just doing my part to make a better world!"

The usually stoic Konan smiles a bit. "He really is a lot like Yahiko, isn't he?"

"That's what I'm afraid of." Nagato responds. "When push comes to shove Naruto, you will have to make some tough decisions. You can't let sentimentality stop you. Our goal is to reach a final solution in creating a better world. If we give the world the opportunity to revert, it will do so. And all our effort will be for naught. I need to know you can see this matter through to the end. No matter what."

"Well, I don't want anyone to die." Naruto mutters. "I want everybody to be able to live in the new world. I know you want to kill Hanzo, and a bunch of other guys... Do you really have to? Is taking people from this world really going to make it a better place? I can't just believe that."

Konan looks sadly at Nagato, who merely lowers his head.

"In this world, there are people that will do whatever they like to others." he begins. "They don't care about anyone but themselves. In order for people to not do that, they need to empathize. Or be made to. Once they know the pain of others, they will cease to cause that pain."

>Continued

Naruto still looks uneasy.

"Yahiko was like you, he wished to create a peaceful world without fighting." Nagato explains. "But he was taken advantage of. By all means Naruto, try to create the world you desire without killing. But do not let an unwillingness to kill stop you. You need to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach your goal. You're not fighting for yourself. You're fighting for the whole world."

"It's for the best, Naruto." Konan adds. "We don't want to see the same thing happen to you. We want to see you succeed, and create a new world. Where tragedies don't happen anymore."

"I understand." Naruto mutters once more. He doesn't like what he's been told, but he can't find the words to argue. He leaves the cave and heads back out into the rain.

As the memory fades out, you're left with three more in front of you.

>A.Say something (Write-in)

>B.View Kisame and Deidara

>C.View Kakuzu and Hidan

>D.View Sasori

>E.Other

>>C.View Kakuzu and Hidan

>>B.View Kisame and Deidara

>A.Say something (Write-in)
"Well, it's not the best solution I've ever heard proposed, but it's better than the Moon Eye Plan. When did Naruto find out the truth about that?"

>C.View Kakuzu and Hidan

>A.Say something (They meant well, but in the end they were fooled just like they thought you would be. They closed their eyes to truth, to what they wanted to believe. That being a bully, and inflicting pain on someone with a big stick would end war. It'd have only made it worse, when they passed or someone who was lucky took them down. Hatred cannot bring peace, only more war."

>A. "He was just like Yahiko. Someone took advantage of his inherent goodness to satisfy their own hubris."

>C.View Kakuzu and Hidan

>E.
Such a shame, they started out on the right path but were led astray and brought others with them, but they truly thought this was the best way, I don't approve but I can't condone them either. If only they'd taken their friends loss a slightly different way.

You take a moment to comment.

"They meant well, but they were fooled and led astray." you say. "They really thought that was the best way, but it would only have made things worse. And Naruto ended up taken advantage of regardless. If only they had taken the loss of their friend a different way."

"Being taken advantage of was just about all Naruto was good for most of the time." Kurama snorts. "But it was what he decided for himself that was important."

You reach out to the next memory.

You fade in and see Naruto approaching two men, Kakuzu and Hidan.

"Stuck with babysitting again." Kakuzu sighs. "At least the pay is good. Naruto, this is our newest member. With him, we're up to ten."

"Hey kid, the name's Hidan." the man with slicked back hair sticks his hand out, which Naruto shakes. "You look like a fun guy. This may not be so bad."

The three of them make their way through the forest, Kakuzu leading as Naruto and Hidan stay back and joke around. At one point, Hidan sets a ryo up on the ground near Kakuzu, then pulls it back on a string as he reaches to grab it. Kakuzu barely restrains himself from taking his anger out on Hidan as he and Naruto bust a gut, focusing on the mission. He also doesn't seem to want to make a scene while Naruto is here.

"You two need to cut it out." Kakuzu says, as they stop. "The lord's son should be down this way, but he probably has a ton of guards. I'd rather not fight them all at once, it'd be far too much trouble."

"So we just need to capture this lord's son, right?" Naruto asks. "I can cause a distraction. Lure some of the guards away while you grab him."

"Sounds like a plan, little man." Hidan smiles as he ruffles Naruto's hair. "Gotta say, it's kind of nice having you around. Lightens things up."

"I'll stay here to make sure he doesn't break for it." Kakuzu says. "Naruto, you cause your distraction, then Hidan can go in."

>Continued

Naruto heads off, using his Transformation Jutsu to lure some of the guards away from their charge. He even gets them caught in a trap they set up themselves. Naruto returns to Kakuzu smiling.

"Heh, that was fun." he laughs. "How's it going, Kakuzu?"

"You need to stop trying to get so chummy with everyone, Naruto." Kakuzu grumbles. "If you keep holding your hand out like that, you're only going to get burned."

"You know Kakuzu, I've been wondering why you're so unfriendly." Naruto says. "Also about why you like money so much, too."

"Money, unlike people, will never betray you." Kakuzu begins. "It has inherent value that can't be rescinded so easily. You can't buy something with your word, but an exchange of money can get you anything if you have enough. As for my unfriendliness, let's just say that when I warn you about getting burned, I speak from experience. I gave everything I had for my village, and I was proud to do so. And after a single failure, at something no man could be reasonably expected to achieve, they stripped me of everything. All my effort meant nothing. So I left. Villages don't care about their ninja so much as their reputation. They would throw aside even their best shinobi to save face. Here in Akatsuki, my position is guaranteed by my strength, and I am compensated handsomely. I don't like my colleagues, but I respect them. They got here on their own power. You Naruto, I am still not so sure of. But working with us as a jinchuuriki certainly implies a kind of strength, at least of will. Take my advice, Naruto. If you depend on others, you will only be betrayed. The only one you can rely on is yourself."

Naruto is about to try a rebut, but he hears screaming. He immediately heads forward to find Hidan, his skin black, impaling and dismembering everyone in sight.

"Hidan, what are you doing?" Naruto asks, incredibly distressed. "We didn't need to kill these guys, we just needed to take the lord's son!"

>Continued

"For the glory of Lord Jashin!" Hidan screams, as he kills the last member of the group. "Ohhhh... the pain is so good..."

"Hidan is a total nutjob." Kakuzu adds. "Legitimately crazy. But I don't really care, as long as I get paid."

As Kakuzu grabs the target, Hidan's skin returns to normal. Naruto approaches him as he admires his own work.

"Why would you do this, Hidan?" Naruto asks, looking away from the bodies. "Especially this way... Why would you want to cause all this suffering?"

"Well, I say it's for Lord Jashin, but it's also for me too." Hidan smiles as he turns back to Naruto and ruffles his hair again. "I love killing! The absolute despair as the life leaves their eyes! Nothing is better! And as long as there are people to kill, I can keep enjoying myself! I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy one day too, kid."

Naruto looks up into Hidan's eyes. Not a hint of malice. This is something he does, as natural as eating or breathing. What kind of world can people like this live in? Naruto knows there is only one answer.

The memory fades, and you're left with two.

>A.Say something (Write-in)

>B.View Kisame and Deidara

>C.View Sasori

>D.Other

Hey, this reminds me: Is Hidan's severed head still screaming. or did he calm down eventually? It's not like he's really in any pain, so I can see him eventually getting bored with it.

>>B.View Kisame and Deidara
Well, that's one way to distort a kid's thinking.

>B.View Kisame and Deidara

He's calmed down. However, he's also been sealed in a scroll and locked up, so he has plenty to be bored about.

>>A.Say something (Write-in)
Kakuzu had no faith in men, he had no faith in anyone but himself. He cut himself off from everyone, and was cut off in turn. Same with Hidan, except he pursued his faith, likely warped it to suit his tastes, and did not care about anyone else.

>B.View Kisame and Deidara

>>B.View Kisame and Deidara

Those are two people I would not have babysit my kids.

It was a good job by Obito to reinforce the points he wanted to impress on Naruto about how worthless the current ninja world was.

>>B.View Kisame and Deidara
Man it's weird here's Hidan talk...fondly of someone...i'm not complaining, im glad to see Hidan and Kakuzu in a different light but fuck Hidan? Screw with the kids psyche some more will ya?

Also gained a lil respect for Naru here, I mean I know he's just a kid but Kakuzu is right Hidan is genuinely insane, he genuinely loves this, I think this is the start of the Dream World conclusion, its the only way everyone can be happy.

>>B.View Kisame and Deidara

>D.Other
"Damn, Hidan really deserved getting reduced into a screaming head."

>A. "We were enemies, but I did like Kakuzu. He was strong. He believed in...something. I don't know what. But he believed in it. A strange sort of honor, that."

>>B.View Kisame and Deidara

>D
Kakuzu was a man broken by time and betrayal, but this is also the most i've learnt about him...he must have been referencing the first Hokage then..being sent to fight the God of Shinobi and getting shunned for failure, no one deserves that and the treatment made the monster I fought all those years later.

It's also strange not hearing Hidan screaming....

>A.Say something (Write-in)
"You know, detaching myself from the horror, I have to say that this was very clever of Obito. I'm having trouble thinking of a better way to convince a child that the world is a terrible place than to have him befriend monsters."

>B.View Kisame and Deidara

>A. "Money has inherent value, but your word is worthless? Bullshit. The value of money is based on the word of the people. If all the gold in the world belonged to a single guy, and he was a douche, then the people could easily dismiss it as shiny rocks and trade something else. Anything can be money. Bottle caps, laundry detergent bottles, ramen packets...

You reach out for the memory of Kisame and Deidara.

You see Naruto come to a clearing in the forest. In it, are waiting a tall shark-like man with a sword wrapped in bandages, and a young man with a blonde ponytail.

"Hey, Naruto. Good to see you again." Kisame greets the boy with a smile. "This is our newest member, Deidara. Deidara, this is Naruto Uzumaki, the kid I told you about."

"Nice to meet you!" Naruto says, extending his hand. Deidara shakes it, then Naruto recoils at a strange feeling on his palm. Deidara holds up the mouth on his hand and starts laughing.

"That's always good for a laugh." Deidara says. "So apparently you're a big deal, kid. But you don't look so tough to me."

"Oh, he may not look like much, but the kids got guts." Kisame adds. "Trains harder than anyone else his age and twice as driven. You'll see."

"Yeah, alright. I guess I will." Deidara scoffs. "So are we ready to go, or what? The mansion should be a bit this way."

"You fly on up ahead and scout it out, Deidara." Kisame answers. "Naruto and I will catch up, and we can formulate a plan when we meet up again."

"Sounds good to me." Deidara says, creating a bird from his clay and flying off.

Kisame grabs Naruto and picks him up, placing the boy on his shoulder.

"So how's it going, kid?" Kisame asks. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

"I'm doing great, Kisame!" Naruto smiles. "Never better!"

"Don't you lie to me." Kisame responds, still smiling. "You know I can see through lies like nobody else. You're worried about something. Tell me what's on your mind."

"Heh. You got me, Kisame." Naruto's smile fades as Kisame starts to walk them in the direction Deidara left. "I... I've been thinking about the plan. About how when they extract Kurama, I'll..."

>Continued

"Say no more, kid." Kisame interrupts. His voice suddenly gets serious. "It's only natural to be worried about death. All living things want to keep living. It's a basic instinct. But we can reason. We can decide to give our own lives for what we believe in. That's what I admire most. How your life ends will determine what kind of person you are. You can die after picking a petty fight, or you can sacrifice yourself for a cause greater than you are. I like when things are laid plain like that. That's why I support the plan. So I can see a world without lies. No more of this world where everyone is hiding their intentions, where you're forced to look underneath the underneath. I'm sick of it. But I know this cause is bigger than I am. As much as I want to see this world, I would give my own life without hesitation if that would see it through. You are nervous, but I know you are willing to do the same. At such a young age. When I was your age, I was the very kind of person I hated most. I didn't believe in anything, and would just go around picking fights for my amusement. I want you to know just how much respect I have for you. To lay down your young life to create a better world. Even if the rest of the world hates you for it, I will always recognize you. You're a hero, Naruto. Simple as that. And you know I never lie."

Kisame and Naruto have reached the edge of a moat surrounding a mansion, and they take cover in the trees as they wait. Naruto gets down from Kisame's shoulder.

"Feel better, Naruto?" Kisame asks. "Hope you're in shape for the operation."

"Don't you worry about me, Kisame!" Naruto turns back, pumping his fist. "I'm ready for anything!"

After a bit longer, Deidara returns.

"The place is pretty heavily guarded." he begins. "There is a path inside through the moat, so that'll be your chance, Kisame. But I doubt you'll be able to get those documents without a distraction..."

>Continued

Christ, Naruto isn't even going to get past Haku without having everything he believes in getting stomped.

"I can do that!" Naruto chimes in. "I'm a master of the Transformation Jutsu, I'm great at distractions!"

"You think you can handle it, kid?" Deidara questions. "We need to wipe out any evidence we were here, too. They can't know the documents were taken. I was going to take care of that. Blow the place sky high. You think your little Transformation Jutsu will be enough?"

"Oh, it will." Kisame adds. "The kid really is too good. We can count on him."

The two eventually convince Deidara, and they leave to execute the plan. Naruto goes into the mansion and takes on all kinds of forms to get everyone inside to either chase him or run away.

Later, Naruto returns to Deidara's side, still waiting for Kisame.

"That should do it, huh?" Deidara looks into the moat with his scope and sees Kisame. "Here we go!"

The mansion is consumed in an enormous explosion.

"Would you look at that!" Deidara exclaims. "This is true art! What a blast!"

Deidara keeps laughing, until he notices something.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he complains. "You led all the occupants outside, or ran them into the moat! The building was empty! Nobody even got to experience the full glory of my art!"

"Well yeah, I didn't want them dead." Naruto says. "The full glory of your art is getting blown up? That seems kind of..."

"Of course you wouldn't understand!" Deidara shoots back. "Nobody does! Even my gearhead sister only goes on about the mechanics of an explosion, but that's only part of what makes it beautiful! It's the culmination of everything it envelops in that single fleeting moment! Kurotsuchi and the old man would nod and pretend like they understood, but I got tired of their condescending looks. I left to show everyone what true art is! And when my life is to come to an end, I too will know the ultimate beauty of true art! I will die in the grandest explosion of all!"

>Continued

Also, errands. Sorry guys, gonna have to hold you up for a bit

ERRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDS

Sorry, man, but with all the Tailed Beast Balls being thrown around lately I think your record's been beaten. I wish you had gotten to see it, though, you would have loved it.

God dammit Kisame, why you so cool. God damn Naru was like a fucking therapy fox for the Akatski, always there and talking about feels. The thought of Naru riding on Kisame's shoulder is cute as fuck though.... Makes me feel a tad sad we wiped out his adopted murder hobo family. At this rate im beginning to understand why he is so driven, he's getting the mental reinforcement, the admiration and the family (though twisted) to always wanted so he'd never let them down.

>Kon and Deidera never got be be best cousins and blow shit up together, Deidera helping Kon because he don't have the clans bloodline.

Thing is Kon understands why explosion are cool.

Just out of curiosity... Do you think Laze would've allowed us to be gay? I remember in an earlier thread someone posted a comparability between Kon's Dick and sasukes ass and it was like at 93%

i'm pretty sure user's would loose their shit, id be ok with it but I doubt it would work as many petty folk would try to kill Kon off just for that.

Personally I like to imagine Kon as Bisexual, a god damned magic man in the sack

Oh god, I'd forgotten. With the Fourth Ninja War over the Waifu Wars will begin again, now that both Tenten and Kurotsuchi have expressed interest in Kon. The horrors we will witness...

No.
Some people asked because of interests in hooking kon up with Haku.
He said something about Ninja eugenics not allowing that shit.

Eight inches of pure wizardry.
There will never be a quest with a man loving MC, whether they be male or female

...

>The series ends with Kon still not deciding
>Leaf ninja 2: the seconding happens
>Kon still hasn't chosen and everyone else is married and has kids
Reminder we brought this to ourselves.

obviously we're gonna go Kurotsuchi.
Much more interesting and way better than plain jain ten ten

"Hmm... I don't really get it." Naruto scratches his head. "But... you have something you really believe in, right? That you would die for? But I still don't like it. You shouldn't have to die just to try and show everyone how you feel. Hey, Deidara. What if there was a world where you didn't have to try and show people what you mean? Where everybody saw explosions like you do, as true art. What would you think of a world like that?"

"A world where everyone saw the same way as me, huh." Deidara chuckles a bit as he rolls some clay around in his hand. "It sounds pretty ridiculous. I had long since given up on anyone understanding me. But a world like that? What can I really say? It sounds like it would be... a blast!"

As the memory fades out, you reach out for the final remaining one, with Sasori.

As this memory fades into view, you see Naruto sitting on top of a giant creature, a bear of some kind. Sasori is down on the ground in his large puppet body.

"Hey Sasori, is it okay to poison it?" Naruto asks. "What if he was going to eat it or something?"

"It's not my concern." Sasori replies. "Though I don't think he will. He wanted it for the pelt, and we left it nearly undamaged. Our job is done. This one, at least. I still have to babysit you for some reason. Even without Orochimaru, I can operate fine on my own."

"Do you like being alone, Sasori?" Naruto asks. "You always seem to be in a rush to go be by yourself."

"I have long since been unable to find pleasure in the company of others." Sasori begins. "My only goal is to become the perfect form of art: one that lasts for all of time. For that, I do not need companionship, or emotions. They will only weigh me down. Worrying about those things will wear away at you like sandpaper, until you are no more. If I am to last forever, I have no choice but to discard them. Once something is gone, it is worthless. For something to truly matter, it should last for all time."

>Continued

"It's the same with you, isn't it? You want to create a peace that will last all of time, instead of one that is fleeting. That would be art. So in order to do so, don't let others weigh you down. They will only be a burden. If you keep stopping for them, you will just be letting your goal slip away. So that's my advice to you, Naruto. Companionship will not last forever. And it will only jeopardize what you do want to make eternal. Come on, we've wasted enough time."

As Sasori heads off, Naruto makes to follow him. The idea of doing everything alone is difficult for Naruto to swallow, but he steels himself. If that's what it takes, he will try.

The memory fades, and you find yourself next to Kurama once more.

"The Akatsuki all affected Naruto in their own way." Kurama goes on. "He eventually came to the point where to him, the Infinite Tsukuyomi was the only hope for this world. The only way to make everyone happy."

Kurama gets ready to pull up some more memories.

>A.Say something (Write-in)

>B.Let's move on

>C.Other

>A.Say something (So Obito showed him the broken, beaten, certifiably insane in some cases, people he tricked into doing his bidding, and Naruto, wanting to make real connections got sucked into their line of thinking. Wonderful.

>A. But it's not. I've seen the world and the people in it. Change is slow, but it is happening. People are becoming better people. I don't know Obito, or what Madara taught him, but everything Naruto saw was through that same broken lens. The Ninshu is not the only option, nor is it the best option.

>>A.Say something (Write-in)
Now i'm just feeling sorry for his, the poor kid god the full mind bending treatment..thought I cant blame Obito because Black Zetsu had scrabble his brain...

[In regards to the Waifu Wars I have a plan..that if anons are willing to hear me out could land us both girls...in a way....anyone keen to hear?]

I'm listening.

Honestly, my plan is to just say 'You're both special to me. I'd rather have both of you as friends than one of you as...well...that.'

It's corny as fuck, but at least it doesn't simply assume successful polygamy and harems like most anons want.

>A.Say something (Write-in)
"So how'd he convince you to go along with it? Because I'm pretty sure you don't agree."

Or we could not be a faggot and choose Tenten.

A Kurotsuchi is fine too.

Also this.

You know, we're all getting analytical on Naruto, but what's stopping Naruto from just saying
>Actually, the only reason to believe the world is getting better is because you don't want to believe your parents died for nothing.

Just nut up and choose one. It's not hard. Christ.

I like Kurostuchi, but I'm worried that it's not the best thing for her. She wants to be the Tsuchikage, being in a relationship with a Konoha ninja could hurt her prospects.

Why? We left a sperm sample with the research division, and with our BAMF Kekkei Genkai our line is assured to keep going.

There's no practical reason for actually choosing one. Better to outlast them, and let THEM choose both.

Did we do that? i dont think we actualy did.

^Me

Ok Given our effort in the war and how Kuro wants to be the Kage I doubt we can hook up with her without dooming her chances, now we have had a damned fine run in this war and I think it's time to get down with the baby making. If we let kuro become Tsuchikage we can still be FWB and really, really get a long and feel for one another. Im willing to bet we could have a kid with her because the stone wants in on our bloodline but also kuro "may" have dreamed about it so it'd be a go. We could also use it to get officially made a member of our Clan taking the name as a middle one to help solidify the poeace between the Stone and Leaf.

Kon could get together with Tenten the one we have known longest and could live with when in the leaf. Tenten would likly be ok with it I think and Kuro I can see as promiscuous enough to be game.

Plus it makes sense because im willing to bet in the timeskip Kon won't just be sitting around he'd be going back and forth alot and so will see both kids and be a good dad, those kids can play together and also be an example of uniting villages.

I'm positive we can make this work

dude your right that will be the main bit and we use Ninshu for the feels transfer

I love both of them though! also tenten has dat ass

World's changing man. I don't think people will really care that the Tsuchikage is getting it on with one of the heroes of ALL NINJAs that happens to be Leaf.

I'm assuming it came up in the timeskip.

thats fucking stupid. your fucking stupid. stop it.

Feeling everything that Naruto has felt certainly leaves an impression.

"Now I just feel sorry for him." you say. "Obito showed him broken, beaten, and even certifiably insane people and Naruto's thinking got warped because he wanted to make real connections."

"It was a sad development." Kurama replies. "But it was the part of him that never changed that eventually won me over."

Kurama brings up another memory.

You see Naruto talking to Kurama once more.

"We can probably make it so you're still you in the Ten Tails." Naruto says. "I mean, there's got to be a way. I don't think you'd just disappear. Then maybe once it's cast, it doesn't need all of you? Maybe some of you can stay in for a while, and then switch? You could take shifts. Or maybe even just leave a little piece of your chakra in there, and that could be enough. Then you could all go relax wherever."

"You're an imbecile, Naruto." Kurama scoffs. "Even if I believed such a thing was possible, I wouldn't trust you to handle it, much less Obito! He is the one who released me and controlled me to attack the village that night! He is responsible for the deaths of your parents! He's just using you!"

Naruto is silent for a while.

"I want you to be able to trust me, Kurama." he says. "Even if it takes a lot longer than this. As long as you can do that, I'll get everything else worked out. Just you leave it to me."

Naruto leaves his subconscious. Later that day, he confronts Obito.

"Obito." he calls to the man. "Were you the one responsible for the Nine Tails attack on the Leaf?"

Obito looks a bit shocked, but his face quickly stiffens.

"Yes, Naruto. I did it." Obito admits. "I could have just taken the fox and run, but I wanted revenge. Revenge on this world that took Rin from me. On the Sensei that was always too late to save his students. I wanted them to suffer! That's why I did it. Why? Do you hate me, Naruto?"

>Continued

but did laze ever say it happend?

I...think so? I might have come up.

what?