Chapter 12

Beta Reader & Co-Writer – Toa Naruto

Naruto, Ryuzo, Hitode, and Shizuka continued making plans while Kenpo and Sentaro simply observed.

"Alright, here's the layout of Mizu no Kuni." said Naruto, gesturing to the map that was spread over the table. "My group controls most of the main island and two of the surrounding islands. Kenpo-sama controls the island where his clan resides while Ryuzo has his own territory. The kunoichi of Nadeshiko have control of the island located southwest of our base, which serves as the most ideal staging area for the men of Umi no Kuni. The only areas that the enemy still holds are the daimyo's island and Kirigakure, the latter of which is Akira's final strong hold. With our advantage over the enemy, we can strike at any time."

"So why haven't you?" asked Ryuzo.

"As of now, we're in the process of digging several tunnels under the village, specifically where the villagers are located."

"The civilians?" queried Shizuka. "What's the point of doing that?"

"Akira will undoubtedly use them as a shield once things start to go south for him, and I refuse to put them in that sort of danger. Instead, we're going to remove his hostages before he has the chance to use them. We've already begun secretly digging escape tunnels with their assistance. Once they're finished, the tunnels will lead the people to a safe area that we've already scouted and secured. They'll be well protected and hidden until we take care of Akira. About seventy percent of the tunnel system is currently done, and we're hoping to have it completed in the next three days. Subsequently, the evacuation will begin when we start our march, which will be on the second day of digging." Genji explained.

"That's going to cause us some problems." Shiba interjected.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Koyuki-dono is currently working on a special type of ammunition that can work against the warship stationed in Kiri's harbor. Her aide told us that it will be ready in three days, and that it'll take an additional three days for it to arrive." explained Hitode.

"So you're asking us to hold off our attack for nearly an entire week? That's too long to remain idle." Tokiwa countered. "What if Akira decides to launch an attack while we wait? We've surveyed the destructive capabilities of a single warship once we learned of its existence; the Mizukage would have no problem taking out the blockade in order to advance upstream. There would be no stopping him, and then all of our plans would've been for nothing."

"While you have a fair point, it's very unlikely that Akira will go on the offensive any time soon. He is currently an international criminal with no allies outside of Kirigakure, which means that he has limited supplies and ammunition that he can't afford to waste. Furthermore, his paranoia is at an all-time high at this moment, considering that he most likely knows that we have eyes and ears within Kiri. With him obsessing over whom he can and cannot trust, he'll be more focused on weeding out the spies before making plans for an attack. Finally, from what our undercover agents have learned, Akira is currently dealing with an internal feud. Akio wants a warship to complete his own objectives, but Akira refuses give in to his demands. It'll only be a matter of time before one of them makes a move against the other." reported Genji.

"Despite the additional advantages that this new ammunition can provide, we can't afford to allow the enemy the opportunity to regain their strength. See if Koyuki can possibly speed up production, but our best plan of attack is to initiate the march on the original proposed date and lay siege on Kirigakure. Actually, it might be better if we attack within the week, considering that there's going to be a full moon on the second day according to Mizu no Kuni's lunar calendar. While an overcast night sky would be the most ideal for our plans, the moon light can illuminate the area and help us locate any possible traps that could be set for us within the village."

"That's actually pretty good plan, Naruto. While not a capable combatant, Akira is an expert when it comes to setting traps and ambushes. We won a few battles due to his abilities before he betrayed Mei." Sentaro added.

"Then it seems that we have the foundation for a plan of attack."

"That's all good and all, Kenpo, but there is still one issue that needs to be addressed." interjected Ryuzo.

"And that is?" queried Naruto. Ryuzo then turned his attention to Sentaro.

"Unlike many of the other denizens of Kiri, I never held your actions against you, Sentaro. You were simply doing your duty to Yagura and later tried to atone for your deeds by trying to fulfill Mei's dream after she was betrayed, unlike your partner. Yet I have to ask, what exactly can you contribute to our forces? Many of your men have abandoned you when you decided to leave your own resistance force, and that's not counting the several members that either died of starvation or were struck down by Akira's men. As it stands, you probably have less than eighty men that are still loyal to you. After all of this time, why have you decided now of all times to switch allegiances?" Everyone turned towards Sentaro, each one curious as to how the man would respond.

"It is as you say, Ryuzo-dono; my rebellion has all but failed. I have nothing beneficial to offer to this alliance, but I do have something to offer to you, Naruto." Sentaro then walked around the dais until he was in front of the blond, where he got down onto his knees and bowed his head. "If you will allow it, my men and I would like to pledge our loyalties to you and your forces, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Wha… What are you doing?" Naruto asked, confused by the man's actions.

"When Mei was betrayed, I was overcome with rage. After I'd been captured, Mei gave me a second chance; a way to redeem myself from my abhorrent actions against the people of Mizu no Kuni. Then Akira betrayed us all, and I became distraught when that second chance was cruelly ripped away from me. From that day on, my desire for vengeance consumed me, but I still wanted to see Mei's dream become a reality. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that my methods were too heavy-handed and ineffective until several of my comrades lost their lives. Even with all of the sacrifices my rebellion made, the people only saw us as the same as the bloodthirsty demons that served under Akira. Your accomplishments made me realize that I was not meant to be the one to lead my country to a better tomorrow; that person is you, Naruto. You are the hero we need, so please, allow my men and myself to help you bring about a new era to Kirigakure and to all of Mizu no Kuni." Naruto was rendered silent by the proud shinobi's words. Before he could even think of a response to the man's request, the young blond was surprised yet again when Kenpo knelt down next to Sentaro and mimicked the latter's actions.

"I, Sairento Kenpo, also offer the services of my clan to you. Please accept our strength." the old man said solemnly. Naruto was now beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by the two men in front of him. Without a word, he got up from his seat and stood in front of them, causing the two men to look up in order to meet his gaze.

"I promise the both of you that neither of you will not regret this. I swear that I will do everything in my power to bring about a new hope to Mizu no Kuni, and humbly accept your strength to accomplish this feat." answered Naruto. The two men bowed again before rising to their feet.

Ryuzo chuckled at the spectacle that had played out in front of him. "Well, that answers my question. While I still wish to not be involved in the actual combat, I will gladly provide assistance in any way possible." Naruto nodded at him and the meeting got back on track.

XXX

Naruto shook hands with Ryuzo, Hitode and Shizuka at the end of the meeting before they were led out of his base. Some of his men lead Sentaro to a vacant area that he and his men could use, while Kenpo had already left to gather his clansmen for the march. Once he was free, he turned his attention to Genji.

"That went rather well. I'm surprised that no one tried to pick a fight with someone else." he commented.

"It wasn't too hard to find a common ground that everyone could agree on. Some of our visitors just wanted Akira dealt with, while the others wanted a say in how Kirigakure is governed. It's not that big of a deal." answered Naruto.

"That's where you're wrong, Naruto. The fact that you were willing to listen to each of their points of view shows that this rebellion is taking a step in the right direction. You've practically become a citizen of Mizu no Kuni without even realizing it." smirked Genji. Naruto returned Genji's smirk, the old man's words repeating themselves within his mind. Throughout his campaign, he started to see himself as another citizen of Mizu no Kuni. At first, the notion was somewhat bizarre to him, as he had thought that Konoha and Hi no Kuni would always be his home, but those notions had swiftly been demolished after he'd been banished. Since then, he'd spent most of his time traveling across the globe without any attachments holding him back or making him feel homesick. But now, he was starting to feel a sort of fondness for Kirigakure, which was a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a ninja came running toward them, his grim expression instilling a sense of foreboding within the blond.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

It took a while for the ninja to catch his breath before he finally spoke. "Enkai Kagura has been captured by Akira."

XXX

Kagura's head was pulled out of the large tub of ice water, in which she immediately spat out some water that had slipped down her trachea as she gasped for air. The kunoichi had endured such drastic torturous methods for over half an hour, but she refused to show any weakness to her tormentor, Tsuki. Looking up from where she was restrained, the Enkai saw the woman seated across from her with a smirk across her face. Kagura had a smile on her face as well, despite her grim circumstances.

"You enjoying the show?" Kagura asked amusingly.

"A little." Tsuki replied, her smile not changing in the slightest.

"You know that this won't break me, right? I've been through much worst."

"Oh, I know all about your past tribulation. I was there, remember? I mean, we are cousins. Our uncle was one of the few participants in your ordeal." she revealed.

"Yeah, you stood by and watched while our uncle and a few other clansmen did the deed to me. I never understood why Yagura allowed you of all people to live."

"Yagura found my abilities to be of use in his forces. Besides, I am just as twisted as you, Kagura, or rather we used to be. Now, you don't know who or what you are. So tell me, cousin: are you Yagura's ruthless weapon or Mei's little project?"

"Is that what you're going to do now, talk me to death? Hate to burst your bubble, but that's not going to work with me. I know that I'm fighting for a just cause, and soon you and your little group will be massacred for your actions."

"Oh my Kami, that is just hilarious!" guffawed Tsuki, the room ringing with her loud laughter. Her cousin's reaction only served to enrage Kagura.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"You really believe that you're the hero in this huge debacle? Wow, that Mei must have been something else. She didn't even have to use genjutsu to control her sheep." Kagura struggled to get to her only for the guard to forcibly dunk her again. After a short period of time had passed, she was pulled back up. "Did I hit a nerve there?"

"I swear, I'm going to break out of these chains, and kill you with my bare hands!" snarled Kagura

"I'll be looking forward to that. But in the meantime, I want to know the truth."

"What truth?!"

"I want to know what you really planned to do before you started to lie to yourself. I knew that you were going to kill Mei and her little rebel party the day that Mei captured you and Sentaro. Sentaro was the weakest out of the four of us, so I wasn't surprised that Mei was able to convince him to defect to her side. But you; you were made of sterner stuff. You stayed true to your original mission objectives even after you defected, and even had a plan to end the rebellion from within. Before you are executed in three days' time, you are going to admit that truth to all of the people gathered to watch you die. You're going to reveal to the people how your hopes of Mei's dream coming true was nothing but an act, and that you were really just lying in wait for the right moment to exterminate her and all of her loyalists for your dear brother, thereby revealing how much of an amoral, hypocritical monster you truly are. That's when I will have my victory: when the Emi tte Majo falls in utter defeat." Tsuki explained with sickening glee.

Kagura roared as she lunged at her captor, only to be roughly dunked into the tub once again, her screams of rage creating several air bubbles that rose to the ice water's surface.

XXX

Naruto stopped at the edge of a tree line to catch his breath right as the sun was starting to rise. He had left the base hours ago after running damage control with the twins. They were not happy to see Sentaro inside the base, and they were even more furious to learn that he was going to save Kagura; it had taken nearly an hour of arguing before he finally managed to calm them down.

The blond still managed to cover quite a bit of ground once he'd left the base, and he figured that he would arrive at Kiri by nightfall. He already knew how he'd be sneaking in so long as no one discovered the tunnels that his men were working on. Naruto just hoped that he arrived in time to stop the execution. Figuring that he'd rested for long enough, he stood up and set off to his destination once again, seemingly unaware of the "shadow" that was trailing after him.

Shin seethed silently as he watched Naruto continue his journey. He had been closely when he overheard the argument between the rebellion leader and the twins, and fully agreed with the latter's stance on the whole matter: Naruto was recklessly jeopardizing the future that he and his comrades had worked tirelessly to create all so that he could rescue Kagura. In his mind, the bloodthirsty bitch was getting what she rightfully deserved, yet somehow the blond fool thought that it would be a good idea to help her escape justice. It was times like these that Shin wondered how someone so infuriatingly naïve managed to get the better of him so easily. Regardless of his own misgivings about the entire plan, he owed a debt to Kenpo, who unfortunately believed in the young idiot. So for now, he'd just have to make sure that his "fearless leader" didn't die in his little "rescue mission".

XXX

Kagura laid in her cell, broken and listless. Tomorrow was going to be her last day in the world of the living; the last day to breathe in the world's air and walk on its ground. After two straight days of mental and physical torture, Enkai Kagura had finally reached her breaking point. Tsuki had been relentless in her attempts to uncover "the truth". The interrogator used every single method, and struck every pressure point in order to try and get a confession out of her. The woman made it quite clear that their familial ties didn't matter to her one bit.

The once lively rebel fighter was now an empty shell of her former self, silent and defeated. The kunoichi just didn't care anymore; she knew that no one was coming to her rescue because no one gave a damn about her. By the time tomorrow rolled around, and Akira brought her out to be executed in front of everyone, Tsuki would finally have her victory.

"That's not the Kagura that I know and love." came a voice that sounded oddly familiar. Slowly raising her head to pinpoint where she heard the stranger, Kagura's eyes widened in disbelief when she saw Terumī Mei herself standing outside the cell's bars. Carefully raising herself into an upright sitting position, the captive woman blinked a few times to make sure that she wasn't seeing anything. She even bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, thinking that Tsuki was using genjutsu to screw with her, and yet the former rebel leader was still standing there.

"That's it, then; it's finally happened. I've gone completely insane." muttered Kagura.

"Well, technically you were already a little insane by the time I met you." Kagura narrowed her eyes; the apparition sounded exactly like Mei, even though the Enkai knew that the woman was indeed stone dead. "Don't worry, I'm not here to haunt you or anything. I'm just here to help you get through this."

"Get me through what, Mei? I'm going to die tomorrow morning. No one is coming to my rescue. The people of Kirigakure have spoken, and they want nothing to do with me." Kagura countered sadly.

"Can you blame them? Your actions don't exactly paint you as a benevolent person that wants to bring peace and prosperity to Kiri."

"Gee, thanks. I really needed to hear that before I die." deadpanned the imprisoned woman.

"Kagura, why can't you just admit the truth to yourself? Don't you think keeping everything bottled up is doing you more harm than good? The reason you can't move on with your life is because you still refuse to accept the darker parts of yourself?"

"So you're agreeing with Tsuki now, huh? Are you going to abandon me as well?!"

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. When I was still alive, I told you to be yourself, but you never did. You just kept all your anger and frustrations locked away within you, and hid behind a false smile so that no one would notice your inner turmoil. I tried my best to get you to let it all out, yet you refused me at every turn." Mei chided. "You let every negative emotion fester inside you and never dealt with them in a healthy way."

"Then what did you want me to do, huh?! What did you want me to say?! That I hate Kiri?! That I don't give a shit about the people of this village?! That I planned on killing you and every one of my so-called allies when I was first captured?! Do you want to hear me admit it?!"

"Yes, I do, because that is the first step you need to take in order to become a better person." answered Mei, shocking Kagura into silence. "Did you honestly think that I was oblivious to your hidden agenda when you were captured? I knew that you had a strong sense of loyalty to your brother. After all, the both of you went through hell because of the rampant bigotry within the village. It was your loyalty to Yagura that inspired me to try so damn hard to convince you to join my resistance. That has always been the truth of the matter, but if I'd known that my actions would have unintentionally instigated this drawn-out internal battle within you, I would have just put you out of your misery."

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"I convinced you that everyone would celebrate your heroic deeds if you joined me, and that you wouldn't be judged if you helped us kill your brother. I promised you so many things that you changed everything about you, and yet your true self continued to fight these changes. And before you even ask, I never once saw the killer you were for Yagura as your true self."

"So if I'm not a hero, and if I'm not a killer, then who the hell am I?!" demanded Kagura.

"You are Enkai Kagura. Beyond that, I can't give you a more profound answer; you're going to have to find it yourself. Search your soul, and you will find the answer that you've been looking for." counseled Mei as she began to fade from view. Kagura simply cursed as the former rebellion leader disappeared, leaving her with more questions than even before. Slumping back down against the wall, she did nothing as tears began to form. As she starting to concede to her demise, a long forgotten memory flashed through her mind.

XXX

Flashback start

A younger Kagura looked at her teammate with annoyance as he just sat there, completely still and quiet. Having enough of the silence looming over the area, she decided to make her presence known.

"Why do you do that?" Kagura demanded. Sentaro did not turn to face her, but he still responded to her question.

"Excuse me?"

"That meditation crap, why do you keep doing it? You trying to find enlightenment or something? You're a shinobi, not a samurai. If you regret your decision in not becoming a samurai, you should have stayed with your family on the daimyo's island."

"It helps me clear my mind whenever I am faced with troubling dilemmas. I can almost always find the solutions I need to overcome the challenges that I encounter. You should try it some time." Sentaro answered seriously. Kagura just scoffed angrily at him and walked away.

Flashback End

XXX

Kagura had regretted saying such harsh things to Sentaro, especially since she'd never apologized to him before he'd left to join Naruto's brood; and now it looked like she'd never get the chance. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she composed herself as she crossed her legs and took a deep breath. After slowly letting it out, she slowly took in another deep breath, held it in, and then slowly exhaled once again. She repeated this pattern several times as she tried to imitate everything Sentaro did when he meditated. As she attempted to clear her mind, she focused on one single question.

'Who am I?'

XXX

As Kagura was led to the stage in chains, her eyes were immediately drawn to the chopping block. Gone was her tattered clothing, and in its place was a simple dreary outfit: calf-high sandals, black tights, black gloves that stopped at her wrists, and a long black shirt that had its back cut out and its sleeves ripped off at the shoulders. She didn't even look at the villagers who were out to see her die. She only looked up when she was forced down onto her knees in front of Akira and Tsuki, both of whom were grinning smugly at her.

"Tsuki tells me that you have a few words to say before you die. Since I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you a chance to beg for your life in front of all these people." the Mizukage said humorously. Kagura just turned to face the entire crowd, making sure that everyone's attention was on her.

"I'm not going to beg to anyone of you for my life or forgiveness. You did what you did in response to my deeds. I've taken so much from all of you, but you know what? I don't really care." Everyone in the crowd began to mutter angrily, yet Kagura carried on. "I don't regret any of my actions, because as much as you hate me, I hate each and every one of you even more. I hate all of you because of your hypocrisy, and for everything that you did to Yagura and me. This entire damn village ostracized and demonized my brother all because he was the host to the Sanbi, completely disregarding the fact that he had no choice in the matter! Did any of you actually think for a second that I would stand by idly and watch my brother suffer?! Hell, I killed our mother when that fucking bitch tried to murder him in cold blood!"

No one in the gathered crowd dared to speak up now as Kagura continued her tirade. "What did Yagura do to deserve all of your hate? He trained his ass off to control the Sanbi so that he wouldn't lose control of the beast, and eventually succeeded! He even became the Sandaime Mizukage, and led this village to a period of peaceful prosperity with his policies. He should have been praised for accomplishing such feats, but what this village do? You scorned him, hated him, and even plotted to assassinate him! But out of this entire village full of filthy ingrates, our own family was the worst of them all. They never once supported him, their own flesh and blood! I was the only one to ever show Yagura any kindness, and do you know what my bastard of a father did? He allowed my sick fuck of an uncle and several of our clan members to rape me, claiming that it was my fitting punishment for supporting a monster and killing his wife."

The woman took a moment to recall what she did in retaliation, a bloodthirsty smile etched across her face. "But I got my vengeance on every single one of them, on all of you. I slaughtered my entire family until only Yagura and I were left, and I did it with a smile on my face the entire time; that's how became known as the Emi tte Majo. I rained down bloody retribution on this cesspool of a village, and I relished every single second of it. But then, years later, I got captured by Mei. That bitch tried to recruit me and turn me to her side, but I refused to kowtow to her ideals. I was going to kill her and wipe out that whole rebellion, but she eventually got to me. She made me believe that I would gain your respect for helping liberate Kirigakure from the tyrant Yagura had become; that I could get you all to see me in a different light and respect me for the person I truly was. Tch, but I guess her words were empty promises, because all of you are still ignorant bigots. Personally, I've come to believe that Kirigakure doesn't deserve to be saved at all." Several members of the crowd had the decency to look ashamed as they started to quietly whisper to one another. Kagura, however, was not quite done yet.

"My own personal feelings for this village aside, looking at all of you actually breaks my heart." Everyone looked at her in confession. "Our home was once one of the great five shinobi villages, yet because of our own fears and bigotry, Kirigakure is now just barely holding on. We are going to destroy ourselves if we continue down this path. Mei used to believe that we could all come to an understanding with one another, and that's the only way that this village can save itself from total annihilation. If we continue to be ruled by our hatred and fear, then Kirigakure no Sato will vanish; Akira will see to that. So start changing now! Put aside your petty differences, and work together towards creating a more benevolent Kirigakure. If not for yourselves, then do it for the future generation. Don't make the same mistakes that you and I've made, because if you destroy Kiri's future with your stubbornness and unfounded prejudice, I swear that I'll come back from the dead as a ghost, and haunt all of your asses!"

Akira was displeased with the gathered crowd's sudden change in mood, his fists clenching so hard that his palms started to bleed. He glared at an equally annoyed Tsuki, showing his displeasure for her apparent failure to fully break the prisoner's mental resolve. Not wanting to provide her with any more chances to instill dissent among his shinobi and civilians, he decided to execute the troublesome woman himself. He stormed towards the bound kunoichi, snatching up her scythe from one of his guards along the way. As he glared down at the person who'd caused him so much trouble, he felt his rage burn even hotter once he noticed the defiance that within her eyes. Kagura easily picked up on the man's frustration, and decided to rub some more salt into his wounds.

"My only regret is that I'm not going to live long enough to see your karma tear you a new asshole." she smirked. With an enraged snarl, Akira raised the scythe to deliver the killing blow. Kagura simply closed her eyes in grim acceptance. 'I'm sorry, Sentaro. I wish I had the chance to properly apologize to you.' She waited for her own blade to take her life, but was caught completely off guard when she heard Akira scream in furious agony. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see the Mari-Blade cutting into Akira's hand, forcing him to drop her weapon. As the Mizukage staggered away while clutching at his wounded appendage, Naruto easily sliced through her chains, his eyes locked onto hers.

"Do you want to get out of here?" was the simple query that he asked.

"Is the sky blue? Hell, yeah, I wanna blow this popsicle stand!" Kagura replied after she'd snatched up her scythe. The crowd immediately began to disperse as the guards started to make their way to the stage. Kagura swiftly cut down the first three guards that got too close, while Naruto cut down another two, but it was quickly becoming apparent that they'd be surrounded in a matter of seconds. "I hope that you actually have a plan to escape."

"Oh yeah, I've got one. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A large plume of smoke erupted from where Naruto slammed his blood-smeared palm onto the ground. When the smoke cleared, Kagura found herself looking down at the Kiri ninjas from atop of a large toad's head. "It's time to go, Gamatatsu!"

"Hai!" was the large animal's childish replay. Gamatatsu leaped away just as several jutsu were launched at him. He cleared Kiri's walls in a couple of powerful leaps and landed a few feet away from the village's outer perimeter. Akira knew that with their massive head start, the three escapees would soon be too far to pursue, which did nothing to placate his fury. Instead, he barked out orders for his ninja to search for any more intruders hiding within the village, and demanded a medic to heal to his bleeding hand.

XXX

"Thanks again, Gamatatsu. I'll make sure to get your body's weight worth in candy for you later, okay?" said Naruto.

"Oh boy!" cheered the large yellow toad. "You're the best, Naruto! I gotta tell big bro Gamakichi about this, he'll be so jealous! Bye-bye!" Without another word, the amphibian vanished in a plume of smoke, leaving the two humans alone with each other. An awkward silence settled among them, until Kagura finally broke it.

"Thanks for the save back there. I actually thought that I was gonna die." she said.

Naruto simply nodded, his expression serious. "Did you mean what you said to that crowd?"

Kagura got serious as well. "Yeah, I meant it, but you don't have to worry about me interfering with your plans. You're actually going to change the village for the better, and that's all I've ever wanted; it just took me a long time to realize that. I guess I'll be heading somewhere isolated to try and live out the rest of my life peacefully"

"Really? You're going to walk away from all of this, just like that?" asked Naruto, somewhat surprised at seeing such a calm side from the lively woman.

"I'm no savior, Naruto; I've taken more lives than I've saved. On top of all that, I still have no idea who I truly am. Right now, my mind is all over the place, and I'd be of no use to anyone as I am now." explained Kagura.

"I'm really surprised that you're being so honest about all of this." stated Naruto.

"Well, let's just say that when I was at my lowest, an annoying bitch set me straight." was Kagura's curt response.

"Oh, I know how you feel. They can be a real pain, acting like they know everything." concurred the blond.

In the spirit world, Terumī Mei and Uzumaki Ibarra suddenly stopped the conversation they were having to glare down at the mortal realm. They had heard the comments, and were not amused by them at all. Meanwhile back in the real world, Naruto and Kagura continued their talk, completely oblivious to the spirts' ire.

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I honestly think that you leaving all of this behind will be a mistake that you'll regret for the rest of your life. Why not join me, and finally see this revolution through to the end?"

Kagura gaped at Naruto. "You're really asking for my help?"

"I believe that first impressions are overrated, and can occasionally be misleading. Besides, despite your hatred for the people of Kiri, I believe that you actually care about them. I can't promise that you'll find the answers that you've been looking for if you're with me, but I can guarantee that we will take down Akira for good."

Kagura looked at the young man in disbelief before she finally smirked at him. "You can be a bit too trusting for your own good, kid."

"I agree." said a disgruntled voice. Kagura was immediately on guard, but Naruto just sighed in annoyance. From out of the shadows, Shin stepped out into the open.

"So you're finally done shadowing me?" asked Naruto. Although Shin's visage remained nonplused, he was surprised that the young blond had been aware of his presence the entire time. Nonetheless, he quickly focused his attention to what he'd just recently witnessed. He glared hatefully at the Enkai woman before his stare centered onto Naruto.

"I can understand you allowing Sentaro to join your ranks, as he's always been the most civil of Kirigakure's Four Butchers,but Kagura of all people?! That bitch was the second most bloodthirsty murderer that served under the Yondaime Mizukage during the Bloodline Purges. I don't know what happened in the village, but do you actually believe that your allies are going to willingly fight alongside that monster in human skin?! I refuse to just stand back and watch as you jeopardize our victory!"

"Last time I checked, I lead the rebellion, not you. I get to make the decisions on who joins and who doesn't." said Naruto as he turned to face Shin. "If you don't like it, you can leave. I really don't care what you owe Kenpo, you can find another way to pay him back after Kirigakure's been liberated."

Shin's eyes narrowed dangerously as his hands drifted towards Kubikiribocho's hilt. "Why don't you try and make me?" Naruto responded by withdrawing the Mari-Blade in a single flourish and readying himself for combat. If Shin wanted a fight, he was sure as hell going to get one.

XXXXX

Authors' Notes – It's been a while since me and Toa Naruto updated this story. However, you can't rush genius. This chapter came out great. Anyway, enjoy the newest chapter. No Glossary or Jutsu this time.