The Protector - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

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2/14/26

"You're him, aren't you…?"

"Who?"

"That ninja… the savior of the whole world…"

.

.

.

"And… what if I was?" he questioned, not revealing too much, but trying to gauge what she wanted.

If she were trying to surprise him a second time, he would say she earned it. Because what she said next would thoroughly shock him

As a small laugh began to leave her lips, as she said, "Then…

I'll be able to tell you all you want to know."

Chapter 6-

And so she told him, she told him everything.

Taking a small pill into her mouth, something that he only assumed to be some type of anesthetic to numb her mouth and chakra points to prevent the seal from activating clearly, as it would send its deadly substance into their brain. At least that was what Mikado had told him, how she found access to such information, he didn’t quite know. 

In fact, the woman seemed to know alot, even discounting her knowing his identity, she also had surmised why he was here, and what his mission was, and even his target.

Iwatashi Sato, the man who seemed to take over an entire town right under everyone’s noses. 

He had owned this town, owned it for longer than anyone had thought possible. 

Mikado had told him what she knew in a matter of 60 seconds. The seal would be suppressed, sure, but only for so long; after that point, there was no telling what might happen. It was a makeshift solution that she only theorized would work, and yet its effectiveness was half-measured, but given the time crunch it had to do.

And so Naruto listened without interruption, making out what she had to say and translating it all well enough to what he already knew.

For starters, she told him that Iwatashi had come to this town slowly and strategically. He was a man who didn’t do much without cause, and as such, he chose this town for its relative location within the land of fire, its high traffic, and for one key reason, which she would go into. Iwatashi had come to this town like any businessman looking to venture into new equity, and many had thought nothing of it. He acquired ownership of one of the three casinos within the city through an alias; of course, he didn’t want anyone to know of his connection. And after a while, he bought another, and then the other, allowing him total control over the city’s hotbed of tourism and life that existed. 

It had been slow at first, but Iwatashi had connections, someone who had immense sealing knowledge, and the Sato magnate was powerful enough to get him the fresh bodies he needed to implement newer and newer iterations of his seals. Using test subjects he had procured in the dead of night, unwanted people who were inebriated, and nobody would miss them. It had taken many lives, but eventually, he had created a seal that he was able to give to the masses, which he did so meticulously, tracking those who had been marked under the cover of darkness, as nobody could stop him.

He had many people under his employ, including the mayor of the town and the police officer; after all, even they didn’t know if they had been marked. As he tried to build his rebellion, all the while making connections with other like-minded people who shared his views, as well as S-rank ninja, he promised them order and the lives they had only dreamed of under his employ. After all, he had taken great interest in the former Akatsuki organization, an organization of only 10 S-rank ninja that had shaken up the ninja world, causing the 5 great nations to become united in their fear of such power that one could hold with the strength of ten kages. Wanting to replicate such ability for his own cause, the dismantling of the 5 great nations, which he viewed as an active threat to anyone’s peace.

A growing sentiment in many that he wished to exploit. 

The casinos he purchased were, in actuality, just a front, a secret he had found out, which brought his interest in the city. As, in actuality, Mikado revealed that the city was built on shady foundations that nobody knew about, particularly the three Cassino’s which had been fashioned upon the foundations of an old clan outpost before the time of the hidden villages, one with hidden tunnels and underground railways to move around more easily. Knowing this, it had become clear that the entire village held what was akin to a plethora of subtareanian subsections, perfect for hiding and shipping things without anyone being the wiser. The three casinos were connected, allowing anyone Iwatashi wanted to pass through, as all the while his forces began to control the city. Allowing whatever or whomever to enter the village whenever Iwatashi liked, taking control of the populace, as he generated even more revenue and built up his forces.

It was ingenious, if a bit crude. He had taken over the village’s population and controlled its underdwellings, effectively making himself the village’s secret daimiyo right under the land of Fire’s nose. Thinking of the city as nothing more than a hotbed for gambling and liquor, not even knowing the infamous company holder was within the city.

Of course, Mikado had told him all of this, and he had been suspicious how she knew so much. Though he had thrown out the possibility of her being a spy, leading him into a trap, seeing as how their meeting was too coincidental, even by shinobi standards.

But even so, it was alot of secret information for one normal woman to know. Nevertheless, he didn’t have much time to question her on the subject, as she was explaining how the underground tunnels worked. With each casino being connected to a main service hub that Iwatashi operated within, she told him if he wanted to find Sato, he would be there, likely prepared for Konoha’s assault with numerous S-rank nin he had hired. 

When she had finished talking, her mouth started to foam up, much like the police officer who had died in his arms had, as her body started to spasm.

Naruto acted quickly; whatever drug she had given herself, the effect seemed to be rapidly wearing off, and if he didn’t do anything, she would be dead by the hour, pulling her onto a nearby gurney, as he attempted basic medical attention he had been taught. He attempted CPR, several compressions upon her chest, as he forced oxygen into her lungs. 

Life seemed to be fading out of her. All the while, he tried flushing her system from foreign chakras, much like how one would dispel a genjutsu from someone, not knowing if such a thing would work, though, nevertheless, he attempted as such, hoping to prevent whatever foreign entity that was within her from spreading. Though even he was unsure if such a process would work, after all, it wasn’t like the last time he had seen such a thing, there had been any time to learn the proper procedure with these things. And so he went by his instincts, what had helped him all these years and kept those he cherished alive.

Thankfully, flushing her chakra seemed to be working, as the seal was chakra-based. Though she had not induced herself with a drug to stall the seal’s mobid effects, he would have nought the time to cure her. 

Mikado stopped spasming after an hour, as her health started to return to her. 

Now she lay upon the gurney, parts of her clothing torn and ruffled in his haste. He had hooked her up to the nearby Holter monitor, trying to keep note of her vitals. 

It was the least he could do, as she slept silently. 

The woman, having risked her life to tell him everything, only proved the validity of her statements. 

Her message had been clear to him: if he wanted to find his target, he would be there.

That was all he needed to know. 

Despite the dangers, he had been sent to assassinate the man, even with all of his protection. And he would not be dissuaded from doing so.

As her body lay soundly within the clinic room, the slow beeping of her heartbeat was the only sound that occurred with them. He wondered how many others would not be so lucky, how many others had died because of what Iwatashi Sato had been planning. How many more would die? That was why he needed to be stopped.

Tentatively, he lowered himself, giving a light kiss to the woman’s forehead. It was a hollow parting, of that he was sure; nevertheless, he did it. 

And with it a message.

“Do not worry, justice will be tolled out; that is all I can promise you.”

And so he got to work.

XXX

Sure enough, Mikado’s information was accurate. 

There was, in fact, a network of secret tunnels within each of the three main casinos, as she had told him how to access them. Sneaking around, in much the same way he had done before, without the use of chakra, only using his wits and cunning to make it around to the entrance. As he saw numerous seals littering the newly found tunnels, likely tracking any unpermitted use of chakra like the casino, which might be why they had been carting so much sealing ink around, trying to replicate other ‘shinobi-proof strongholds’. 

Suppressing his chakra pool had been most useful when moving around, though he would say his navigation had been less than optimal, in what seemed to be akin to a stone maze. Though eventually he found a guarded door at one end, as he quickly dispatched the two guards cleanly and efficiently, knowing they would be knocked out for some time.

From then on, he was led to a large room with multiple balconies and loading areas. As well as a main hall, several figures within it, some of which he recognised.

One was the dark-skinned masked figure from Lightning Country he had seen in the casino. 

As another was a tanned figure, with long, dark hair, green eyes, and stitches covering his cheeks like a severed smile. As he wore a sleeveless dark vest, with black shinobi pants, and upon his forehead was the symbol for the Hidden Waterfall village. 

The third was a pale man with reddish pink hair and a star symbol on his forehead, purple eyes, and white and blue clothing. 

As well as two males, both from Kusagakure, as they had similar greenish-blue hair and grey clothing armour, likely brothers, each of them had a sword on their backs.

Overall, he wouldn’t say he quite recognised any of them, but then again, the minor hidden villages had been rather secretive as of late, especially with their own shinobi forces. He couldn’t just look them up in the bingo book any longer, and that meant that he didn’t have much information to go off of. Meaning, if any sort of confrontation were to happen between them, he would largely be going in blind, which was never easy.

Going up against an S-rank ninja without knowing anything about their capabilities was usually a way to end up in an early grave as far as he was concerned.

It was much like Shikamaru’s initial clash with Hidan of the Akatsuki before the 4th shinobi war— and they knew how well that turned out for Shikamaru’s teacher, Asuma Sarutobi. Hidan was an immortal, a person who could take fatal blows and dish them out just as severely and survive. He could even have his head cut off, which they had done to him, and he had remained talking. However, what was even more troublesome with the man was his one technique, a seal made via his own blood. Something that made it so, on the condition that he ingested his opponent’s blood, made it so they would receive the same damage that he would. That, coupled with his immortality and the ability to survive his heart being destroyed, made it a deadly combination.

All that was to say, S-rank shinobi were unpredictable, making it so even the laws of nature had no precedent for them to subscribe to.

And then, at the helm of the room, was a man he did recognize. Not too tall, not too short, he was middle-aged, with greyed, ashen hair and a wrinkled figure, dressed in a business suit, with well-shaven facial hair and black eyes. This was undoubtedly Iwatashi Sato, the man he was after. 

The dark-skinned man from lightning country at his side, likely his main accomplice, in the matter. He also had a different aura to him, more resolute and commanding of respect than the other rogue nin. 

“So, Sato, why have you called us in here?” one of the males from Kusa spoke.

“Have you decided to renew the terms of our agreement?” his brother inquired.

Iwatashi just had an emotionless look on his face. “As a matter of fact, I have. I believe these terms would be more to your liking,” the businessman spoke, reaching into his coat as he pulled out a piece of paper. The lightning country man took it and passed it around, showing everyone what he had to offer.

Though it would seem that the man from Star-country was less than amused, “What the hell is this?! You know this is not what we wanted!” He shouted, taking the piece of paper and throwing it right at Iwatashi’s feet.

The magnate merely looked at the paper with a scowl. “You read it, that is my offer, as you requested, I changed the number as I am merely extending my hand graciously, as any businessman would.”

“We ask you to pay what we are worth! You think this mere amount is worth as much as Akatsuki?!” The man from Star was adamant for more; it seemed, whatever the number he had been given, it wasn’t enough.

Iwatashi’s fingers twitched, “You ask for miracles, you ask for mountains of gold, and I have none I am willing to give you.”

As the two sword wielders pulled out their swords, aiming them at the Sato. “And who’s to say we can’t take it? We wish for our mountains, and your influence, and we know we have the power to take it from you!” They said.

As Iwatashi’s guardsman narrowed his eyes, preparing to fight as well if need be.

“Bwah—!” And yet all the businessman did was laugh. “Bwahahahaha!”

“You mean to make a mockery of us?” The man from Takigakure spoke up.

“You merely make a mockery of yourselves if you continue with such a farce!” Iwatashi shouted out. “Do you honestly believe that merely killing me will get you what you want? Is that it?! If things were so simple, I would be dead a long time ago, and by Ryusei’s hand. No, if you had the means to garner what I have acquired, you would have done it by now, and yet you all fester, here within my lounge, needing my employ. Why is that? Because we need each other…”

“And yet all I see us the same, underground, cowering under the five nations,” the stitched man argued.

“We bid our time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And to stop them, we need each other, we need our connections, we need your strength, as without both, we cannot hope to topple the nations as we see fit. Yet, without me, you have nothing, as you all will live out your days running from the nearest hunter nin, being chased by the shadow of the Uchiha.”

“I fear no Uchiha,” The man of stars told him.

“Then you shall die braver than most,” Iwatashi sounded. “The leaf has two men who are akin to gods of shinobi, stronger than all the Bijuu in their own right. That is cause for fear in and of itself, yet they are held under the banner of the five nations, who have ceased fighting each other; what shall happen if they say they want the whole world under their banner? Then where will we be, if but groveling under their feet?” He reasoned.

“And you have a plan to stop them?” The Takigakure man spoke.

“We do, the same way we have taken this village, and the same way Akataski stood up to this land. After all, it was them who created a stepping stone for you to assimilate your power, was it not? Ye, who saw dreams of knowledge beyond your imaginations,” He pointed.

Naruto knew exactly what he was referring to. The Infinite Tsukiyomi, or the moon’s eye plan, the eternal genjutsu that Akatsuki had aimed to place everyone under, did place everyone under. It was a troublesome technique, allowing a person with the powers of all the united Bijuu to cast the strongest genjutsu ever created. Reflecting the gaze of the Rinnesharingan upon the moonscape and trapping everyone within the eternal dream of whatever they wanted, unleashing their deepest desires so that not even they would hope to escape the technique.

He remembered when such a thing went off, being protected from his former Six Paths' energy, granted to him by the Sage of Six Paths, as Sasuke used his Susanoo to protect Kakashi and Sakura. This allowed them to defeat the newly revived Kaguya and remove the genjustu.

Though to some, the effects still ran rampant. 

People, desiring to live in such dreams, and those who kept what remained, if only a little.

You see, some wished for power, knowledge of techniques that had long since been kept secret by villages, and yet under the Infinite Tsukiyomi, it was given to them. They kept such knowledge, which was evidently how the world had seen a rise in S-rank shinobi over the years.

People from minor villages gaining strength they wouldn’t have had otherwise, which he guessed was what Iwatashi wanted to use. The rise in S-rank shinobi to cause an upheaval of the 5 great nations as they knew it. 

“But me, I saw my own dream, without the elemental nations, without the great five villages to control us. That is what I want, and I know that I need your help to do it, so I once again mention that I aim to offer an occasion… something that you cannot do, a new person, for the means in which none of us can do without each other. We can take down these Gods of Shinobi and their village’s reign, just as my dream foresaw,” Iwatashi spoke elegantly, returning to his business tone. 

As Naruto himself waited for the perfect moment to strike, trying to wait for when the man was alone, though he would have hoped a quarrel would happen between them, the chances of that were diminishing rapidly. He would need to buy his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Naruto had to hand it to the guy; he did have a way with words, even if he was crazy. If he didn’t know any better, he would have joined with the guy right then and there— if.

He could see some of the shinobi mulling over his words. 

All the while, the dark-skinned man, ‘Ryusei,’ he believed his target had called him, sat with his eyes closed, as if meditating, and then he looked straight at him.

He saw him.

Even in the darkness, even when he was suppressing his presence like that of an ant, he saw him. Giving a small hand signal to his boss that was pre-arranged.

‘Shit,’ Naruto thought, almost instantly, this was about to become alot more complicated.

As Iwatashi’s eyes widened, actually surprised, “Well then, it might seem my money might need to be well spent, as we have an intruder in our—”

Squeltch!

Naruto didn’t even give him enough time to finish his sentence, already on the move as he dove into the room so fast that not many of them could track, brandishing his ANBU standard Tanto, channelling it with wind chakra, and ran. He saw that one of the nin from Kusagakure was in his way, already brandishing his sword. He could see that he would be a problem, so he eliminated the person there and then. Naruto saw that the person was aiming high, so he ducked low, faster than him, and he cut him nearly in half. The sickening feeling of metal hitting armor as it pierced right through it into flesh caught him as he pressed on through to his target.

Naruto is charging for Iwatashi, not slowing down for a second. Trying to use the opportunity of his surprise to finish his mission before anyone could react to his assault, and from then on, the men would have lost their employer and likely all reason for attacking him. If they felt they still had a reason, well, they could discuss their terms amicably, should things come down to it.

Though even with all his strength, fighting 5— now 4 S-rank ninja would be tough. And he likely wouldn’t have such an easy time with the rest of them. 

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed across the room as Ryusei blocked his strike, already sensing his direction and acting accordingly. 

Naruto, seeing as how he had failed in his assassination attempt, backed up, trying to gain some distance as he thought about his next course of action.

“Sōta!” The other Kusagakure nin shouted, seeing as how his brother had just been cut down before him. 

All of them were to witness Naruto’s figure, as he was covered in his ANBU ‘Fox’ gear, completely concealed. 

“It would seem that the Leaf wishes to take my life, and such a powerful assassin they have sent,” Sato added. “My former offer? Double it, solely for the one that brings me this fox’s head!” he offered.

“That fucker, I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him for what he did to my brother!” Dōta, Sōta’s brother, shouted angrily. As the two other nin, the man from Takigakure, and the other from Star village, surrounded him.

“Iwatashi-sama, it would be wise if we retreated until the assassin has been vanquished,” Ryusei spoke, not taking his eyes off of Naruto for a second.

Inwardly, the blonde cursed himself; he knew if he went after his target now, he would only be giving cause for the four of them to start attacking him. And as much as he liked a good fight, he also preferred himself to have no swords within his body, knowing that everyone would turn towards him the moment he tried to blitz past them.

No, this needed precision; it needed refinement. He needed to play this right, if he wanted to get his mission done, lest Iwatashi flee the city here and now, leaving him and his village back to square one.

That meant, before he went after the big fish… he had to deal with all of the obstacles in his way.

As Iwatashi and Ryusei made their retreat, 3 S-rank ninja stood before him, surrounded, the 4th lying at their feet, already slain, his blood still fresh as it dripped onto the floor.

To many, he would seem like a dead man going up against such powerful opponents, though he just stood there, on guard, waiting, ready for any confrontation, watching for any twitch, and opening something that would give him an edge to end this quickly. Because for as long as he stood here, waiting for the battle to begin was all the more distance his target was gaining on him.

Lucky for him, it would seem that the Kusagakure nin was losing his patience. “I’m tired of this shit, you’re a dead man!” He said, brandishing his sword and rushing for him faster than most could react to.

Naruto, however, was not like most people, able to jump over the low strike aiming to sever him in two, as he pivoted off, trying to gain surprise on the male from the land of star village, aiming a mighty slash. Unfortunately, it would seem he was prepared, as the male seemed to gain a light pink hue around his body, preventing him from cutting through him with his attack.

The leaf shinobi didn’t have time to be surprised, as sure enough he third member, the male from Takigakure was upon him, as several, blood red cords were upon him, as if ninja wires, and just as sharp, forcing Naruto to gain his distance. Trying to gather as much information to defeat these three that he could, his mind moving a thousand miles a minute.

Though he had to act fast, as the Dōta, the Kusa nin was ready with sword in hand. The blonde, putting his hands in the familiar tiger seal, summoned 2 Shadow clones as the sword wielder slashed wide. He ducked low, his first clone jumping high, as his second went on the offensive towards the male with the star aura. The taki nin opted to remain watching, seeing Naruto use his specialized cloning ability, and wanting to support from a distance.

The Kusa nin took some distance as Naruto fought him with his clone; meanwhile, the Star nin fought his clone, as he surmised that the man was able to form a dense shield of chakra all around his body. One that would prevent him from landing any attacks, as it made him nearly impenetrable, trying to fight him with a near-suicidal vigor. Tanking blows that would kill any man and use the opportunity to  All the while he was forced to keep an eye on the Taki nin, watching as he tried to strike at him from a distance.

Naruto dodged several sword slashes, trying as he could to get a good strike in, though he did note that this man was a better swordsman than him. More skilled, much like the swordman of Iron Country, though, he had the upper hand when it came to speed, strength, and reaction time. Tracking Dōta’s blade and dodging accordingly, as he and his clone tried to land any blow they could, keeping up with their near-perfectly timed assault. At one point, his clone was staggering slightly in the air, which gave his opponent the perfect time to strike.

Most people wouldn’t have been able to capitalize on it. Naruto had thought that he had been too far, but it would seem his opponent had a way around that. His sword, glistening steel, slashed forward as his clone dodged, or so he thought, as one moment his exact duplicate had stood there, in full form, the next he had poofed into non-existence, a shadow of a cloud gone.

His attacker aimed to use this momentary confusion to spell his end, but luckily, Naruto’s reflexes kicked in right then and there, as he weaved around his attacker’s high slash that was aiming to sever his shoulder. As the blonde gained some distance, watching as the trajectory of his blade made several arcs, that would cut him in two should they land.

All the while, his clone battled the man in his chakra armor, as the man made weapons out of his cloak. The secondary skin reminded him of his own bijuu cloak, with a similar density in chakra, which bewildered him.

How could this man have a chakra comparable to that of a Bijuu?

Idly, he was reminded of Kisame Hoshigaki, otherwise known as the ‘Tailless Beast,’ a man who did have chakra comparable to a Bijuu, at least as far as chakra levels were concerned, not density as this man had. 

As he tried to rack his brain for information on the village hidden in the stars, he remembered that they were rumored to have largely empowered themselves with a mysterious meteorite that contaminated their chakra, boosting it at the cost of one’s lifespan. Maybe this man managed to perfect such a treatment in his dream with the infinite Tsukyomi? That was his working theory anyway, and it wasn’t like he was at much liberty to doubt himself.

The clone version of himself leaping over a chakra ‘tendril’ of his that slashed at him at speeds not many could dodge. As the male tried to resume his assault, not letting up on him for a second, many limbs and pointed objects were shot at him.

Idly, this sort of reminded him of an Uchiha’s Susanoo, their ultimate defense granted to them by their Mangekyou sharingan. An ability that was reputed to allow the user to have a perfect defense as well as offense. Coating the user in a giant, thick armor that, at its highest power, could stand mountains tall.

In comparison, though, this was nothing, as while it surrounded him much like a chakra cloak, he didn’t have much in the way of destructive power like the Mangekyou Sharingan. And sure, the special chakra seemed to boost his base stats past the levels of an Elite jonin and maybe even a low-level Kage. To him, he was, by all measures… slow.

His movements were telegraphed, and he could see where he was aiming from a mile away. This man had become predictable, and all he had to do was find some way to pierce this guy’s armor.

Naruto used chakra to jump off the ceiling and walls to avoid the strikes. As he began reaching into his pocket, pulling out a standard kunai as it glittered to life with a blue outline. Wind chakra, at a precision that was so finely tuned that not even the highest masters in Suns could compare.

As he flung the object at the man, and unsurprisingly, he didn’t dodge, the kunai bounced off his armor harmlessly as it ricocheted towards a nearby wall, piercing into it. Moving through it as it carved a perfectly made kunai-shaped hole in its wake, showing just how powerful the knife could be. 

The man only grinned and gloated that a messily throwing knife couldn’t harm him, but he didn’t care at that moment; all he could do was try to figure out how he could dispose of the man in front of him, as he dodged more chakra weapons.

Meanwhile, the ‘real’ Naruto was left staring at the man in front of him, the sword wielder that could somehow unleash invisible outward strikes with no warning. 

“Surprised? That’s only a fraction of what I’m going to do to you. Do you see this sword? With this my brother and I have the distinct ability to cut through any technique, so much so that not even a dragon of fire could even singe us if we wanted,” The kusa nin explained exactly how he was able to cut straight through his clone like it was nothing, and he didn’t want to find out what would happen if it were to try to cut through him similarly.

As Naruto weighed his options, he could try to stage this as a battle of endurance, allowing the two in front of him to exhaust their reserves as he continued to move around them. Allowing for one momentary lapse in their fighting ability that he could make use of to deliver a finishing blow.

Though that hinged on a few factors, for one, the Taki-nin continuing his abstinence, which he couldn’t count on, given he might use the opportunity to get rid of him just the same. And the other was that he was on a time crunch; the longer he took fighting here, the longer his target had to get away. 

So, he needed to do something fast, even if that meant doing something potentially risky.

“Interesting…” was the only word that came out of his mouth behind his mask, as within a second, Naruto was rushing.

Though he didn’t exactly run towards the man, no, he was aiming for his brother, the corpse dead on the ground, with a similar sword. As he took it within his hands, as he rushed towards Dōta, who only seemed more infuriated that he was aiming to use his brother’s sword to face him, figuring that if one sword was as good as the other, then they might be able to match up to it, allowing him to get close enough to deliver a finishing blow. Or at least… that would be what he wanted the man to think.

Instead of using it to equalize the fight between them, he did something else.

He figured, if this sword was in fact the ultimate piercing weapon, and the other male was able to conjure a shield no other weapon could break through, what would happen if they clashed?

As he threw the sword, not towards his opponent but towards his clone, so fast that nearly none of them could register it. His clone already preparing to slash down at the Star ninja, following similar logic to his creator. Meanwhile, Naruto took a gamble.

He figured, well, the sword, while being extremely powerful, was just that. A sword, able to cut through chakra as cleanly as butter, and it was no wonder that he had made it onto the S-rank title, either of them, really. From the sheer amount of power and versatility they held, it was easy to see why. 

Then again, he wondered, how such a blade was able to match up with his own, forged from the best chakra metal from Iron Country. Would it stand? 

And as a matter of fact, as his clone plummeted towards the man in a full-body chakra shield, he wondered which would win out.

The real Naruto took out his Tanto, holding it in a reverse grip, as the Kusa nin aimed to slice his head clean off, the blonde ducking low, using his weapon to divert Dōta’s slash long enough to create an opening. 

Slash!

A sound of metal hitting metal was heard, as Naruto’s clone pierced right into the star ninja’s chakra limb as he cut through it like the wind, cutting the man in two from the inside, as he was left in shock at what had just happened. Having absolute faith in his technique and yet it was reduced to a lowly coffin in seconds.

Meanwhile, Naruto’s gamble was less than fortunate, as while it did provide some measure of protection in throwing the man’s slash off, it was cut nearly clean through with a loud clang. That was nearly all he needed, as the momentary loss of momentum of his blade was enough to get in close, which was what he needed.

His other hand held a Rasengan, an orb of spiraling and grinding energy that he had once learned when he was but a child on the mission to find Tsunade Senju with his sensei so long ago. A technique that was made for destruction as well as lethality, Naruto chose lethality. Thrusting the orb of condensed energy straight into the man’s frightened and wide-eyed face, realizing he had lost in that instant to a man he did not know. 

His technique exploded, blowing up right in the man’s face, and it would seem that he didn’t have the same level of durability as his star nukinin counterpart. Good for Naruto, bad for him. He remembered when he and Sasuke used to clash techniques, his Rasengan and Sasuke’s Chidori. A technique that allowed the user to coat his hand in pure lighting, millions of volts going out in waves like a flock of birds chirping. He remembered the rooftop of the hospital after Tsunade had cured Sasuke of an ailment he had, and how he had challenged him to a clash of their techniques. Then he remembered how Kakashi had diverted them both into two water towers, Sasuke’s arm nearly running through it completely. Meanwhile his? Well, it burst a hole in the back completely.

So, imagine what such a technique could do to someone’s face. It wasn’t pretty, thousands of rings of chakra grinding into his skin, and then, bam! An explosion that blew through both bone and cartilage alike, leaving their insides splattered on the pavement, as the Star ninja’s body collapsed at the same time.

Two S-rank nina were dead, as Naruto turned to the third, who had been watching, the ninja from Takigakure, and just in time. Several red cords then came upon him, as he weaved his chest to the side out of the way of several ninja wire-like cords.

Just then, Naruto’s instincts screamed out, just in time, too, as he jumped into the air. Seeing a large fireball blazing past him, he observed the source. Tracking his eyes, he witnessed a small, white porcelain mask with red markings floating into the air.

‘Wait, doesn’t that look like…?’ Naruto questioned, landing onto the floor, observing the mash fly right back to the man, floating under his sleeve and onto his back seamlessly.

“Surprised?” The Taki ninja said with a stitched smirk.

As Naruto noticed the similarities, the tanned skin, the emerald green eyes, the similar build, and now the similar techniques. This guy looked like…

“That’s right, you’re starting to figure it out, aren’t you. Well, I’ll finish your thoughts now. Kakazu of the five hearts was my great-grandfather, and just like him, I have taken up his name, renouncing my own and becoming Kazuki, of the six hearts!” He explained, announcing his parentage.

Naruto remembered the man well, Kakazu, a member of the Akatsuki he had vanquished quite some time ago, recalling his story. From what he had been told, Kakazu was a man who had lived ever since the time of the First Hokage, being a powerful ninja of his time, although not powerful enough. When the villages were first being formed, Kakazu had been sent on an assassination mission to eliminate Hashirama Senju. Unfortunately for him, that involved fighting Hashirama Senju, which was always a bad scenario unless your name was Madara Uchiha. He lost badly, and shamed by his own village, he murdered the elders and took one of their most prized techniques, the Jiongu, which allowed him to take the hearts of powerful elemental users and assimilate their affinities into his body. He didn’t expect the man to have a son when he left his village, nor for him to have descendants, go figure.

“I suppose it’s only fitting that you recognise me, because I recognise you!” He pointed. “Don’t act so surprised. How many people could defeat three S-rank ninja in less than ten minutes? And how many people know that technique used, made by the Fourth Hokage? You’re Naruto Uzumaki, the one who defeated my ancestor when he was only 16, so you can see my adamancy in being the one to take you down!” the man spat, wanting revenge for the person who killed the man he looked up to. It was probably how they had gotten such similar powers, with the man seeing a similar vision of power within the infinite Tsukiyomi. Allowing him to have the forbidden technique that had been stolen from Takigakure nearly a hundred years ago. 

“Hmmm…” A dull hum came out of Naruto’s mask, assessing the man’s capabilities. As he surmised, this man potentially had mastery over all of the 5 elements, and required not just one, but six killing blows to be put down, effectively making him immortal as far as he was concerned. 

“And your comrades, why let them die?” Naruto questioned, wanting to know why he had let him dispose of them so easily.

To his surprise, the man actually spat, “Those men weren’t my comrades, just men a potential employer hired, I had no reason to help them, and as you so easily put them down, it wouldn’t have been worth my time. But you… a man like you, now that is worth my time.”

“I see… You truly are bred from the lowest scum in history,” Naruto scowled, looking at the dead bodies of the nukinin he had just killed, yet this man felt nothing about it. Just like every missing nin, this man was out for himself and him alone, not having a bit of camaraderie or care for his fallen brethren. But, then again, each one of them were traitors to their village, wanting either power or prestige that wasn’t theirs and hoping to get it by any means necessary. To him, that made them the lowest of the low, garbage and trash.

Throwing his broken tanto to the ground, no more needed to be said between them, knowing that Kazuki intended not to let him go now, as Naruto needed to dispose of this man quickly. 

On a silent signal, each of them reacted, Naruto performing several hand seals together, as the Taki ninja sent his arms outward, two masked beasts erupting before him as they spat globs of water and fire his way, something that no doubt would have killed him, steaming him alive should they strike him. Lucky for Naruto chose to act on the defensive, finishing his hand signs with an Earth-Style: Mud Wall, a column of earth rising from the ground to protect him. Water and fire clashed in a wall of steam that flooded the ground, yet his defense stood strong, reinforced just like he intended.

“You think that’s going to stop me?!” Kazuki shouted, releasing another of his ‘monsters,’ this one with a yellow mask, as it shot a bolt of lightning at his obstruction. Following the flowchart of elements, lightning tore upon earth as it shattered completely, but before then, Naruto jumped into the air, completing another set of hand signs that he had been performing.

“Wind style: Wind Dragon!” He shouted as he finished the blur of movements. Wind started to pick up around him as he floated within the air, coiling, moving around in a circle— no, a cylinder, before finally it made out the subtle form of a neck, then moved to the creature’s head. A ghastly figure of a dragon formed right behind him, a stark form with a devilish fanged maw and blazing red eyes.

As it charged, wind swirling like a gust of wind, it flew fast, crashing down upon Kazuki in its monstrous form, blades of wind descending upon his form, slashing, tearing, and ripping apart everything that it could. The breeze kicked up dust and debris all around the room, and as it shook, parts of the ceiling began to fall from such an impact.

And, yet…

His opponent stood there, stalk still like a statue, as his skin went to the color of a rocky mud, courtesy of his Earth Release: Earth Spear.

“Heh, you must have forgotten, I have all the same techniques as my great-grandfather, such a technique wouldn’t ever be a match for him!” He called out.

“And you must have forgotten… I killed Kakuzu of the five hearts when I was sixteen, imagine how much stronger I’ve gotten since then,” came Naruto’s voice.

As Kazuki turned, witnessing Naruto at his side, with a Rasengan in hand, one that was colored white, and four blades spinning at each of his sides.

A cry of wind was heard… as a crash came down upon him.

XXX

Silent footsteps made themselves known through the tunnels as he traveled, tunnels that seemed to stretch on for miles. It was an endless maze, as far as he was concerned. At every intersection, he sent a clone in the opposite direction, hoping that it would be enough to deal with his target should they find him before he did. As he continued with his own path, memories of his clones finding their end and dispelling reached him, which only furthered his step.

He only continued to run; most people would have lost track of time by now, but he knew how long had passed, and yet he still had reached no end. Not a thing in sight as he reached every fork, every turn, and every cramp. Sure, there were some steel doors he would have to pass, but they were ‘fairly’ easy to get through, even with their seals. Any guardsmen he had come across were swiftly dealt with, which only furthered his belief that he was heading the right way. 

So he trudged on, silent as the night, ready for anything that might come his way.

Hoping that he had not been too late. Hoping that it hadn’t all been for naught.

And he also had hope that Iwatashi could be disposed of, for this city’s sake. 

Eventually, he reached another door, this one different than the last, as it led to a room, one not unlike the one he had been in before. It was dark, allowing him to see nothing as he entered. Not even the floor in front of him was within his view, as he felt truly lost.

Which is how they wanted him to feel as he wandered into the room. 

A flash of light struck him, one that was so blinding he was forced to cover his eyes, as a few shilloutues reached his vision, shilloutues he recognised. 

“That’s it, we got 'em!” He heard Iwatashi’s voice say.

Just then, he felt himself still, not by his own merit but by an outside force, like a crushing weight of a thousand tons was upon him. Honestly, he felt like he was training with Lee that one time, and Lee wanted him to try on his weights for the first time. Yet this felt like more, a weight he could not manage, even chakra couldn’t help him in that matter, as he tried strengthening his body to no avail. Barely clinging to his feet, staying still as his body was rendered useless.

“Honestly, it is a surprise that he had even made it this far; those men were as good as the money I paid them, I suppose,” the businessman commented, slightly sour that Naruto was even here. He didn’t understand it, how a single ANBU had made it so far, but then again, he supposed those ‘S-rank’ ninja might have been just for show if they had defeated so easily.

“We should kill him and be done with it,” Ryusei commented.

“Perhaps, but then we wouldn’t know what he does. Particularly how much the leaf wants me dead, and how much they know,” his boss told him, wanting to pry every bit of knowledge this lone ANBU had before they sent any more after him.

“I’ll… I’ll kill you…” Naruto’s voice.

“He speaks!” the man noted. “An impressive feat, not many could perform, I know. It is even more impressive that he’s still standing, Ryu, turn up the weight on him,” he ordered.

As the dark-skinned man bent down low, a modicum of seals showed themselves around the ground, revealing what sort of trap he had been caught within. As thousands of Kanji lit the floor, each dotting itself in a circle that surrounded his form. Light surrounded him like a barrier, preventing all his movement and pulling him into the crushing weight he was feeling. The weight only increased as a ripple of chakra sounded through it, courtesy of its maker, much to Naruto’s surprise.

“That crushing weight, can you feel it? Tell me, have you ever heard of the ninja clan of Uzushio?” Iwatashi started, as Naruto’s eyes immediately darted to him. “Who am I kidding? Of course, you have, Konoha nin, everyone from your village has heard of them. The clan of shinobi was so powerful that they lived on the island of eddies, creating seals unknown, techniques unknown. People unknown, yet they were too strong, too guarded; a fear began to swell within everyone about their immense prowess, particularly from the five nations. Especially those with Jinchuriki, beings who had demons sealed inside of them, fearing that their power might be taken by the very people who studied the art, fearing that their weapons would be taken away. And so, an alliance was formed between lighting and stone to put them under siege; they perished, but not before taking their techniques with them, fearing that they might be stolen by the very enemies who sought to put them down.” He explained.

Of course, Naruto knew this story very well, taking great interest in researching his former family. The place where his mother had grown up before she was taken to Konoha, before its untimely destruction.

“You know, I always admired the Uzumaki, free thinkers they were, with an ability unmatched in the arts of retraining even demons themselves. That is why I recruited Ryusei…” he made a gesture towards his companion next to him. “After all, why should secrets stay secrets? You may recall several years ago when a goddess came to our world, and many saw visions. My associate here saw what it would be like if Uzu did not take their knowledge to their graves, if Lighting got what they had sought after,” Iwatashi stated, which explained the swirl tattoo on his face.

“Imagine, the limitless techniques of Uzu at my fingertips, even able to best S-rank ninja whenever I desire, which is what you find yourself trapped in,” Iwatashi stated.

“And the people…?” Naruto’s voice broke out, obviously strained.

“Well, isn’t that admirable? Caring about the people of this city, how very unshinobi-like. Well, I’ll admit, this business venture has been profitable; it might be time to close up shop on it, maybe end the villagers as well, given they know too much, not that they can speak on it, given the seals we gave them…”

“You won’t! You can’t!” He tried to say.

That only caused Iwatashi to smirk even more, letting loose his more emotionless businessman persona and revealing himself for the madman that he was. “Oh, but I can, after all, I have this!” He gestured towards his right arm, where a ring was present on his index finger. “This right here is a remote seal I have had constructed. With the snap of my fingers, I can have anyone I had a seal placed on killed, anyone whatsoever. Total control, absolute dominion, that was the power the Uzumaki held, and yet they squandered it, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Krk—!!!” A grunt escaped Naruto’s lips. As he pushed himself forward, just a little bit. A twitch, that was all it was, a twitch of movement, but they both saw it, each with mixed reactions, as Ryusei’s eyes widened.

“I suppose it might still have some bugs to work out that can be mitigated,” Sato said coldly, not believing for a second that Naruto could have possibly moved under such pressure. “Even a Bijuu would be strained to move such pressures; he’s frozen, and there isn’t anything he can do about it.”

“You know… You talk too much.” 

And it was then that his voice less strained, more normal, as it had always been. “You know how many people I’ve met like you? You know how many warlords or wannabe daimyos I’ve found wanting to take over the world? How many mad men have I seen, willing to trample over anyone and anything that they can get their hands on just to propel themselves up in the world? More than I can count on my fingers and toes, honestly, I’ve lost track.

“Ryusei, shut this guy up, and figure out when he can talk so clearly.”

“It’s honestly sickening, people like you, who don’t have any fucking common decency for anyone,” he said, actually getting mad at this point. And it was then that he straightened his shoulders, moving upright, even under such strains, something that they had previously thought possible. “But you know the best part about people like you? The best part about coming across men who are so crazy that they think they can control everything. The part that really irks me is… It's so fucking tiring, dealing with people like you, when you’re all the same. I’m tired.”

And that’s when he did something else, something that shook them. He took a step forward, and then another, and another. Even through all the weight, all the pressure coursing around his body, he was able to move. Whether through pure strength or sheer fucking will, they didn’t know. But he did, and he was coming from them.

Something about his tone made them afraid of him, fear welling up in their hearts as they tried to hide it.

Just what… what was this man? Even they didn’t know. Perhaps he had defeated 4 S-rank ninja all on his own, perhaps the seal trapping him wasn’t faulty, and that maybe… maybe he was just the type of monster to do those things, to defy them.

And that made them afraid, as they took a step back, just one, but it was enough to show their fear.

“S-Stay back, if you don’t, I’ll— I’ll kill everyone in this city, with this ring on my finger I’ll—”

“What finger?”

Squeltch!

The sickening sound of flesh being pierced made itself known as a dull kunai pierced through Iwatashi’s outstretched hand, severing off a part of it completely.

“Ahhhh!” He screamed from the pain, as Naruto continued to step forward.

“People like you take and take and take, and it gets tiring dealing with people like you. I wanted to make things interesting. I wanted to know if you would be different from all the others in my idle curiosity, and yet you weren’t… Does it frighten you to know that you were never in control? That you never had the upper hand, that all your plans were for naught. You’re going to die here,” the masked blonde said, as he only continued to walk to the barrier of the seals that were binging him. 

“Ryusei!” the businessman shouted, as his bodyguard got to work.

Instantly, the nukinin from lighting took out a knife to stab Naruto, not bothering to keep the endangered male alive any longer. 

It was painfully slow. 

As Naruto caught the blade within his fingers, he grabbed hold of Ryusei’s knuckles as he crushed his fingers under his strength. 

“Ack!” the man cried out in pain, the last thing he would ever say.

Taking the kunai from his hand, the man collapsed to the ground as Naruto thrusted it into his back with enough force to put him under for good.

As Iwatashi Sato witnessed his powerlessness. He witnessed his entire kingdom crumble, all of his plans, just a flicker in the wind. 

As he realized just who was before him, the masked male stepped out of the sealed barrier that was confining him like water, having never been restrained in the first place.

“You’re—” He tried to say, but his words died in his throat.

Naruto had already sped over and crushed his windpipe within his hands. The life fading from him, and all he could witness were his attacker’s cold, blue eyes staring back at him.

After all, this was Naruto Uzumaki…

The ‘Strongest’ Shinobi.

End Chapter.

An: And that’s a wrap for this one, honestly if I haven’t said this before I’ll say it now, but I plan to take things slow with this story, and though that isn’t to say that everything from this point will be useless, far from it in fact. 

But I wanted to bring a good amount of tension into this world, and really bring you into this mission to see what Naruto has had to deal with. 

Infinite Tsukiyomi, at least in my opinion, should have had more rampant ramifications, I mean, pretty much the entire world was in a eternal dream, as if going to eden and being ripped from it. Of course, not everyone would like it, and not everyone would come out the same. Here we see that, others became stronger, other’s held dreams they shouldn’t, all in all, the world is a much more dangerous place with alot more enemies, both inside and out.

We got more mystery with Mikado, wonder what that is about.

And of course, Naruto’s last scene, where we truly see him in his element. 

I would like to know your opinions on it.

Special thanks to Patreon members:

Mauricio Perez, Jordan Jenkins, Life Life, Yerc Goblin, Maccc, Coran29, Odin, Endymion, MASTERCHIEF1229, Antonio Munoz, Invictus Messor, Jeremiah Piach, Alexander...