Itachi stood outside the waterfall of truth. He had been the only one patiently waiting whilst the others had gone in to overlook Naruto's progress. 

The Uchiha could hear crashes and yells coming from behind the waterfall every so often and hoped the blonde's training would come to completion soon. He had been itching for a good fight since he hadn't had the chance to fight against Pein. 

Itachi looked up at the sky, wondering how his little brother was fairing against the enemy. He hoped he'd be able to make it in time before anything bad happened. 

His sight of the clouds above was suddenly closed off as a small bird fluttered in his view, chirping. Itachi tilted his head at the curious behavior of the animal but held out his finger for it to land. 

As the bird landed, he noticed the small note attached to its leg and gently took it before opening the message.

Itachi,

I've found the location of the enemy, it's Kabuto. 

I need your help.

The message had a small sakura petal attached to it which gave Itachi enough information to know who had sent it. The man looked back at the waterfall as more crashes came before turning away and disappearing within the forest. He finally had a real mission to help someone on the battlefront, he wouldn't be late. 

___

On the shorelines of the battlefield, the allied forces celebrated their victory. Ino-Shika-Cho was successful in defeating Kinkaku with the help of Darui and sealed him within the Kohaku no Johei (Amber Purifying Pot). 

It wasn't long after that Sasuke had defeated Kakuzu before Choji used his Multi Size technique and held the man down along with Hizashi. 

Sasuke smirked at Kakuzu as the man glared at the Uchiha from where he was pinned to the ground. 

Though the shinobi forces didn't have long to celebrate as Madara, aka Tobi, suddenly joined the battlefront and summoned the Gedo statue to keep them busy whilst he stole the Kohaku no Johei (Amber Purifying Pot) for the nine-tails chakra. 

"There's still time to join me, Sasuke" Tobi had offered.

Sasuke hadn't responded to his offer and instead tried to kill him but had simply passed through the man at the last second before Tobi and the Gedo statue disappeared. 

Night had fallen shortly after when Kabuto retreated his reanimated forces for the night. 

Although suspicious, the allied forces breathed a sigh of relief as many collapsed from exhaustion. 

Kakashi had been quick to issue orders to his forces before catching up with the rest of the leaders to examine the losses and preparations for the next day. 

Meanwhile, Naruto had been training hard to control the Nine-tails chakra though it had weighed on him to use the chakra without Kurama's consent. 

Naruto had finally gotten the hang of the tailed-beast bomb when he felt the chakra from the Gedo Statue full force. The blonde knew the battle would come to a climax soon and felt relief when he remembered they had moved the turtle island closer to the action so they could arrive sooner. 

He looked at Bee with a determined expression "It's time to join them" he stated with no room for argument. 

"Naruto-" Yamato tried to reason.

"No! I won't let you stop me this time. I will settle this war by myself. I will bear all of the hatred and the pain! That is my duty." Naruto argued with emotion in his voice. He could feel their pain. The allied forces were giving it their all and he could feel every person's pain and anguish. The emotional and physical trauma of war had been brought to his attention full force as Naruto's heart ached with it.

Killer Bee studied the blonde for a moment as he nodded in agreement.

The others knew this time would come eventually and let the blonde go without trouble. They would follow but the two Jinchuuriki were much faster than them. 

Naruto had noticed Itachi's disappearance but trusted the man enough to know it had to be for a good reason. 

"Naruto" 

The blonde heard Kurama's voice loud and clear in his head as he found himself in his mind again.

"You're always so careless with my chakra. I've been inside you, watching you for a long time. Naruto...You are still so naive" Kurama stated with a calm expression. 

Naruto wouldn't take the bait "Thanks to my chakra, looks like you've put on some weight" He smirked "It's not like you, Kurama, to start up a conversation" 

Kurama simply stared at him as if he were still trying to understand the blonde.

"I know you're starting to get lonely and want to talk, but I'm busy now. Let's do this later" Naruto suggested. He truly did want to speak with his friend but he had other matters to attend to for now.

Kurama looked at him with an amused expression "Do you seriously think you can end this war by yourself?" He questioned "It's impossible. I'm sure you've sensed how huge the enemy is." 

Naruto remained silent as he took in the beast's words.

"This is Madara we're talking about. There's no telling what he'll do." Kurama smirked at the blonde "You're welcome to use my power" 

Naruto remembered what happened the last time he fell for that trick and scoffed "I'm not falling for that anymore!" 

Kurama laughed as if they were reminiscing "You've gotten a bit smarter, I see"

Naruto clicked his tongue against his teeth as he turned away from Kurama "That was so obvious!" 

Kurama stared at him for a moment before sighing "If your comrades are killed, hatred will rise. Are you planning to defeat the enemy before that happens?" He mockingly questioned "If you defeat the enemy, they'll bear hatred toward you. Do you honestly think you can take all of that on yourself?" He growled lowly. 

Naruto suddenly glared dangerously at the beast "Stop treating me...like I'm stupid!" 

Kurama got up onto his feet as he returned the glare with the same force "You don't understand a thing! You're naive!" He roared "Can you honestly take on and erase everyone's hatred?!" Kurama yelled with emotion in his voice. Clearly, he felt deeply about this "The war has already started. There must be a considerable amount of casualties already and the resulting hatred..."

"So?" Naruto suddenly interrupted "Are you finished?" He questioned as his head was tilted downward.

Kurama stared at him, wondering what was going through his head.

Naruto lifted his gaze to meet Kurama's eyes "Are you trying to scare me into doing nothing?" He questioned before walking past the gates and within attacking range of Kurama "That's exactly what you want, isn't it, Kurama?" 

Naruto lifted his hand and brought down a pillar onto Kurama's neck, bringing him down to his level "You're the one that's naive..." He muttered.

Kurama glared at him with bared teeth "Who are you to be so confident..." 

Naruto suddenly jumped onto Kurama's cheek and looked him square in the eye with a smirk on his features "Once you question your own beliefs, it's over. I will do something about this war!"

Kurama scoffed "The little child thinks he's grown up, does he?" He mockingly growled.

Naruto stared at his friend for a moment before losing any mischievous expression he had on his features previously "Ya know, Kurama. I'm going to come after all that hatred inside you as well, someday!" He grinned "You've caused me a lot of pain...but I know that it doesn't feel good to be at the mercy of your hatred." He stated as he jumped down from Kurama's cheek with a kind smile.

"Are you stupid?! I'm the nine tails, you know! Some little child can't change me! I am hatred..." Kurama roared though Naruto could see the vulnerability within his eyes.

"Then it's okay! I'm no longer a little child, and it's more challenging that way!" Naruto grinned before calming down "You may be right about me being extremely naive but in my heart, you've always been with me like a mother and father stays with their child. You know everything about how I feel and how I've grown up. You might not have liked doing it, but you continued to watch over me." Naruto stated as he watched Kurama the entire time "That's why...I want you to be there to watch over me just a little longer." He smiled and blinked back to reality before Kurama could react to his words.

Naruto smiled with determination as he ran alongside Bee. He had made a silent promise to Kurama, a promise he would be sure to keep. 

Naruto and Bee eventually came upon the first wave of white Zetsu's they'd be facing in the war.

Meanwhile, Sakura was possibly facing the toughest situation she'd found herself in. Or rather, Sakura's clone.

"Haruno-san! I understand you received a love letter, but rejected it immediately. Is this true?!" A reporter yelled out his question as multiple cameras flashed in the pinkette's green eyes.

"Err...N-no, that's..." She tried explaining though what could she truly say? Morio, a shy individual she had treated had become infatuated with her and given her a love letter. She couldn't drag him into the spotlight like that. It'd be too embarrassing for both of them. 

It was an awkward encounter for the clone to explain her heart had already been captured by someone else. 

"That hasn't been the only declaration of love you've received, has it?" The man continued yelling his questions.

"U-um...Please..." the clone tried speaking again, feeling her eyelid begin to twitch.

"You supposedly said that you're already in love..." The man trailed off, almost teasing, before the other reporters joined in.

At this point, the clone had manifested Inner Sakura's anger and strength before punching the table "That has nothing to do with this news conference!! Cha!" 

___

The real Sakura looked up at the sky with a frown as if sensing her inner self acting up.

"Are you alright, Haruno-sama?" Jugo questioned from beside her as the two jumped through the trees, following his birds.

Sakura turned to the orange-haired male with a gentle smile "Mah, please refer to me by my first name, Jugo-san. There's no need for formalities" 

Jugo stared at her for a moment before turning back to the front "As you wish, Sakura-sama"

Sakura deadpanned at the man but left it be as they approached the rendezvous location where Itachi would hopefully be waiting.

Sakura looked around the area but found nothing "Hm...I guess he got my message a little late..." She muttered.

Jugo stepped up beside her with a glare on his features "No...Someone's here"

"Impressive" A voice from high in the trees sounded, drawing their attention "Even for a sensory type, it is near impossible to detect my chakra when hidden" The man stated as he shakily dropped down from the tree and stumbled a bit. 

A man with white hair and near white skin with purple-ringed eyes stood before them or rather limped. His body seemed weak yet he was part of the reanimated which meant Sakura couldn't underestimate him.

"Who are you?" The pinkette questioned with a defensive stance.

"I am...Nagato" 

"Nagato?" Sakura muttered in confusion, she hadn't heard the name but the man's eyes were more familiar to her than her own. She had seen those eyes do unspeakable horrors and wondered if he was perhaps the man Naruto had said was behind the destruction of the leaf. 

"Are you perhaps also known as...Pein?" Sakura questioned with bated breath.

Nagato stared at her for a moment, his eyes almost sorrowful. 

"I am" He stated.

At that, Sakura's eyes hardened. It did not matter to her that he'd turned a new leaf at the last second. He had almost taken away Sasuke, Itachi, Naruto, Hinata, and many more. She could not forgive such actions so easily.

"Then I won't let you leave here alive, reanimated or not" She glared. 

Nagato almost smiled, his body was weak but his jutsu was still strong. He would have no choice in the matter of fighting the pinkette as his actions were controlled by another. How ironic he felt the situation had become. The ultimate puppeteer had become the puppet, his greatest regret facing him once again.

"I see. I must have caused a great amount of grief for you. Let me say this before we begin" Nagato expressed "I am sorry".

Sakura's eyes widened as she noticed the heavy amount of sorrow and regret in his eyes, revealing he truly meant it.

Sakura's eyes softened a little as she understood his misgivings but even so, she could not let him leave. Not for her own vengeance she wanted to deal upon him but for the safety of their side. Nagato and Pein were one and truly a horrifying match when he was still alive.

Before Sakura could respond, Nagato's hand rose "Universal pull" He muttered with resistance in his tone. 

Sakura suddenly felt her body lift and drag towards the man as his other pulled up a large orb out of the ground and flung it at her.

The pinkette grit her teeth at the sudden attack before twisting her body at the last second and slamming a chakra-filled fist into the ball. It only took a second as the rock burst into small pieces and fell to the ground before Sakura was back on her feet and dashing toward Nagato with powerful punches.

The man did well in evading her attacks though his actions were not his own. If he had it his way, he would have let her kill him again so he could finally rest.

He jumped away from Sakura before creating the hand signs for a summoning Jutsu and before Sakura could stop him, he yelled out "Summoning Jutsu!" and slammed his hand down.

The pinkette and Jugo watched as a giant drill-beaked bird and a multi-headed dog appeared before them with menacing glares.

Sakura sighed at the sight. She was tired and had little time to get to Kabuto before he decided to move again. She couldn't waste too much time with Nagato though that didn't mean this would be easy for her either.

She couldn't aid in the battle with Pein and it seemed his power hadn't diminished much in his death. She needed help.

"Sakura" A voice called from behind the woman. 

Turning, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as Itachi stood before her, calm and stoic as ever.

"Sorry, I'm late. There was a merchant selling dango and I thought you'd be hungry" Itachi softly smiled. 

Sakura's forehead grew an irk mark as she noticed his hands were empty "Where is it then?" 

Itachi simply continued to smile before turning to Nagato "We should focus on Nagato and his summonings." 

Sakura almost turned and laid a punch into the Uchiha in annoyance as she, indeed, was very hungry but instead, chose to listen and turn her focus back on the enemy.

"Get ready" Itachi warned as Jugo landed next to the two, intending to support them. 

"Hai!" Sakura glared.

___

I apologize for the long period between updates. 

This book has slowed down as my interests have taken me to other areas but I do plan on continuing this book, I just can't promise it'll be quick to continue.