Lao took a deep breath and opened the steel door. She and her friends walked into a dark room. When all of them entered, the steel door shut with a thud behind them.

"Ah!" they exclaimed.

The lights turned on in the room. The friends noticed a black armchair, beside which stood Yowai.

"You scum!" Sakura clenched her fist.

Yowai grinned. However, Lao and her two siblings were rather keen on the tall man who sat in the armchair. He was dressed in black clothes. He had long pitch-black hair and black eyes, which looked creepy. Lao puckered, while Nao and Mao got a bad feeling.

"You..." Lao whispered, in a raging tone.

Gaara observed her. He could guess who this black-haired man was.

"Hmm, I'm glad you all came." The man grinned. "Now I can finish you off all at once and acquire ultimate power!"

Naruto puckered and clenched his fist.

"So, I'm guessing you're Akuno Hei. Well then, it is you who's going down!" he shouted.

"Oh, I really like your courage!" Akuno chuckled. "But you won't be able to defeat me if you don't have all of the eight Shin-Lin brats with you. Diyuma should also be used in the battle against me. Only the Nine-Tailed Fox and some other chakra of Tailed Beasts won't be enough to bring me down."

"Well, we'll see about that!" Naruto wove hand signs and cried: "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Multiple Naruto clones appeared. They all gave a battle cry and went straight at Akuno. The latter, however, only smirked and raised his hand.

"Hei Style: Black Push!"

Black energy emerged from his palm and pushed back all of Naruto's clones. The impact made them vanish. The real Naruto, who stood behind his clones, widened his eyes.

"What was that?"

"Grand power of the Hei Style," Lao answered.

"Hei Style? You mean his clan's power?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Lao took a battle stance.

"If he has such powers, reckless moves won't do any good," Sasuke noted. "We must have a strategy!"

"Who said you'll have time to think?!" Yowai chuckled and wove signs. "Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

He stitched shadows and caught everyone under his control. The friends frowned. They tried to move, but couldn't.

"Now you're mine!" Yowai grinned.

"It is time to lure out the Diyuma!" Akuno chuckled. He raised his hand. "Hei Style_"

He couldn't finish, for Sasuke activated his Rinnegan and broke through Yowai's jutsu. He appeared right behind Akuno and hit him with the arm of Susano'o. Akuno cried and fell. He snarled and rolled away to dodge Sasuke's sword attack. He jumped up and wove signs again. 

"Hei Style: Poison Smoke!" 

He blew black poisonous smoke out of his mouth. Sasuke covered his nose and mouth. He noticed that the others were still immobile from Yowai's jutsu. Naruto activated his Nine-Tails chakra. He surpassed the strength of Yowai and broke from the jutsu. He rushed forward and hit Yowai with his Rasen-Shuriken. Yowai screamed, blown away. He was finished. The Shadow Possession jutsu was released, so the friends regained their ability to move. They all covered their noses and mouths from the poisonous smoke. Nao took out his great sword and cried:

"Grey Spirit Style: Grand Typhoon!" 

He blew off the poisonous smoke and redirected it towards Akuno. The latter covered his face. He stood firm, in order not to fall off from the typhoon. He was immune to his poison so the smoke didn't affect him. However, it dispersed in the air and was no longer usable against the young shinobi.

There's no way I'm losing to these brats! Akuno frowned. He wove signs again.

"Hei Style: Blackened Reaper!" he cried.

Lao widened her eye in horror. He used the forbidden Eastern technique, the same one that took their mother! Tears formed in her eye.

A huge black reaper appeared. It squealed and stretched its claws towards Gaara. The latter gasped in shock and froze in place from sudden confusion. Lao screamed:

"Gaara!!!"

She wove signs as fast as she could, desperate. Gaara's sand emerged to protect him, but the reaper's claws broke through them.

"Gaara!" Naruto cried.

Black smoke covered the area. Naruto and his friends were dumbfounded. What happened?!

Akuno grinned. But his joy was short-timed. When the smoke dispersed, a huge white dragon with blue horns and claws emerged before Gaara. He held the reaper's claws to protect the young man. The latter was speechless. A dragon?!

The friends glanced at Lao, who had fallen on her knees. Tears poured down her cheeks. She had placed her hands on the ground, where a summoning circle remained. It vanished soon after. Naruto gasped.

"Lao, you... you summoned this guy?!" He looked up at the dragon.

"Sis, you okay?" Mao got worried.

"I'm... fine." Lao took several deep breaths. "Don't worry! The main thing is that Gaara's safe."

"Amazing!" Gaara stared at the dragon.

"What?!" Akuno yelled. "How could you master the technique of Oma Shin?!"

"The Dragon Summoning Jutsu was brought down through generations among the leader branch of the Shin-Lin clan." Lao frowned. "It was my duty and destiny to get a grasp of it!" She stood up. "I'm not that same helpless girl I was years ago. I will never forgive myself if I lose someone precious to me ever again!"

Naruto widened his eyes. Such familiar words! He too used to speak them once! Lao Shin was truly like him and Gaara.

"How are you, Lady Lao?" the dragon spoke in his deep and strict voice. "Are you hurt? I could lend you my chakra!"

"Your concern is highly appreciated, Master Long, but I still have some chakra left! I can also activate Black Eye if needed." Lao grinned. "But, if you stayed here until the summoning time's up, I would be grateful!"

"I will aid you with all I can, Lady Lao!" Long cried out.

"Please, Master Long, take care of Gaara for a while! Protect him and all of these shinobi, my friends." Lao smiled. "As for Akuno, we will take him down!"

"No, Lao, let me help!" Gaara cried.

Long growled and bit the black reaper. It squealed in pain and vanished. Akuno screamed when the reaper disappeared, for his chakra was linked to it and shared his pain.

"Guys, I lost much chakra while summoning the sage of dragons!" Lao cried. She wove signs. "Please, buy me some time until I activate my Black Eye!"

"You got it!" Naruto grinned.

"I will protect you from the approaching enemies, sister!" Nao squealed. He stood in front of Lao.

"I will protect you too! My ultimate defence can help," Gaara said.

He stood beside Nao and covered Lao Shin, determined to aid her at any cost. Lao glanced at them, standing ready to take any hit for her sake. Nao Lin, her beloved brother... She remembered how they played together. They had a special bond among their siblings, just like the twins - Dao and Chao - had with each other. Back then, Lao and Nao were only six and four years old, but they always used to play together. She remembered their father's words, how he used to say that both she and Nao had inherited the fiery hair of their great ancestor of ancient times, Lady Hao Lin, the first wielder of Diyuma. The fiery hair indicated their special bond.

Now, Nao Lin, this once-playful child, stood before her, all grown, with a brown eagle head, a samurai hat, a grey veil, and a giant sword, the heritage of the ancient Shin clan. Although Nao had a completely different personality from the one she used to know before his death, he had the same heart beating in his chest, and the same love for her.

Beside Nao, stood the young man, attractive and mysterious. Her desert rose... Gaara of the Sand. The man whom she gave her heart and got his heart in return. He was her destined other half. He was her guardian. Her eye filled with gratitude and tears.

"Thank you so much, boys!"

She concentrated back on her jutsu. She wouldn't allow her loved ones to fall ever again! She would protect them now, with all the power she had!

"I will not allow you to go that far!" Akuno yelled. He wove signs. "Hei Style: Shadow Army!"

Black energy warriors appeared, over a thousand of them, and rushed towards the young shinobi. Naruto and the Leaf ninjas widened their eyes.

"And now, for the best finish!" Akuno grinned. "Hei Style: Black Imp!"

Black energy formed around him and turned him into a huge black demon with horns, dreadful fangs, claws and a tail. Sakura and Hinata gasped in fear. Naruto and Sasuke frowned.

"Sasuke, use Susano'o and stop this black monster!" Naruto cried. "I will create clones and fight against the army with Sakura and Hinata. This way, we can guarantee their safety and fight this creep at the same time!"

"Good idea!" Sasuke nodded. "Susano'o!"

He built up his purple Susano'o and rushed towards the black imp with his Susano'o sword.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto created Nine-Tails chakra mode shadow clones and dashed at the black warriors. The latter ones gave a battle cry and attacked.

"Cha!!!" Sakura shouted. 

She hit her fist to the ground hard. She threw a lot of black warriors up in the air and made them vanish.

"Rotation!" Hinata sharpened her eyes and rotated. She created an immense chakra shield and hit many of the black warriors.

"Sand Shower!" Gaara hit the approaching black warriors with his sand.

"Wind Style: Grand Typhoon!" Nao swung his mighty sword and blew off most of the approaching black warriors to protect Lao from them.

Sasuke's Susano'o and Akuno's black imp had a deadly fight. They tried to knock each other down. Sasuke's ultimate defence of Susano'o was having some problems, though. The black imp was stronger with its immense chakra. Mao noticed it. She was the only one who hadn't lent a hand to her friends yet. She stood back all this time and couldn't engage in the battle due to her beliefs that she wasn't strong enough. But now, when she saw Sasuke in danger and no one was free enough to help him, she made up her mind.

"You're going down!" Akuno cried to Sasuke. His voice had turned more dreadful within the black imp. 

The imp blew Susano'o with its mighty fist and broke its armour. Sasuke winced. He puckered and swung his Susano'o sword again.

"Orange Spirit Style: Summoning Death Jutsu!" Mao shouted.

Sasuke glanced at her. She had bitten her finger and drawn a strange symbol of a circle on her hand with her blood. Akuno widened his eyes.

"No way! She possesses that cursed technique even I couldn't achieve?!" he exclaimed.

Mao hit her blooded palm to the ground and cried:

"Itachi Uchiha, Rise from the Dead!"

Sasuke widened his eyes. There it was! It happened! Just as Itachi predicted! They would have the 'next time', after all. He smiled. Naruto and the other Leaf shinobi, on their part, widened their eyes.

"She said, 'Itachi Uchiha, Rise from the Dead'?!" Naruto exclaimed. "Oh, god, that gives me the creeps!"

"What kind of a jutsu is that?!" Sakura was dumbfounded.

When the summoning smoke evaporated, Naruto, Sakura and Hinata gasped in shock. Itachi stood before them, a lot taller than before, as if grown. He had a new hairstyle - his bangs tied in tiny tails, with his ponytail still left on him. It gave his face a more majestic and mature look. The most fearsome and strange were his clothes. He wore a long blood-red jacket with black fire drawn on the bottom of it. He carried his original necklace along with another silver necklet with a silver steel raven amulet on it. He had special golden rings with orange gems on both of his ring fingers. His eyes were as powerful as before.

"No way! Itachi?!" Naruto was shocked.

"Great timing, brother!" Sasuke grinned. "Please lend me a hand!"

"Lady Mao, if you allow!" Itachi glanced at Mao, who had taken a battle stance.

"That is why I summoned you, Master Itachi!" Mao nodded. "Please, help your brother out! Leaf shinobi and I will deal with these black warriors!"

"Got it!"

Itachi rushed towards the battleground of Sasuke and Akuno. Meanwhile, Mao engaged in the battle against the black warriors, helping Naruto, Sakura and Hinata. Dragon Sage Long, Nao and Gaara, on their part, protected Lao Shin, who was infusing her chakra.

"What jutsu did you use anyway, Mao?" Naruto asked the girl.

"Summoning Death Jutsu," Mao answered. She kicked off an enemy with her Taijutsu. "It is a speciality of mine, as of the inheritor of the Shin bloodline and Diyuma's Orange Spirit part. That jutsu couldn't be achieved even by the most powerful dark shinobi. Only I unlocked it, due to suffering death in my young years. With that jutsu, I can summon people who are now dead, but whom I have met before in this life and still remember. I can connect with the world of the spirits."

"Wow!" Naruto smiled. "Imagine having such power! I guess you're lucky you've met Itachi before! Although I don't even know how you managed that."

"It's a long story." Mao laughed. "Anyway, Sasuke already knows it, so ask him when we finish this business!"

"I definitely will!"

"Please focus, guys!" Sakura frowned. She hit an enemy with her powerful punch. "We must give Lao as much time as we can, and to our friends too. They must find us!"

"Ugh, I cannot summon my eagles due to so many enemies!" Nao frowned. He swung his sword at the black ninjas. "Curse them! If we had my eagles, they would help our friends find us faster!"

"It is fine, they will find us in time, I'm sure!" Sakura tried to calm him, as well as herself. In her mind, she prayed: Please, make it fast, Shikamaru!

Master Long, the powerful dragon, fought fiercely with the enemies. After a while, he said:

"The summoning time's up, Lady Lao! Forgive me! However, I am completely sure you will defeat this dark monster! You have mighty people beside you!" 

He vanished.

"No worries, Master Long," Lao whispered. "We will win!" She had her eyes closed and was infusing chakra. "Thanks for all your help!"

Itachi reached the battlefield of Sasuke and Akuno in time. Sasuke's Susano'o was weakened, remaining only as a skeleton of the complete Susano'o. Itachi unleashed his one covered in armour and lent his brother a hand. The two of them combined their powers and threw their Susano'o arrows at the enemy. Akuno tried to raise a black wall, but the combined Susano'o powers pierced through and hit him.

"Ah!" he screamed. 

His black imp disappeared. Akuno hit the ground hard, wincing. He was covered in burn marks. The Susano'o of Itachi raised his fist and hit it at him. Akuno yelled and coughed blood.

"Well done, brother!" Sasuke smirked.

"You did well too, Sasuke!" Itachi smiled. "I'm proud of you."

"I'm not... done yet!" Akuno coughed blood. "You will... see!"

Lao covered herself in white chakra. Her right bang rose up and her left eye closed, causing her right eye, the Black Eye, to open. She rushed towards Akuno. But she froze once she saw the hand sign Akuno had woven. He whispered:

"Curse of Hei: Cerberus!"

The ground quaked. Black vapour emerged out of Akuno's mouth as well as out of his eyes. He bled until his flesh completely disappeared. In its place, a huge black monster was unleashed - the three-headed red-eyed wolfdog of hell. The western shinobi were terrified.

"No! Not only that..." Lao muttered.

"What... What is that?!" Naruto was shocked.

"Naruto!" He heard Kurama's voice in his mind.

"Kurama?" he replied with his thoughts.

"Naruto, beware! That is no more a man named Akuno. That is the beast of black energy that resides in everyone's hearts, which once consumed you, as well as me. That is Kurokami."

"Kurokami?!" Naruto was astonished.

"Yes. The hell horse these siblings talked about, Diyuma, is the central part of the core of the light energy, that takes the form of an eight-footed yellow horse. Kurokami is its eternal opposition, the black energy, that takes the form of a three-headed black wolfdog. Once one of them is fully unleashed, it takes the full power of the other to oppose it. But, to defeat it, its spiritual opposition, in our case, Diyuma, is not enough. There's also Divine Tree's energy needed, which now lives in the form of you and me."

"I understand." Naruto nodded. "So, what do we do Kurama?"

"We need those other siblings to come as fast as possible," Kurama said. "Diyuma must be fully unleashed. The Black Eye is insufficient."

"I get it." Naruto looked at Mao and Nao. "Guys!"

"Yes?" Nao and Mao turned to him.

"Can you contact your siblings now via mind connection?" he asked. "Like you did it before, Nao, when fighting me, Sasuke and Sakura at Leaf Village."

Nao and Mao exchanged glances.

"We have lost much chakra," Nao said, "But we will try!"

Mao and Nao started infusing chakra, while the guys continued fighting. Lao joined the battle and stood beside Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi.

Kurokami's three heads growled and shot out fire.