Naruto: The Akatsuki Leader (CH 1)

A/N: This story is rated M for mature content not suitable for children.

Story:

Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of Kyuubi, aka the nine-tailed fox demon, has failed. The evil tailed beast had destroyed humanity to a handful. He, along with his friend Shikamaru, had come up with a plan to save the future by traveling back to the past. This is his story.

No Otsutsuki, Good Akatsuki, Evil Tailed Beasts

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter 1: Naruto Uzumaki and Kyuubi

Village Hidden In The Leaves

Naruto scowled at the sky. It looked like it was on fire. This world had truly become hell on earth, and it was his fault. Well, not entirely his fault, but he played a big part in it.

"Naruto, it is almost time," Shikamaru's voice came out from a device in Naruto's ear. "I am putting the last touches on the seals, but it will be done soon."

"Thank you for all your hard work, Shikamaru," Naruto said in a tired voice. "I hope this works, or the world is doomed."

"Don't lose hope, Naruto. If you do, everyone will fall into despair," Shikamaru stated, his voice sounding just as tired as Naruto's. "You are your own savior after all."

"Hahaha, some savior I am. Out of all the millions of humans in the world, I was only able to save under a hundred," Naruto laughed sarcastically at his failure.

"I know it's rough. We've all lost many things," Shikamaru said, his voice dripping with grief and sadness. "But we can't give up when we're so close."

Naruto looked at the ring on his middle finger, the ring that his wife had given him before she died brutally to save the lives of some civilians.

"I know Shikamaru, but I am tired of this," Naruto said. He just wanted to rest, but knew he could not. "Your jutsu better work for all of our sakes."

"It will be done, don't worry," Shikamaru replied with determination. "Come back now; it should be done by the time you arrive."

The connection between Naruto and Shikamaru cut off. The blonde looked down on the once lively village of Konoha, to see nothing but craters. The forest around the village had been burned down until there was nothing but ash.

"The land of fire sure lives up to its name now, or maybe we can call it the land of ash," Naruto said in a voice that lacked the usual cheerfulness of his youth.

"When did it all go wrong?" the Uzumaki asked himself, but he knew the answer. "That's right, from the start. It is this village's fault for not preparing me to be a ninja who would be able to handle the burden of being a Jinchuriki, but it's also my mind for being a weak idiot."

Naruto looked at the hell on earth that Konoha and the Land of Fire had become. His heart ached, even though they hated him, and he also hated the majority of the villagers. They were those he loved dearly, but they did deserve to die because of his weakness.

"I will never forgive you, Kyuubi, or any of the other tailed beasts," Naruto stated as he thought of his enemies. "But most of all, I will never forgive my weak self."

Flashback Scene Ahead

Sound Village [Orochimaru's Hideout]

Naruto age: Sixteen

"Hahaha, finally, I am free," Kyuubi roared as he burst from Naruto's body. Team Seven was on a retrieval mission to get back Sasuke, but it went sideways when the Uchiha thought it was a good idea to enter Naruto's mind.

That didn't end well. Now that Uchiha was dead and the Kyuubi was free, Yamato, the jonin assigned as their temporary sensei while Kakashi was recovering from his injuries from a mission, was trying to use his wood release technique to subdue the demon fox, but he was failing.

"Sai, Sakura, grab Sasuke and Naruto and run. I will hold Kyubi back as long as I can," Yamato yelled, but he knew he didn't have the strength to hold the fox for long.

Sai gave Yamato a look of respect and didn't hesitate to grab Naruto and Sasuke. He created a large bird with his ink and flew away with them, leaving Sakura behind.

Sakura was still in shock that Sasuke was dead and the nine-tailed fox was free. The killing intent the demon was letting out froze her in place. Sai saw all this and decided the best course of action was to save the most valuable assets of the village, namely the last Uzumaki and Uchiha, even if he is dead.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with glazed over eyes, not noticing that Yamato had long since died. He was burnt to death by the nine tails fox fire.

Kyuubi looked at the pink-haired teen with amusement as he slowly opened his mouth and took Sakura in, making sure to chew her up before swallowing. He had made the mistake of swallowing a pair of brothers whole before and ended up pooping them out after they ate his flesh on the inside.

"Hehehe, I wonder how the brat will react when he learns that I ate his precious Sakura-chan," Kyuubi said in a deep, evil voice.

Fast Forward

Konoha Hospital

Naruto blinked his eyes, which felt sore for some reason, as he got up from a hospital bed. He could tell it was a hospital because he had been there plenty of times before.

"So you are finally up, brat," Jiraiya said from the other side of the room. The old hermit must have been there for some time because he had bags under his eyes.

"Pervy Sage, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked. For some reason, he could remember some things. "Why am I in the hospital, for that matter?"

Jirai's face got sad, but at the same time, he looked every bit of the legendary sage he is known as. He took a breath to care for himself before he spoke.

"Naruto, on the last mission you went on, the kyuubi was released," Jiraiyastated. He held his hand up to stop Naruto from interrupting him. "Sakura, Sasuke, and Yamato are dead."

Jiraiya looked at Naruto as the tears fell from his face in grief, he wish he could comfort him but there was still more bad news.

"I know it's a lot to take in kid but there is more," Jiraiya said with a grim expression "they village council also wanted to execute you for letting the demon fox out which resulted in you teammates death but Tsunade put a stop to that."

"Hahaha, so the villagers want me dead. That's nothing new," Naruto laughed in a hollow tone. "Is there anything else, sensei? I'm feeling tired."

"I wish that was all but there more, in order to stop the council from trying to execute you she wants me to take you out of the village for a while on a special mission," Jiraiya said his face and voice filled with determination "our mission is to recapture the kyuubi."

"So you want me to put the fox back inside me," Naruto said with emotion "I guess I can't escape that fate."

"I am sorry kid," Jiraiya said feeling sad foe his student but the fox was just too dangerous to be let roam free and as the last Uzumaki in the village it was Naruto's job to be it Jinchuriki "I wish I could take the burden from you be I can not."

"Fine sensei I will do it but I have a feeling you have more to tell me," Naruto stated, he was still in shock able all he learnt but the sadness he felt for the lose of his teammates was crushing.

"Yeah there is but this in my opinion is a good thing," Jiraiya said with a smile "Tsunade transplanted Sasuke eyes to you."

"What," Naruto exclaimed as he looked for a mirror. Jiraiya saw this and pulled one out of his pocket. He was a pervert, but he kept himself well-groomed. Not to mention, you never know when you will need a mirror on a mission.

Naruto held the mirror to his face and was surprised by what he saw, he didn't see his blur eyes or Sasuke black orbs or the Sharingan what the blonde saw was two grey orbs with rings around them.

"What the hell happened to my eyes," Naruto shouted loudly, making Jiraiya wince from how loud his student was.

"You really are a loud brat," Jiraiya stated as he cleared his ears. "I was surprised when I saw your eyes change, too. Tsunade thought you would just have the Sharingan, but it looks like it mutated into a unique Rinnegan."

Jiraiya said all this with a smile as he remembered something "I had a student with purple Rinnegan in the past, he was crazy powerful but in think you might have more potential than him." Jiraiya was not just saying that to cheer the blonde up, he believes that.

To Jiraiya, Naruto was the ultimate piece of clay. The blonde had a massive chakra reserve, a rare bloodline, and a strong will, or at least the sage hoped he still did after recovering.

"Rest up, brat. When you recover, we are going on a second train trip, then we will be hunting the nine-tails," Jiraiya declared before leaving the room via the open window on the fourth floor.

Naruto now alone let out a sob of pure sadness, the girl he loved, the friend he failed to save and his new team captain died because he was too weak to control Kyuubi.

The Uzumaki cried himself to sleep hoping that everything will get better but Naruto would learn in the coming years the evil of the tailed beasts and the horror they will unleashed on humanity for imprisoning them.

Fast Forward

Hidden base [Land Of Demons]

The five great ninja villages has fallen, the kyuubi was smarter than everyone gave it credit for, the nine tails didn't just attack human wildly after getting free, it slowly freed all the other tail beasts and the combined there power.

The tail beast now combined were unstoppable, they attack hidden village after hidden village together, even if a village succeeded in sealing one of the demons the others would kill the vessel to break the seal.

"How could this be happening," Naruto asked Shikamaru his best friend his only friend really because all the other of the rookie nine were dead.

"the tailed beast are more powerful than we thought," Shikamaru answered grimly "each have there own special ability."

Naruto took a paper that Shikamaru had made with all the tail beast and their abilities they seen so far, they both knew that they might have more but this information will be helpful in fighting the demons.

Name: Shukaku (One-Tail Tanuki)

Ability: Sandstorms, has the control of Wind and Sand manipulation.

Name: Nekomata (Two-Tail Cat)

Ability: Death; may control deceased person's spirits.

Name: Isonade (Three-Tail Shark)

Ability: Generic water powers, can control the currents of water.

Name: Sokou (Four-Tail half-rooster, half-snake monster)

Ability: Controls poison, poisonous gas, venoms, and so on.

Name: Houkou (Five-Tail Dog)

Ability: Attacking using mixture of elements; Houkou is skilled in each kind of element ability, and can also create instantaneously each kind of natural disaster.

Name: Raijuu (Six- Tail Weasel)

Ability: Fire caused by lightning, Lightning Thunder, Lightning bolts, Lightning elemental magic arts; Raijuu may also fly about as a ball of lightning / fire.

Name: Kaku (Seven-Tail Badger)

Ability: Transformation (Henge), Clay, Earth elemental magic arts.

Name: Yamata no Orochi (Eigth-Tail Snake)

Ability: Each head of Yamata no Orochi represents a symbol: Soul, Ghost, Evil, Devil, Monstrous, Kill, The Afterworld and Death.The legendary sword: Kusanagi no Tsurugi; summoning of evil spirits.

Name: Kyuubi (Nine-Tail Fox)

Ability: Fire element attacks, Flaming claws and wind.

Naruto looked at all that Shikamaru entered, and at the end, he wrote something that they discovered and kept to themselves instead of telling the remaining survivors because it might drive them into despair.

"Some of the tailed beasts might be gods," Naruto said out loud, he face blank, it was a hard pill to swallow but they found old temples and shrines devoted to several tail beasts "Well shit."

"Well shit indeed," Shikamaru said, trying to lighten the mood but failed. "I don't think we are going to win this Naruto."

"I know," the Uzumaki replied without emotion, they don't have the power to defeat the tailed beasts, not as they were now.

"I think if we had more time to prepare before they attack, we might have been able to win," Shikamaru said softly. Naruto nodded in agreement. "That is why I want to create a jutsu to send you back in time to stop all this from happening."

"What! is that even possible," Naruto asked. He had the Rinnegan and was considered a god among men, but even he couldn't time travel.

"It is, but you will need a near-limitless amount of chakra," Shikamaru hinted, making Naruto's eyes go wide as he understood what his friend meant.

"You might be crazier than me, my friend, but I like the way you think," Naruto said excitedly. "Let's change this fucked-up future."

Shikamaru smiled at his friend. It was rare to see a glimpse of the old Naruto these days. Sometimes, the shadow user thought Sasuke had taken over Naruto's body with how broody he was.

Flashback Scene End

Hidden Sand [Underground Caves]

BOOM BANG BANG BOOM

These were the sounds that greeted Naruto as he returned to the resistance base, the last hope of humanity. It was up in smoke, and a large figure that the Uzumaki knew too well was the cause of all this destruction.

"Damn it, how did the Kyuubi find us?" Naruto said out loud as he sensed Shikamaru was still alive and most likely getting the time travel jutsu ready. "I will buy him some time."

Naruto jumped at the tailed beast with a battle cry, his Rinnegan eyes blazing with power. "All Mighty Push."

The effect was instantaneous. A gravitational force exploded from Naruto's body, slamming point blank into Kyuubi's face. But to the Uzumaki's horror, the tailed beast resisted his attack and was only pushed back a few yards.

"You are still alive, brat," Kyuubi stated with a wicked grin. "I thought you would have offed yourself after you found out that I ate your precious Sakura and killed all your friends."

Naruto's face was blank, but his rage was boiling. The monster before him had indeed killed all his precious people. The blonde Rinnegan user knew that Kyuubi did this to spite him for holding him prisoner. It was not like he had a choice in the matter.

Times like this, he curses the Fourth Hokage. Why did the bastard have to put the Kyuubi inside of him? Couldn't he have taken it with him instead of making a Jinchuriki? But the Hokage chose to maintain the so-called balance of power between the five great nations.

"If I ever meet the bastard, I will kill him myself," Naruto cursed the Fourth Hokage for ever making him a Jinchuriki while glaring at the amused Kyuubi, who made no move to attack. The monster was acting like a cat playing with its prey; the beast was in no hurry to end this.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto exclaimed as six clones appeared, each with the Rinnegan. They were reinforced so they could take several hits. "I will stop you here and now, monster."

"You cannot defeat me, Naruto. You are still too weak," the Kyuubi stated, its face still had a wide grin. "I think I sense one of your last remaining friends nearby. I think I will make you watch as I chew him up and eat him, like I did to Sakura and Hinata."

Naruto couldn't help but get a look of sadness and fury at the mention of Hinata. It was on one of the missions to retrieve food for survivors that he had gone on with her. The mission was going well until Kyuubi appeared.

The blonde fought with everything he had, but the beast was too powerful, with its near-unlimited chakra, fire, and wind manipulation, along with its other powers.

Flashback Scene Ahead

Land Of Spring

Naruto and thousands of his clones were battling the nine-tails, with Hinata defending the Uzumaki every now and then using her taijutsu.

"That's it, Naruto, give it your all," the Kyuubi taunted his former host; he was enjoying the torment he inflicted on him.

"Ultra Big Ball Rasengan," Naruto exclaimed as he and his clones surrounded the Kyuubi, hitting the beast with their attacks. "Take this!"

"That's not going to work," the nine-tailed fox roared with such power that it repelled all the clones and the original "Kitsune Blaze."

Kyuubi released a breath of blue flames that destroyed most of Naruto's clones and melted the entire landscape for miles around it.

Naruto was able to protect Hinata and himself by using another All Mighty push, but now the once snowy battlefield was a molten lava pit.

The Uzumaki face got a determined look on it as he pulled away from Hinata and charged at the Kyuubi, fighting with everything he had. Wind, fire, earth, water, lightning, and gravity jutsu flew at the nine-tailed beast, but nothing worked.

As the battle continued, Hinata could see the obvious outcome: Naruto was going to lose. He didn't have the pure power, chakra, and stamina to defeat the Kyuubi.

All too soon, when that thought came to her, Naruto crashed past her, making a massive crater in the ground. He was covered in blood and barely conscious.

Hinata looked to see if the Kyuubi would attack them now that Naruto was defeated, but it did not. It just stayed there with a wicked glee in its eyes, and she instantly knew what it wanted to do.

"If I try to take Naruto and run, it will chase us," Hinata concluded. However, there was hope that the tailed beast didn't want to kill her crush just yet but wanted him to suffer. And what better way to do that than by making him lose another comrade?

Hinata kneel down beside Naruto and took him in her arms. Usually, she would be too shy to do this, but since she knew her fate was sealed and this was the last time she was going to be with the one she loved, everything seemed irrelevant.

"I've always had a crush on you ever since we were kids, Naruto-kun, but I never had the courage to let you know. I'm sorry for doing this now and leaving a scar on your heart, but I just want to do this," Hinata said as she lowered her mouth to Naruto before he could say anything, kissing him.

"This is goodbye. Please remain the person I fell in love with, and don't let what is about to happen break you," Hinata said with tears in her eyes after breaking the kiss. "That was my first kiss, and I am happy to give it to the one I love most."

Naruto's face had a look of horror as he realized what Hinata was about to do. He was about to protest, but the Hyuuga used her Gentle Fist to knock the Uzumaki out cold. Then, she created a shadow clone to take him away to safety.

"Thank you for letting me have that moment," Hinata said to the Kyuubi, who was watching everything with a look of amusement.

"There is no need to thank me, human. I only allowed you to say your goodbyes so that it can further break my former jailer," Kyuubi replied as it slowly headed towards Hinata, who got into a fighting stance. If she was going to die, it would be fighting like her beloved."

Minutes Later

CHEW CHEW CHEW GULP

Kyuubi had a satisfied look on his face as it devoured the little Hyuuga. She tried to put up a fight, but it was futile. She exhausted all her chakra trying to defeat him, and then he ate her slowly.

Flashback Scene End

In the end, Hinata sacrificed herself by forcefully knocking him out and giving him to a shadow clone of herself, but not before she told him of her feelings for him and gave him her first and last kiss.

"I will end your reign of terror, monster, one way or another," Naruto declared as he and his clones started walking towards the Kyuubi before breaking into a sprint.

Scene Change

"Damn it, why did the Kyuubi have to appear now," Shikamaru said, panic evident as he looked at the sealing array around him as the base shook.

The shadow user was done with the seals, and now he just needed the power source to activate it. Shikamaru got a grim look on his face. "Maybe it is fate that the nine-tailed fox appears now."

Shikamaru did not tell Naruto all of his plan, only that they would use Kyuubi's power to activate the time travel jutsu, but he never told his blonde friend exactly how that would happen.

The Konoha forbidden scroll was on a table not far from the Nara, open to a particular jutsu that had stopped the Kyuubi once before.

Chapter End

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Next time, Shikamaru put his plan into action.