The lost soul..

Nine years have passed since Uzumaki Naruto formally declared himself the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, in which time, he has suppressed rebellions and uprisings within the recently conquered lands of Kiri, Kusa, Ame, Oto and Taki and stabilized his control around the area.

His rule, though relatively short and naturally underestimated due to his youth, proved to be a prosperous one. Because of Konoha's rapid increase in power, territory and Ninja force their reputation also grew and so clients came from everywhere in order to hire, which granted the region a substantial profit increase; allowing other projects which had been put off due to lack of economic support from the standing governments to be brought back to life.

Also, because there was an almost assured cease of aggression between previously hostile regions the checkpoints were removed, the roads were repaired, or built where there were previously none, granting free travel between the different countries.

A relative sense of peace had been brought back to the region.

In the remaining ninja villages the situation was quite different though.

In Suna, civil, military and political unrest continued to plague the region and only recently had Gaara been able to gain any form of control of the situation, rumors had it that it was because of some new council members that had been admitted in only two years earlier.

In Iwa a status of high alert was present on the area at all times, The borders, checkpoints, supply routes and key bases were fully manned. Missions that were accepted were only accepted B class or higher, very few C classes were accepted if any at any time allowing the Gennin in the village to train and prepare themselves for the storm all knew would be coming. The Tsuchikage Yoshihiro himself looked over the training of every first year gennin and higher, No chuunin exams were hosted within the village and anyone that wished to enter or exit the village was checked thoroughly before being granted their leave

Movements in Kumo had ceased almost entirely no ninja had been reported leaving or entering their borders and spies dressed as civilians with their chakra sealed who had entered the village had reported only "possible" sightings of ninja, from what could be gathered outside the village missions were rarely taken and little to nothing was heard of the Raikage. It was as if the ninja of the region had suddenly dropped off the face of the earth and all that was left were the echoes of ghosts.

To most, this seemed to be the calm before the storm, and they were right.

Naruto's ambitions of world peace through conquest would soon be reignited.

He now had the money, the manpower and the resources to go with his ambition and soon the world will once again fear the Demon of Konoha.

The war room, is what this place was called, it was a room specifically designed for war councils. It was built as an extension of the Hokage tower just one year after Naruto was formally declared the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. The room was circular about 35 feet in diameter. Dramatized portraits of the four previous Hokages hung from the walls. The Shodaime as he stood, his hands in a simple seal which framed the necklace he once wore, which was now worn by his granddaughter Tsunade. A lush green forest was the background set for him.

The Nidaime, stood with the Raijin in a ready stance atop a jagged rock, the waves of the ocean crashing behind him. The Sandaime, in his younger days wearing his classic battle armor and Shinobi equipment wielding his old summon and friend Enma as flames danced around him. And finally the Yondaime, an especially dramatized portrait where he held his trademark Kunai in one hand, A rasengan in the other, as he stood atop the head of the toad boss Gamabunta, which could be scarcely made out due to the red bumpy floor as he faced down the Kyuubi no Kitune, its nine tails in a seeming frenzy as its red eyes seemed to follow you as you walked past. There was a large red oak round table in the room, the center of which held a massive map of the continent. Twin Mahogany doors barred the entrance.

Currently gathered here were the familiar faces of many Konoha ninja.

Maito Gai and his students Rock Lee and Tsukumi Tenten, The Hyuuga clan head Hinata and her sister Hanabi, Hatake Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, The Toad Sannin Jiraiya, Kaguya Kimimaro, Tayuya, Sakon, Jirobu, Kidomaru, Morino Ibiki, the newly instated clan head Aburame Shino and finally, last but not least Mitarishi Anko.

Maito Gai had changed little in nine years, his eccentric nature, horrid clothing and ridiculously large eyebrows remained, in his mid to late thirties he was still considered one of the strongest ninjas in the village and his still impeccable physical health showed it.

Rock Lee however had changed some. Like his sensei he still held the boisterous personality, youth preaching speeches and ridiculous training regiments. However, his choice in wardrobe had changed some, which was enforced by Tenten. He now wore a white Chinese style shirt, with black loose fitting pants and black shoes. His hair, was no longer in a bowl cut, but was rather pulled back in a long braid which reached his mid back. Now standing at 5'10 he was almost as tall as his sensei and despite his somewhat embarrassing nature had his own little fan club.

Tenten had not changed much over the years. She was now considered Konohas #1 weapons expert and wielder and anyone that choose to face her with one was almost certain to loose. She also wore a short cloak which reached her hips, with which she used to hide said weapons and scrolls. Underneath that she wore a long sleeve form fitting white shirt, along with a pair of dark black pants with white sandals. Between the fabrics lay a thin chain mesh which would help stop incoming kunai or slash attacks. At the age of 23 she was currently dating Lee.

Hinata had also changed over the years. She had filled out nicely and was considered one of, if not the most attractive woman of her age group in all of Konoha.

Unfortunately she was also considered Konoha's resident Ice queen. Her features, narrow and delicate as they were hid a silent strength and determination within them. Her dark hair which was only enhanced by her white clothing reached her lower back as it hung freely. At 21 her experiences within the Hyuuga house had hardened her and made her into a skilled politician and warrior.

Hanabi had changed little in terms of appearance, except for the fact that she was now taller more filled out and wore mostly black clothing, a contrast to her sister. At the age of 17 she was considered a prodigy among her clan members.

Hatake Kakashi much like his "arch rival" Maito Gai had changed in little to no ways during the last nine years, the only real visible difference on the man was a jagged scar that went down the right side of his face, which was mostly hidden beneath the mask.

Yuhi Kurenai The Genjutsu mistress of Konoha had not changed at all in the nine years and despite her age of 36 didn't look a day over 28.

Jiraiya, though in clothing and personality hadn't changed, one could now tell the various signs of his age as the years caught up with him. Once white teeth now sported a thin shade of yellow as the first signs of wrinkles began to sag his skin at the age of 59. He was also slower than he had been before, having been diagnosed with arthritis at 54 the toad sage was beginning to have trouble forming hand seals as fast as he used to but still enough to keep up with most of the younger ninja regardless.

Kimimaro and other members of the sound four now wore green cloaks with different Kanji for numbers 1 through 5 on them, written in dark red and were now considered Konoha's elite bodyguard unit for high paying clients and of course, the Hokage.

Morino Ibiki like Jiraiya also began to show signs of his age as he now had to walk with a cane and a slight limp due to an injury he received on a mission, at the age of 38 he was still considered the top interrogator within Konoha. For his appearance he now sported a groomed beard which was beginning to show signs of gray. He still however wore the trench coat and Bandana which identified him so well.

Aburame Shino, now head of the Aburame clan, after his father Shibi died of a heart attack seven months ago, wore a simple beige trench coat with a high collar. His hair was short. The glasses were still present however, and the boy continued to remain the silent observer of the group.

Mitarishi Anko, though hardly changed at all.

The Massive doors opened slowly silencing all conversations in the room as the Godaime Hokage walked through.

He stood at 6'2 the Kage robes and hat making him seem all the more regal and imposing than he already was. The slightly darker whisker marks identifying him as the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi scarred his cheeks. His slit blue eyes caught the eyes of all in the room before he spoke in the deep and commanding voice they had all become accustomed too.

"Good you are all here..." Before he pulled out his chair and sat down, gesturing the others to do the same. "Now...let us begin this planning session."

Sunagakure:

The Godaime Kazekage, Gaara stood with his arms crossed and glaring at the closed door before him. The glaring red light of "emergency" stood out above the white double doors as nurses and doctors scurried about the hallway rushing past him as they went to do their rounds. He wore white and rust red robes, the hat with the Kanji for wind sat proudly atop his full head of blood red hair.

Flanking him were the familiar forms of his sister, Sabaku Temari and his friends, Inuzuka Kiba and Akimichi Chouji.

For many years the former Konoha refugees had struggled and fought for Suna citizenship and relatively recently, with some pulled strings from Gaara and his siblings, they had achieved it also granting Inuzuka Hana, Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino positions on the councils of Suna as officially instated clans. They, of course fully supported any decision to go to war against Konoha, and so now with their help the unrest had begun to stabilize after almost a full decade and most of Suna was ready to go to war should the need arise, but still most were fearful of beginning something they could not finish, especially now that the Kyuubi Jinchurriki seems to have calmed some during the recent years.

"Hey buddy don't worry about it. I'm sure Kankuro will be fine." Kiba said as he patted him on the back. The dog user had grown in the nine years that had passed, now standing at roughly 6'2 he was the tallest of the group. His messy mop of brown hair went down nearly beneath his shoulder blades Akamaru had also grown, nearly to the size of a very healthy horse. Too big to enter the hospital.

Kiba had grown stockier, putting on a few more muscles than what was commonly had in the Shinobi world. He now wore two metal shoulder pads, leather belts crisscrossing his upper body which held sealing and summoning scrolls and specially designed blades which could be placed within Akamaru's mouth and shackled to his legs, which proved devastating for quick hit and run tactics. He also carried specially designed kunai which were enhanced with seals which converted his natural earth affinity into wind affinity, there were only two problems with that. One after about five minutes of use they wore down and broke apart, and they were expensive.

"Yeah." Chouji added. "He's a tough guy, I'm sure he'll walk outa that room once they're done, complaining about how long they took." Chouji now wore a samurai style armor, something that was hardly ever used in their line of work seeing as how cumbersome and heavy it is. But the hardened armor complemented Chouji's clan skills to the point where he had learned to work around it. His spiky gruff hair nearly reached his knees now as he held it all cropped back in a ponytail.

Gaara and Temari allowed themselves some small smirks at the thought. They could see Kankuro doing something like that. Still Kankuro's spinal column was injured badly in the last mission and the operation was a delicate one. If even one mistake was made it was possible Kankuros ninja career could very well be over. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, Kankuro was infamous for his pranks and being stuffed in Suna for the rest of his days would carve a horrible path of destruction that would be remembered for decades...

Right...luckily Gaara was confident that if anyone could help Kankuro it was the two Kunoichi in there right now, Ino and Sakura, they were two of the top medics of Suna, having studied under Chiyo, the puppeteer mistress and one of the finest medics Suna had ever produced.

Unfortunately, Chiyo had died from her age years ago as she had begun teaching Sakura the beginnings of puppeteering, Kankuro however, had taken up her training in the art as best he could. Her training in the puppeteer arts however, was still nowhere near as good to match any truly advanced ninja for any real length of time, she couldn't match Kankuro, in it, and she was a far cry from legendary puppeteers like Chiyo and Sasori of the red sands. But she more than made up for it with her medical techniques and skills in genjutsu.

Ino however had poured herself into her clan techniques, due to the fact that most of the Yamanaka clan techniques had been lost in what was now called the great Konoha Massacre with the death of her father and most of her relatives unlike Chouji's and Shikamaru's, she had focused almost entirely on creating and honing personal techniques she created herself from scratch.

Temari watched as her two friends tried to reassure them of Kankuro's impeccable physical condition with a small smile gracing her features. The years had certainly been kind to her, curves were in all the right places, tanned skin and her signature four pig tailed hair style made sure that every male in Suna knew who Sabaku no Temari was. She also made sure to let them know she was out of all their leagues. She now wore a simple, long sleeved black top which left her stomach exposed, two slits went down either side of the strangely designed shirt which reached her knees. She wore tight black pants beneath a long skirt which was cut open on the front, back and sides which served to sometimes confuse an enemy in close combat. A belt with several kunai attached was around her waist as well as one elegant yet wickedly curved dagger strapped to her ankle.

The sound of clacking footsteps brought their attention behind them to the hallway, where they saw, Hana and Shikamaru running towards them.

"We just returned from the mission and heard what happened." Hana skidded to a stop next to them.

"Is the troublesome idiot alright?" Shikamaru said as he lit his cigaret, only to have it batted out of his mouth by a ticked off Temari.

We're in a hospital jackass, the people here don't need lung cancer to add to their problems.

Scoffing he crossed his arms and in his signature display muttered. "Troublesome woman."

Only to receive a solid kick in the nuts for his efforts. He groaned before he crumpled to the floor in a heap. Every male in the room winced as they watched the shadow user groan and gasp for breath.

He hadn't changed physically throughout the years, simply grew taller and sported a few more battle scars which were visible behind his signature fishnet clothing as well as one large scar on the left side of his head.

Hana also hadn't really changed, though she now sported a much more mature look and feel about her in comparison to the seventeen year old who had stumbled into Suna nearly a decade ago. She also carried herself in a much more guarded manner, something she had gained in her dealings with the council no doubt.

Gaara ignored Shikamaru's pain and spoke to Hana. "We don't really know anything at this point. Hopefully soon Sakura or Ino will be able to come out to give us some kind of news."

As if waiting for the call of the Kazekage the red light above the door turned off and the small creaks indicating its opening, revealing Sakura in her hospital garb, her hair was now short, merely reaching her neck so as not to get in the way in either missions or delicate surgeries. Bloody smears adorned her form as she wiped the sweat off her brow. She looked up to the gathered crowd who each held their breath and smiled, softly, allowing them all to breathe a sigh of relief.

She wiped her hands as she spoke. "He's resting now but he's likely to make a full recovery with some physical therapy.

Gaara nodded and one saw his shoulders visibly sag in relief. "Thank you Sakura."

"Can we see him now?" Temari asked from behind her brother.

She offered a small apologetic smile as she shook her head. "Sorry, but he really needs his rest for now. Hopefully Tomorrow he'll be well rested enough for us to allow you to go in and see him.

Gaara nodded and sighed in something akin to exhaustion. "Very well, you heard her, everyone get back to work, God knows I have to."

Temari smiled as her brother turned and strolled out the hallway back to his office. She would take him some lunch or something later, hopefully that would cheer him up.

Kumogakure; Raikage residence:

Zhuge Liang stood off to the side of his personal training field as Kumogakure's two resident Jinchurikis battled it out.

He had not changed in the slightest with the passing of the years, he still looked exactly the same as he did ten years ago, not one more wrinkle or scar or anything.

Akina however had changed, no longer the young, slip of a girl that had come, battered and exhausted from her encounters with her, as of yet unknown, brother. She now stood at 5'8 and held a physique that could match any healthy Kunoichi. Her form was lean and built for speed, agility and flexibility. She wielded a three piece staff which could connect together to form a single six foot long staff. She wore dark blue clothing. A long blue sleeved shirt with slightly loose wrists. It parted at her naval, that however was covered in bandages. She wore light blue pants with a bright red cloth as a belt, it fit her loosely, with the end of it hanging down her side and reaching down to her calf. On her hips were two twin curved daggers and on a leather belt which went over her right shoulder and under her left arm was a small clasp in which she used to hang the staff from her back.

Her control over the deadly force of Kyuubi's chakra had grown as well, she could now easily control three tails and keep them active for a solid 30 minutes, the fourth tail however continued to prove unstable and all attempts so far at controlling the colossal level of chakra and bloodlust that came with it always ended in failure.

He remembered the first time they had attempted to control that state, and he would never forget it, neither would many in Kumo. It had been nearly impossible to keep the incident under wraps but he had managed with the help of his wife, apprentice and Tsunade.

Speaking of the slug sannin, she had been key to his plans within Kumo so far. She was now leading the hospital and had been immensely helpful in keeping many of their nins alive. Their manpower was growing every day because of her and that was something they would need if they were to survive the coming fire...

"HAAA!"

Liang watched as Yugito was sent tumbling to the floor from a solid swing which connected with her stomach, leaving her winded as she recovered and slipped back into her fighting stance.

Yes, they would need every piece to win this game.

Yoshihiro looked over some documents as he inspected the storehouse. "So, we have enough grain to last us approximately how long here?"

"Almost five months Tsuchikage-sama." The man replied as he bowed to the larger man which easily towered over him.

Yoshihiro was, despite his age of 68 he was still every bit as imposing as he was ten years ago, easily towering over almost all of his subordinates as he stood at 6'5, he held his back straight, refusing to slouch forward as most men his age do. His tanned skin and handle bar mustache and short pony tail was still in place.

Yoshihiro held back a few coughs which threatened to escape his throat as he pounded his chest a few times before it cleared. "Right, ration it as best you can, I got a feeling that soon enough we may be needing it."

Naruto's eyes passed over all in the room, observing their somewhat grim gazes as they looked down onto the map which laid out their battle plan

"Our enemy...is at Iwa..."