To those of you asking for updates:

Please stop.

I update multiple times a day. I can go back to updating once a month, it is your choice. I appreciate your support and understand your eagerness, but it's rude and stressful. Please refrain from doing such a thing. Thank you.

Ah, I have been named as someones... manager, as I gave them advice and helped them edit something... does anyone else need a manager? I do not understand what I did but it made them reasonably joyful, which was good. I apologize for all the notes. It is against policy to make so many, although I made the policy... I do not know.

Third person pov

Hidan perked up at the loud, desperate banging on the door while the three brats in front of him continued to converse idly with each other about various topics of mild interest. He knew the chakra signatures behind that door; there was more than one. Two belonged to, without a doubt, Gaara and Rasa. He grimaced when he felt them, knowing that if they were back, something was up. The third signature was what was making him pause. He turned around as Kakashi moved to open the door. His magenta eyes widened in surprise and horror.

Ibiki met his eyes, an uncharacteristic smile forming on his face. Hidan's whole world seemed to slow as the interrogator's wrist flicked, three kunai appeared between his knuckles, ready to be thrown. Suddenly, the silver-haired man could hear himself breathing, and he could hear his heart beating and pounding in his head. Immediately, he knew what he was going to do. He was already moving, his body not thinking about it as Ibiki released the kunai.

"No!" Hidan cried desperately as he dove into the line of fire, time returning to normal. Kakashi's weapon was yanked from it's sheath as the Hatake readied himself, and the Hokage was already on his feet, his brown eyes wide. What... had just happened?

Shikamaru was the first to turn around, spinning around just as Hidan crashed to the ground, gasping and sputtering as blood began to fill his airways. His hands clawed at the ground, his eyes darting to Naruto and Sasuke as they whirled towards him, their eyes widening with sheer horror as blood began to pool out of the three wounds. Two kunai were in his chest, the other embedded deep in his abdomen.

"Damn, I missed." Ibiki's voice wasn't his own, and Naruto's body began to tremble with rage as his friend's blood began to pool around his feet, his face pale. "And all because poor little lonely Hidan wanted to save his friends! Sad." Ibiki pouted, but snickered soon after. Naruto's fists clenched. What... was this?

"H...Hidan?" Shikamaru croaked, sinking to his knees. He reached out with shaky hands, and the man cracked open one of his eyes, which had clenched shut at the sudden pain. He forced a grin onto his face. The Nara's heart rate sped up as fear filled him, his body beginning to shake with tremors. Sasuke lowered himself, ready to lunge whenever Naruto commanded it. Ibiki simply observed the situation with a terrifying amount of calmness, paying to heed to the gaping Hokage and frozen Kakashi staring his way.

"I-I don't think I'm i...immortal anymo-" Hidan coughed, a gurgling sound filling the silent room as blood pooled in his mouth, overflowing as he hacked, trying to get air back into his lungs. Shikamaru's eyes flew to the wound, and he blinked out of his shock. He couldn't take the kunai out of his body but he also didn't have the correct supplies to treat him. Especially not in a place like this. This barrier was going to be Hidan's end, and Shikamaru was sure that was Ibiki's intention.

"Be still. Y...You're going to be okay." Shikamaru blinked away the sting in his eyes, his his hands flying to put pressure on the worst wound. He curled his hands around the kunai, careful not to press the piece of metal any deeper into him. He felt the sharp weapon slice into his small hands, but he didn't care. He pressed, and Hidan groaned. Shikamaru had to look away.

"What a shame. I was hoping to take out the brains of the operation today, too." Ibiki laughed slightly. His voice was immature, but not a child's. Whoever this was, it wasn't Ibiki Morino. Sasuke took a small step forward so that he was slightly in front of Naruto. He couldn't really use jutsu, but given the circumstances, he'd do anything.

"Ibiki, what is the meaning of this?! Y-You just... You..." The Hokage took a shaky breath, his brown eyes wide in surprise. He knew Hidan was a criminal... but he was a criminal who hadn't been actively doing anything wrong, and who had dove in front of a young boy to save his life. And Ibiki... his behavior... this wasn't him at all!

"You bastard!" Naruto howled, his blue eyes wide with rage. His muscles were tense and alert. Next to him, Sasuke remained coiled, ready to spring out and strike. Kurama's chakra flickered within the blonde. "W...What the hell was that, Ibiki?! Huh?!" He screamed, his eyes flashing red. "Answer me!"

"Who are you really?" Sasuke hissed, and Kakashi drew his tanto, shaking his head slightly. He eyed Ibiki with caution. The man was relaxed completely, his shoulders slumped, and his eyes glinting with a sick amusement as Shikamaru struggled to think of a way to save Hidan's life while the man bled out on the floor, having dove in harms way to save him. Naruto was steaming in rage and shock, Sasuke ready to strike.

"I did it because I was told to." Ibiki's skin began to bubble like a stewing pot of gruel, and almost everyone flinched as it began to melt off. It seeped, dripping onto the ground and steaming as it hit, evaporating into thin air as though it had never been there at all. Naruto's breath hitched in his throat, and Sasuke growled next to him. Shikamaru didn't know what to do. He could only press against Hidan's wound the man struggled to breath, blinking hazily at the ceiling, barely aware of his surroundings. He was fading, and fast.

"You're going to be okay." Shikamaru's tears were falling. He didn't care. "Hidan, you'll be okay."

"Fuck... your pos...itivity." He groaned.

"Zetsu." Naruto growled, unable to look at Hidan in fear of losing himself. "I should have known. Was it you all along?"

"Of course it was, you insolent fool." The male giggled ominously, amused by their horror. Zetsu loved, if nothing else, tricking people. The Hokage's eyes flickered to the kids, who stared with steely eyes. The knew who this was. There was something vital they hadn't let slip yet. "I'm back, and he is too. We've always been back." He grinned airily.

Zetsu skipped out of the way as Kakashi slashed his tanto downwards at him. The Hatake spun out of the way before Zetsu could hit him back, swiping at him again. The pasty-skinned man, if you could even call him that, ducked under the sharp weapon, skipping back. He clicked his tongue a few times in amusement, his eyes gleaming.

"Where's Ibiki?" Naruto growled. Obviously, this hadn't been the real Ibiki, so where was the interrogator? Naruto had a sinking feeling that he already knew the answer, but he could always hope he was somewhere still, even if he wasn't from the future.

"Killed the second we arrived, of course. He was never from your time anyway." Zetsu waved him off, and Naruto growled. He ignored the pang in his heart. He hadn't really known Ibiki, which he knew now, but it still stung. He'd lived with... a version of him, he guessed.

"What do you want?" Sasuke hissed dangerously, his temper rising fast. His Sharingan spun to life.

"You'll know in time." Zetsu assured with a wide grin.

"Who are you?! Why are you here? What are you planning?" The Hokage whipped off his hat, a kunai in each hand. The heavy body armor underneath his robes suddenly felt light as he prepared himself for a fight, but the paper-white man simply smiled.

"Sasuke, don't let him escape!" Naruto barked in a tone too authoritative for someone so small. Sasuke didn't respond, but in seconds he was lunging at the man, who was already beginning to seep into the floor. Sasuke flew, putting as much chakra into his foot as he could, not caring if it would harm him in the end. A shattering noise, like glass, almost made him stumble.

A flowerpot flew through the thick wooden door. The barrier had been broken.

~

"Get the door open!" Gaara demanded, his sand ramming against it, hard.

"I'm... trying!" Orochimaru hissed back, his bruised, chakra-filled hands moving at lightning speed as he beat at the barrier. He didn't know a lot about barriers in all honesty, certainly not how to break one. Next to him, Rasa's durable golden dust drilled against the blue, which didn't show any signs of giving in. The sannin grimaced.

"Fuck, nothing's working!" Rasa cried. They could all be dying right now, and they were stuck out here like fucking idiots all because of some dumbass transparent wall! "Fuck this!"

The man whirled around, lifting the empty, decorative flowerpot sitting against the wall. It was large and heavy, but he didn't care. He hoisted it over his head anyway, taking a step back. Orochimaru and Gaara dove out of the way as he brought it back, hurling it forward.

"YEET!" The man screamed as the clay pot flew at the barrier.

The blue wall blocking them shattered like glass as the decorative ornament made contact with it.

They'd broken the barrier.