Chapter 1:

Kiba is standing by himself while leaning against the wall behind him. He's looking around for the other two 'surprise' candidates that Tsunade reported to him. She didn't reveal their identities, but he's not too sure which candidates she chose. It has to be at least one original candidate from his team, like Hinata.

"What was the other guys name...?" Kiba asked himself, scratching the top of his head, thinking about the the third member of his team. "Oh that's right!" he smiles, "Kakashi!"

"Kakashi's a teacher dumbass..." Ino said, walking in with her head up high, "I'm guessing Tsunade told you to meet up here with your surprise candidates?" Kiba nods his head and it took him a while to register just who was his teammate. "Wait a second, don't tell me I'm partnered up with you. This mission is going to be so boring!"

Ino clenches her fist, smiling like she heard something good about herself, "What did you say?" Kiba looks elsewhere like it wasn't him who said it, "Oh nothing..."

"I'm the one who should be upset!" Ino snapped back and folded her arms across her chest, "I'm already stuck with one idiot. We're going to need someone talented like Shikamaru or Sasuke to make up the work you're going to slack off."

"I'm not going to slack off..." Kiba said, rubbing the wound Ino so kindly placed on him, "I'm just a late bloomer. My usefulness shows only later on in the mission. I didn't have Akamaru recently because he's being observed at some clinic."

The two of them glare at each other in silence and already they know that the next person who joins is going to be a magnet to all this hate. That's when they hear the footsteps of another person. The dark blonde hair and thin whiskers is pretty hard to miss.

"Don't tell me..." Ino said, pretty shock that Tsunade could make such a bad group. She understands why Kiba would be needed, but the next person is just inexcusable, "Naruto?!"

"Yea?" Naruto looks at the two with a smile on his face. He just got back from a mission so he didn't really get the 'surprise candidate' speech from Tsunade. He actually just got told who they are, so seeing these two is hardly unexpected. "Hey guys. What mission are we going to?"

"Tsunade didn't tell us." Kiba said while smiling. Kiba and Naruto aren't the best of friends, but they get along fine. It's the third person in the group who's not fine with this. "Why...I don't get it." Ino said to herself, not trying to hide her obvious disappointment, "I'm stuck with not only one idiot, but two..."

"Lighten up Ino, it's not like the two of us want to be with you." Kiba said, sticking his tongue out like a little kid and Naruto couldn't help but laugh, but then Naruto just shakes his head, "No I like having Ino with us. She might not look like it, but she second place when it comes to being a mastermind." Obviously giving the respect Shikamaru deserves of being first. Shikamaru is a brilliant tactician and some people believe that if he wanted to become Hokage he could, but Shikamaru hates hard work and believes everything he does that's difficult is mostly a waste of time.

"Well her attitude doesn't make up for her behavior. I'm telling you Naruto, this mission's going to be a handful with her in it." Kiba said, talking as if the person he's talking about isn't standing 5 feet from him. It started with that and almost turned into a fight, but Naruto managed to fulfill his role of being in the middle and eventually stopped the two from fighting.

"Let's just go and see what the old lady wants, alright?" Naruto said, pushing the two off each other. That proposal managed to pique there interest and they agreed to look for the lady responsible for all this. "Once I find her I'm going to leave this team and explain that putting one sufficient person with two inefficient person is not a good idea." Ino said, marching to Tsunade's office.

Naruto grins and Kiba puts his hands in his pocket, snickering, "I didn't know you consider yourself to be worth two sufficient people...and you forgot to count Naruto in our group."

"Kiba, I swear!" Ino raises her fist, ready to fight, but Naruto quickly repels her anger by raising his hands defensively, "Let's just go talk to Tsunade first and find out what she wants."


(Meanwhile...)

Tsunade could feel the sweat sliding down the side of her head, mixing along with the blood oozing from her nose. There's a big man who's holding a weird looking contraption at her forehead, "Stop walking places you don't belong...Tsunade-sama..." The big man laughs at the honorifics he used and throws Tsunade across her office, causing her to hit the wall harshly.

"The fire stone is not meant to be found. I won't allow it." The old man finally reveals his face and he seems to be the leader of the group that invaded Tsunade's office. Tsunade had only been looking in for the fire stone's location, only finding out the stone's been stolen from Konoha a long time ago.

She doesn't understand how these people go into her office and are able to cancel out her justu's. She doesn't understand the relationship they have with the stone, but for some reason she felt more excited to find it. If people this strong want the stone to be lost forever, than there must be something special about it.

"It's not a promise..." Tsunade said, smiling as blood trickles down the side of her eerie smile. The big guy's laughter disappears quickly and he's face is glaring at her now, "Who do you think you are!" He marches, aiming he's contraption to her and ready to press the trigger, but the old man raises his hand for him to stop.

"Don't do it...if the dumb bitch wants to send her hound dogs to their death, then let it be...I just hope you don't feel the loneliness the stone could uncover." The two then get swallowed into space like the infamous Madara use to do.


The trio enter the building and felt something wrong. There's no one around. The dark feeling grasping at their necks didn't feel any better. "Where did everybody go?" Kiba asked, looking around like a whimpering little dog. He's usually not scared, but the feeling inside the office building isn't just a normal dark feeling at all. Naruto could feel even the Nine-tails become unsettled.

"Naruto..." the kyuubi within him spoke. If you told Naruto that eventually he'll become friends with the Nine-tails, Naruto wouldn't believe you, but Naruto's actually has close relations with the Kyuubi now and when they work together. They can become an unstoppable force.

"What is it?" Naruto replied and the Kyuubi sounded somewhat weaker than he usually is, "This place has the smell of Madara...don't you feel it." Madara controlled the Kyuubi during the invasion of Konoha. The invasion also killed Naruto's parents, but Madara has paid for his sins with his life. Why would the scent of Madara be in here.

"I feel it..." Naruto said undeniably. He felt the essence of Madara lingering around, but it's not him. He knows the chakra Madara could produce and that's not it. It's like calling Sasuke's Sharingan the same as Kakashi's Sharingan. The Sharingan may all serve the same purpose in the beginning, but depending on what Sharingan you do have, it can branch out to greater things.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Ino asked, looking a bit worried. She's not really nice if everything's okay, but she does have a heart, even if it's for idiots. Kiba's also looking a bit unsure. He's eyes keeps darting back and forth like he's trying to find something.

"I'm okay Ino, but Kiba do you sense something?" Kiba looks at Naruto as if he only recognized him there right now. "Naruto...you even been to a graveyard or a place where a lot of people die?" Naruto gave a shaky smile, not knowing what to say after Kiba said something so random, "Yea...I guess I have..."

Kiba kneels down and sits with his backs against the wall, "It feels just like this..."

That's when the door opens and gushing in is light that's well needed. The man running through kicked the door open and a bright smile on his face, "Hello Kiba, Naruto and Ino! I have to ask you to leave the premises." Kakashi soon walks behind Gai, "Yea we're looking for Tsunade. The place was scheduled for an exterminator visit, but we've investigated deeper and Tsunade lied to us...what a surprise." Kakashi said sarcastically, having his head digged into some book.

The feeling of Madara, the feeling of death and blood. It all disappeared when the light showed itself that's why Gai and Kakashi didn't sense a thing.

"Well...?" Kakashi looked at the three, expecting to move, but the three of them darted to Tsunade's office. There were here when they felt the evil covering the building. They have to make sure she's okay, "Tsunade!" Naruto yells out as he jumps into Sage mode. It takes a lot of Chakra from him, but he's determined to bring Tsunade to safety.

They open her office and find Tsunade sitting on her desk with her hand covering her bloody nose, "Well isn't it hot?" Tsunade said with a smile, trying to act like everything's normal. She healed herself after her 'visit' but Naruto could still tell something is wrong.

"What happen to your nose Tsunade...?" Naruto asked and the other two looked equally worried, "Nothing..." Tsunade denied again, but Naruto wasn't having it. He walks dangerously close and glares at her. He's upset that she's lying and even though she's the Hokage. Tsunade is one of the people very important to him and if there's something wrong he doesn't know about. It's not like him to allow it to continue. "Tsunade...please tell me what's wrong."

Tsunade sighs and looks at the three shinobi's watching her. Kakashi and Gai follow on suit behind them. "I'll tell you..." Tsunade finally agrees.


A/N: I'm creating a series called the 'Will of Fire' series. This is the first installment of the 'Will of Fire' series. I don't own Naruto by the way.