Butterfly

by stinkyhead

The butterfly effect tells us that a seemingly insignificant occurrence can lead to drastic changes to the world around us. Just how far reaching will the sudden appearance of Nii Yugito outside Konoha be? Main pairing will be Naruto/Hinata.

1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor have I ever claimed to.

A/N: Sorry, this may take a bit.

As with most of my stories, I'll start of by warning you, the reader, that this will be a AU fic that may or may not connect with canon at certain points. To be honest, I haven't gotten very far in it yet so I'm not sure where it's going or how it's going to get there. For those of you who are familiar with my writing style, you should know that I rarely have any idea where a story is going. I simply write and if I don't happen to like what is being written, I re-write it. I try not to plan to far ahead, aside from small ideas, because I like to let ideas come to me as a story progresses. This means that I sometimes, more often than I would like, suffer from writers block and need to step away from a story.

Now for a bit of a rant. I am not perfect and I work without a Beta so I'm sure that I WILL make mistakes in grammar and spelling. I honestly don't mind someone pointing out a mistake I make multiple times, as it will only help me improve my writing, but I do not wish to receive a page long review listing every single one of them. If you feel the need to list them all, do so in a PM and I'll try and fix them. Also, while I'd rather they didn't, I know that some people simply won't be able to keep themselves from flaming my story. As a rule of mine, I will probably make fun of review itself or the author of said review in my next post(or completely ignore it). I feel that if you can freely critic me and my work, I should be able to do the same to you and yours.... I can be rather petty at times and I've been told by family and friends that I am far too stubborn for my own good.

I make it a point to try and answer each and every question asked in a review, if I'm able and if it does not reveal anything that may happen later in the story. I also pretty much ignore reviews that say 'Update Soon!' or something along those lines. While all reviews are appreciated, I prefer those that actually show me that you were paying attention. I am also not the type of person who will hold off on posting until I receive a certain amount of reviews. I post when I feel a chapter is ready, it may take awhile but it has nothing to do with how many reviews I've received.

.... I've edited this I don't know how many times because I always forget to add something. This story will be rated M because of language and, later on, possible graphic violence. At the moment it would be more of a T rating but I know of a few people who do not read M rated stories and I didn't want to suddenly change my rating. It is also, at the moment, listed under General. This will change as the story progresses. If you bothered to read my profile, you should know that I write a lot of comedy and a lot of romance, both of which will be included in this story but at the moment I can't really bring myself to limit it to a specific genre.

EDIT: PLEASE READ!

Because so many people have commented on how 'confusing' and 'disappointing' it is to have my story under the Narto/Yugito section despite the fact that they are not paired, I guess they couldn't be bothered to read the note I posted in this chapter explaining that those boxes simply mean that both charaters will play an important role in a given story, so I've decided to change it to Naruto/Hinata. I'd exacly like this, but I only posted this story last night and I've already gotten twenty or so PM's complaining and I'd really rather not have to explain to each and every one of them why I placed this story under Naruto/Yugito. So, for those who are looking, it will be under Naruto/Hinata from now on. I only hope certain shippers will give this story a far chance before dismissing it.

At this point the only pairing that is set in stone is my main pairing of Naruto and Hinata. I have a vague idea of who may or may not be paired together, I'm toying with pairing Sakura together with someone unexpected(at least I hope it will be unexpected), but feel free to offer suggestions for anyone else. I am NOT a shipper, so any pairing given will be looked at and considered. I have around 70 stories in the works with Naruto paired with just about ever canon woman under the sun, although I'll freely admit to having a soft spot for Hinata.W ABOUT IT!

I received one review asking about my comparing Yugito and Naruto/Nibi and Kyuubi. I don't ever remember saying that they were even close to being equal, but I thought I'd explain for future readers. Nibi is nowhere close to being as powerful as Kyuubi, as most of you would expect. Yugito, at this point in time, is FAR more powerful that Naruto simply because she has been training to control Nibi's chakra far longer and that is ontop of her other training in the shinobi arts. While Naruto has the POTENTIAL to surpass her, and rather quickly, for now he is nowhere close to her level.

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Chapter 1.

Nii Yugito, a young woman whose heart and mind were so clouded by the pain of betrayal that her instincts alone guided her as she forced her battered body forward by sheer force of will. Her eye's stared out ahead of her but registered nothing as she raced across the treetops of some unknown location. She knew she should have been paying closer attention to her surroundings but after what had happened to her, after what her own village had done, she only knew that her feet were still moving and at that moment that was all she wanted to know of the outside world. The world that had created her, used her, and planed to throw her away the moment they no longer needed her.

"I had no say in becoming what I am and yet I am persecuted for the sins of my demon."

Her whispered voice displayed the pain she truly felt and yet her face remained without a single emotion. A mask if cold indifference. At a young age she had become a master of hiding her pain behind a face that didn't care but her mask was beginning to crack under the strain of her demon. Her demon was unlike those of other shinobi and yet it weighted heavily on her shoulders with such a force that no one could truly understand unless they had gone through exactly what she had. While other shinobi merely felt guilt for killing someone or doing something they now regretted, Yugito's demon was, in fact, a demon. A demon of incredible power that had once threatened to reduce her village to nothing more than a charred shadow of what was once one of the most powerful shinobi villages in the world.

During the time of her birth, the shinobi of Kumogakure no Sato(Village Hidden Among the Clouds) fought valiantly against the feared beast known as Nibi no Nekomata. The shinobi fought bravely but the demon was far too powerful to be brought down by their attacks. Finally, in a move that forever immortalized their leader as a hero, the Sandaime Raikage gave her life to seal the Bijuu inside of a newborn child. Unknowingly, the Sandaime Raikage cursed that child to a fate most would consider to be worse than death itself. She grew up alone and unloved. The kaa-san and tou-san that had brought her into the world abandoned her and labeled her a demon. Try as she might the young girl was unable to escape the cursed existence until one day she found something to live for. She would train and protect those who had created her and shunned her and prove that she was no monster, that they had been wrong and had been the real monsters.

As she grew the young woman trained until her body simply couldn't continue. She graduated the shinobi academy at the age of six and was promoted to Chuunin at the age of eight. At the age of fourteen the village had no choice but to promote her once again to the rank of Jounin. And still she trained in not only the shinobi arts but in focusing and controlling the power sealed inside of her. She had never lost a teammate and never failed a mission and yet still those around her looked at her as if the moment their back was turned she would attack. She fought with everything she had to protect them and yet it was never good enough for any of them.

Yes, the pain Nii Yugito felt was a pain most people could never imagine even in their wildest nightmares. A pain of being unloved, unwanted, and persecuted against despite the numerous times she had saved their lives... and yet she continued to fight for them. To fight so that they were safe in their homes, safe to hate and despise her in peace.

Finally a day came when even her longing to be loved and acknowledged had reached it's limit. A day Yugito knew she would never forget regardless of how long she might live. It had started out like any other day; she trained until her body was reduced to a quivering mass of pain before struggling to her feet and continuing. As she made her third customary lap around the village, she had decided that a small change in pace and scenery might be nice. It had only been on the slightest of whims that she found out the truth of her village.

During her run she had come upon a man in a black cloak, which had large red clouds scattered throughout it, and a kasa(a traditional bamboo hat). Obviously a cloaked stranger was cause for alarm in the mind of Kumo's second strongest shinobi, second only to the Raikage himself. So, Yugito ignored the rest of her training and began trailing behind the shinobi. Even those of her village could never catch sight of her if she didn't wish them to. Because of this ability, Yugito was given a name in reference to her skills but also the demon within her. Ikiryou(Living Ghost). The name came from both her abilities and Nibi's ability to call upon and control the dead.

As she followed the man she was shocked that he met up with the Raikage's own personal bodyguards and followed them back out of the village without incident. Normally she would have simply returned to what she had been doing while thinking that the person was being taken care of but something just hadn't seemed right to her from the very beginning, especially since the bodyguards had been waiting for the cloaked man and hadn't simply come upon him. Trailing behind them, Yugito had to force herself not to gasp when the Raikage himself appeared next to the man.

It was when she crept closer to listen that she learned the true nature of her village. She listened as the man, who said he was from an organization known as the Akatsuki, offered her Raikage a choice. Hand her over when the time came or be killed. Her Raikage had only laughed at that and told the man that they could 'have the bitch whenever they wanted'. She had known that she was hated but her abilities and power had always been looked at with at least a small amount of grudgingly given respect. The idea that her leader would hand her over so willingly at a threat that seemed arrogant and foolhardy was a powerful slap to the face for the young woman.

As her rage grew and her anger spiked her position was given away as an eerie black and red fiery chakra erupted all around her. From years of unimaginably hard training, Yugito was able to call upon so much of Nibi's power that it actually materialized around her in the shape of said demon. Nibi was never as large as some of the other Bijuu but her power was nothing sneeze at as the shinobi of Kumo had learned first hand all those years ago. While in this form even the Raikage, the nameless man, and the bodyguards were all forced to fight for their lives as she attacked.

The battle had been a long one and resulted in every one of the Raikage's bodyguards being killed but in the end Yugito felt herself tiring and fled. Neither shinobi were willing to chase after the giant flaming cat that had very nearly killed them, so even after the form gave way to a battered young woman, Yugito was still able to continue her escape.

A sudden pain ripped through Yugito's stomach that was powerful enough to force her to stop her running and force her mind away from her thoughts and back to her surroundings. When her eyes focused on the sight in front of her, Yugito's eyes widened and she gave serious thought to turning around and running back to Kumo. She had no idea how long she had been running but ahead of her was yet another shinobi village and yet another place she knew she wouldn't be welcome.

"I doubt I will ever find a place that will welcome me with open arms. People who look at me without fear and give thanks for my presence among them... Or find someone who will love me and not simply lust after my body." Yugito whispered as she forced herself to begin moving forward again, towards yet another place she was sure would try and use her and throw her away when they grew tired of her presence. Her movements were slow and sluggish as her exhaustion was catching up to her in full force.

As she staggered drunkenly towards the village, Yugito found herself hard pressed not to lose consciousness. Channeling so much of Nibi's chakra always left her tired beyond all meaning of the word but never had she been forced to fight for so long in said form and the unimaginable aching of her bones brought tears to her blood red eyes.

If the blood and dirt from her battle and journey were washed away, most people would see a woman of great beauty. A woman who, even in her own village that was filled with people who hated and despised her, was lusted after by almost any man. Her long white hair was usually tired back in a long braid but it now fell free of it's bind and appeared to be splattered with the blood of her enemies. Her crimson eyes and ruby red lips were stunning and the envy of many women. Even her slitted, cat-like pupils were seen as exotic and alluring. Her pale skin and full figure only seemed to make the women of her village hate her even more. Truly she was a beauty most would long to hold. Sadly, she was a 'demon' and was only ever looked at with lust, never the love she longed to see in a persons face as they stared back at her.

"A Jinchuuriki. A being unworthy of love." she whispered softly as she finally stumbled out of the forest and into one of the wide dirt roads leading towards the gates of the village.

Yugito gave a pained laugh that sounded more like a whimper when the shinobi guarding the entrance spotted her. The blood on her lips that had just began to dry, cracked as more shinobi suddenly appeared. As she staggered closer she could see one of them speaking but as her ears began ringing and her vision faded, Yugito took one last step before her body simply gave out. Perhaps the village of Konohagakure no Sato would finally allow her the peace she craved. Perhaps someone within those walls would look at her and see more than a demon, an abomination. Perhaps somewhere in that village there was someone who would love her.

()()()()()()()

When Yugito awoke she whimpered slightly as her entire body continued to feel as though it had been smashed to pieces and roughly forced back together. A small part of her wondered if that had been the case. After all, Kumo and Konoha had always held a deep seeded hatred for each other after years of war and false treaties. She wouldn't have been terribly surprised to open her eyes and find herself staring at a cell ceiling or to find herself in the middle of some grotesque torture.

However those thoughts were forced out of her mind when she realized that she was laying on a pleasantly soft mattress while her head rested on an equally soft pillow. If this was what was inside of Konoha's cells than Yugito found herself hoping to be a prisoner for a good long while. At least until she was rested and her wounds were healed.

Without even opening her eyes Yugito was able to identify her surroundings. Just by the smell of her sheets and the noise outside her room she was about to tell that she was inside a hospital, and a rather clean on at that. Of course she had never been in a hospital for very long, usually just dropping off someone she had come upon, so it may have been that all hospitals were as clean as the one she was currently in. The sterile scent surrounding her seemed a little excessive but then again, not everyone had a Jinchuuriki's healing abilities. In fact, Yugito was almost positive that she didn't even need to be in the hospital in the first place. Any bed would have done fine as she would have healed in a matter of time anyway.

When her eyes finally fluttered open, Yugito noticed two masked shinobi standing just inside her room beside the door. Both were staring at her and she noted that it wasn't happiness radiating off of them. She was, however, at least a little pleased that for the most part they seemed neutral towards her. The one of the left was staring at her chest a bit longer than she would have liked but she was used to men gawking at her. Even in the hospital gown it was easy to tell that she had a nice figure.

Yugito stared up at the white ceiling even as one of her guards whispered something to someone right outside the door. She could only assume that there were more guards outside her room as it would have been a bit arrogant to only have two shinobi guard an 'enemy' shinobi of unknown skill.

It was nearly an hour later when a gentle knock on the door broke the silence of the room that had Yugito close to screaming simply to stop herself from going insane. Even if she was from an enemy country, her guards could have at least spoken to her a little.

She watched and became slightly nervous when the door opened to reveal a kind looking old man she knew to be the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha. The old man had a compassionate aura surrounding him and a pipe in his mouth but Yugito knew he was not someone to underestimate if you enjoyed living. Yugito watched the elderly shinobi whisper something to the guards before they bowed and disappeared in twin swirls of leaves.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he moved closer and stood next to her bed. She didn't know why exactly but Yugito found herself amazingly calm considering her situation.

"I'd give anything for a glass of water." she whispered. Just speaking caused her to cringe as it was oddly painful with her dry throat. To her surprised the old man chuckled and poured her a glass of water from the large pitch that had been beside her bed the entire time. She took the glass and muttered her thanks even as her pale cheeks flushed slightly.

"Now, may I ask why you appeared outside my village covered in blood? Also, please be honest with me as a great many things depends on it." asked the Sandaime Hokage even as he turned to stare out the lone window in her room.

"I... I didn't really plan to come here. I was running and not really giving much thought to where I was going and before I realized it, I was outside your village." Yugito answered while hoping he would let the blood part of his question slide. He would not.

"And the blood? To be honest that is what worries me the most as very little of it was yours." he asked, never once sounding anything other than calm and pleasant. It was almost as it he already knew everything but was merely confirming it with her.

"I... was in a battle." she whispered while hoping to end it there. When the Hokage turned towards her and raised a single eyebrow she sighed and continued. "I am originally from Kumo, as you already know, and after a slight... difference of opinion, I began fighting against the Raikage, his bodyguards, and one other person. I was able to kill the bodyguards and at least slightly wound the two others before fleeing. I... I never realized where I was going until I saw Konoha. By then my body was already shutting down and I knew I'd be unable to make it to any of the neighboring villages."

"And what, if I may ask, was the... difference of opinion about?"

"A man, the other man I fought against, appeared in my village and I began following him around, something about him just seemed off. After a little while the man met up with the Raikage's bodyguards. I followed him and the bodyguards back outside the village where they met the Raikage himself. The man said he was from an organization and gave the Raikage an ultimatum, hand me over when the time came or die. The Raikage just laughed and said something about me being a bitch and that they could have me whenever they wanted me. I heard this and became enraged. We fought for a long time before I was forced to flee."

"Did the man happen to say what organization he was from?" inquired the Hokage while Yugito nodded slowly, trying to identify the tone the man was using to see if it would mean trouble for her or not.

"The Akatsuki." she replied only to watch as the elderly man became lost in thought. It was a little while longer before the man turned towards her completely and asked.

"Have you any idea why they would want you?"

"I can only think of one reason." she whispered. "Because I'm a Jinchuuriki."

The elderly Hokage merely sighed heavily and closed his eyes. It was obvious that he was greatly upset or even saddened about her answer but for the life of her, Yugito couldn't figure out why. When the man opened his tired eyes, his look became one of sorrow as he sat down heavily in a chair beside her bed. She watched him struggle to control his emotions before finally he used the sleeve of his robe to wipe away a single tear.

"W-What will you do now? It is obvious that you will not be returning to Kumo and I am under no obligation to inform them of your presence here. I will not even ask you to leave if you give me your word that you will not harm anyone in his village." he said while Yugito's look of shock only increased that much more when he said that she could stay if she wished.

"B-But I'm..." she stuttered before the old man smiled kindly and interrupted her.

"Nii Yugito. Jounin of Kumo and known as the 'Ikiryou' for your abilities in stealth and tracking but also because of Nibi's ability to call upon and control the dead. You became a Genin at the age of five, a Chuunin at the age of seven, and a Jounin at the age of fourteen; you probably could have become one sooner but for reasons all their own your council and Raikage never allowed you. You have never failed to complete a mission but what's more important is that you have never allowed a teammate to be killed."

"A-All this time?" she whispered only to have the older man chuckle happily and exhale a cloud of smoke.

"I wouldn't be much of a Hokage if I allowed an 'enemy' shinobi to rest in my hospital without learning all I could about her, now would I?" he teased while the young Jounin blushed but was forced to agree with him. His jovial smile slipped for a moment before he sighed. "Yugito, I realize that you have no reason to trust me or anyone after what has happened to you but I'd like for you to stay in Konoha."

Yugito's eyes widened and try as she might the white haired beauty couldn't get her voice to work even after her mouth opened and closed several times. She had honestly expected to be killed as soon as she woke up and here she was lying in a hospital bed with the Hokage asking her to jointheir village. She knew her life in Kumo was over as even if they would take her back, Yugito would never rejoin them after what they did to her. The betrayal cut her far deeper than most would realize.

Despite the realization that her past in Kumo was exactly that, the past, Yugito still found it hard to believe that someone would not only allow her to stay in their village and become a shinobi but would actually askherto stay. It was the closest she had ever come to being excepted anywhere and even with the years of training in keeping her emotions locked away, Yugito felt her eyes begin to tear up.

"I-I would be honored. Th-Thank you." she replied, her voice thick with the emotions she was trying to deny and keep locked deep inside.

"Than welcome to Konohagakure no Sato, Nii Yugito. As of this moment it is with great pride that I grant you the rank of Jounin. However..." the Hokage said and immediately the young woman's face fell and she waited for the list of demands to start. She should have known better than to believe she would be allowed to stay without something in return. "However, as a show of loyalty, I would like for you to become a sensei to one of the teams graduating our academy. Many may have a problem with your presence and rank so teaching and keeping a team alive may show them that you are serious about wanting to be here."

"Y-You want to put me in charge of a team of Genin!" she nearly shouted, her face showing the horror she felt.

"If you don't mind." replied the Hokage with another light chuckle. He knew all to well what most Jounin thought of becoming a sensei, as he felt it himself when he was asked. It was important, of course, but to most it was like a slap in the face.

"C-Can't you just ask me to kill someone? I... I'm not good with people, and won't you putting me in charge of a Genin team after just instating me get you in trouble?" she asked, almost pleading with him to find a different way for her to show her loyalty.

"Yugito, I have one other reason for asking this of you." the Hokage said while suddenly sounding as if the topic alone was breaking his heart. When he noticed that he had her undivided attention, he continued. "Normally I would ask you to complete a mission but... there is a student that will be placed under your care that I believe needs you far more than you could ever imagine."

"H-How so?"

"He is a Jinchuuriki." whispered the Hokage as a pained look flashed over his eyes before they closed. Once again he struggled to control his emotions while Yugito simply stared back at him in disbelief.

As there were nine Bijuu, Yugito always knew that the odds of their being another person that shared her pain were pretty high. However, the odds of her ever meeting one of those people were so low that even a fool would never harbor any hope of meeting one. Yugito had been worse than a fool in many ways as she had always, deep down in her heart, longed to meet another. A person who would understand what it's like to be alone, to be looked at as if they were a monster. Just someone to share her pain with.

"Uzumaki Naruto was used by our Yondaime Hokage to seal away the Kyuubi no Youko. He was supposed to be seen as our greatest hero, that was the Yondaime's dieing wish, but instead he was seen as the Kyuubi itself and treated v-very badly." explained the Hokage and Yugito's look softened greatly when she heard the pain in the elderly man's voice. It was painfully obvious that he did not like the way the boy had been treated. "H-He was beaten and starved by every orphanage in this village before they finally threw him out onto the streets. This was all before he even turned four years old. His birthday is seen as a celebration for the Yondaime's defeat of the Kyuubi but also a day where Naruto is often attack and beaten by shinobi and villagers alike.

"When Naruto turned six ANBU reported that a mob had formed and immediately I went searching for him. W-When I arrived they had him trapped and were severely beating him. T-The council blocked me at every turn when it came to helping him but after that I didn't care. I threatened to leave the village if they didn't agree and after that I was allowed to get Naruto an apartment and a small allowance. He was safe inside his apartment but the abuse still continued as no one would sell him anything to eat or wear except a single ramen stand that is run by a man and his musume. Aside from myself and his sensei in the academy, Naruto is completely alone as the parents tell their children that Naruto is evil and a monster. U-Until last night Naruto had no idea why he was hated. It was then that someone finally told him the truth about being a Jinchuuriki. I-I had thought that by making it a crime to speak of what truly happened to the Kyuubi, Naruto might be able to have even the smallest chance at a normal life. I-I fear I was wrong."

As strong as she believed she was, Yugito was reduced to tears only halfway through the mans story. Her life had been bad but she had never been beaten simply because she had always had some level of control over Nibi's power. It was obvious that the Kyuubi's power was far too much for the young Jinchuuriki to handle and so others were free to beat him without fear. It was then that she realized that as much as she longed for someone to understand her pain, even she couldn't fully grasp what the young boy's life had been like.

Even as she tried to force herself to stop crying, Yugito also realized that she may never get this chance again. Not only did the Hokage seem to want her in his village, but there was someone there that needed her so badly that she knew she would never be able to turn down the offer. There was also the fact that mentoring the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi in how to fully use the demon's power was a thrilling idea in and of itself. She knew her power inside and out and Nibi was nowhere near as powerful as Kyuubi, so if the child, Naruto, could learn to wield that power... The very idea sent shivers up Yugito's spine.

"I-I'll do it so long as you give me your word that this Naruto boy will be on my team. I don't care who you pair him with but I will not teach anyone anything unless he is on my team. No one in this village will understand him like I do." Yugito stated as firmly as she possible could, considering the fact that she was still a bit chocked up from the Hokage's story about Naruto's life.

"I will contact the other would-be sensei's and Iruka so that the teams can be redone. No matter what, you have my word that Uzumaki Naruto will be under you care, even if we have to make him your apprentice." vowed the Hokage while Yugito nodded curtly. "Tomorrow those that graduated will be finding out who is on their team and you and the other senseis will meet with them. Normally a sensei will administer yet another test to see if the team can function correctly, but also to see if their abilities are... up to snuff so to speak. Usually those that fail their sensei's test are sent back to the academy, but it's entirely up to you whether or not you want to keep them as your team."

"Thank you." she whispered absently. Her mind already trying to wrap itself around the idea that not only was she about to become a sensei to three Genin, but also that one of her pupils was a Jinchuuriki himself. And that of Kyuubi no less!

"I will send some cloths for you as soon as I am able. What you were wearing wasn't in the best of condition and it's probably best if you didn't dress like a Kumo-nin. Until then, please rest."

Yugito nodded but hadn't exactly listened to what the old man had said to her. The Sandaime Hokage knew this but didn't really mind. He had, after all, given her a lot to think about so he just patted her gently on the arm as he stood before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. As he left the Sandaime Hokage wondered if finally Naruto's life was beginning to change for the better. He knew all to well how much of a difference having a sensei who understands and cares can make.

She didn't exactly realize how much time had passed but to the outside world Yugito had been lying in her bed with her thoughts racing for close to two hours. She probably would have stayed longer but a nurse entered her room and set an outfit at the foot of her bed. The look the woman gave her was one mixed with confusion and accusation. Apparently even the non-shinobi members of the village knew of her past in Kumo and hated her for it, or at least looked at her with distrust.

When the nurse left her alone again, Yugito slowly got to her feet and stretched. Despite the fact that when she had woken up her body felt as though it had been smashed to pieces, Yugito now felt perfectly fine, if a little tired. She had always been quick to heal thanks to Nibi's presence and if for only that reason, Yugito felt grateful for the demon. To most it wouldn't have been a worth while trade off but Yugito felt that if it was going to be sealed inside of her anyway, something other than power should be given. It was that healing ability that had allowed her to train far past normal human limits only to rest for a shot time and do it again. As she slowly began looking over the clothing that was brought to her, Yugito wondered if Naruto had been given that same healing ability. She truly hoped he had as without it his life, their beatings, would have left far more than mental scars.

As she tied her new hitai-ate around her forehead, Yugito's heart began pounding in her chest and her hands began to shake. The knowledge that it was Konoha's insignia etched into the metal and not Kumo's was painfully obvious to her... and yet she found herself also feeling immensely excited about being a part of Konoha. Yugito then moved to the tall, fully body mirror that was hanging on the outside of the bathroom door to look herself over.

The clothing she was given was mostly standard issue for a Jounin. A pair of slightly baggy black pants, a pair of black fingerless gloves, and the Jounin flank jacket. Her shirt, however, was nothing more than a black tanktop but she still liked the way it looked on her. Tossing the flank jacket on to her bed, Yugito grabbed the dark cloth-like tape she had also been given and began tapping the bottoms of her pants to her legs before sliding on the pair of shinobiesque sandals she had been given. It was only small differences between her old uniform and the one she was wearing now but as she moved to look at herself in the mirror once more, they seemed to jump out at her as if she were wearing a bright green, full body training suit. When she finally pulled on the flack jacket, Yugito looked herself over even as her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth.

"It... It's different" she mused softly as she turned around and looked over her shoulder so that she could see what she looked like from the back. "I'll have to find something to tie my hair back with but for the most part I like it. Now, lets go see what my new village looks like. Perhaps I'll run into that boy, Naruto I think his name was."

As she opened the door to her room and exited, Yugito didn't even pay any heed to the fact that she had no idea what Naruto looked like. She also didn't think it would matter. After years of looking at herself in mirrors, Yugito knew she would have been able to spot someone with her own pain from miles away. That and the fact that if the villagers hated him as much as the Hokage had led her to believe, their looks would be all the help she would need.

After leaving the hospital without incident, Yugito was forced to shield her eyes from the bright sun overhead. When she was able to focus she realized how far away from Kumo she truly was. Absolutely nothing looked the same, not the people, not the buildings, nothing. Kumo was not a small place and yet Konoha seemed many times larger than her old village and many times busier. She had yet to move away from the front of the hospital and already people were rushing past her. It was then that she realized that her new life in Konoha was going to take some getting use to.

Still, Yugito found, the people seemed friendly as more than once someone passing her would offer a small smile. Will they continue to smile when they learn what I am? She thought sadly as she finally forced herself away from the hospital. Those around her didn't even bat an eye when she suddenly seemed to disappear.

As she raced across buildings and trees alike, Yugito found that her movements were still slightly sluggish. It didn't really bother her too much because she was within her new village after all but even in Kumo she had an odd habit of sneaking around but that most stemmed from her dislike of the cold looks she was given by the villagers.

It was nearly nightfall when Yugito finally believed that she had at least some small understanding about how Konoha was set up. Some of the buildings looked so similar that she was certain that she would forget which was which but some, like the administrative building, she knew she would be able to find if need be. Despite the fact that she had mostly been trying to gain a basic layout for Konoha, Yugito was still slightly disappointed that she had yet to run into anyone she believed could be the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi.

It wasn't until she began looking over the training grounds for her own training that she found a young boy who she believed could be the one she had been looking for. Surprisingly, however, there wasn't just one boy present in the clearing, there were fifty. Fifty copies of the exact same blond haired, blue eyed boy. Fifty copies of the boy's horrible orange outfit. Sticking to the shadows, Yugito watched as the majority of the copies surrounded a single one before attacking. The one being attacked fought back bravely but the numbers were to great and it was painfully obvious that the boy's taijutsu was in serious need of attention. Still, she was greatly impressed that no matter how hard the boy was hit or how hard he was thrown to the ground, he regained his feet and continued fighting. The fire burning in the boy's eyes reminded her of her own the few times she had seen her reflection in water during her long training regimes.

"I see you were able to find our darkest secret without any prompting."

Yugito blood ran cold as she turned only to find the elderly Hokage standing behind her, looking at the boy from over her crouched form. Once again his eyes displayed the emotions he longed to show and if anything it only seemed to solidify to Yugito just how much he cared about the young boy. Truthfully, if it had been anyone other than the Hokage, Yugito would have been questioning her own skills in concealment and stealth. She hadn't even gotten the slightest hint that someone might have been watching her, let alone standing directly behind her.

"His dream..." started the Hokage before his words were broken by a soft almost pained laugh. "His dream is to become the greatest Hokage our village has ever known. He wishes to gain the acknowledgment of every villager and shinobi if only to prove his own existence. You will find that there are two Narutos. One, the public Naruto, is a happy-go-lucky fool who is always smiling and looking for the best in every situation. The second is the true Naruto, the one he keeps locked deep inside himself until he thinks no one is looking. That is a Naruto only three people have ever seen, yourself included. Both are stubborn, hardworking, and will never back down from a challenge regardless of the odds. Still I wish that the true Naruto were the one he displayed most. The empty smiles are beginning to become too much for me."

"Why does he feel the need to act like a fool?" Yugito asked while turning back to the blond boy and watched as he wiped a steam of blood from his cheek. It was then that she noticed the three whisker marks that donned each cheek of the boy and his clones.

"Regardless of how most people see him, Naruto is by no means a fool. At a young age he learned the joy of having his peers laugh at one of his pranks or jokes and for the first time it was as if he had been accepted by them. Don't get me wrong, the boy is mischievous beyond belief but over time people simply began labeling him as a dunce. The people's looks were cold and unforgiving enough without them fearing him so he acts like a fool so that, to some extent, they don't hate him as much as they could. His sensei in the academy was the first to notice this and when he brought it to my attention we began keeping a closer watch on his progress within his academy as well as the training we knew he was doing outside. While he is by himself, like now, the boy is easily one of the best in his year, but when he returns to the classroom he plays the fool so that the others don't have more reason to hate him. He has potential, more so than I have ever seen, but he fears the reaction of the shinobi and villagers if they were to see the 'demon' excelling."

"D-Does he not have a family?" Yugito whispered sadly. Despite having lived a life much like the young man's, she found it incredibly hard not to pity the boy.

"I will tell you something but it must never be told to Naruto." the Hokage stated and when Yugito opened her mouth to say something, he continued. "I-I realize that it may be cruel but there are reasons for me doing this and believe me, when the time is right, he will learn the truth."

"I swear to you that whatever you tell me will never be uttered from my mouth."

"Naruto is truly alone but at one time he did have parents who loved him. Loved him more than I could ever express. Sadly, his kaa-san died mere moments after giving birth to him and his tou-san died not long after. Uzumaki Kushina was his kaa-san's name and I give thanks that she was at least able to hold him once before she passed. She was a very kind woman and beautiful beyond measure. His tou-san's name was Namikaze Minato, our Yondaime Hokage." the Sandaime Hokage whispered even as he was forced to close his eyes or risk losing control over his emotions at the sight of the young man training not far off.

"H-He is treated like a demon and yet he is the musuko of your greatest hero?!" Yugito hissed angrily while inside she was disgusted and shocked at the information she had just learned. How could the village celebrate the man's name and sacrifice while beating his own child who had given up far more than his life to keep them safe from the beast.

"As I said, he is this village's darkest secret. I gave serious thought to leaving Konoha at that time but I realized that Naruto would need me, I just wish I had been able to do more for him. If I had thought it would work I would have sealed the best inside myself just so that Naruto could grow up in a home where his is loved and wanted. W-When I see him smiling that cold and empty smile of his it breaks my heart to know that he may never gain the acknowledgment he works so hard to gain. To know that his dream of becoming Hokage may never come true simply because the village fears him and what is sealed inside him. I-I hate myself for not stopping the sealing even if it meant my village was destroyed. I hate looking out over the village and thinking that maybe it would have been best for the Kyuubi to put an end to us. Konoha has fallen very far in my eyes over one single child and at times I honestly wish for something to happen just to prove to them that Naruto was nothing more than a child who had been given a burden, a burden they made even heavier by their words and looks."

The more he spoke the less control he seemed to have over his emotions and soon the older shinobi was unable to keep his own tears in check. It was painfully obvious that the Hokage didn't like feeling this way but it was just as obvious that he had been completely honest with her. Yugito looked back for a second and saw that even as tears rolled down his cheeks, the elderly man was smiling slightly at the young man as he struggled against the multiple attacks of the clones.

"Naruto initially failed the graduation exam." the Hokage whispered while now sounding immeasurable proud of Naruto despite what he had said. "That boy, just yesterday, was incapably or making a single clone. The Bunshin no Jutsu happened to be the final test for the academy and at the time Naruto could only create one single deformed thing that resembled him slightly."

"B-But..." Yugito stuttered as she and the Hokage had both been watching the boy fight against a small army of clones the entire time. There was obviously the fact that the clones he was fighting against were physically real as the punches to his face drew blood just as real as any other.

"After he failed, a man named Mizuki who had been working under Umino Iruka, Naruto's sensei, as a second sensei to the class confronted him with a 'secret test'. Mizuki told Naruto that if he stole a certain scroll from me and was able to learn one technique from it, he would be able to graduate." the Hokage explained even as a slight blush spread out across his cheeks. "N-Naruto was able to break in and... err... incapacitate me, please don't ask me how, and steal the scroll. When he reached the area Mizuki had told him about, he read the first technique and began training. When Iruka found him it became obvious that Naruto had been lied to and that is when Mizuki appeared and told Naruto the truth of what he was. The fear in his eyes was unimaginable. F-For a moment Naruto believed that everything the villagers had said to him was true, that he truly was a demon who had killed so many people. While Iruka and Mizuki spoke, they didn't realize that Naruto was standing nearby and heard Iruka as he acknowledged Naruto. That brat saved Iruka from a certain death at the hands of Mizuki by performing the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to an extent that even in my youth I never would have been able to duplicate."

"H-How many did he create? I arrived just after he had nearly fifty and he didn't even look winded." she asked while feeling excited for Naruto and for herself. Naruto because she was happy that he had been able to succeed at something and herself simply because he was about to become her pupil.

"I'd guess nearly one thousand but I didn't even bother counting." he answered only to have the newest Konoha Jounin stare back at him in disbelief. "I believe that his heightened emotional state may have allowed him to tap into a small portion of Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto has amazing amounts of stamina and chakra but even his alone shouldn't have been able to accomplish such a feat, not with his level of chakra control."

"THAT is why I'm here." Yugito whispered and despite the fact that she was speaking more to herself, the Hokage still heard her and shot her a questioning look. "When I was running I simply let my instincts take over. I think that Nibi sensed Naruto use a small portion of Kyuubi's chakra and guided me here. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the other Bijuu had sensed it. If I understand it correctly, Kyuubi's chakra is not something most would ever forget."

"No... it is not." the Hokage agreed with a slight shiver. "If I were asked to describe it in one word it would be terror. Pure, overwhelming terror. I have been in many battles and I have felt many different kinds of killing intent but against that beast... I felt as if I were a helpless child. My instincts told me to run but my body refused to move. At times I still have nightmares about that night and wake up in a cold sweat."

"From what I've been told of Kumo's battle with Nibi, it was much the same. A few of our shinobi on the front line that survived the conflict returned completely crazed."

"To be honest I find myself worrying about him." the Sandaime whispered softly as he gently rested his hand on the shoulder of the Jinchuuriki. "I worry that such chakra will taint him. He is a wonderful child if you look past his jokes and pranks. He would help a friend at the cost of his life without a moments' hesitation... If he had a friend I mean. Between Iruka and I, I fear he has little reason to be happy. I sometimes believe that if I asked, that boy would end his own life if he believed it would make me happy. He is so kind, so loyal, and so willing to give up everything to protect his precious people, and yet most will never allow themselves to see past what they believe his is. A demon. The Kyuubi reborn."

"Hokage-sama, please don't worry about Naruto becoming tainted by Kyuubi's chakra. I give you my word that I will train him to the best of my abilities to use the power given to him without removing his innocence." Yugito vowed.

"I know you will, my child." he replied with a kind smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder his hand was one. "From my understanding, you have an incredibly high level of control over Nibi's chakra, full materialization I believe? I would love to witness it for myself."

"I would like to meet with Naruto before I show you but after, all you have to do is ask. To be honest I am proud of what I am." she stated while to the Hokage it sounded as if she were merely trying to convince herself of this fact. "I have been given great power and I was able to protect an entire village. Regardless of what they did or said to me, regardless of how it hurts at times, I am and will always be a Jinchuuriki."

"You do not have to convince me, my child." he whispered. "In my eyes you and Naruto are the heroes you were meant to be. Without your sacrifice, many innocent people would have been killed and even if they seem ungrateful of what you did for them, you are still a hero. You were not created out of greed for power but out of a need to protect. In my life it will never matter what I do, you and Naruto will always surpass me in courage, bravery, and strength."

For once in her life Yugito felt herself blushing terribly under the praise of the kind old man who seemed eternally grateful for her sacrifice and presence. If being able to teach and meet another Jinchuuriki wasn't enough, Yugito finally felt like she was where she was meant to be. A place where she was needed and wanted. She had finally found her home hidden away among the leaves of Hi no Sato.

"What can you tell me about his abilities? His taijutsu needs a lot of work but he seems more than willing to practice but I've yet to see him do anything aside from it." she asked once her attention was returned to the blond who had just destroyed the final clone and collapsed to the ground as he gasped for air. He was bleeding from many different points on his body and this told Yugito and the Hokage that the clones had not been holding back in the slightest.

"His taijutsu has suffered greatly because no one is willing to sit down and teach him properly or spar with him. Iruka tried his hardest to always be there for him but at times it is impossible and I believe Naruto knows this. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first time Naruto has ever sparred against 'another' person. As I said a moment ago, his stamina is monstrous as are his chakra reserves so there is actually very little Naruto couldn't accomplish if he worked hard enough. His control over his chakra, however, leaves him only being able to perform high level jutsus. The reason he has no potential in genjutsu and his Bunshins are deformed is because he has dismal control and uses far too much chakra in every jutsu. Oddly enough when he learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Naruto was actually helping himself far more than he realized." explained the Hokage and when Yugito looked back at him with an expression that told him she didn't understand, he continued. "A shadow clone is far more than just a clone. As you have no doubt realized by now, they are physically real. They are actually able to bleed and cause harm to opponents but usually one solid strike will destroy one. That, however, is nothing compared to what else they can do."

"Go on." Yugito said excitedly. She had to hand it to the man, he was a master at creating suspense; she honestly didn't know what she would do if the Hokage didn't finish telling her about the amazing clones Naruto was able to create.

"The easiest way to explain it is to think of each clone as it's own person. If Naruto were to create a single clone, his chakra would be divided between them. Create one thousand clones and it is divided evenly between them. Uzumaki Naruto is probably the only person who can create so many clones and still have chakra to spare. Most Jounin ranked shinobi would be able to create one or two at a time, any more and they would die. Why am I telling you all this? Because of the implications of this ability of his. If I were to create a single clone and give it a scroll filled with facts I didn't know, when it was dispelled or destroyed, I would gain every ounce of knowledge it gained from the scroll as it I had sat down and read it myself. This makes the clones ideal for scouting and probing as it allows a team to gain information about an area without having to risk themselves to gain it. But that is far from all it can be used for."

"Just tell me already!" she demanded while sounding both annoyed and as if she were about to start crying. The old man chuckled quietly so not to give away their position to Naruto before he continued.

"Since a clone is considered to be it's own person, it could do two things at once or do one thing twice as fact. If I were to give Naruto a jutsu to learn and he were to create a single clone, he would be able to learn it in half the time. Create one thousand clones and it would be done in one/one thousandth of the time it would normally take. Since Naruto is able to create these clones at such an extreme scale, he could, in effect, complete years worth of training in a matter of days. While he cannot use them to train his body, Naruto can use them to train his chakra. Just as any information the clone gains is sent transfered to the original, so is any experience or increase in chakra control. If Naruto learned to tap into Kyuubi's chakra to create one thousand clones, he could have those clone train in chakra control for only one full day and in the end it would be like he had training for nearly three years. Use that same number of clones for one week would result in just over nineteen years of experience."

"P-Please forgive me for this but... Holy shit!" Yugito whispered while the Hokage struggled to keep his laughter at level Naruto wouldn't hear. To be honest he had much the same reaction later the same night Naruto had learned it when he realized what it could be used for in Naruto's hands. Yugito, he noted, seemed to realize that if Kyuubi had left him with an amazing potential, Kyuubi and Kage Bunshin no Jutsu together left him with something much more than mere potential.

"However, I don't think Naruto himself has realized this yet. He knows the bit about the clones memory becoming his own as he uses it to help with taijutsu, but I don't believe he knows anything about their potential to help him with chakra control. I believe I will leave you to tell him about them. Of course to better understand them, I will allow you to read the section on them that I'm sure Naruto merely glanced over." the Hokage said while enjoying Yugito's look of awe and disbelief greatly. "I sometimes wish the jutsu wasn't so dangerous as it's potential is amazing. Of course few could ever use it to the extent Naruto can, perhaps you might be able to with Nibi's help."

"I-I hope so..." Was all Yugito said in reply as the blond before them continued to work through a mock battle, fixing his stance where he needed to. She also noticed that every wound that Naruto had suffered during the spar... well the word 'beating' described what had happened much more accurately, had already healed. Not only did he heal fast but he healed far faster than even she did without calling upon Nibi's chakra. Even if she did call upon her demon's chakra, if Naruto did so as well she knew he would still heal far faster and she didn't begrudge him it in the slightest.

"Now, the actual reason I came to find you was to tell you that I was able to meet with Iruka and the other Jounin senseis. A few had their reservations about you being a shinobi at all, let alone in charge of a Genin team, but even they were forced to admit that placing Naruto under your care would be for the best. I'm sorry to say that a few of your fellow shinobi refuse to see you as anything more than a demon from Kumo, but they are in the minority and I believe they may yet change their views once they get to know you." he said and took note of the expressionless look on Yugito's face as she slowly nodded. He could see that she was upset that even the people of Konoha were seeing her as a demon but the knowledge that Naruto was under her care seemed to offset this.

"And who are the other two Genin on my team?"

"Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura." the Sandaime replied only to sigh when Yugito flinched horribly at the sound of Hinata's clan name.

"I-Is that really wise? T-To most people I will always be a Kumo-nin and to place a Hyuuga on my team would be...."

The Hokage cut her off by raising a single hand. "You area shinobi of Konoha, regardless of where you were before coming here. Until you prove otherwise, you have my complete trust and I know you will be an excellent sensei to young Hinata."

"If you think it is for the best." Yugito replied but it was clear that she was still a little uneasy about the how Hinata and her clan would react to her being the young woman's sensei.

"There is one other reason for placing her on your team and it actually centers around Naruto, like so many other things seem to." he added but this time the corners of his lips were turning upward and his eyes shinned with suppressed laughter. "Despite the way Naruto is viewed by most of the village, young Hinata has developed quite the crush one the young man. Of course we are not in the business of placing people together simply because of crushes but for once it seemed to be for the best. Please forgive me for being blunt but after Kumo's failed kidnapping attempt when she was three years old, Hinata has suffered from a severe lack of confidence. Because of this she is treated poorly within her own clan and this only seems to make her self-worth shrink even more. She is an incredibly kind young woman who seems to have a rather impressive ability in creating healing salves. Her kind heart leads her to suffer in training as she fears that she will hurt her opponent, this only seems to lead most to believe that she is weak. I believe, I hope, that by placing her together with Naruto, perhaps she will begin to feel better about herself. Adding his clones to the mix and perhaps she will even begin to train without fear of harming her opponent."

"And the last one? Haruno Sakura?" Yugito asked and when Naruto began to leave, she assumed it was to go to wherever it was that he lived.

"I almost don't want to tell you about her." laughed the Hokage only to have Yugito look confused by this. "She is a perfectly lovely young woman and unbelievably smart but she does have a few... less than desirable qualities that most senseis wouldn't want. First is while she may be incredibly smart in terms of book smarts, she has very little in the way of practical application. Second is that while she has near perfect chakra control, it is only because she has very little chakra to begin with. The last, however, is by far the worst and yet is also most common among young girls her age...."

"A boy." sighed Yugito while the Hokage nodded sadly.

"The last member of the Uchiha Clan is in this years graduating class and like almost every other girl in their year, Sakura is obsessed with the boy. Hinata, it would seem, is the only girl in their class not under the boy's spell. Sakura and many of the other kunoichi have placed love and lust ahead of training and it is very apparent. She has the potential to be a wonderful medic-nin as well as a decent genjutsu user but she seems far more worried about winning over the Uchiha's heart than any type of shinobi training. Plus she is loud, stubborn, and is often overly confident of what little abilities she does have."

"I... I hate you." Yugito stated darkly as she narrowed her cat-like eyes at the Hokage but the man didn't seem even the slightest bit effected by it. If anything he only looked apologetic that his kunoichi were so... un-shinobi-like.

"I fear I should also tell you that Naruto has a crush on Sakura. Whether this is how he truly feels or is just another cover for him, I do not know, but if he refuses to drop his act than you'll have your work cut out for you."

"I really hate you." stated the Jinchuuriki but the Hokage laughed happily despite her words. To be honest Yugito had been preparing herself for the worst when it came to pupils but she had allowed a slight hope to creep in as well. Apparently everyone wanted to give her the hardest time possible. "So, not only do I have the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi who is actually the musuko of the Yondaime Hokage and is hated by most of the village, but I have a Hyuuga who was kidnapped by Kumo-nins when she was young leaving her with a severe lack of confidence, and a girl who cares nothing about training in what separates us from civilians and spends most of her time mooning over a boy every girl her age seems to 'love'. Did I get that right?"

"You forgot the bit about Hinata having a crush on Naruto and about Naruto having a crush on Sakura who has a crush on another boy, but yeah. For the most part you were spot on."

"I really, really hate you." she said but this time it came out as more of a whimper. Hearing this the Hokage just threw his head back and laughed happily, paying no mind to the pitiful look the young Jounin had on her face. She would definitely have her work cut out for her.

()()()()()()()

The following morning found Naruto lying in bed, staring blankly up at his bedroom ceiling. For the past month or so it had become increasingly difficult to lift himself out of his bed and face the cold stares of his own village. To get up and once again put on his mask of idiocy that he normally wore. He was becoming tired. Tired of living the lie that had just about become who he truly was even in his own mind. There were so many times when he was training that he wished that someone would stubble upon him and make it impossible for him to continue lying to everyone around him. Sometimes he wanted nothing more than to be able to just stop smiling.

As his right hand tightened around the cold metal of his hitai-ate, Naruto couldn't help but smile slightly at the memory of how he came to own the hitai-ate of his academy sensei. It was slightly battered and was by no means the prettiest one of the lot but Naruto would never trade it for anything in the world. It was the first physical proof that he had that he had been accepted by someone of Konoha. Nothing else meant so much to the young Genin and if anything, it only seemed to make him want to stop living his lie all the more.

While it was completely normal for a newly graduated Genin to worry about who their teammates and sensei would be or where their life would be going, Naruto seemed far more worried about how he would be seen by those people if they happened to learn the truth about what he was. That his own team would view him as a demon if they knew that he had been used to seal away the Kyuubi and that on occasion he was able to call upon the demon's power to heighten his own drastically.

When the thought about who his sensei might be Naruto wasn't really to picky. They could be male or female, they could specialize in any portion of shinobi's life, and all Naruto would ask is that he be treated the same as his teammates. To at least be given the chance to prove himself before being judged as a monster or an abomination. In terms of teammates, however, Naruto did have a few qualifications he would like to have met. The most important was that he not be placed on a team with Uchiha Sasuke. Plain and simple. He had a few others he wouldn't want to be with and a few he did but he honestly didn't know what he would do if he were placed on a team with the Uchiha.

Every time Naruto looked at him he wanted to scream or kick the boy in the face. His attitude, his life, and even his abilities all annoyed Naruto to no end. While most would say it was mere jealousy at the fact that the young man was considered a 'genius' and wanted by every girl within a few years of them, Naruto knew the truth and jealousy had little to do with it.

When their class turned seven years old the Uchiha clan had been reduced to a single member, Sasuke, and at the time Naruto had felt terribly sorry for the boy as he knew all to well the pain of loneliness. However, this pity turned to angry and resentment when he watched the young Uchiha become arrogant and spoiled by those around him. In the eyes of most of the village, Uchiha Sasuke could do no wrong and Sasuke knew this little fact all to well. He was given everything his heart desired and still he asked for more, like it was owed to him because of what had happened. Even as he watched this Naruto tried making friends with the boy simply because he never wanted anyone to feel the biting cold of being alone day after day, and yet the boy laughed at his offer of friendship. He acted like Naruto, no, everyone was unworthy of even looking at him, let alone becoming friends with him. While Naruto was forced to hide who he truly was, Sasuke enjoyed showing off his abilities and degrading other for failing to do the same. The boy was cold, arrogant, condescending, spiteful, and completely absorbed in gaining more power. He was everything Naruto wasn't and yet loved by everyone. Naruto would literally give someone he didn't even know everything he owned if make them happy and yet he was never able to escape his fate as the 'demon brat'.

Realizing that the line of thought was only going to make him angry, Naruto shifted his thoughts to the one person he truly hoped would be placed on his team. Someone that was everything Sasuke wasn't and also looked down on because of it. Hyuuga Hinata. Naruto didn't really know her very well but knew she had almost no confidence in herself or her abilities. She was the heiress to Konoha's most respected clan and yet she was very kind and gentle. So gentle, in fact, that she was near the bottom of their class in all practical areas simply because she didn't want to use any of what she knew against another person, even an arrogant jerk like Uchiha Sasuke. For a shinobi she was very strange and the fact that she blushed terribly when people spoke to her only seemed to solidify this thought in the minds of many. Naruto, however, was even able to make her faint just by saying 'hello' to her or smiling in her direction. He didn't really know why she was so timid and shy but Naruto honestly felt that it made her a better person than most anyone, although it did make her a less than average shinobi. Naruto wasn't certain as he had never really been able to speak to her before someone from her clan would come and spirit her away or she would faint simply be being so close to him, but he often wondered what was truly going on in the young woman's mind. Perhaps she wore a mask as well.

It was with a heavy sigh that Naruto lifted himself out of his bed and began shuffling about his apartment, completing his usual morning rituals. A very light workout to wake himself up was done before he moved into the bathroom to shower and do everything else that he needed to do. After this was finished he dressed himself in his usual, and hated, orange outfit before sitting down to breakfast.

Like just about everyone else in the village, Naruto despised his clothing and wanted nothing more than to burn it and would do so happily if he was able. Sadly, no one in the entire village would sell him anything except for one store that would only sell him the same orange outfit but in different sizes. It didn't matter that he had more than enough money, it was as if he carried a plague and no one would risk catching it by taking his money. The only reason he was able to eat was because of the nice people at his favorite ramen stand. They would sell him ramen when he wanted it but the owner's musume, Ayame, would also do a bit of shopping for him just so that he could have something more than ramen every day. This helped a lot but it still seemed that ramen was a major portion of what he ate on any given day. Ayame offered to do his clothing shopping for him but Naruto always turned her down. Food was one thing but if someone saw him wearing what Ayame had bought, it would only cause unneeded problems for the small family that had always been so kind to him.

Finally, just as Naruto was about to leave his apartment and start towards the academy, he realized that he hadn't tied his hitai-ate to his forehead but instead he put back on his goggles that had become so familiar to him. Laughing lightly at himself, Naruto pulled the offending item off of him and stared at it in his hands before setting it on the table and grabbing his hitai-ate. It wasn't until it was tied tightly around his forehead that Naruto opened his door and left his apartment. His first few steps away from his door were on very unsteady legs; his knees nearly buckled after only the third step. Naruto then stood very still and took a few deep breaths.

I wonder if anyone else is as nervous about this as I am? Naruto thought to himself as he lifted his hands and saw that they were both shaking terribly. Feeling both so nervous that I want to throw up and so excited that I think I'll explode does not make for a good combination. This is my first step in becoming the greatest Hokage of all time and yet... and yet I wonder if my dream isn't truly beyond my reach. When I learned of the Kyuubi it was like putting a face to the reason why I am so hated by everyone. It was also when I realized that there is little to nothing I can do to change their minds as I am always going to have the beast sealed within me. No family, no friends, and only four people that ever look at me with something other than disgust and disdain. Can someone like that really become Hokage? Can I really show those that hate me that I am Uzumaki Naruto, and not the demon that attacked this village twelve years ago?

Closing his eyes Naruto clenched his fists tightly and sent out a prayer to anyone listening to allow his dreams to come true. To make the seemingly impossible task of becoming Hokage become reality. Once his eye were open again, Naruto sighed heavily before forcing his legs to begin moving again. Nothing he wanted in life would ever come true if he spent his life standing still praying for it. He needed to work for his dreams and Naruto was more than willing to do just that. He remembered Iruka talking about 'baby steps' and until that very moment he had never really understood what the man had meant. Becoming Genin is the first step I need to take. It truly is impossible to become Hokage over night but it will happen if I work hard enough and do everything that needs to be done.

The walk to the academy was no different from the many other times he had walked there before. He was completely alone while others walked past him with their friends and possibly even their family. Those that happened to see him glared at him as if he had been about to rip off their skin the second their backs were turned. He hated those eyes. He hated being looked at as if he were a monster when all he had ever done was pull a few... a few thousand pranks. If he had truly been a monster or the Kyuubi like they seem to believe, Naruto knew he never would have allowed them to look at him or talk about him the way they did. Naruto snorted in dark humor while thinking that it was best for all of them that he wasn't the Kyuubi or else they would probably all be dead. If they truly believed that he was the demon than why risk retaliation by treating him the way they did? Surely they saw that the way they treated him was just begging for the demon to pay them back, right? But, Uzumaki Naruto was no monster and certainly wasn't the Kyuubi. He was a newly graduated Genin of Konoha and he was quite proud of that fact.

Naruto had been lost in thought most of the way to the academy that he never noticed that something was following him until someone sneezed. Naruto laughed quietly when he turned to see a rather large 'rock' following him. Of course since the rock was square and had eye-holes he figured there might be more to the 'rock' than most would think.

"You might as well come out." sighed Naruto only to have the box glow golden before exploding.

While normally he would have been impressed when the three children jumped out, the fact that they were chocking on their own explosion kind of took that away. Naruto looked at them as they tried to cough the smoke from there lungs and realized that every one of them was wearing a pair of goggles much like he had been when he first met Konohamaru, who was one of the three struggling to breath.

"Less gunpowder next time Udon!" chided the only female group member while the boy with the runny nose nodded. Suddenly the three straightened up and the girl spun before dropping into a pose. "The one who possess the sex appeal of an adult, and the female shinobi from the senior group, Moegi!"

"The one who loves dividing numbers, Udon!" stated the runny nose kid as he formed a pose while facing the other way.

"This village's number one genius shinobi, Konohamaru!" shouted the finally boy as he stood between the two others.

"The three of us make the Konohamaru Corps!" they all shouted while Naruto looked torn between amusement and horror.

"Err... Can I help you?" he asked weakly. He remembered Konohamaru from the day before but had no idea that he and his friends would start following him around. Still, even if it made him late for the academy, Naruto was happy to have three more people that saw him as something other than a monster or a demon. Sadly he was also forced to admit that the three had no idea why exactly he was labeled as such by the rest of the village.

"Boss, will you play with us?" pleaded Konohamaru while the other two shot him a pleading look as well.

T-That look isn't fair! He shouted mentally as he looked down at the only female in the group and realized that her look was by far the most effective. Naruto absently wondered if even Sasuke could look at the three and remain unaffected.

"I can't right now." Naruto admitted only to have them drop their look and begin looking terribly upset. Sighing heavily Naruto tried to think of something to give them to do that would allow him to continue towards the academy but wouldn't upset them. Then it hit him. "If you want I can give you a mission?"

"Anything!"

"Steal the Hokage's hat. If you are caught tell him a little fox sent you." he ordered while the three kids nodded firmly before turning and running off. Only stopping when Konohamaru tripped over his scarf before knocking over the other two, making them fall face first into the ground. After a quick look to see if anyone had seen them fall, the three took off running again and were soon out of sight.

As soon as they were, Naruto turned and continued his journey towards the academy. He was forced to admit that while it was a slightly strange encounter, he couldn't very well say that the three hadn't been entertaining. He knew deep down that he wouldn't be too terribly upset if he was given a few more encounters with the young would be shinobi... It was then that a thought struck him with such force that actually forced him to stop walking.

"Err... Don't those three have class?" he asked himself before laughing guiltily while at the same time hoping that the Iruka never found out why the three were skipping. While the older Chuunin wasn't in charge of the young classes, he still felt that it was his duty as an instructor to see to it that everyone, regardless of age or standing, attended classes.

After deciding that there was little he could do after that fact, Naruto shrugged to himself and redirected his thoughts back towards the many possibilities when it came to who he could be placed on a team with. Since he knew that they would be placed in teams of three and given a sensei, Naruto at least felt that his odds of getting at least one person on his team that he approved of were rather high. After all, the only person he absolutely didn't want to be on a team with was Sasuke.

The rest of the young blond's trip to the academy went without incident, unless you counted the different villagers he passed hissing and muttering threats toward him as he passed. One of the things Naruto hated most about his situation was how much he catered to the villager's fears. He made himself in to a fool so that they didn't fear his strength, he did everything the same day in and day out just so that they didn't get nervous by him acting 'out of character'. Naruto shook his head and sighed quietly as he entered the academy and thought that if he ever showed himself without his happy-go-lucky smile, the villagers would probably think that the demon inside him had taken over.

How am I ever supposed to prove to them that I'm worthy of the Hokage name if I'm not allowed to go one day without smiling? He thought even as he forced a smile onto his face and entered the classroom of one of the very few people to ever acknowledge him.

What he found upon enter, however, wasn't Iruka's smiling face but the looks of confusion and accusation directed towards him by his classmates. A select few openly sneered at the battered hitai-ate he wore proudly across his forehead. Unfortunately he missed the look of utter delight that appeared on the face of a young Hyuuga girl before she hid her blushing face from view.

"Didn't you fail, dobe?" sneered the perpetually arrogant Uchiha Sasuke. If anything Naruto enjoyed their interaction for the simple fact that it allowed him to finally drop his fake smile as everyone knew about his feelings towards the raven haired 'prodigy'.

"This." Naruto stated while tapping the cold, hard metal with his finger. "Should tell you differently."

This simple yet effective sentence seemed to only anger the young Uchiha while some, like the lazy Nara heir, merely smiled before going back to whatever it was they had been doing. In the young Nara's case it was lazily staring out the window watching clouds pass while trying to ignore Yamanaka Ino's instance that she would definitely be on 'Sasuke-kun's team. His ability to tune out the loud and aggressive blonde always amazed Naruto and many others.

In his class there seemed to be only one girl not entranced by Uchiha Sasuke and that was Hyuuga Hinata. Out of every young kunoichi, she seemed to be the only one that didn't swoon every time the raven haired shinobi glared in her direction. Then again, Naruto wasn't even sure if Uchiha Sasuke could glare at the kind girl. The aura of compassion and kindness the young Hyuuga had around her at all times was something Naruto wasn't certain that even a bastard like Sasuke could overlook.

As per the unwritten rules of the class, Naruto's usual seat in the back of the room was left empty until he himself dropped heavily into it. Almost immediately he found himself staring at the back of the head of the person seated in front of him even as Iruka entered the room and began speaking them. At one point of another almost everyone had sat in front of him and without fail Naruto would always try and imagine how their lives would play out, or what they were like when with their families or friends. Hyuuga Hinata was the person sitting in front of him at that moment and for some strange reason the life he envisioned for her caused a true smile to grace his lips instead of the empty forced ones he found himself wearing in front of others.

"... Team 9: Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto..."

As soon as these words were out of Iruka's mouth many thinks happened. Naruto, who had been resting his head in his hand, was so shocked that he slipped and slammed his forehead into the desk. He gave thanks for his hitai-ate. Sakura began screaming that it wasn't fair that her 'Sasuke-kun' wasn't on her team. Poor Hinata froze up once she realized that she would be spending so much time with Naruto that she could only stare wide eyed back at her sensei even as her face steadily turned an ever darker shade of red.

"Who's our sensei?" Naruto inquired, actually shocking Iruka a little. The older man must have assumed that the young blond would have a few, very loud, complaints about his team.

"If you had been listening earlier, Gaki(brat)." snapped Iruka playfully only to have Naruto smile cheekily back at him. "I told everyone that your team's sensei would be here shortly to collect you. In short, shorty, it's a surprise."

"Teme, don't make fun of the handicapped!" shouted Naruto as he leapt to his feet and shook his fist at his sensei. Most of the class merely rolled their eyes as they had long since become used to the all to common 'fights' between Iruka and Naruto.

"The only thing handicapped about you, is your mental status." countered the Chuunin with a mocking smile only to have Naruto try and fail to think up a comeback. When the would be Genin sat back down, Iruka smiled happily and moved one side of the sliding chalkboard to reveal a board filled with tally marks. As he placed yet another one under his name he looked back at his student and smiled. "I'm only down by thirty-four, Naruto. Lately your comebacks have been lacking."

"Yeah, yeah." muttered Naruto as he waved his hand dismissively back at him. "The only thing lacking in this room is your love life and the Uchiha's sense of modesty."

"Damn it." muttered Iruka as he turned and put two more tallies under Naruto's name. He was just about to turn back around to comment back when he noticed that a line of Jounin ranked shinobi were now standing in front of his desk. Many looking far less than amused than the rest of his class.

While Iruka blushed and nervously scratched the back of his head under the looks he was getting by his superiors, Naruto enjoyed the entire scene and proved this as he laughed loudly. There were actually a few others in the room that joined him as it was very rare to see their sensei so flustered.

"Don't worry Iruka, I'm sure your love life will pick up any day now." teased a strikingly beautiful woman. This woman had beautiful crimson eyes, ruby red lips, and long brown hair that look wild but still very attractive. She wore thick, white wrappings that covered the upper portion of her legs and her waist, torso, and shoulders while her metal mesh undershirt had one solid red sleeve that covered her right arm while her left was left bare aside from the white bandages she wore over her hand and forearm. Needless to say that all the young puberty ridden boys were staring at her with more than a little lust in their eyes; even a few of her fellow Jounin were sneaking glances at her out of the corner of their eyes.

Naruto, however, would admit that the woman was beautiful but he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the equally attractive woman standing to her right. Naruto noticed that this woman also had alluring crimson eyes but her pupils were slitted like a cats. In fact, the aura that seemed to surround the woman was completely different from anyone Naruto had ever encountered before in Konoha. He knew he would have noticed the woman even if they had just passed each other on the street.

When the woman finally turned and met his gaze, Naruto found himself looking away for the first time in as long as he could remember. His eyes went large when he realized what had happened and for the life of him he couldn't explain it. Even the Hokage had never accomplished such a feat before unless he looked at the young blond with disappointment, only then did Naruto find it impossible to meet his gaze.

"Team 9, come with me." stated the very woman Naruto had been staring at and to be honest, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing to have this woman as his sensei.

As the three freshly graduated academy students stood to follow the woman as she turned and walked back out of the room without another word, Naruto noticed that Sakura was doing so reluctantly even as she muttered under her breath. Hinata seemed willing to follow behind the woman but she seemed incredibly nervous about something and was blushing terribly as she tapped her index fingers together. Naruto, for his part, tried to keep his face closed off but his mind raced as he struggled to find any explanation for why he had looked away. Most people would have simply shrugged it off but for him, it was something he wanted to know desperately.

Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura followed the woman in relative silence as she walked along the silent corridor and eventually out of the academy altogether. Even then the woman didn't stop nor did she speak to her newly formed team, she simply continued to lead them without a word until they entered a nearby training ground. Finally, as she moved to lean against a thick tree, the woman spoke.

"Aside from reading your files, I know next to nothing about any of you." she said calmly as she looked each of them over as they lined up in front of her. She doubted that any of them noticed but her eyes stayed on Naruto a bit longer than the other two. "However, I really don't care about your likes, dislikes, or what hobbies you may have. As of right now I want each of you to tell me why you wanted to become a shinobi. I want the true reason, not a reason you think I want to hear. Haruno, you start."

"Err..." Sakura started but she looked very uncomfortable, almost embarrassed. "I... I first started the academy because it seemed like everyone my age was joining. At the time I hadn't put any real thought into becoming a shinobi and saw the academy as a way to pass time. I know this will seem childish but I was helped by a kunoichi once and I still remember wishing to be like her. Since then, being anything other than a shinobi seemed impossible."

"Hyuuga?" Yugito asked without commenting on Sakura's reason. The pink haired Genin seemed slightly worried that her sensei found her reason ridiculous. With a resigning sigh, Sakura admitted that there was little she could do if that was the case.

"I-I... I am the h-heiress of my clan." whispered Hinata in a painfully shy tone. Seeing her sitting there almost trembling reminded Naruto of a frightened kitten. "I w-was not given a choice i-in the beginning as anything o-other than b-becoming a shinobi is completely un-unacceptable. I am not a very p-powerful shinobi... but I am doing my best. I... I want to become a shinobi so that I can p-protect the people closest to me, so that I can b-become a proud leader of my clan."

As soon as she was finished speaking, Hinata pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. That had easily been the most she had ever spoken in front of Naruto and she hated that it had made her seem so pathetic, or so she thought. What she didn't know, was that the other three in the group, even Naruto, were actually struggling not to suddenly hug the pearl-eyes Hyuuga. Like a frightened puppy or kitten that one just wants to pick up and hold, Hinata unknowingly gave off that same exact air.

"Uzumaki?" Yugito finally said once the urge to suddenly throw her arms around the terribly shy Hyuuga had past. The ex-Kumo-nin wanted Hinata to have more confidence in herself and her abilities but she couldn't stop herself from hoping that she never lost her adorable shyness.

"I'm going to be Hokage." Naruto answered simply. It was as blunt as a shovel to the face but... that was Naruto.

"And?" Yugito pressed.

"And you can't become Hokage unless you're a shinobi." Naruto added only to have Sakura and Yugito roll their eyes while Hinata hid her twitching lips behind her knees. The young Hyuuga knew that there was much more to the blond than most believed but she still couldn't help that the blunt, happy-go-lucky Naruto he showed the world had become very dear to her.

"I guess I should have expected that." she sighed, it may have been a trick of the light but she could have sworn that Naruto's forced smile had transformed into a smirk for a few seconds. "Now, the reason I didn't ask for a normal introduction was because I felt that I would better understand each of you if I learned your reasons for becoming a shinobi. For the most part, I believe I was correct in my assumption."

She paused then for a moment to narrow her crimson eyes at Naruto, who tried and failed to look completely innocent.

"I'll start paying more attention to your likes and dislikes as well as your hobbies after you pass my test and solidify your place as my team." she said calmly while inwardly she was very pleased with the nervous, almost fearful looks on faces of her would be team.

"W-What do you mean test?" Sakura asked only to have the corners of their sensei's lips turn upwards ever so slightly.

"Despite having passed the exam the academy gave you, each team will be given a second exam by their would be sensei. In the end, if I feel as though you are a waste of my time, you will be sent back to the academy for another year at the very least. If you prove yourselves to me, then you will officially become Genins of Konoha."

"So what's the test?" inquired Naruto who was currently thinking of places to hide his hitai-ate in the event he failed this woman's test. He wasn't expecting to fail but he wasn't about to hand over the most important item he owned in the event that did happen.

"My exam will be a passive one. For the next few days you will perform missions as if you were a newly formed Genin team, and if in the end you prove to me that you are serious about this, then you will become my team. If, however, you give me one single reason to believe that you are not serious about this, you will fail and I will make sure that your next sensei knows why you failed." Yugito explained, she seemed to be getting an almost perverse joy from tormenting the 'not really shinobi' shinobi of her team. Despite how she appeared, she wanted them to pass very badly. She wanted to teach the young blond but if he didn't have the mindset for their line of work, she wasn't going to bother.

"S-Sensei, could... could you t-tell us a little a-about yourself?" Hinata whispered while hoping to learn a little, at the very least a name, about their would be sensei. She worried for a moment if she had said something wrong when her sensei stared back at her and sighed heavily.

"Until you three become official members of this team the only piece of information about myself that I will share with you, is my name, which is Nii Yugito. You are to meet me in front of the administrative building at six o'clock tomorrow morning to collect our mission. I will warn you here and now so that there is no confusion later, if you are late by even a single moment, you will have no place on this team. Until then you are dismissed. Uzumaki, I'd like a word with you before you leave."

While Sakura and Hinata stood before making their way out of the training ground, Naruto stayed seated and muttered to himself about being singled out. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had failed to notice the look a certain Hyuuga had sent him before finally allowing herself to leave his side. Despite her reluctance, Hinata knew better than to question an order from their sensei, she just didn't seem like the type that took being ignored very well.

"The reason I asked you to stay behind is that there is something about me that I feel you should be told, something the others would not understand. Not yet anyway." Yugito said before sighing gently and staring straight back into Naruto's cerulean eyes. "I know, just by the way you have reacted to my presence, that you have noticed that there is something different about me. Something almost familiar but at the same time completely foreign."

"S-So." Naruto stated, he had attempted to sound completely unaffected by this woman's words but his voice had caught and made it impossible.

"There is nothing wrong with feeling this way, Uzumaki, as it is not something you can control. It is the reason why I was asked by the Hokage to become a sensei to a group of Genin, to become your sensei to be more accurate. Because you are the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi no Youko."

Naruto suddenly tensed as soon as she mentioned the part about him being a Jinchuuriki but it was his eyes that betrayed him the most. If he had spent the rest of his life explaining his reaction to her words, it would never come close to equaling how much fear and worry she found in one moment of looking into his eyes. She had heard the saying that one's eyes were a window into the soul but she had never put much thought into it until that moment. As skilled as he was at hiding behind his mask, his eyes betrayed him to anyone who bothered looking.

"I was asked by the Hokage, despite the fact that I only became a Jounin of this village yesterday, because I too am a Jinchuuriki." she stated, her look softened and she smiled ever-so-slightly when those treacherous eyes of his widened. In them she found untold amounts of pain and fear, as well as hope and longing. "I am the Jinchuuriki of Nibi no Nekomata and a part of my role as your sensei is to teach you how to control the power hidden inside you."

"I-I... Y-You..." whispered Naruto before a pained sob forced him to fall silent. The young Genin struggled to make it appear as though nothing was wrong, but it was impossible to mistake his tears for anything else.

"It is... okay." Yugito said awkwardly as she tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to sooth him. Her current position was completely foreign to her but she knew enough to know that she was supposed to do something to make the young man feel better, she just had no idea what that something was supposed to be. She very nearly allowed a sigh of relief to pass through her lips when she saw Naruto wipe his eyes roughly as he attempted to regain control over his emotions.

"S-Sorry." Naruto whispered, feeling ashamed at how he had reacted to the knowledge that the beautiful woman before him was also a Jinchuuriki.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Uzumaki. There are only a possible eight others in the world that could understand the pain of being a Jinchuuriki and I never allowed myself to hope that one day I would find another. When the Hokage first instated me as a Jounin of this village, it was under the condition that I become a sensei to a newly graduated group of shinobi. To be honest I was hesitant to accept his offer because I wasn't sure how I would be treated... That is until he told me that one of my would-be pupils was a Jinchuuriki. The idea of meeting another of my kind was in and of itself reason enough for me to accept his offer but to know that I would also be the one that would teach them how to harness their demon's power... I can't even begin to describe it that feeling."

As soon as she finished speaking she noticed Naruto's lips move slightly but his voice had failed him and nothing had been said. Yugito was about to ask him to repeat what he had been trying to say when the blond cleared his throat and whispered.

"For me it's like... gaining a family."

Before she could stop herself, she found herself nodding in agreement. Meeting Naruto had indeed been the closest she had ever felt to having a family and a part of her was glad to see that he felt the same about her. Yugito knew that Naruto's life had been many times worse than her own, but she too was an orphan and she too was a Jinchuuriki. She had been forced to live her life as those around her longed for her death just as Naruto had and so she was one of only a possible eight others that could understand even a part of what it was like to live as he had lived.

Not really knowing where to go from there, Yugito decided to make a few things clear. "I want to make sure you understand a few things before I dismiss you. First and foremost is that while I consider it an honor to be the one to teach you how to control Kyuubi's power, you will receive no special treatment from me. In fact I will often ask more of you in both missions and training because I expect more from you. If, in the event you fail to make it onto my team, I will not teach you anything regardless of my feelings on the matter."

"B-But..." started Naruto before Yugito silenced him with a look. As he fell silent, Naruto could only hope and pray to whoever was out there that Iruka and the Hokage never found out the kind of power his new sensei seemed to have over him. If they did they would never allow him to live it down, or they would use it against him as often as Yugito allowed them to.

"Save your words, Uzumaki, as they will do you little good." she stated firmly, the corners of her lips curved upwards slightly when she saw him sigh and nod his head. "It would be ignorant beyond any scope of the word to teach you how to control the Kyuubi's power when you couldn't even become a Genin. Now then, there is only one last thing I wish to say before I dismiss you."

"And that would be?"

"When a person trying to become something they aren't, it is only a matter of time before who they truly are breaks through. A wolf in sheep's clothing will fool the sheep but it can't possibly stay that way forever. To get what it wants, what it needs to survive, it will have to reveal itself as a wolf. The wolf may enjoy the peace that being a sheep brings but it will always be a wolf and that peace will never last. A person is like the wolf. They can fool everyone but sooner or later they will have to become what they truly are. It is also foolish for someone to hide behind a mask and yet wish to be accepted for who they truly are. For how can anyone accept someone they have never truly seen?"

With that said, Yugito pushed herself away from the tree and began walking towards the entrance of the training ground, only pausing momentarily to try and gauge Naruto's reaction to her words. She was pleased to find him still sitting beneath the tree with a thoughtful look on his face. If anything his reaction only proved the Hokage's theory correct, Naruto truly longed to discard his sheep's clothing and begin his life as a wolf. If he hadn't, the young blond would have immediately brushed aside her comments and flashed her an empty smile.

Yugito crossed the small bridge leading out of the training ground and before her foot even collided with the soft dirt path, she disappeared. A few seconds later the form Kumo-nin found herself standing outside the office of the Sandaime Hokage. As if they had been expecting her, the two ANBU guards immediately move aside. Upon entering the office to find an elderly man struggling not to smile too widely back at her, Yugito vowed that she would have her revenge.

Suddenly a thought struck her.

After walking gracefully up to the Hokage's desk, Yugito placed her hands on the edge and leaned forward, lowering her face so that she was staring directly into a now slightly worried pair of eyes. With her own crimson eyes glowing slightly, the kunoichi whispered in a silky voice. "Perhaps now would be a good time to demonstrate for you my level of control over Nibi's chakra?"