"Naruto! NARUTO!" Sakura screamed.

Desperately she looked left and right, as if her only lifeline was the sight of her teammate's golden hair.

She quickly ran back into the cavern, throwing rocks and boulders, hysterically searching for her only want in the world. She glanced up at the large remains of the statue that previously dominated the rock cavern's far wall. Suddenly the memories came back to her, the destruction of the face, her defeat, and lastly Naruto's death.

Sakura collapsed to her knees, crying in agony at the mere thought. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed like she had when she was a child. "He's gone… he's actually gone…"

She lay on the ground for what seemed like years to her, unable to gain the will to properly stand up. Sakura finally fell asleep on the hard ground after hours of crying, having exhausted every last bit of energy she had left.

She awoke to the lonely rustle of the leaves in the wind, only the utter silence following them. Sakura propped herself onto one knee and shakily rose to her feet, steadying herself as she went. She glanced around morbidly.

"Not even a body to take back…" She resolved. Resigning herself she turned west towards Konoha.

One last tear escaped her as she trekked towards home, leaving the cavern behind her.


Naruto awoke with a hunger in his eyes that had never been there before. "Ahh, this is nice…" He whispered to himself. A hint of something in his voice would've made shivers run down another person's spine.

He stood and stretched, his torn and bloodied upper part of his orange jumpsuit seemed to be falling off at the seams. He pulled it off with ease and threw it onto the bank of a small stream that was near. "Apparently new attire seems to be in order." The pants were still usable so he left them on. It wouldn't do for tales of a naked wild man living in the forests to start circulating.

Leaving the shirt behind he continued through the large forest heading east.

He lifted his nose to the air, sniffing like a hound on the hunt. The sea, he could smell it. The salt wafted in loads now into his nostrils, it almost made him want to puke it was so overwhelming. His nostrils flared taking in the odor, eventually he became used to it.

"My sense of smell is overwhelming, my senses have sharpened since last." Naruto though to himself as he walked further through the lush forest. As he did so he was being studied by two familiar ninjas from his earlier days, hiding in the dense foliage above.

"Hah, brother, he's insane. Doesn't seem to have much on him though, kinda be a waste to use our poison on fool like him huh?"

Yeah, but I've been itching for some blood lately, how 'bout we say we put him out of his misery before he goes any further."

"Alright bro, your lead."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as his sensitive ears picked up the sound of rustling leaves from above. He quickly sidestepped once and then again as two chain gauntlets slashed at his head in quick succession. Back flipping and in the process hitting one of the nins in the face, Naruto successfully evaded them.

"My, my, I didn't think to see you two again...Demon brothers." A smirk escaped his composure at the sight of confusion on the two ninjas face. "Ah, so I see you don't remember me, no matter, you won't have to soon enough."

At a speed none could follow Naruto moved to the first brother, the one with the large spike sticking from his head plate, and tore out his throat. The second brother stared at the gurgling mess beside him as the blond monster in front of him turned his gaze towards him. He couldn't see his eyes, as they were covered in shadow, but from the darkness the two white eyes with a blue center…slowly turned to a purple, with black rings and tomoes along each line. His eyes widened in horror, the life quickly snuffed out of them. The only sign of the brothers existence was the resounding echo that swam through the forest.

Naruto bent down to the two mutilated bodies. His eyes were eventually drawn to the two gauntlets that each wore, connected by a single chain, these were both intimidating weapons…if only the users were as much as their weapons. One more gleam caught his eye, the brother he killed first, the one with the two horns sticking from his head band. Naruto eyed the head gear that he was wearing and decided he took a liking to it. He went to run his hand through his hair and touched a band surrounding his brown line. Curiously he untied it, it was a black piece of cloth with a metal plate with an inscribed emblem into it. "Good bye Konoha. The burden I leave behind is now gone, I never have to resign myself to that rotten excuse for a village again." he mused silently to himself.

Grabbing the horns of the mask he ripped the mist insignia off, tossing it onto one of the bodies. "Hehe, should've stayed with your village, probably would've worked out better for you."

Adorning the brother's cloak and mask, he adjusted the gauntlets till he was comfortable with their fit on his arms. He made to move but was suddenly caught in mid-step by the chain that hung from each glove. With a heavy drop, he smashed his foot into the metal links and severed them in two. Feeling for the mechanism inside each glove, he retracted the separate lengths into both hands.

Checking his surrounding he set off again, to what he was sure was the nearby coast.

Sakura lifted her gaze up to settle on the great gates that lay before her. Izumo and Kotetsu were doing their daily routine of bickering and not paying any attention to their actual duties, it almost made her smile. She couldn't take it any longer though, as she crossed the thresh-hold of the gates she collapsed from exhaustion, having emptied her canteen and food rations days ago. The thud stopped both ninjas bickering long enough to notice the pink haired medic nin unconscious on the ground. "What the…Kotetsu, stay here and watch for trouble, I've gotta get her to the hospital immediately, I can barely feel her pulse!"

Kotetsu nodded as Izumo jumped away carrying the girl away as quickly as he could.

Naruto stopped to look at the feat that lay before him. "The Great Naruto Bridge huh, well aren't I special hahahahaha!"

He trudged onto the large concrete mass making his way through the large crowd of merchants and civilians alike that were constantly crossing the large gap of water via the bridge.

"Ohh, how this place brings back memories!" He commented inward.

It wasn't until halfway over the bridge did he feel something different. The entire time he had been traveling that day, he never once questioned why he was going towards the coast, only that it felt right. It was at this moment that a tug on his mind seemed to confuse him. He felt a sudden yearning towards something, he didn't know what but it was there and it was close. It steadily strengthened as he grew closer and closer to the now quite large village.

Naruto searched frantically with his eyes, he didn't know what it was but he was now hysterical. He felt like he was addicted to it and was suffering from withdrawal. Suddenly a harsh pull on his mind jerked his head towards a large cliff that overlooked the village. Seeing an elderly man near he grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him.

"Old man, what is up on that hill there…answer me, now!"

The old man just smiled and shakily pointed towards the cliff face. "Why do you want to go up there, noth'n up there anyhow but them two weird graves…and that huge sword."

Naruto's eyes widened. "That sword, what is this feeling? I've never felt anything like it. I almost feel like its calling to me. I've never felt such a strong pull like this before. " Naruto raced up the small switchbacks that were carved into the side of the cliff. A small meadow, rimmed by large pines stood at the top.

At the edge of the pines two small mounds stuck up from the many wild flowers that grew throughout the area. A gleam caught Naruto's eye, the sun reflecting it right at him, as if he was being called to it. Two crosses stood erected atop each mound. A small belt hung from the smaller grave. Naruto walked up to it and froze. He knew where he was now. An old voice that he had not heard in many years spoke to him as if it were back then. "Keep those that you treasure most near, fight for your precious persons."

"Haku…" Naruto whispered. A flash of blue quickly appeared in his eyes before they returned to the black rings.

Shaking himself he grabbed the blade and jumped off of the cliff to the village below, landing in front of a startled youn boy.

He stood to look at the boy in front of him. "Na-Naruto-sama?" The child asked hesitantly, staring into his eyes, widening slowly.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the hood he had been relying on to conceal himself from the villagers eyes had flown back from the drop off the cliff. In an instant he disappeared, reappearing at the opening of the bridge, fearful for the first time since he left the cave.


Sakura lay in the Konoha hospital hooked up to an IV. Tsunade looked at her worriedly, it was until then that she noticed she was missing her favorite blond son. She stepped outside to catch a passing nurse. "Excuse me have you seen Naruto by any chance?"

"No mam, last I heard he left with Sakura-san two weeks ago on a mission. Aren't they due back soon?"

"Sakura is right here, she came back yesterday." Tsunade answered.

"I'm not sure what to tell you then Hokage-sama."

With a worried expression, Tsunade let the nurse go.

She was jerked back to the bed when a slight groan caught her attention. "Mmm, Naruto, where are you?"

"Sakura? Can you hear me, Sakura?"

The pink haired medic slowly opened her eyes, as she did so they widened in sadness. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she stuttered and forced herself to speak. "Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry, I couldn't…they overwhelmed us…Deidara a-and..."

"Shh, Sakura slow down, now tell me, who did?" Tsunade asked fearfully.

In only a whisper "…Akatsuki…"

The Hokage's eyes widened in realization. "And Naruto, where is he!" She knew she didn't need to ask though, she could already see the answer on the girls face.

Sakura couldn't bare it, she forced her head away unable to look Tsunade in the eyes.

The blond Hokage fell onto the chair beside her, unable to grasp what she had been told. One of her worst fears realized.

Naruto, her own little ball of sunshine was dead. She had never thought it possible.

Slowly, tears began to seep, pouring down like the rains of Ame. She laid her head next to Sakura's, trying to keep herself steady for the young medic ninja. She knew the girl needed her more than ever right now, but it almost too much to bare though.


Naruto crossed over the bridge contemplating about young Inari. "Inari is sure to alert Konoha if they ever come this way, whether he knows or not is debatable, should I kill him? Maybe, it really would be the best choice and safest but I doubt he even really understands whats going on. If he does maybe I'll get to see some old friends…"

Naruto laughed to himself. If someone happened to look closely at that point they might have sworn that the black ringed eyes grew in intensity and darkness. The old Naruto was now pulling further and further away from reality, to be buried deep within his sub-conscious.


Naruto's Mindscape

A naked Naruto woke up. Deep growls brought Naruto up into recognition. He shot up like a bullet and quickly readied into a fighting stance only to stop when he saw what the source of the growls emanated from. Remembering from earlier, he lowered his guard and took a more relaxed yet still wary pose. The nine cages which housed each of the tailed beasts surrounded him. The tenth cage which the Juubi was currently imprisoned in expanded and contracted as the Juubi fought endlessly against the cage that bound it even thought it was futile.

The seal that lay above still held strong but held no sign of breaking. One thing that he did notice though was that the walls around him looked cracked and decayed, was this what his mind was mirroring on the outside. Naruto looked around at himself, he felt all there.

"Naruto…"

The blond whipped around to come face to face with none other than himself. All the growls stopped immediately as his name was called, even the Juubi's fighting ceased.

Well almost himself, everything except the hair. "Ar-are you me?" Naruto asked.

"No, but if I do say so myself you're quite good looking. Kinda reminds me of someone I know…oh yes, I know, me! Haha!" The man reminded Naruto vaguely of the Akatsuki member Tobi, or was it Madara?

Naruto stared blankly at the man as he continued to laugh at his own joke. Having enough he shouted attempting to catch his attention. "Hey!"

The formerly jovial silver haired clone of him took on a more serious demeanor immediately. "Now, now Naruto-kun. You better learn to take things a little less serious. We're gonna be in here for a long time you and me, now's the time to train and if you don't lighten up you may go just as insane as your consciousness on the outside."

Naruto gave a quizzical look and asked "What do you mean insane? What's happened?"

"Oh you mean you don't know, I thought you would've kept up with the times. Hehe…"

"I just woke up, I have no idea what you're babbling on about."

"Oh sure you just woke up, but that was because you wanted too finally. You were content to simply hide in your mind all this time until now, you could have woken any time you wanted but you're weak, weak like the villages that your civilizations so desperately cling to. Weak like your leaders, no self reliance, a pathetic will, I could go on."

"Who are you to judge me, I've beaten some of the worst people out there! You don't know anything about me!"

"Oh you mean Nagato and his Pains, ha, a jest! They are mere figments of my imagination compared to the power that I once held when I lived. No one could compare to me, do you not realize who you're talking to? Do you not wonder why each of these demons cowers in fear behind their cages? The answer is there for you to see Naruto my boy, just reach further into your mind and it'll come."

"Are you-"

"Yes, keep going!"

"the Rikudou Sage?"

"BINGO!"

Naruto looked on in disbelief at the man before him. "How, why are you here, in my mind with me?"

"Well Naruto I'm just as much a part of you as you are of me, that and the fact that mine and the Juubi's souls are linked. You see, each of these filthy mongrels that cower around us hold a piece of the Juubi's and my soul, and when they all came together I was reborn per say into your consciousness. Since I have no body to inhabit I've taken up residence in yours…"

Naruto's eyes widened at that, but was quickly reassured that he could in no way take over his body. Not like it would have mattered considering Naruto was trapped within his mind while his physical body ran amok.

"So why do we look alike? You are ages older than anyone and yet you look just as young and exactly like me."

"Well it may be hard to believe but you are in fact my eternal reincarnation. Years and years ago, when the age of ninja had first begun I made a pact with the Shinigami on my death bed with the use of a forbidden technique. As the demons broke free from their gates to be unleashed upon the earth, the Shinigami allowed me to continue living in order for me to fight the bastards. He bestowed upon me gifts no man had ever seen, what you now call chakra I named it the inner power. Eventually all the demons were defeated except one…the Juubi. Every demon paled in comparison to its power, I had never seen something so monstrous and yet at the same time awe inspiring."

Naruto stood gaping at the man as he told his story.

"I was able to track it to the far reaches of the earth, to continents that no longer exist. As I watched it from a nearby cliff, a white hot light fell all around me. I knew immediately that it was Kami…Kami was on my side that day…I seized my blessed staff and faced the monster. I could tell that it sensed something as it seized up and its tails whipped quicker than ever before. The ugl-"

"And then I kicked your ass you little Twerp!" The Juubi exclaimed boastingly.

The Sage eyed the demon with annoyance. "Yes, indeed you did oh mighty and exalted Juubi…and that's why you're locked inside the body of a human isn't it, huh?" The sage ended the sentence with a grin, angering the demon.

"The Juubi is right though, by the end of the battle I was losing quite badly. Kami was with me through the entire battle though, talking to me and carrying me through it. Even Kami was struggling with the events upon the mortal realm, as they reflected through the ethereal plane as well. Kami was fighting her own battle in heaven while I was fighting mine."

"So how did you win, the legends say that you won without trouble. You're the Legendary Sage of the Six Paths!"

"The same way your father did…I used the death god summoning pact. Shinigami ripped mine and the Juubi's soul to shreds and bound together the separate pieces and scattered them all around the realm in the form of the legendary tailed beasts."

"Kami rewarded me with a second chance though, just as I believe you have been given one also. You should've died in the cavern…the sudden influx of different chakra sources should've ripped your body and soul to pieces, something kept this from happening though, I believe that like me, Kami has rewarded you."

"Why though? There are plenty of men who are much better than I am…hell, my sensei Kakashi is a better ninja than I am! Me, I just tend to get lucky is all!"

"Believe what you want Naruto but you have been chosen for this because of who you are and what you've done during your life. You've shown unending caring for a man who nearly killed you, never ending determination in front of impossible odds. Everyday you continue to prove the villagers who saw you as an outcast, a monster, and an abomination wrong."

Naruto gave a sigh and gave in to the sage's will. "What do I have to do then? I'm stuck inside my own mind and I have no way of getting out."

"Fight, regain your soul, each demon here holds a piece of our souls. Defeat each demon one on one and you'll be able to leave. Your soul is currently just a big mess with your consciousness in the middle…which is what you are"

The sage looked at him carefully, waiting for a response…

"But how am I supposed to do that?"

"you've already beaten the ichibi tanuki so we all know that this isn't impossible…after you beat him you gain his strength and powers inside your mind and you're physical and real body gains the same attributes. Virtually you become the ichibi in real life…"

Naruto stood gaping at what he had just been told…The ichibi's powers…forever. If he beat the rest of the demons he would be nearly unstoppable, that was assuming he could win against all nine…ten demons.

Naruto was not power hungry by any means, but even that much raw power would make the most humble man stop for a moment. Also there was no way around gaining this power…if this is what it would take to regain control of his own mind and body then he would do it.

Naruto looked at the sage nervously… "And what happens if I don't win?"

"Your soul is devoured by the demons…so you better win."

"Damn…fine, let's do this."

Naruto stepped into the middle of the room, still naked and readied himself…from earlier on to this point he had not felt any presence of his chakra. Suddenly he felt a sudden surge funnel back into him. It was an amazing feeling, it felt like being born again. Naruto stepped forward confidently as the one tailed tanuki was released also.

Naruto quickly charged up a rasengan and jumped in to fight the ichibi.

A Short Time Later

Naruto crashed to the floor riding the ichibi all the way down. He jumped off to the bottom letting the one tail crash behind him.

He watched as the ichibi's body collapsed and crumbled into sand, billowing out to cover the entire room before suddenly wrapping itself around him. He took a deep breath as the golden sand swirled around him slowly. What little light there was glittered off the many crystals and bright rocks within. They all just as suddenly fell to the floor again. The strength he felt now was immense, almost like nothing he'd ever even imagined.

Naruto held out his fist and willed the sand to react to his command. Small amounts of the grain jumped at his grasp, more and more obeyed his command as time went on. Soon he could make much larger torrents of the sand react to his very thoughts…he now had full control over it, to such a magnitude that rivaled the Ichibi's very own…much more than Gaara's grasp of control.

Naruto looked at the sage with a smile "…bring 'em on."

The silver haired sage gave a nod.

The second gate, which held the Niibi, swung open allowing the demon cat to pounce out and begin a vicious onslaught upon him. Naruto had to be careful to look where he landed because wherever and whatever the Niibi touched became flame. All along the floor were spots of purple flame. He didn't want to know what would happen if he touched those.

Naruto decided to use these spots of fire to his own advantage, the Niibi didn't seem to be affected by its own fire so Naruto decided to replace those with his own weapons. Naruto gathered up sand to use and flung it towards one of the fires, changing it into a spike as it flew. When it touched the flames it turned to glass immediately. He did the same to all of the other spots of fire along the floor and room. Monstrous spikes and dangerous ridges now littered the room, a death trap for anything too big.

Naruto collected his remaining sand and watched triumphantly as the large cat studied the intricate maze of the shards of glass. The smirk lessened though when it started to shrink in size to his height. He could no longer even see it; it was using the ridges and spikes as cover. He would catch a glimpse of it every now and then. The fleeting purple flame would reflect off one shard of glass to another. What Naruto was seeing next to him was possibly on the other side of the chamber. He was once again the hunted. In this deadly game of cat and mouse he was the mouse.

A large roar behind him caused him to jump, just in time also as the Niibi landed exactly where he had just been standing. The piercing purple eyes tracked him as he jumped from shard to shard.

Naruto had, had enough of being the mouse in this game… It was time to become the hunter.