Red Howling

by Perfect Psionic Soldier

A 3 part One-Shot that will become the foundation of a future series. Based on a whimsical idea of Shadow Skill stuff with touches of Originality.

2. Red Howling Chapter 01

Red Howling

Naruto / Other Fusion

By Perfect Psionic Soldier

Disclaimer: I do not own the various anime/manga thingies. The respective creators do. (I just pretend their mine ~_^)

Before you read on please note that some of this story and or wordings may not make sense to you but please bear with it, as it will become clearer as the story progresses from chapter to chapter.

If you have any questions that weren't answered however, then please send me an email, address given at the Author's Corner, and I will answer them to the best of my abilities.

Note: This takes place after volume 20. Which means that I'm pretty darn far into the series and I hate it cause I can't get enough!!! So there are spoilers and the personality of the character Naruto is going to be changed as I more or less implement other anime stuff into this series! I like it! But that is just my opinion… Hope you Enjoy.

Chapter 01

Title: Chapter One

He opened his eyes as he felt his body twitch ever so slightly.

Looking up and around, he took in a silent breath, as though it was his ever first breath of life. The single act filled his body with air as blood flowed, empowering his body with some energy and vitality.

With graceful silence, he carefully moved, his body seemingly tired and unresponsive as he slowly rose up to a sitting position, the light fabric covering him silently pooling at his waist.

Continuing his steady breathing, he raked his hands through his hair, feeling it trail farther then what it should have been. The feelings of rough and smooth hair strands ran beneath and between his gliding fingers.

Blinking, he quietly probed his hair, his fingers moving carefully as he trailed his hair downwards, finding that it fell below his neckline. It was definitely farther then what it should have been.

But how far should it be… ugh… he questioned himself but as he tried to think, his head strained as his eyes widened. There was a moment's pause. He couldn't remember anything!

Holding back a moment of panic, he instead concentrated on his steady breathing. It was simple, continues and silent intakes of air that fed his lungs while he instead looked up and around. Perhaps he would find something to remind him of who he was or were he was.



Looking around the room, he found it bare; devoid of anything save a small table beside the far wall, holding the only source of light, a few low burning candles that shined within the small room. Looking down he realized that he was resting on nothing but the warm wooden floor.

Sensing something, he looked up as he noticed another person in the room with him. Instinct taking over, he instantly cleared his mind of all questions and doubts as he carefully stood up, pulling the soft fabric with him as he unsteadily stood.

Not wanting to stand up naked, he began to wrap and tie the fabric around his waist, making a makeshift skirt. He then simply stuffed the single corner of the skirt into itself, securing it so that it would stay put, unless he did something more then paced movements.

With agile speed, the person who had their back to him suddenly whipped around and in an instant took in the fact that he was standing. The person instantly backed to the door, tapping it once with their right hand as he himself studied the masked person.



Wearing a decorated white mask, the person standing before him was taller and had long hair elegant black hair. Dressed in a light brown flak jacket that had various pockets, the person also wore what looked like simple dark blue clothing underneath.



The door instantly opened, revealing two more similar masked people. In a second, one of the masked ones disappeared and he found himself wondering if he heard the sounds of light steps padding against floor from behind the wall. The other masked person then stepped into the room, closing the door as the person entered.



It was then as he studied the two people before him that he noticed they both carried swords on their back. The sheaths were strapped to their backs using red cords that hugged their light frames.



Thinking quickly he knew that the first masked person was agile and responsive due to the person's reaction and the way they handled their body. The person's companion must have been equally skilled for they both wore similar masks, though the third one stood still, in a relaxed stance.



If he… if he… moved? Fought? Used something, something… fireball… something…



Using his left hand to hold up his head, he quickly realized that he still couldn't remember anything and his body felt so heavy. He wobbled on his feet as he looked as though he was going to tip over at any given moment. His world was getting blurry.



Taking a step forward, the first Anbu was going to steady her charge and assist him, but stopped as she found her ward suddenly straightening and with clear eyes, concentrated solely on her.



Taking a cautious step back, she raised her hands in a gesture of peace as she found herself slightly surprised that her ward could focus so clearly and effortlessly, since he seemed dizzy and off balance moments before.



Letting loose a slightly ragged breath, he found himself glad that the first person backed off. If there was going to be a fight, he doubted that he could have won. He felt tired. So very tired. There was also the inconsistent need of thinking about whom he was; bringing ringing headaches with every thought and attempt, making him feel dizzy and fatigued.



Sitting down, he leaned against the wall as he continued to look at the people standing before him. He wondered why he suddenly felt tired and tried to fight back against the urge to sleep.



Slowly gaining ground, he almost forced the urges to vanish but slowly his eyes began to droop and within moments he was gently snoring as he head hung forward.



Letting loose a breath, the second person in the room found himself breathing from exertion. He had used basic genjustsu to simply make the fox demon brat fall asleep, but the young boy before him put up an amazing amount of resistance. It had taken a lot out of him to simply put the boy into an induced sleep. It was surprisingly hard considering that the young boy was already woozy…



Standing still, his partner knowing exactly what had taken place but said nothing. All they could do was wait for the Fifth to get here. Thinking about how much effort it took to do such a simple jutsu, he found himself thinking that if the young boy ever learnt the subtleties of genjutsu, he would become very resilient to it. In short he would become a monster when compared to the likes of himself.



Containing a shiver, the man simply waited, his mind clear as he watched the slumped body of the sleeping boy.











Princess Tsunade, one of the Legendary Three, Grandchild to the first Hokage and now known as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha Village, strode down the long dark corridors quickly, her mind in a pensive mood as she thought on Naruto.



Though she wasn't present during the incident that caused Naruto to lapse into his long coma, she had many educated guesses on what had happened. However, she would not dwell upon them until she had further information.



Instead she played the facts through her head as quickly and clearly as possible. The aftermath of the 'Temple' incident left the ancient structure damaged and at least 13 wounded from the sudden explosion of what the witnesses stated as a ripple of pure chakra. After the dust had settled, Naruto was found, unconscious. He was then immediately brought to her as per her instructions, that in any case of serious injury he was to be brought to her attention immediately.



After twelve hours of exhausting medical trails and tests, she and Jiraiya had stopped due to the fact that anything they tried was futile. Then as though to challenge her skills, strange markings began to spread from were the nine tails seal resided. Within a full day, the young boy was fully covered in strange archaic seal.



Within the next few days, Naruto's body began to thrash around violently, as though he was in constant pain. With nothing to lose, Tsunade herself administered specific drugs that would both nourish his body and force it to relax.



Then after a month had passed with no changes, she then ordered that he be brought to this specific building were only three types of people knew of. Those of the Council, Jounins and Anbu. Only they knew of this specific location were tests and harsh interrogation were held. This specific building was exactly twelve kilometers southwest from the village, helping it maintain high security and secrecy.



Through investigations of the ancient history written by the first Hokage himself, Tsunade was startled to learn that something of this nature happened long, long ago, during the early era of Fire Country. With instructions, along with Jihrya's help, she created five circular barrier seals from ink and wax that would buffer the body's sudden and violent movements.



It was said that the First had discovered a withered text, which told of a specific event that was almost impossible. This would only affect very rare and specific people and the person would exist in a coma like state seemed as if the person's soul no longer resided within their own body.



The body would then be covered in odd runes and would react to stimuli that were nonexistent and was guessed that the body was responding to a stimulus that was affecting the soul that would then in turn simultaneously affect the body. However, with their lack of knowledge back then, the text stated that the body eventually died from what was considered malnourishment.



It was also stated that the body radiated no chakra, as though it were dead, and the body would react on its own, flailing about from nothing. The body would not react to all known medical treatments back then nor would it react to poisons and herbs that would force reaction from the body. Knowing not what to do, the specialists of that time preserved their findings should a similar even happen in the future.



The text was then placed in a medical academy, which would be destroyed three hundred and sixty five years later, only to be found by the First Hokage during his quest for a new and proud village.



The First Hokage, believing that all knowledge should be preserved, had copied the text himself, coping the single volume word for word and with the finished volume, placed it as the first book within his newly founded Konoha Village.



The seals that she placed down around Naruto would eventually evaporate, as stated in the text, after a given time or when the person would once again radiate chakra, meaning that they had survived and woken up, which never happened to the first person to fall to such weird events.



For preparations, she had set no less then three Anbu on guard at all times. Should anything go horribly wrong and the worse happen, the Nine Tailed Fox Demon awakening, there would at least be a warning before it started to attack the village.



Walking before the door to Naruto's room, she gently slid it open and was surprised to see the young boy not only awake but currently standing and was at that moment studying her, taking in everything about her, from her clothes to the way she was still holding the sliding door.



Gently stepping into the room, the first Anbu that she had set on guard quickly glided to her side and whispered into her ear.



"He suddenly awoke. He made no sound standing up and has been standing since. He has attempted nothing and neither have we, per your orders." The Anbu whispered gently, her voice barely a sound. "Also Tesku had forced him to sleep with simple genjutsu but he quickly woke up afterwards as Tesku approached him. He seems very resilient to low-end genjustsu. Tesku wasn't able to force him asleep again. We didn't want to risk using higher level genjutsu."



Weighing her choices carefully, Tsunade let out a gentle sigh as she studied the young man before her. Clothed in only the single blanket around his waist, he seemed perfectly fine. There were no longer any seals on his body that she could see nor any seals on the floor as she had expected.



However, he had changed as well. Though he was thin and gangly ten months ago, he now seemed thinner and leaner. The biggest changes however were both his eyes and his lack of action. The Naruto she remembered was naïve and expressive, acting on impulse and belief. This Naruto seemed calm and withdrawn as he continued to study her. The Naruto she remembered shouldn't have been able to resist skillfully applied genjustu, especially genjustsu used by her hand picked Anbu… it seemed that much has changed.



With knowledge that Naruto had woken from his coma, Tsunade was confident that Jiraiya would be here momentarily as she had sent word to the council of were she was immediately going.



"Hi. Did you have a good nap, Naruto?" Tsunade asked gently in a girlish voice as she began to probe him.



"Hello. I slept… well." Naruto responded quietly in a monotone voice, his mind screaming at him as he felt as though he were incomplete, which he was.



Letting loose a warm grin, Tsunade then kneeled in front of Naruto and allowed her grin to bloom into a smile. "Then how do you feel now?"



Naruto blinked a few times as he thought on his answer for a scant moment. "I feel… tired and… incomplete… but I do have a few questions…" he stated slowly as he studied the young woman before him. She looked pretty enough but he got the feeling that she was older then she looked. Though robed in simplistic clothing, she gave off a commanding aura. He found himself staring at her two pigtails that gently swished to and fro with her movements.



Tsunade's smile withered slightly as her mind took in the information, however she brightened again knowing that at least he was awake and the hard part was at last over. "What is it? If I can answer, I will answer." She was confident that the worse was over.



Looking straight into her eyes, Naruto simply asked a question that forced the Fifth's eyes to widen.



"Who are you and… who am I?"











Stepping through the forest in wonder, Naruto blinked as he was overwhelmed by a single color… Green. He felt as though he hadn't seen so much green in his life though his clouded memory of his childhood told him that green was ever part of Konoha Village.



Clenching his jaw in annoyance, Naruto felt frustration flare as he remembered his inability to sleep. He felt restless and had only caught an hour or two of rest before sunlight brought him back to the waking world. It had been this way for the past week, never more then a few hours sleep before he once again awoke. He found himself often with a short temper.



The person who he discovered was known as Tsunade-Sama, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha village had given him a quick run through of who he was and some sketchy words of his past. He was told quickly of the village and their more recent battle with other villages. He was told that he was safe and was free to go, but every now and then someone would check in on him.



He was then shown his old home, which had a film of dust everywhere, showing that the place had fallen to disuse over a long course of time. With all his excess energy, Naruto cleaned everything and had thrown out the spoiled food and leftover garbage. He had then bought fresh groceries with what the fifth had stated was his money and spent his time exploring his home and personal possessions.



Then on this single morning as he got up, he decided that he should spend some time to view the outer half the city. After brushing his teeth in the morning light, he had set out to explore the place, which he was supposed to call home.



After a short jog, his frustration once again skyrocketed. His body, which was in good if not great shape, seemed much faster then he remembered. He was able to react to things almost immediately and could continue to run longer and harder then before. Yet it was confusing and he found it hard to not trip every now and then due to the fact that his body seemed alien to him. What did draw his frustration the most was the fact that though his body was faster then more responsive then he ever remembered, but it also was infinitely slower then what he was used too.



It angered him that he didn't understand what was going on. He was faster then ever before yet his body seemed slow and sluggish to his mind. It made no sense.



Coming to a stop where a huge wall formed a barrier between the city and forest, there were gaping holes that lead into the green forest that lay beyond outer walls. Here and there were dozens of men who were diligently working on repairing the massively damaged high walls of the city.



Naruto found it was strangely easy to slip out to the forest and no one really seemed to notice while he simply walked into the huge green forest. He ran for a little while, feeling the exilerhation of the forest flow around him before he slowed down as he began to approach a giant tree. He fount it odd that as he walked beneath the gigantic trees he started to feel relaxed and at peace.



Finding an especially large and elderly tree, which had branches as thick as his body, Naruto instantly climbed up. Sitting down so that his back leaned against the trunk of the tree, Naruto smiled in content after a hard run through the forest. Here he felt relief after his tiring, hard running. His long run made him tired and his lack of sleep began to whisper to his mind and body. Before long he began to feel fatigue clawing at his mind, lulling him towards sleep that he had been deprived of.



His lulled thoughts centered on what had happened during the week, when he had been released from the person who was called the Fifth Hokage and was allowed to live as he did before. It was strange, hearing the words the 'Fifth', as though the Fourth was dead or something. But he didn't understand and was too confused to really care. His memories were muddled and it was painful to think upon them.



Looking ahead of himself, Naruto's eyes widened momentarily as he finally noticed the grand view from his branch. The expansive forest of trees stretched out before him with perfect clarity under the clear blue sky. He had climbed up a really tall tree and taking in the deep breaths of clean fresh air, Naruto found his head bobbing gently and before he knew it, he had promptly fallen into a deep, deep sleep.











Blinking once, Naruto suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a dark and dank area. He was in the middle of a long corridor that looked eerily familiar. Taking a step forward, Naruto stopped as he found himself ankle deep in water that spread across the floor, his single ripple moving gently across the still surface.



Taking a few cautious steps forward, Naruto suddenly noticed a long corridor that stretched to his right. Pausing momentarily he looked down the corridor and then behind him. There was nothing behind him, just a dark passage way that he felt lead to nothing and after a moments thought, Naruto looked into the right corridor and walked in.



Leaving the main path, Naruto slowly moved forward and quickly came to a door, which looked slightly battered and used. The door was colored a deep gray that Naruto spontaneously discovered was the same color as the walls. Feeling odd at why he didn't notice sooner, Naruto opened the door and froze as he stared into its depths.



A green field stretched before him, the bright sun hung overhead as he ran forward, his small feet carrying him through the lush grass towards a distant hill. Running up he came to a stop as he reached the crest of the hill. Staring ahead, he saw a few dozen families laughing as they sat at a picnic. Smiling and laughing they cheered each other on as they played and ate in merriment. Then they saw him, and all the adult faces that noticed quickly lost their merriment and turned into scorn and hatred. Their features falling into anger that pushed him back. Within moments he was running down the hill, tears caressing his cheeks as he ran off into the comfort of loneliness.



Heaving in a deep breath, Naruto's eyes focused, bringing himself back into the dark corridor, his back leaning against the gray wall. Before him stood the closed door that he had opened no less then a scant moment ago…



Not wanting to go further, Naruto quickly retreated back into the first corridor, were he stopped and turned around, staring into the dark tunnel that he had just left. Blinking Naruto quickly scanned around as he slowly moved forward, unsure of were he exactly was or why that one door showed him a piece of his past.



As he continued, he soon came across another corridor, this time it stretched to his left and gathering his courage, he detoured from the path and like the first one, this corridor stretched before him almost instantly he came to a gray door.



Reaching up, Naruto was surprised to see his arm and hand shake from tension as he forced himself to open the door before him…



Standing in the middle of the street, countless people streamed to and fro, adults that towered over him and children that danced past him… gathering his breath, he screamed at the top of his lungs, his high pitched voice piercing the rather still atmosphere. "I will become HOKAGE!!!" he bellowed… yet no one noticed, no one glanced at him nor acknowledged his statement. They all continued in their lives, oblivious to a young boy who had just yelled something out. Glancing around frantically, he began to shake from loss. He had just said something yet no one noticed… no one cared…



Backing away quickly, Naruto felt his back slam into the wall. Once again he was back in the gray corridors and moving quickly he was back in what he dubbed the main corridor.



However, his thoughts on were he was, was growing as he thought on what he had just seen and felt. Though he could guess at were he was, he instead continued on, ignoring the fact that he was unsure of what he was to face or the outcome of these experiences. He had momentarily thought of it as a dream, but those few moments staring within the doors, quickly blew away any chance of this being a dream. It was all too real… all too painful…



What were once minutes stretched into hours and Naruto's eyes quickly adjusted to his surroundings, he had walked for what had to be an eternity. He had explored the third and fourth corridors more thoroughly; his curiosity overcoming any fears as he walked thought the corridors. He had even backtracked and explored the first two he had left behind.



He had come to realize that each door was a piece of memory and each corridor a segment of his life that he guessed would have been measured by what he guessed a year per corridor. Then that would mean that the world he was in currently was within his own mind… the thoughts were slightly unsettling as he was unsure of why he was here…



The first two corridors had very few doors and that was expected, as he couldn't remember much from his early days as a child. The third and fourth more doors but it wasn't until after the fifth corridor that there was anything more then a handful of doors. The memories he saw never had a smiling face for him, no laughter or friendship. It seemed that all he knew was loneliness and deep down, he suspected that it was true, that he never had a friend or family.



But as he continued, the corridors became empty again, as though he couldn't remember anything after the age of thirteen or so. It was all so saddening, the jumbles of memories that held no warmth of love or friendship. All he could remember was the cold stares of other children and the even colder stares of the adults.



There were however, many missing doors were there should have been at least one. He had come to see a pattern in the doors as during the eighth corridors, the doors were lined up almost side by side yet every now and then there would be a space were a door should have been…



Did this mean that he had forgotten something? Or was his mind damaged and barely functioning as was? Shaking his head from side to side, Naruto continued onwards, walking down the corridors as visiting doors that held cold and slightly unwanted memories.



After a second eternity Naruto found himself feeling invigorated, as though by seeing memories of his past he was becoming stronger but it was odd and unsettling. He knew things that he guessed other people, like himself, knew. He was probably only around fourteen or so in age yet his corridors went past the thirties. After the thirtieth corridor, Naruto found that he could begin to feel doorways and were they were in each corridor, making the quest for seeing memories much easier.



It was rather scary as he passed some corridors without thought, knowing full well that there were no doors down that path, that corridor that most likely represented a year of his life. The first handfuls of corridors were full of his childhood memories and he saw himself grow before his own eyes and saw his own personality develop behind those doors. Yet these newer ones gave memories that were sparse and made no sense. There were battles and people in strange lands. Violence and loneliness were all he saw.



After he walked path the hundred and seventy-something corridor, Naruto suddenly realized that he had lost count but he didn't care at that point. He still hadn't encountered a friendly face or anything close to the warmth that he craved for in his life.



Then in what he guessed was the third eternity Naruto came to an end.



The corridor came to an abrupt stop and enlarged into a rather big room. Before him towered twin gates that made Naruto wonder what was behind them.



Walking closer, Naruto studied the gate as the distance between them dwindled. The iron like bars was as thick as his waist and only darkness could be seen behind them.



Making his way to the middle of the gate, were the two halves met, Naruto looked up and was suddenly expecting to see a simple piece of paper with something like the characters of 'Seal" inscribed upon them yet he was alarmed to find no such paper. He was also confused to as why he expected a piece of paper when this was the first time he was here… wasn't it?



Shaking his head, Naruto cleared his mind of such nonsense as he looked up. Though he felt that he had seen this once before in a distant time, he couldn't for the life of him remember when it was or where.



"Heh Heh Heh…" A devilish laughter filled the air the still air, startling the young shinobi from his thoughts.



Whipping his head form side to side, Naruto scanned the area but was alarmed that he couldn't find the origins of the wicked laughter.



"So you have come at last…" the powerful voice stated in a knowing tone.



"Who are you!" Naruto challenged the room, hoping that the speaker would reveal himself.



"Ah, it seems that you don't know who I am… no matter, you'll know soon enough."



Naruto stared ahead of him as a large form emerged from the shadows, large demon red eyes centering themselves on the other single person in the room.



"Who are you!" Naruto asked once again as he found himself backing away from a large and terrible power. He was trembling.



"Who I am, is of no consequence at the moment. What matters is who are you? Do you even know?" the large being asked in an amused voice.



"I am Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto stated as he stared into the glowing red eyes.



"So you are, yet I am sure that you don't remember very much about your life. A few sparse memories here and there…"



"What do you know?" Naruto asked fearfully as he felt the thing's words chill his bone. His trembling grew slightly.



"I know who you are." The voice stated simply, seeming huge and content.



"I don't believe you!" Naruto screamed in anger, the knowledge that something devilish knew him better then himself, was frightening. He was beginning to grow cold.



"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. You'll find the truth of my words soon enough." The voice stated hauntingly as it laughed.



Unable to say a word, Naruto simply glared at the red eyes what drilled into his mind and soul.



Then it moved.



The gates shifted forward as a huge furry beast stepped through. As it effortlessly pushed aside the massive gates, an incredible force of power seemed to burst out from the thing, encompassing the air around itself in an almost solid barrier of presence.



Looking up, Naruto's eyes widened as it took several moments before his mind registered what his body felt and his eyes saw. "A Fox?" then Naruto saw that it had nine tails…



Grinning, the fox demon came out of his cage and stared down at the gaping young man before him. "I am more then a puny fox. I am a Nine Tailed Fox Demon!"



The voice penetrated Naruto's mind and touched something as he suddenly dropped in agony. Memories of a past suddenly came rushing into his mind. A man with silver-white hair telling him that he was a nine tails fox demon… the nine tailed fox demon… the demon that almost destroyed the village years ago…



"Deep down inside… All Hate you!" the words rang within his head, echoing in his soul as the words ripped him apart. The man stated truthfully with scorn entwined in his voice.



Screaming in pain Naruto blanked out as emotions overran him. The people's cold hatred suddenly came into perspective as he stared at the huge beast before him… yet Naruto found that within himself, there was no hatred or malice… just cold acceptance and regret. His breathing was pained and ragged.



"You are confused… no matter… I'll leave you with a gift. You have been restless and unable to sleep, correct?" the fox demon spoke ignoring the fact that Naruto was shaking in pain and confusion.



Looking up, Naruto slowly nodded, unsure of what to do as the knowledge of what he was, began to sink in.



"Exercise. Before you go to bed tonight, exercise. You'll sleep like a baby." The fox demon stated knowingly as it grinned, showing off many very large and very sharp teeth.



"What exercises and how do you know it will even work!" Naruto stated aloud suddenly hopeful at the prospect of being able to sleep at night again.



The fox demon laughed as he heard the question. "I know more then you can guess. I am free now, but I choose to remain here. Tell no one of this. As to the exercises, I am in your mind, when the time comes you can ask or I'll tell you." The fox demon said in an amused tone as it settled itself onto the floor, displacing water with its huge bulk. "Now go, you no longer need to be here…"



Naruto suddenly tensed as he felt himself being grabbed by the fox demon's raw chakra and was pulled someplace...



Snapping open his eyes, Naruto stared out at the sun, feeling slightly more rested then he had in days. The memories of what had just happened was fresh in his mind and he was uneasy as he felt something else in his mind… he felt as though the demon had said a final word that he didn't hear.



Preparing to go back to his home, Naruto stopped momentarily as he suddenly realized something… what the word could have been, though he was unsure, he was almost positive the fox demon had called him… master… at the very end. Right before the demon's chakra pulled him back into his body.



Shaking his head at the stupidity of such a thought, Naruto frowned as he gracefully leaped form the tree and onto the soft forest floor. He was still unsure of the truth of the demon's words, but he oddly enough found that he trusted it. He was also uneasy as he felt at peace with the demon free within his own mind and soul…



With nothing to lose, Naruto walked home, feeling more peaceful then he did when he had originally awakened. He now had a sense of who he once was and a feel for what he now was.











The morning sunlight shined brightly through the open window as a gentle breeze passed by, gently brushing a young man's blonde hair with its passing.



Stifling a low groan of waking up, Naruto slowly got up and rubbed his eyes. Turning his head around to face the window, he felt a genuine smile grow.



"Guess the fox was right…" Naruto muttered to himself as he climbed out of bed, feeling relaxed and content. His feet touched the cool wooden floor of his apartment, waking the rest of his body as he began to perform his morning exercises, which was the exact duplicate of the exercises he preformed the night before.



After quickly brushing his teeth he then made himself a sandwich, which he slowly chewed on as he thought upon the previous night. He had talked with the demon within him and was at first surprised of what he had been asked to do. He started with a hundred push-ups, a hundred squats and then finally another hundred push-ups while on a handstand.



Within two hours he had completed the exercises that the annoying fox explained to him, the body seemed to flow with his mind, the flesh remembering experiences that Naruto himself did not. His morning exercises took slightly less then two hours, meaning that he was still not as strong as he would have liked to be.



Or should be… Naruto thought to himself with some surprise.



This day however, Naruto planned on training. He had awoken much weaker then what he guessed as his old self. If he ever planned on overcoming the frustrating lag between the response of his body and the thoughts of mind, he needed to practice. Now.



Finishing his meal, Naruto then walked to his room and went straight to his closet were he kept his extra garments. He was already wearing his net undershirt so he wasn't naked or anything, like the day he had awoken from his coma, but he didn't feel like wearing it out in public, as it seemed wrong for some reason or other.



Looking through is ever-wide range of only orange pants and jackets, Naruto found himself awed at the rather singular wardrobe he owned. Looking harder, he eventually found nothing. All he owned were the orange style jackets and pants…



Tugging on the orange clothing, he frowned as he felt the color odd and out of place. He should go out and get something else to wear first, before he even thought of training. After all it would make his life easier if he felt at ease walking around in public instead of feeling like a nincompoop in an orange getup.



Walking out of his home and out into the broad daylight, Naruto decided that he would head towards the market and find those newer non-orange clothes.











The market was rather loud and bustling and as Naruto walked through it. He felt odd as he saw the many rather cheerful people walking around and doing the things that he guessed they did everyday. Men, women and children moved up and down the streets, yelling, laughing, and arguing with each other.



However the signs of battle that raged across the street were still around. Here and there was a damaged wall or a chipped corner from a building. The street though in good repair, had scars marking many of the stones and the new stones could be distinguished by their luster, unlike the other stones were thousands have tread across.



Wandering through the market Naruto saw many stores and stalls. There were many fresh fruit stands were he stopped once and bought an apple. Charms, jewelry and other many assorted things littered the various stands that littered the streets while contrasting, large signs hung from the stores, telling the people of what goods or services could be bought within.



Seeing the sign that read 'Tal's Tailoring' Naruto stopped for a moment. The shop's sign was in golden leaf words with a large 'Open' sign hanging behind a large and elegant glass window. After a few seconds of consideration he walked in, jingling a small bell as he opened the door inwards.



The shop was rather small and had a bunch of mirrors leaning against the wall and Naruto couldn't for the life of him see anything resembling clothes anywhere. Staring at his reflection in one of the mirrors, Naruto found himself annoyed with his own reflection. The clothes he was wearing didn't suit him at all.



Naruto blinked once as he scanned the room and wondered that perhaps he misunderstood tailor. Maybe tailoring was crafting mirrors and he didn't need mirrors.



However, within moments a lithe, youthful looking man came out, his face in a beaming smile until he saw who was standing in his store. His smile melted almost instantly as he adjusted a pair of square glasses so they hugged his nose higher up. A front counter stood beside him, coming up to the man's ribs.



"If clothes are what you need, you have come to the right place. Now then, how can I… help you?" the man asked as he closed his eyes into a hollow smile. His hands were clasped together in front of him. He was dressed in a well-fit suit of dark red that seemed to fit his person perfectly. The man's blond hair was cut short, ending around mid ear.



Looking at the man, Naruto felt a pronounce frown tug at his lips. "Can you make me a set of clothes or not?" Naruto stated out of annoyance. He was hated for something he had no control over making him rather narrow minded about his views of the general populace in the village. He had accepted the demon within, but not the stupid masses.



"Perhaps not…" the man replied his eyes still close and the hollow smile still plastered on his face. His posture was stiff as a board.



"Then you aren't good enough…" Naruto whispered, mainly to himself, as he turned to leave.



"Pardon me?" the man cried out as Naruto turned to leave. "Did you just say something sir?"



"I'm sorry, did you miss it?" Naruto inquired with a slight tilt of his head as he turned back around. The man nodded humbly. "Oh, I didn't mean to say it so low. I said, Your - Not - Good – Enough." Naruto stated as he sounded the last few words separately while turning around yet again.



The man's left eyebrow twitched.



"Wait!" the man commanded aloud, making Naruto pause. "What exactly do you mean, not good enough?"



With a gentle sigh, Naruto once again turned around. If this continued much longer, he felt that he would fall as the room was starting to spin slightly.



Blinking for a moment, Naruto considered his words. "I mean exactly what I said. You are not good enough. Was I unclear?"



Was the man dense?



The man licked his lips once as his left eyebrow twitched again. "I am the best in town." He stated solemnly.



A slight frown creased Naruto's lips as he was starting to get annoyed. "I'm sure you are…" Naruto said with skepticism but decided against turning around to leave, in case the man had some witty reply or such. Dealing with these cold adults was beginning to grate on his nerves. He idly wondered how dense the man was as even the people at the market, people who hated his guts with their cold and vengeful eyes, were much more tolerable then this irritating man.



"My work is unrivaled in this village. People from other villages come to buy clothes from me!" the men stated with a voice trembling on all out war, his hands were tense as they clamped against each other.



Naruto felt his face fall into half a frown, which was directed at the man's last statement. "This means nothing to me." He was getting tired of this useless conversation. He had to go find a tailor for his new clothes so he could go train. The day was wearing thin.



The man suppressed the urge to scream at the fox brat but upon seeing the kid's eyes he felt anger skyrocket. Those eyes were those of someone waiting for a stupid person to finish talking so they could leave…



"I shall make them for you." the man stated out loud.



"Huh?" Naruto said as confusion racked his brain.



"Come here brat, I'll make you clothes that you'll die to wear!" the man stated out even louder as he shook his fist at the young boy.



Seeing no reason as to why not listen to the man, Naruto found himself following the man to a corner of the store were he was asked to stand on a stand between a semicircle of six large mirrors.



The man quickly went to work, taking the young body's measurements and scribbling them down on a small pad of paper as he mumbled to himself.



"What style of clothing are you looking for? And what kind of material do you want used?" the man asked crisply, his mind falling into an age old habit as he began to calculate the measurements of the body and hours it would take to weave the clothes together.



There was a minute of silence.



"Uhhhh… I'm not sure..." Naruto stated truthfully after a few moments of consideration.



"What!?!?" the man bawled out. "You don't even know what you want and you consider me an idiot?!?"



Naruto felt his face slide into a grin slightly as he met the man eye to eye. "Hehe, I guess so."



The man however, instantly calmed down as he met the young man's eyes. He saw in them something he had only seen twice before in his life. "I HAVE IT!!!" he stated out loud.



Naruto blinked in return.



"GeNius! BeauTiful! EleGant!" the man spouted out as he shook his arms towards the heavens.



Naruto backed away slowly…



Then turning back to the young man, the man grabbed a shoulder. "Just you wait, I Tal, son of Tal of Tal, will show you! A set of clothes that only YOU can wear!" he stated in a booming voice, his eyes blazing with holy fire that were ever so slowly setting fire to his eyebrows…



Naruto couldn't retreat due to the fact that Tal had a good grip on his shoulder… but he felt fear nonetheless.



"Yes… come back in a few days... I'll have your clothes ready by then. Please trust me on this, ask nothing, for I will weave perfection for you!" Tal stated with holy fervor. "What is your name? I need it for the records, of course. Not everyone gets perfection that only they can wear."



Nodding quickly Naruto found he liked the man. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He stated proudly but suddenly had a question. "How much will it cost?"



"Nothing." The man said with a wave of his hand. "For the perfection of a piece of clothing that will cling lithely to the soul's body, eyes and heart, I can never charge a thing! Not even gratitude!"



Naruto's jaw fell slowly open as he began to attempt backing away...



"For this is the true form of art, a form that can never be charged for, just as love cannot be bought, nether can the perfection of artistic tailoring! For it would lessen the perfection of the piece of art…" the man continued.



Naruto wanted to go. Now.



"It is a duty of my family. For my father and grand father and great grandfather and especially my great, great grandfather…" Tal stated proudly for a few minutes before he released Naruto's shoulder. "I hated you once but never again! You are a divine soul that was meant to wear these clothes soon to be!"



"Uh, yea…" Naruto replied intelligently.



"Now if you excuse me, I must now close the store, for your clothes scream to be weaved. No less then three days will it take for me to weave you clothing!" Tal stated apologetically as he pushed Naruto out of his store. "Come back in three days, Uzumaki Naruto. Your clothes will be finished by then!"



Smiling a genuine smile, Naruto bowed respectfully. "Perhaps you are good enough."



"We shall see. The gods of the spool and thread have charged me once again with the task of weaving perfection. We shall see if I am man enough for this challenge!" Tal stated grandly as he closed the door to his shop and changed his hanging sign from 'Open' to 'Close'.



"Gods of spool and thread?" Naruto asked the closed door in confusion before he left to go train, away from the crazed tailor and his odd gods…











Standing among the trees, Naruto felt at peace here. The sounds of a running stream, which he guessed was off to his left side, filled the air with its soothing music. The birds flew and chirped lively among the trees, chatting with squirrels under the warm afternoon sun.



Standing by the sturdy tree he had taken a nap on during the previous day, Naruto gently trailed his left hand down the tree's rough bark. The feeling of antiquity flowed from the tree into his hand, the warmth of life seemingly soft and fragile. The afternoon sun glinted in the clear blue sky, drawing Naruto's attention as shafts of light grazed through the serene forest.



Peeling his eyes from the tree and its warmth, Naruto then gazed ahead and saw what he didn't see the previous day. Before him, stood a clear glade of nothing but green grass that bent with a light flow of air that flew through the forest floor.



With the gentle wind that passed by, Naruto felt himself relax as he titled his head upwards, letting the wind ruffle his hair and caress his body and soul. Nostrils flaring, the clean scent of purity and life drifted into his lungs, filling his entire sense with peace.



Lowering his head and opening his eyes, Naruto blinked slowly as he raked his right hand through his hair, reveling in the moment of tranquility. With a slight start, he realized that he wore a smile as the wind dwindled and left him to fly through other parts of the forest.



Filled with confidence, Naruto soon walked into the center of the glade, the grass rustling with his simple passage. Within moments he was at what he considered the middle of the glade and turned his thoughts inwards.



Fox, I'm ready to begin my training, what should I do? Naruto asked silently into his mind's depths.



Heh. Just do the basics brat, the rest will follow… a single amused voice responded cryptically.



Brows furrowing in confusion, Naruto frowned as he found that he didn't understand what the fox had just told him. Basics? What basics? But when he asked again, there was no reply.



Pondering on the simple instructions, Naruto then just gave up. Basics. Maybe the fox meant basic taijutsu. Basics in fighting…



Licking his lips once, Naruto then simply began to do simple punches and kicks. His limbs surprisingly instantly moved with half a thought. He was also surprised at how fast he could attack and recover.



However, as he tried to speed up his attacks, he quickly began to lose precision and his limbs started to flail about, forcing him to come to a complete stop. Gritting his teeth, Naruto proceeded to try again. This was the first physical wall that he had encountered.



After the fourth try, Naruto was thoroughly grounding his teeth to dust. Whenever he reached a certain speed, his attacks began to lose power as they flailed about. He had tried different things, different ways try to keep his attacks crisps as well as fast, but it was a lost cause.



Letting out a cry of frustration, Naruto suddenly froze as he felt déjà vu encompass him.



"Naruto, power is fine but speed is finer. However, with speed, power is lost. How will you over come this barrier? This barrier that separates the strong from the weak?" an unknown yet familiar voice questioned him, echoing in both his mind and his soul.



Pausing to wait for the voice to continue, Naruto instead received nothing for his wait. Thinking hard, he pondered on what the voice was trying to tell him. Barrier?



Following his instincts, he raised his fists and slowly threw his punches, followed by a few well-placed kicks. Breathing hard, Naruto struggled as he continued to trace his thoughts with his instincts and once again slowly threw a few punches and kicks…



Then in a moment's surprise he understood. The barrier was that which separated his mind from his body! Though his body knew many things, and his mind was unable to understand what his body knew. He would have to train his mind and body so that they could understand each other.



For a third and then a fourth time, Naruto slowly threw his punches and kicks, but this time he concentrated on how his body moved, responding to what his mind ordered.



Tightening his fists, Naruto then began a simple flow of punches and kicks. As he preformed the basics, he slowly sped up his movements, raising the speed of his attacks while concentrating on how he expected his body to move.



Punches and kicks flowed through the air in a blur, the body working in almost perfect unity with his mind. Though his mind was surprised at how fast he could move, his body it seemed was working fluidly with his thoughts, only stuttering when his mind got sidetracked, which was often.



The high afternoon sun soon began to dip as Naruto lost himself to the rhythms of his mind and body, both moving smoothly as they formed a greater bond between each other.



As the sun finally began to dip into the horizon, Naruto was forced to stop as fatigue was finalizing its grip on his mind and body. The rumbling of his starved stomach didn't help either. Giving to his hunger, Naruto blinked as he stared into the half lit horizon before he turned around and headed home, where food, a night's exercise and slept awaited for him.











Early the next day, Naruto was back at the gentle glade were he continued to practice his attacks, his body moving with his mind as he preformed more and more complex strikes.



It soon became apparent that his body was beginning to lag behind his thoughts, clear as they were, the body couldn't seem to keep up. It was an odd and interesting experience.



Then as though bidden by the strong thoughts of simple exercises that would make him body stronger, the feelings of déjà vu once again overcame him. With eyes that widened in surprise, Naruto saw something from his past.



A shadowed figure stood before him. Naruto's own head only reached the man's chest but he looked up eagerly, waiting for the man to speak. "Naruto, those this seems pointless, it is effective. Your body will become stronger but simple strength can easily turn into your greatest weakness. Form other strengths and bonds in your body. Watch closely Naruto, for I shall show you a path that only few can walk…" the shadowed figure stated as he began to show odd exercises…



Blinking Naruto looked around, expecting to see the shadowed man staring at him in expectation. Though he knew it was only a glimpse of his past, Naruto was disappointed to see no one. All he knew about the stranger was that it was a man, a man that he seemed to respect and hold in high esteem.



With nothing to lose, Naruto decided that he would do what the man had told him to do. Finding a fairly small rock, oval in size that would effortlessly fit in his hand so that he could hold it in his fists, Naruto began.



He repeated what he did yesterday, throwing punches as fast as possible, straightforward punches that would lance through the air in a blurry barrage of speed and power. But as he continued, he quickly felt the strain, as the added weights effortlessly became a burden, throwing off his accuracy and slowing him down.



However, he fought on, moving his crying arms without thought, his iron hard will forcing them to move, his single vision of strength overcoming the boundaries of his flesh. He suddenly found vast strength to carry on. His body no longer screaming in pain, Naruto was awed at what he could suddenly do. He could continue his training faster then before as he pushed his body beyond what he considered his limits.



Soon night once again began it climb, the sunning setting as Naruto had switched from rocks in his hands to rocks attached around his feet, increasing the power of his legs, but soon Naruto found that he needed to get home, to eat and sleep so that he could train again the next day.











The rising sun streamed through the open window. Sunlight flowed from the outside world and fell upon an empty bed. The gentle singing of birds outside were accompanied by light grunts as a small figure was finishing his morning exercises.



Quickly walking to the fridge, Naruto licked his brushed teeth and made himself breakfast. Looking into the fridge, he frowned slightly as he took out what he needed. There was little left since he ate most of what he had last night. These exercises seemed costly as his food expenses suddenly exploded after a long day's training session.



Eating his morning meal, Naruto thought upon what he had been recently doing. It seemed as if he was making leaps and bounds with his body, but he wasn't sure. He needed to continue his training if he was to ever achieve anything.



Thinking about what to do on his third day, coming to the simple decision that he would continue with the rock exercises when something hit him…



Third day.



His clothes were done!



Taking a deep breath, Naruto quickly finished his meal and then proceeded to wash his used dishes. Taking up only a quarter of an hour, the dishes were cleaned and drying on a simple rack beside the sink as he left the house and headed for the odd tailor's store.



The market was much the same and Naruto quickly found himself buying extra groceries as he had more or less cleaned himself out last night and this morning. With two full bags of goodies, Naruto then found himself at Tal's store.



Backing his way into the shop, Naruto noticed the 'Closed' sign was still on as the door as it swung open but he ignored it as he felt that Tal was expecting him. Which Tal was, as he sat on the front counter waiting with a cat like smile.



"It is complete." Tal stated simply as he took Naruto's two bags and setting them on the countertop and dragging Naruto towards the back of the shop.



Passing by many stands that had a simple hook were a set or a set in progress of clothes stood, Naruto saw the many varieties of clothing that people liked. It was a rather large shop, he decided as he followed Tal through the back of the shop, were the majority of the store's space rested.



Coming to a stop at the very end, Tal then presented a changing booth were he then proceeded to order Naruto to enter and undress to his skivvies and try on the set of clothing within.



Not wanting to argue with the man less he started to spout out odd phrases, Naruto did as was asked and undressed to his trunks. Laying the clothes aside, Naruto then saw two sets of clothing before him. Tal then ordered him to wear the set of clothing on the left hand side first. The first was a set of fishnet undergarments that looked awfully tight.



Picking up the garments, Naruto experimentally stretched them and was surprised to find that they easily stretched and felt feather light and silk soft. Putting them on, Naruto was surprised to find them extremely snug and as he traced a finger over his arm, he was also surprised at how sensitive his skin still was. It was as if this set of clothing had become one with his skin.



Then he looked to his right and his heart skipped a beat as his mind stopped thinking for a brief second as he took in what lay before him. It was a simple two set piece of clothing. The two pieces of clothing were both a ruby red so dark it boarded on black, or dark blood…



The pants seemed either slightly too long or too short but shrugging, Naruto tried them on and was surprised that they were not only a perfect fit, they were also a perfect cut as the pants clung to his waist yet was very lightweight and baggy. Ending at his ankles, they wouldn't impede his walking and looked very stylish.



Then picking up the jacket, he simply slipped it on and was once again amazed. The fabric felt soft, even through his first layer of clothing and slid over his skin and fell snuggly into place. The jacket was of the same quality as his pants. It hugged his frame, though left enough room to be baggy yet was exactly cut to his body size and length.



Looking down, Naruto was also surprised to see a set of shoes waiting for him. They were exactly the same style as his other set, yet seemed finer as it was the same color as his clothes. Putting them on, he felt no surprise as the lack of weight, or the snugness of the fit.



Walking out, Tal's eyes seemed to melt with content as he raised his hands into the air, threw back his head and screamed out a single word.



"PERFECTION!!!!"



Hopping on his toes as he switched from one foot to the other, Naruto couldn't help but stare in awe at Tal. He felt as light as a feather and as he tried out a few punches of kicks, he found that his clothes moved fluidly with his body, scything through the wind with ease, creating no drag or such as it fluttered slightly in the trailing air.



"What do you think? Uzumaki Naruto?" Tal asked in a worried tone.



"It's… It's… Perfect…" Naruto stammered out and Tal then let loose a vicious smile of superiority.



"Of course! I crafted your clothes from the finest material, weaving the threads and then weaving the clothes. It took me three straight days of work and skill. Never before have I crafted such perfect so quickly! The gods were with me these last few days, granting me their strength to weave perfection that was meant to be!" Tal stated in slight awe as he lead Naruto back to the front of the store, carrying a small bag that contained Naruto's old clothes.



Standing at the front of the store, Naruto felt the stares of others who could only gape at his clothes.



"Here you go Naruto. Safe journey home. Should your clothes ever need repair or such, please hurry back. Now I must go, I haven't slept or ate in the last three days and I feel very weary. So long!" Tal stated in a blur as he handed Naruto his groceries and the bag with his old clothes as he disappeared back into his store.



Blinking, Naruto stopped for a few moments before he bowed towards Tal and his skills. Then straightening, he began to walk home to sort out his food and lay to rest his old clothes.











The weeks seemed to melt away as Naruto continued with this own training, sometimes pushing his body forward through will alone. He began to suspect that he was slowly getting stronger but he shrugged off those very thoughts. Until he could fight, he would never truly know how far he had come since the days of his childhood.



The training then began to change after the third day as he continued to use rocks as weights. The training then slowly shifted towards chakra training as the need for heavier weights became quickly apparent.



He was strong enough now to effortlessly use those small rocks that he had during the second day, but now he needed heavier ones, but he couldn't just simply pick up bigger rocks as they didn't fit will within his hands or around his legs.



The use of cords or string was out of the question after he tried it once on that fourth day. The rocks rarely fit well and didn't keep up properly as they flailed about, sailing through the air and either off the cords into the distance or painfully into his side.



Your moving too quickly brat. Make the rocks tighter. the fox's voice stated blandly out of nowhere.



"What do you mean tighter!?!?" Naruto screamed out loud to himself in surprise, but there was no answer. Gritting his teeth as he mumbled curses, he frowned as he thought on how he could tighten the rocks together.



The original string theory was out of the question, as he knew he couldn't make then tight enough for what he guessed the fox within him would consider tight. Thinking on how to proceed, Naruto blinked as it hit him! He remembered something! It was during a time when he learnt how to climb a tree! Though the memory was foggy, the training was clear in his mind.



He could pool chakra to a limb and have it stick to something. If he tried the same thing with rocks, perhaps he could have them stick together making allowances for heavier weights and having them become tighter!



Grinning as he picked up his original rock, Naruto concentrated on his hand, allowing chakra to pool within his palms as he held the rock upright in his hand. Then slowly, ever so slowly he turned his hand downwards and watched as the rock stick for all of half a second before it fell onto the grass below.



Letting loose an annoyed sigh, Naruto felt that it was going to take hours to learn the intricacies of rock holding. However, within an hour he had it. It had taken some thought but if he had just pooled enough, the rock stuck to his skin as though they were one.



Then came the challenge of sticking yet another rock to his palms, but that was easily solved as after another hour of trials before Naruto figured out how to make them stick. All it took was small efforts of concentration at two points on his palms.



Pleased with his accomplishments, Naruto repeated his feat with his other hand and after a few tests of waving his hands before him, seeing as how no rocks dropped, he began his exercise at were he left off the previous day.



Throwing his first quick and powerful palm strike with his right arm, he couldn't exactly close his fists properly, Naruto watched in silence as both rocks flew outwards and landed before the grand tree.



Silence hung in the air as Naruto let loose an exasperated sigh. He had suddenly understood what went wrong the moment he saw his two stones fly off. He had them at a good grip, a good grip for simply holding them while at ease. If he were to do anything fancier, he would have to restart at the basics, again…



"All there is… is basics Naruto. Remember this as you travel down these paths were only warriors walk…" the shadowed figure quoted at the edge of his mind's vision.



With a small sigh, Naruto picked up his rocks and began to do simple strikes, straight from the basics of day one….











The training continued but as much as Naruto tried to ignore his progress outside of training, he couldn't stop everything. His morning and evening exercises were longer as the annoying fox within his head kept adding small things that he swore were only added to annoy him. But he always finished his exercises within two hours.



He also began to bring food with him while he trained as he no longer stopped with the setting sun but continued under the soothing moonlight. He had progressed with his weight training dramatically. He had progressed from the basics of punches and kicks into more complex and fancy techniques.



With three palms sized, oval rocks sitting beside each other on his hands, lining up from the base of his palms and ending at his fingertips, they added considerable weight to his arms. He had also begun to keep four similar rocks around each leg as to keep him fairly weighted down while he practiced.



There were always fourteen rocks on him at any given moment, whether he concentrated on hands or legs or both, he always had them on so that he could become used to the exertions and concentrations of keeping so many rocks attached to his body as he moved about in a quick pace.



He had also begun to run through the forest itself. Moving as quickly as he possibly could while keeping the rocks in place. Soon he found that he was able to run through the forest like a free wind, moving as he pleased and only stopping whenever a rock fell off or he nearly passed out from exhaustion.



The voice of the strange person that always seemed to give him advice cropped up more often as he plowed through his training. He was always there to give out some odd quote or question whenever he was confused or when his spirits bordered on breaking. Naruto himself had come to acknowledge them as distant memories, the feeling of déjà vu was always there with the stranger and the knowledge that he had survived through them gave him strength. He would become as strong as he felt he once was and find his lost memories.



It was those thoughts that formed the foundation of his second week of training as he continued to perform the same exercises until his muscles became stronger and his mind and body more fluid.











It was in the end of the third week however, that stopped his training. Naruto had begun to feel disgruntled with his training. He had moved up a few steps, having a second set of rocks on top of his originals and he had progressed to a point were he could move as freely as he could near the start of his training, proving that fact that he had come far.



However, his training was beginning to stagnate, as he no longer made leaps and bounds in his training. He could train all year and most likely stay more or less the same. He needed a different type of training method or such if he was to attain more strength.



With the steep training that he had immersed himself in, Naruto also began to have random flashes of bits and pieces of his past. Often, they were about training or to his surprise, death. Many of his visions with combat came to him while he slept, his mind showing him things that he never thought he could have accomplish, replacing his dreams with what he felt was fact.



But those with training interested him, as he knew his body could perform those unique techniques. All he needed was for his mind to know that as well. So within the third week, Naruto found a small nest of boulders within the forest were he began to imitate what he saw in those visions of his unknown past.



While at the nest of boulders he began to try to imitate a single strike that he saw many times in his dreams. It was a swift kick filled with energy that shattered stone and rock, crushed flash and bones. All he knew was that it involved a simplistic kick that had was done while airborne.



So for almost the full week he jumped around the rocks, kicking at them as he empowered his attacking leg with as much power as he could muster. All that came out however, was a lot of jumping and kicking that barely chipped away rock.



It was at the end of the sixth day however, that his mysterious stranger spoke to him again. "Ha ha ha ha. Still trying that out Naruto? The way your proceeding is almost right but incorrect. You need to focus much more and you must visualize what you want done. Your leg must become like a unstoppable sword that cuts all in its path!" his teacher stated as the shadow of his body moved and in one deft strike, shattered a boulder that was at least three times the man's size.



So for the seventh and last day of the third week, Naruto attempted to emulate what he had seen. Focus. He focused what he considered focused chackra to his attacking leg as he continued to lash out with kicks as he visualized the boulder's shattering destruction. But it never worked.



In a fit of pure anger at himself for not being able to do what he knew he should have been able to do, he let his mind loose in a fit of rage and lashed out.



There was a muffled explosion of shattering rocks that rained over the small nest of boulders as a light haze of dust filled the air. A resounding cry of 'Sword!' echoed through Naruto's mind and the surrounding forest, echoing until he realized that it was his own voice that had yelled out, and it was his own attack that broke the boulder before him…



As though a falling star streaked through the night sky, a memory stirred from slumber. Naruto had had a revelation…



Blinking, he looked down at his leg and as if seeing the limb for the first time… Naruto suddenly knew what he had been doing wrong. Focus. He wasn't focusing properly. He had the power, the speed and potential, but he lacked the focus to draw them all together.



Suddenly it seemed as if all his weeks of training had instantaneously paid off within a single moment. It was as if he had trained his body for this moment, and exercised his chakra so that he could focus it perfectly for the single jutsu, Sword…



The final few hours were spent demolishing the last few boulders into nice little clumps of stone, pebbles and dust. Everywhere he looked laid the remains of a shattered boulder and a thin film of dust covered everything. Everything but his clothes that Tal had weaved for him.



Leaning against half of a surviving boulder, Naruto blinked as he looked up at the clouded sky, watching the giant fluffs of white slowly make their way across the sky. The entire horizon above the forest was a beautiful autumn red.



There was anything but silence in the air as birds chirped merrily in the background and the wind began to sing its melody through the forest once again as day began to settle into night.



With his back against the half-boulder, Naruto sat on the grass, his right legged propped up with his left lazily stretched out before him. His right arm rested on his knee as he gazed towards the setting sun. His left arms hung limp beside him, his fingers gently caressing the cool grass beneath him…



It was more of a feeling then anything else that told him someone was near. When followed his instincts and looked up, he saw an overhanging branch that there was someone on it. He felt no fear, no surprise as he let loose a lazy grin. He had felt the person closing in, though he knew not how he knew, he was sure his instincts knew what they were doing as they traced the person above him.



He had touched a part of his past today and he was content. So when the Anbu spoke up to follow in a monotone yet slightly feministic voice, Naruto found himself more then happy to comply.



The Anbu then jumped off the tree-branch and began to lead Naruto on a path back to the village. So began their long walk home. They said nothing as the Anbu lead the way at a brisk pace, weaving through everything with the ease of experience and lithe body.



Naruto on the other hand stayed quiet as he felt it rude to suddenly break silence with no reason. The person before moved gracefully and, had quickly realized the person was a she, seemed slightly familiar in some odd way. Sure she wore the same ink marked masked as the people he had seen when he had first awoken a few weeks back. But there was something more, something about her in general that seemed familiar.



He wasn't able to get a good look at her mask but he becoming more confident that she was the same person that he had seen when he first woke up. However, it didn't matter and Naruto dropped the subject immediately. He didn't want to pry and she seemed rather busy to be talking with the likes of him.



Instead, he concentrated on how content and good he felt at the moment. This had to be the happiest day in his life, as he felt content like never before. He had touched his past and with it, took one small step closer to knowing who he was…



A low flying, small bird glided through the air when it suddenly felt something strange. Following its instincts, it changed directions and flew by a tree, spotting two odd animals trudging through the forest as the sun was setting.



Flying in closer, the bird panicked for a moment. These types of animals were seen before! The community always went up into a set gossip whenever they were around, telling what they were doing and were they were going.



Instincts told it that it should fly away and quickly tell others that the two-legged creatures in odd furs were back, moving through the forest… But there was a sense of calm that radiated from the smaller of the two… the on that was behind the taller.



Ignoring its instincts, the bird felt compelled to tell the serene one that night was falling, that it was most dangerous during this time. Gliding in it watched as the serene one paused and stopped as it glided nearer and tilted it wings, allowing the air to slow itself down so that it could gently land on the serene one's shoulder.



Blinking Naruto watched in mute fascination as a small brown bird glided onto his shoulder and began to talk to him. It chirped away on how the night was quickly approaching and how he, the serene one, should quickly move to his own nest were it would be safest before full dark set in. It said that it was in a rush and that time was very short. Everything changed once night set in and unless he could fly just above the trees, he would be in grave dangers.



Then as quickly as it came, the bird flew off, feeling much better at having told the serene one about the dangers of the night. Flapping its wings quickly, the bird hovered into the air as its wings pumped, bringing itself upwards with each stroke. Trilling out a simple goodbye, the bird flew into the trees and quickly headed home.



Smiling himself, Naruto couldn't help but feel touched that such a small and innocent bird would go out of its way to warn him of the dangers of the night… but he had already encountered a few of them. They didn't pose too much of a problem but the bird didn't know and he didn't feel like telling them about this late night ventures in the forest.



Turning around, Naruto blinked once as he stared at the dimming light around himself. The night was settling in and a comfortable bed awaited him at home…



The Anbu on the other hand was interested if not surprised at what had just happened. The small woodjeek birds of Konoha Forest was anything but social and to her knowledge, Naruto had no training of any sort that would allow him to communicate with any animals that couldn't speak on their own...



This was interesting information indeed and she tucked away the small information that she had just seen for herself. She would report to the Fifth immediately. It seemed that somewhere between his coma and his recent self, Naruto had gained new skills in both taijutsu, as the newly shattered rocks proved, and ninjutsu that allowed him to communicate with at least woodjeek birds.











Tsunade frowned at the piece of paper that was given to her scant minutes ago. It was notes from an allied village… were three of her elite chunnins had been killed while on a simple errand for the village… plus they were killed outright, making it a very mysterious situation…



What was strange was the fact that they were all killed in a single fight… they were the only casualties meaning that either the attackers had numerous numbers or that the attackers were highly skilled… or both…



This was an annoying mystery that had to be solved. She couldn't drop the fact that Konoha ninjas were killed until either the cause was discovered and the proper actions taken.



Thinking on the subject a bit more, Tsunade decided that it would be foolish to act unless she had more information. Calling out to one of her Anbu aids, she ordered that a list of elite Anbu be brought to her quickly. Perhaps she could release a small group into the area and both learn what they can of the attackers and reason for the attack.



So far, Konoha was recovering quickly from their last battle were still strong enough to carry out every mission asked of them. The proud ninjas of Konoha Village still worked diligently at their assigned missions in order to support the recovery of their home.



However, what had been on her mind recently was simply Naruto. He had changed a great deal since the coma. He no longer had the fiery flare of life in his personality. He acted more like an Anbu in the aspect of his calm and patient actions.



The fact that he didn't remember anything after the age of ten was odd, as he could recall information from his childhood yet nothing after a certain age… she had been pondering on the facts for many days now, thinking on the subject whenever she could.



She had quickly concluded that this was very close to what she had dubbed, 'Naruto's Original Personality' that was him during his childhood as from her brief probes, she found that he knew little of things such as family, love or even companionship.



Calling on her status as Hokage, she had quickly learnt of Naruto's childhood and was saddened at what she had discovered. Until Naruto's third genin exam, he had no friends or anything that could even be stretched to grudging acceptance of equality. He had always been looked upon as an inferior and a monster.



The factors of his childhood quickly accounted for his withdrawn personality and controlled actions, but that didn't help at all as she honestly had no clue as how to approach this problem.



She knew amnesia was something that more or less had to be cured on its own, unless she used forbidden jutsu's that only had a risky chance for little success, or she could try to introduce Naruto to people he once knew, hoping for a reaction that would trigger memories that could cause a chain reaction within the mind, showing Naruto who he really once was…



Or everything that she had been thinking about was completely futile and was a complete waste of her time as she should just leave Naruto alone and allow him to recover on his own. After all, didn't Naruto recover on his own when Kabuto snapped the chackra cord to his heart, essentially killing the young boy? Yet he had recovered!



Folding up the note, Tsunade let loose a sigh as she placed it on the table before her as she got up and stretched. These problems with Naruto were largely out of her control and she had very little knowledge on how to deal with him.



Today would be the final day of the third week since she had released Naruto back into the outside world. She had seen no reason for him to stay locked up in the hospital so she had let him return to his home with brief instructions and tidbits of information on his past. She had hoped that by doing so, it would allow Naruto to see the city through unclouded eyes and thus hoping that it would trigger some memory of who he really was.



Today he would be brought back to her and she would have a chance to examine him. Perhaps he had already discovered who he was? Or perhaps he was still clueless to who he once was…



There was a gentle knock at her door.



Knowing full well at whom it was, Tsunade sat back down as she stated aloud that the person could enter.



The girl, Shiki, her handpicked Anbu for watching over Naruto gracefully stepped in with a surprising young man in tow. Wearing clothes that bordered on either black or dark blood red, the young man that entered seemed almost the same as the person who had awoken three weeks ago. Minus the fact that the young man before her seemed very calm and sure of himself then he was when he awoke.



"So, Naruto-kun. How your life here at Konoha village? Are you comfortable? Is there anyplace that stirs up memories for you? People that you may recognize?" Tsunade asked in a torrent with a simple smile as she studied Naruto's face.



"I am fine and well. The village seems like a nice place. I still don't recognize anyone." Naruto replied back calmly. He wasn't sure what to make of his stay here truthfully as everyone seemed to dislike him, but he was, in truth, comfortable. He didn't particularly care for the people. He only cared about food, sleep, training and the quest to find out about his past. Everything else seemed irrelevant.



Tsunade pursed her lips for a moment but then quickly brightened as she came to a conclusion. "Naruto-kun. I am going to introduce you to a few of your fellow genins within the next few days. They are originally among the same group of people who passed with you during the genin test you took almost a year back now… do you have any qualms about meeting them?

Blinking at the names, Naruto felt troubled as he sensed that he should know the names, yet he did not. "No, I would be pleased to meet them." Naruto answered with his calm voice, a sense of deeply ingrained etiquette guiding his voice.

"Good!" Tsunade replied happily aloud as she walked up to him with a folded piece of paper in her hand. Stopping in front of him, she unfolded the small piece of paper and read it aloud.

"You, Uzumaki Naruto, are henceforth reinstated into Team 7 along with the genins Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Jounin leader, Hatake Kakashi. And you shall be joining them on their next few missions." She finished cheerfully, secretly hoping that the meeting and interaction between Naruto and people from his past would restore his long lost memories.

"Team 7 should be arriving tomorrow afternoon. Around 2 pm. Please be at home as I will be sending someone to pick you up. As of tomorrow, you will once again be helping Konoha village as apart of Team 7." Tsunade finished as she folded up the piece of paper and handed it to Naruto.

Gently taking the piece of paper, Naruto tucked it away to look at later. He was hungry and wanted to go home. "Tomorrow at 2 pm then." Naruto repeated as she asked for leave and was excused to go home.

Watching as the Anbu lead Naruto out so that he could go home, Tsunade quietly walked back to her table and sat down, pondering on what could happen after Naruto was reunited with his team… Team 7 was scheduled to arrive at 11 am tomorrow but she wanted time to at least brief Kakashi on the current situation with the young boy.

There was also the problems of the recent Anbu deaths and she couldn't just send anyone to investigate as it would rouse suspicion of the Leaf's current strength. So she needed to send skilled ninjas under a pretense of something else…

There was a polite knock on her door and at her approval the door slid open to reveal a serious looking ninja. He was youthful looking even though he was past his fifties. An air of calmness surrounded him even as he did the simple task of closing the door behind him.

Smiling, Tsunade motioned for the man to sit down before her. "Ah Jiraiya! Your just the person I was looking for…" the Fifth stated as a plan started to form in her head. A plan that was slightly risky, but perfect for what she intended. The mystery of the recent killings was soon going to end…

The sound of falling water crashed through the air, filling it with its single existence. The light haze of water drifted around the base of the waterfall, making everything around it wet and cold. It was the dampness and crawling chill that forced a pair of silver eyes open.

Groaning as his mind opened up to his body, allowing every single moment of pain to crash into his mind simultaneously, giving him a headache as his body screamed out bloody vengeance at the abuse it had received.

Propping himself up, he brushed his hand through his hair as he focused on the pain, allowing it to flow through himself, waking up his trembling body.

Looking up slowly, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the new light. It was bright but as his eyes focused, he suddenly sat upright. Everything around him was green and overgrown.

He gently tasted the air, the sense of water and air filled his lungs as he took a tentative breath.

Something was very wrong.

There were signs of life here that he had not seen in decades while the air was pure and clean. There was no stench of death and decay no barren landscape or feelings of void around him.

This meant that he was no longer home, but somewhere else. He was somewhere away from his clan, somewhere on a different world…

Frowning he tried to remember what had happen last but he found it difficult. He was still too tired and as he looked down at his body, the angry red marks from countless wounds and cuts lined and crisscrossed over his flesh and bone…

"Sleep now, master." a gentle voice soothingly whispered into his ear. "Rest, I shall watch over you."

Blinking the man sighed, as he felt comforted. He needed sleep and this was also what the voice had suggested.

Closing his eyes as he felt darkness tug at his mind, he sent out a single reply before he drifted away. The final words left his lips as his body went lip and he fell into a deep rhythm of breathing. "Thank you, Lady." The words drifted silently from his lips as a second presence snuggled around him and asserted itself into the environment.

There was a wispy outline of a creature that resembled a fox with what seemed like nine tails. It hovered protectively above the sleeping body of a young man who had silver hair. Even as darkness fell, the fox watched the sleeping man as its very presence kept the wildlife at bay and deterred anything and everything from coming close.

The creatures of the forest spared no glance at the creature by the waterfall, as they instinctively knew, that had they even approached to look from a distance. The odd creature would have stuck them down without a second thought. Only the most stupid of creatures would tempt fate as even those on top of the food chain quickly weaved around the area, their lives finding no need to tempt death.

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Author's Corner!

Hi Hi!

I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter as it was scrapped off of nothing, nada, nil. Meaning that I, gasp! Waved my magic keyboard and POW! Instant chapter with words and pages and capitals… and… and… uhhh, the development of Uzumaki Naruto!

Yes! I have been working on this and I also got a new job, so I now hate a third of my days and like 1/324 life! Or something like that =P

A note from your author: 'Work Sucks!'

But that's not something new so I'll complain to myself….

Other then that, I have absolutely nothing to say. So those of you who had been expecting something witty… Bwahahahahahahha, I hope your disappointed!

I, the un-witty author of these strange fics have in truth, no life! I also have No personality as I rot away in front of a computer at night and work by day!

So if you in any way pity me, love my fics, hate/love my author's corner or breathe/eat/drool… Donate!

Yes Donate! Send wads of Money! Bags of Candy! Secret locations of treasure that are worth millions of dollars! Heck send me uhhhh, love notes, or paychecks! Manga is also accepted. Or send me email! Reviews! Heck I'll even take slaves!

Note: Slaves must healthy, obedient and housebroken. They must also be so fanatically loyal that they will jump for joy if I even look at them. (I also ask for warranty as should they break down, dislike me, or I dislike them, that I can get an exchange for a different/new slave.)

Well I guess that's all and I'll leave with the usual message of:

If you like my story and wish to talk to me, you may email me at Psionic_Soldier@hotmail.com and you may leave praise, love, criticisms, love, undying loyalty, love, money and most importantly, Undying love and affection attached with lots and lots of Bags of Candy. Sequential unmarked bills of money are also accepted. Candy is preferred however.

Until next time, same written-url and same random-update…

Errr… I mean I will see you next chapter…

Yes… next chapter…

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I'm already lonely, * Sniff * * Sniff*

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!!!

Hey look! Candy! YAY!! I'm so Happy!!

* Munch Munch Munch *

Time for sleepy now… * Yawn *

Red Howling Chapter 01 V1.01