A Ninja's Passion

With the morning light usually comes hope and renewal. But for one kunoichi, it brought only fear and dread. Sakura awoke to the sound of Naruto getting dressed a few feet away. A sinister voice in the back of her mind told her to remember this image, it may be the last time you see him like this. She shuddered at the thought, but subconsciously she had already locked the image away.

Naruto glanced at her and noticed that she was awake. "Morning Sakura-Hime," he said with a warm smile. Sakura blushed as he called her that name; it was reserved for only when they were completely alone together.

"Do you really have to go already Naruto-kun?" she asked quietly. He smiled at her sadly.

"You know I have to. Grandma's orders can't be ignored when she's serious like that. Besides, if I don't go soon, another village could be destroyed."

She had already known that that would be the answer, but she still needed to ask. Her head understood, but her heart felt something else. She let him finish getting ready in silence and, when he was finished, started walking with him to the village gate. When they arrived, Tsunade was already there to send Naruto on his way.

"Hmph, at least you're not as punctual as your teacher," joked Tsunade. Kakashi, both Naruto and Sakura's jonin master, had a knack for setting appointments and showing up hours later.

"Eh, he gets there when he gets there," sighed Naruto. More than once Naruto has had to put his lunch on hold for a few hours waiting for his master.

Tsunade looked at the boy standing in front of her. In just a few short years he had become one of the strongest shinobi she had ever seen. Beyond that, though, he had a way of getting through to a persons heart and making them want to believe in him. People had shrugged off their hatred and remorse and found a way to enjoy the world again. Tsunade was no exception.

"This mission is going to have you gone for weeks, Naruto," said Tsunade, "You will need to always be on your guard and never get too distracted to notice when something is amiss… Be careful out there would ya?" With that final message, Tsunade left the gate to head back to her office leaving Naruto and Sakura to be alone. She knew this was hard on her apprentice, and also knew how hard it was to let the one you love leave on such a dangerous mission. Memories of the legacy of Naruto's necklace began to flood her mind and she was quick to bury them again. She had faith in Naruto's ability and knew he would return… Still…

Naruto shouldered his pack, laden with supplies, and walked over to where Sakura was standing. She hadn't said a word since they left her house that morning. When he got up to her he noticed that her eyes were brimmed with tears.

"What's wrong Sakura-dono?" he asked, even though he knew why she was upset. "I won't be gone that long. I just have to find this guy and put a stop to him. I'll be back before you know it."

Sakura jumped at him and embraced him with everything she had. She looked at him and gave him a kiss. "Please be careful," she whispered, "Please come back to me."

With that, she ran away from the gate, a single tear streaking down her face. Naruto watched her go and sighed to himself, hating seeing her sad. He vowed to himself that he would end this mission quickly, by whatever means necessary, and come back to Konoha. He would put a smile back on that beautiful face.

It was the fifth day since the start of the mission and Naruto was deep in the forest near the site of the last village to be brought down. He had made it to the site earlier that day and was shocked at what he found. Piles of rubble where houses and monuments used to be, trees and other sorts of vegetation charred and unsalvageable were everywhere. The most unnerving of all, though, was the fact that he couldn't find any bodies.

He had searched all that day but couldn't find any traces of them. Night was fast approaching and he decided he would look again tomorrow. Naruto was sorting through his remaining supplies when he heard a voice that sent a shiver through his spine and made him break out into a cold sweat.

"Once."

Naruto felt a sharp pain on his shoulder and looked to see a gash on it. It was deep enough to bleed but not quite deep enough to cut into his jugular.

"Twice."

Again the pain, but this time it was on his abdomen. He looked down and noticed that his shirt was starting to get a wet spot. He didn't have to lift his shirt to know that he had a similar cut going across his stomach.

"Three times."

This time it came to his chest. He took a look at it and noticed a small hole right above his heart. He also noticed that whatever caused it was stopped right before passing through the ribs. Something compelled him to look up into the tree he had camped under and he saw a man sitting casually on a low branch. He had long, black hair that went down to the middle of his back and a long scar on his right eye. He wore an old martial arts gi that was tattered from long time wear-and-tear, and he carried four katanas, two on each hip. But what Naruto couldn't stop staring at were his eyes. Those deep, amber orbs pierced him to his very soul.

"Three times you should have died, and yet you live. You should really be more observant when picking a campsite," the man said in a way that made Naruto's flesh crawl.

"Who the hell are you!" Naruto gasped, his voice trembling.

"Who? Me?" the man asked, "You aren't really in any kind of position to be asking questions, but, the name's Kage. Haitashi Kage. Don't bother telling me your name either 'cause I already know you're Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto was at a loss for words. Who was this "Kage" and how does he know him? One question buzzed in his mind, though, and allowed him to speak.

"Are you the one who's been destroying these villages?" Naruto asked, knowing in the back of his mind what the answer would be.

"Yup! Didn't even provide good sport though," replied Kage, "Not a single strong opponent in any of those places. This last place was a little better fortified, but that still barely got me to break a sweat!"

Naruto began to reach for his kunai.

"Tsk tsk tsk, before you do anything stupid…"

He was behind Naruto in an instant, two katana blades touching the sides of his neck. Naruto didn't even see him move.

"… let me explain why you're still alive," purred Kage. "I've been searching the world for a powerful fighter to call "rival". Ten years I had searched when I finally came upon Konoha. I scoped it out and noticed you, Uzumaki, and heard tales of your battle prowess. Didn't take me long to figure out how to get you out to meet me, just had to destroy a few measly places to get that old woman you call hokage to notice.

Now that I have seen you up close I realized that I was right about you. You I shall call my rival… but not yet. You are still not nearly strong enough! You wouldn't give me even the slight bit of trouble I had with this latest village in your current state. But, I see potential in you, Uzumaki! I see you becoming as strong as I am and having the ability to face me evenly in a battle to the end!"

While Kage had been telling him all of this, Naruto was thinking of a way to get himself out of this situation. No matter what he thought, though, one thing was clear. He didn't dare move an inch with this man so close to him.

"So Naruto," proclaimed Kage, "I offer you this. Go, become stronger. Strong enough to defeat me and protect everything you hold dear! When you're ready, I will come to you in full force. Until then, I bid you adieu."

Naruto felt the blades disappear from his neck and he slumped over into the tree. He couldn't move. All of his senses had been in overdrive while Kage was there and now he was exhausted. The world began to spin around him and he could feel himself slipping into the darkness of unconsciousness. The last thing he could remember before it went black was an image of Sakura with a tear rolling down her cheek.

Well, that was chapter 2 of my story. Again I apologize for the long wait for this chapter to come out. Tell me what you think and write a review so I can know what I can improve on or just what you liked. Thanks for reading and look for the next chapter to come out soon. Peace out and keep on keeping on!