Not long ago, Naruto had graced this training ground as an idiot who only thought about being better than Sasuke and trying to look good in front of Sakura.
The former had grown to be envious of his growth, so much that he decided to join Orochimaru and then attempt to kill him; the latter had never loved him, she had turned him down day and night, no matter how hard he had tried.
Unrequited love was surely a bitter bitch.
Well, at least he could exchange some notes with Jiraiya about the pains of the heart. Jiraiya's time was much more miserable. He had been young and naïve, but it couldn't have been at a difficult time for him; Being rejected so brutally, when he was alone, when he was trying so hard to be loved and to be appreciated.
He was past those naïve days though. He would no longer foolishly pursue things that could not get his hands on no matter what he tried.
Besides, these days he was in it for something much bigger. It was safe to say that he had discarded his personal desires for something much bigger. He wanted to give his life a purpose, and he would give it that purpose. He just needed the time and enough courage to do what he needed to do.
Naruto glanced around the training ground he had shared so many memories with people he had considered as friends, and family. He had been here a day ago with the new Team 7, but, this time, it was a little different. He wasn't here on anyone's order; he was here because he wanted to test something.
It had nothing to do with anyone, but his own ideals and what he wanted to see from these people that he called friends. He wasn't just going to see what Kiba could do. He wasn't that of an arrogant person, but the Inuzuka wasn't someone who could give him a challenge – he needed something much stronger to be challenged.
He was, nevertheless, not here because he was looking for a challenge, but just wanted to see if these people were as strong as they made themselves to be.
They had graduated to higher ranks than he had. He was still just a mere genin and they had higher ranks. Kiba was exploding about how being ranked higher than him meant he was stronger. It was a false impression, Naruto knew and he was going to prove it to the Inuzuka.
"Are you going to just space out all day?" Kiba demanded from Naruto.
The black haired was becoming slightly impatient with the blond Uzumaki. Naruto was clearly lost in his thought, but Kiba didn't have all day. He wanted to show off and then go off to do something else. He had duties to attend and missions to attend. He still had his team meeting even.
"Don't tell me that you're having second thoughts?" Kiba asked with a grin. "If you're afraid of fighting, we can call it quits."
Truth be told, although, Kiba was confident about his abilities, he was a little nervous. Naruto hadn't been as skilled as Sasuke or Neji, but he had the power to fight off those two. He had won against a prodigy and he now looked completely different from the way he was back then.
Naruto's eyes fell on Kiba for a moment with nothing in them. He then smiled. "You don't frighten me Kiba." Naruto said calmly. "I'm a little glad that everyone else is here. You are all my friends, and I want to test something; I want to know if you are really strong enough to stand what is about to come."
Shikamaru grew curious the moment Naruto said those words, with that mysterious tone. Perhaps he was feeling something in the air, but he felt there had been a chill that went down his spine when Naruto spoke. The blond was talking about something that neither of them knew. He wanted to know what it was that Naruto was talking about, because the blond looked serious.
Naruto of the old may have been a loud-mouthed idiot, but even then, Shikamaru had taken some things he said seriously.
As troublesome as it was, this appeared to be something he could not simply ignore, especially since this Naruto was different from the old one.
"What do you mean by that, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.
"We know we are friends; you don't have remind us…" Sakura said. "We are missing Sasuke, but we will always be friends, no matter what."
Sasuke had deserted Konoha, but they were still planning to get him back. He was still their teammate and friend – he was just lost at the moment, but they would get him back and things would go back to normal. Sakura was certain of it. She had hope and she would not lose it. So no matter what happened with anyone of them, they would always be friends.
As smart as she was, Sakura was certainly naïve. Naruto would have thought that someone experienced as Tsunade would have taught her better. Jiraiya had showed him the cold truth of how people live and the rot within the hearts of men. He had seen so many despicable things that people do to each other – it was unpleasant and it made him see the hearts of some people as the hearts of evil.
There were things that people could never turn back from… if he went through what he wanted to do, she would not call him a friend. They would look at him with contempt. And perhaps as his teammate, Sakura would feel a lot more obligated to stand over him to end his life.
However, something had to change if she wanted to have a chance in making that miracle.
"During these past years, I saw so many things… the good and the bad, but mostly the bad. One thing remained constant; if you are weak, those strong will abuse you. It's not always the case though. Friends can fill the gaps; where one fails, a friend can fill that gap." Naruto said before shaking his head. "Perhaps this is a little too much for you."
They have been sheltered in this village for far too long. Perhaps there are a few things that they too have experienced but they were still ignorant to what truly happens in the world outside. Naruto only hoped that they stayed together at all times, because it was this friendship that would save them.
This friendship was important and was something he always wanted to have look at. It would serve to remind him of the life he once had.
"Kiba; you're still a just a mere Chunin. Your rank truly means nothing. You say that you have grown strong, but so have I. I wasn't simply just travelling around the world, seeing different kinds of people, drunkards, whores, twisted people, sinister men and following Jiraiya as he drinks and sleep with different women…" Naruto said as he took a stance. "I was also training; I won't compare, but my training was brutal."
Kiba noticed; Naruto's expression changed entirely, even the look on his eyes; it wasn't the same Naruto who had been smiling moments ago, the same Naruto who had been drinking with his friends last night – this was a different person.
He was staring at a battle-hardened shinobi.
"Ready, buddy?" Kiba said to Akamaru, with a grin.
Confidence before a battle was never an issue for the Inuzuka – Naruto knew that. He just hoped that the confidence didn't bring out that demon of arrogance. Sasuke had possessed much of it in abundance and in the end, he had ended up being nearly surpassed by an idiot who didn't know damn about what a skill was.
Without even waiting for the Inuzuka to attack him, Naruto disappeared via gusts of winds. Kiba felt a breeze hit his body from behind. While he wasn't sure because his nose couldn't pick up the scent cleanly because of the breeze, he jumped forward along with Akamaru just for safe measures. Before he even hit the ground, the Inuzuka twisted around, having sensed Naruto.
The blond was in the same spot he had been a second ago, hands clasped together.
Naruto's eyes were fully focused on the Inuzuka as he prepared his jutsu. He was merely gathering the wind around him with his hands clasped together, but once done, he would release something that would vanish in the blink of an eye. It would be either Kiba has the speed to avoid it or not. If he isn't fortunate, he would be hit.
Kiba finally landed on the ground. Naruto wasn't attacking, but he would attack. Kiba was certain of it. He may not have been the brightest, but he had been brighter than the blond Uzumaki and he could tell without anyone needing to give him a hint that Naruto was preparing an attack. Given the time he was taking to prepare it, it was apparent that it was going to be something else.
Still, when had Naruto learned to execute complex jutsus? As far as he knew, the blond only knew to use the Rasengan and those Shadow clones. He could only use two jutsus back then… could he have improved that much? There was the wind. It was the blond's doing.
"Let's not wait for him, Akamaru…" Kiba said to his loyal partner. In response, Akamaru barked.
"Gatsuga!" Using his beloved combination jutsu, Kiba rotated along with Akamaru in ferocious speeds. You could not even see the two from the rotation. It took seconds for the jutsu to slam towards Naruto's form.
The blond watched with a careful eye as Kiba shot towards him. When the Chunin was just inches away from him, the blond jumped up in a burst of speed. The speed in which he jumped up was so fast that the ground below him shattered slightly, causing dust to pick up.
Kiba hit the ground but it didn't appear as if there had been something because the rotation dug through the ground with little effort before he burst out on another side, lunging up towards Naruto's form. Naruto looked down for a moment before his eyes looked to the other side… the direction he wanted to go.
The Gatsuga was upon him within seconds and slammed into his chest. A second later, Naruto burst into a puff of smoke. The blond appeared on the ground, eyes looking up as Kiba's jutsu turned its fangs towards his form. This was still something else, despite dodging it.
Naruto was merely looking for a way to stop the jutsu, not a way to avoid it. It was a lot of more interesting that way and it gave him plenty of options. Not only that, but it also weakened the will of the opponent. He wasn't about to start fighting in a barbaric action without any honour, but fighting smart with full understanding of Ninjutsu was the best option. It was even more of a bonus since this wasn't a life and death situation.
Naruto held out his right hand, the palm facing the incoming Gatsuga. "Wind tornado." Wind gathered within seconds and then started rotating dangerously as it expanded in size, heading towards the incoming jutsu. The rotation was made to be as powerful as Kiba's because if it was weaker, it would be of no use to him.
The tornado was rotating towards the same direction as Kiba's Gatsuga. When the two jutsus met, Kiba's movements were halted from going further, but he didn't stop spinning. He kept rotating and then started moving slowly toward Naruto. The blond slid back slightly before holding out his left hand and joined it with his right hand, to increase the output of chakra in his jutsu.
Once Naruto was sure that his chakra had taken over the rotation, he released bolts of lightning, within the rotation. The lightning was so much that the lightning currents burst through the tornado, followed by a pained cry from Kiba and Akamaru.
It wasn't something that lasted for a long period before Naruto allowed the rotation to stop whilst the lightning did a number on Kiba and his partner. It went on for more than a minute before the tornado burst and dispersed. Kiba fell down the ground, unconscious.
Everyone blinked seeing the end of it.
Being a medic, Sakura quickly rushed towards Kiba to check if he was alright. She had been certain that he was unconscious with the way he fell and the smoke coming out of his body as well as Akamaru's. The pinkette knelt the ground, and inspected Kiba for a moment before looking at Akamaru.
They were fine and had no wounds on their bodies.
"Why did you rush out like that?" Naruto asked, looking down at Sakura. He hadn't moved a muscle when the girl rushed over. Kiba had fallen just next to his feet. He hadn't moved, not an inch. Perhaps he should have just ignored this little action.
"I'm a medic…" Sakura said. "When someone falls, I react instinctively."
Naruto stared for a moment before shaking his head. "That is growth… I'm glad." He said with a smile. "I'm, a little disappointed with Kiba though."
His jutsu wasn't anything serious, but Kiba had allowed himself to be caught and then it was the end of the battle. No, it wasn't even a battle. Then again, Kiba's style of fighting wasn't suited for fighting against an all-round fighter like him. When going against him, the Inuzuka would always be at a disadvantage.
Still, Naruto wanted them to be stronger. He hoped that the others were far stronger than this, because he wanted them to be strong enough to stop him. They were his friends; they accepted him when the village resented his very existed. He was going to betray them; it would be poetic and much more satisfying if they were to be the ones to end him.
However, if this was the best that he could expect from them, then they could do nothing.
"Disappointed?" Sakura asked; a bit puzzled.
This was a different Naruto from the one back then. The blond she knew wouldn't have said something like that and he wouldn't have dispatched of Kiba so easily.
True he did win against the Inuzuka back then, and then, he wasn't well trained. He hadn't been helpless then, but still not that skilled. She had been even more baffled when he won against Neji. Well, that battle had been won purely on will power.
Skill had nothing to do with it, but this time, Naruto had skills. Of course, she still thought he could not hold a candle to Sasuke. Her Uchiha would always be a step better than Naruto. If the blond had improved this much, then Sasuke should be a step ahead of the blond.
By then, the others were stepping closer to the two and the dog. Ino had her hands around her waist. "Since when did you become like this?"
"I should not be surprised at your use of both Wind and Lightning Elements, but I am." Shikamaru said, eyeing Naruto carefully. When the blond left the village, he didn't know any Elemental chakra manipulation but now he could use two. The blond has always been a chakra powerhouse, that was something anyone in their group could not disagree with.
Shikamaru was confident enough in his assessment that he could say that the blond had more chakra than anyone in their generation. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to assume that he had more or as much chakra as some Jonins in the village.
That was three years ago, and the blond had gone out to train with a Sannin. If he hadn't improved or learned how to use his chakra, it would have been out of ignorance from his part or Jiraiya's negligence in Naruto's training.
Naruto merely smiled. "You can't expect me to be the same after all these years. Besides, I have always been keen to learn more jutsus. Perhaps I lacked the intelligence and a mentor to teach me back then, but with dedication, I managed to make the most of my large chakra reserves.
"My intension was never to actually win a bet with Kiba, but to actually judge your strength. I have seen that Sakura has grown much better than I would have expected. We may not be very powerful, but I hope you guys stay as friends and united. Of course, there will be disagreements, but I hope you never forsake your friendship."
"Why do you make it sound as if you're no longer going to be a part of us?" Ino was the first to ask the question.
Naruto smiled but shook his head. He did not respond to the question. "I guess we must talk about our former comrade Uchiha Sasuke. We went out to get him back, and we came back heavily injured. Some of us faced life and death situations in trying to retrieve him. I failed. I could not defeat Sasuke because he was better than I was.
"Perhaps to you guys it may not be much, he was our friend, and brother. He chose to abandon everything for power. I won't comment on anything regarding that or whether he is on his right mind or not. You are all free to make your own judgements based on what you see. I'll keep my thoughts to myself.
"In any case, if I come across him, I will fight to bring him back to the village, because he is wanted back in this village. I don't care about the politics, but I will fight him, and if I win, he will be brought back to the Hidden Leaf. Of course, that will depend on some other things."
There was a very dangerous message that was left unsaid; Shikamaru noted, but he didn't say anything regarding it. But from those words alone, he could tell that the blond didn't hold any attachment towards the Uchiha or perhaps it was just his imagination.
What was apparent was that Naruto had many thoughts in his head and that it was deeply concerning. This was different, but the Nara was certain that he would get to see something soon.
"Sasuke is still our comrade, Naruto." Sakura said in a firm tone. "He is just not okay."
Ino was the only one who seemed to agree with that assessment from Sakura. Well, the two have always been fan girls to the Uchiha – they have always tried their best to gain his attention. Naruto wasn't going to comment on it. But he was still disappointed that Sakura had remained the naïve little girl she had been three years ago. He would have thought that Tsunade would have taught her better…
Well, the Godaime had run off from Konoha to avoid dealing with her problems… should he really be surprised?
"All aside, you have certainly improved…" Shikamaru said. He still thought that Naruto was still hiding some of his abilities. "Two Elements? That is impressive, considering none us have gone so far."
"Well, you focus on your clan jutsus and we with too much chakra have no other option but to make use of our reserves by learning all the Ninjutsu we can." Naruto responded calmly.
He had learned that it wasn't the number of jutsus one had on his arsenal that made one powerful, but how he used the jutsu.
He could possess a thousand jutsus but if he didn't know how to use them, he would end up being defeated by one with only a couple of jutsu under their arsenal.
"This was disappointing though. I'd expected a bit of fireworks knowing that you've always been explosive and Kiba has never been subtle…" Shikamaru couldn't help but say.
It has proved to be an interesting revelation nonetheless. There was a side of Naruto he had just seen; a side of the blond he had never thought he would see.
As much as curious as he was about this new change and the hidden messages in the blond's words, Shikamaru wasn't going to ask too many questions. It was just going to be troublesome doing so, and he really didn't want anything that would give him a headache.
"You don't always get what you want…" Naruto said with a small smile. "Life is full of disappointments."
"Tell me about it…" Ino was quick to say.
Naruto turned to the blonde Yamanaka. There was unquestionably something in mind when she said those words. She was certainly not going in the same direction as he was, but Naruto didn't comment on it; he just let it slide.
Should he tell them about his status as a Jinchuriki?
Naruto pondered on the thought for a couple of seconds before shaking his head: he decided against doing so. They would find out eventually, and it was going to be soon since he didn't have much time in this village. Yes, there would only be a couple of days before he lets loose and become the enemy of the world.
He had been thinking it would be nice if they heard it from him, but since most of the village knew about it, they had to use their heads to figure things out. The Sandaime's law no longer applied, did it? Naruto couldn't answer that with confidence, but the subject of the Kyubi was still a touchy one within the Hidden Leaf.
Forest of Death
Sai was honestly surprised when Naruto suddenly disappeared into thin air.
He had been watching the blond meditate for a couple of minutes within the forest. It was part of his job to observe the blond Jinchuriki. In keeping up with those duties, he had to follow Naruto almost everywhere when he had the time. Danzo wanted to know everything there was to know about the weapon.
There was the undeniable fact that the blond had returned to the village much stronger than anyone would have anticipated. Danzo hadn't thought it would be likely without his hand, but they were living this reality. In any case, his job what to discover the tricks of the blond Uzumaki before his master could decide on what to do.
There hasn't been much to look at since he started observing. It was still early days nevertheless. He was going to do missions with the Uzumaki. Naturally, he would see much of the blond's abilities then.
It was when he was having those thoughts that Naruto suddenly disappeared into thin air, leaving him blinking a couple of times. He hadn't known that the blond could move so fast and disappear without even leaving a trace of his presence. It shouldn't be surprising – it as an ability that Anbu used regularly.
Sai's senses picked up with his hair standing as Naruto suddenly appeared from behind him. The Ne operative jumped forward as he twisted around to face the blond. As he came to face the blond – Naruto as lunging towards him, right hand stretching towards his throat far faster than the rest of his body.
In the blink of an eye, the hand was gripping his throat. It felt as if he was gripped by an iron hand. When the two hit the ground, Naruto brought Sai much closer to him, staring at him with an expressionless mask.
Sai tried to get loose from the grip, but Naruto would not let go.
"I find this to be annoying. You mustn't do this or otherwise I will treat you like an enemy. Sure, you don't mean any harm, but if you keep this up, you will get on my nerves and I won't be held responsible for what happens next." As soon as Naruto finished those words, he let go of Sai.
Sai took a couple of steps backwards, with his hands on his throat. Once he was confident all was well, he looked up at Naruto with a blank mask on his face. "How about we test what you can really do?"
Since the blond knew that he was watching him, there was nothing to lose in requesting a sparring session with the blond. He would be killing all the stones and he would give his report to his master. If Naruto agreed, he wouldn't hold back, but fight with everything he has to see what the blond could really do.
Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Me fight you? Interesting but no." The blond said with a shake of his head.
"Again?" Sai asked. "What are you afraid of?"
The last time when he was being introduced to Team 7 he had tried attacking the blond but the Uzumaki hadn't responded to his attempt to start a sparring session. If his method had been wrong last time, this one had to be right but he was still being rejected. How was he going to get some results without actually engaging the blond in a battle?
"I fear myself; you, a pet of Danzo, I do not fear. Perhaps if you were coming with pure intensions, I wouldn't be against fighting you… but as long as you're not truthful to your purpose, I will not indulge you." Naruto responded calmly.
Life hadn't been too kind to him, but it has taught him many valuable lessons. Understanding humans was fundamental, and a core to unlocking the secrets to the hearts of men.
Jiraiya has agonized for many years in his quest for peace, but to get to that, you needed to understand people. The peace was for people and by people. To understand how such a world could be led to a peace, Naruto had dug deep into understanding people. The Kyubi was a huge help in sensing the emotions and intensions of people.
With this background, people like Sai could not really hide everything from him. He didn't know what the black haired wanted from him, but he understood that the Ne agent wasn't being sincere. His assumption wasn't simply based on the fact that Danzo was an evil bastard, it was based on what he felt when looking at Sai.
"You have certainly changed and this façade isn't the same you show when with your so-called friends." Sai stated calmly.
Before his friends, Naruto acted way too kindly and had smiles. not as big as before – well, from what Sai has been told and has heard, but still smiles nonetheless.
With him and when he was alone, an expressionless mask appeared on his face. If anything, it always looked as if the blond was thinking deep about something serious. Sai couldn't even begin to guess what it was that the blond was thinking about, but it was something deep.
He would have to report this to his master.
Naruto smiled; a bitter sad smile that threatened to kill off the mask he wore.
Of course, he had changed; he knew that better than anyone did. For someone who didn't know him to say it as if they have known him for a long time was something of a slap on the cheek.
The fact that he has grown was a welcome change; he was no longer that naïve brat who used to shout out every thought he had. Perhaps that was the only thing that gave him good dreams, but the rest of his thoughts that have come with growth and understanding people didn't make him sleep well at night.
He was afraid of what he was going to do. Not only that, his heart was wavering. Perhaps there was another way to go about things. However, he didn't have all the time in this world. Life was a fleeting thing; no one lived forever. If he just continued living as he would normally, what would he change?
Naruto wanted to leave something big for this world. He was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. It wasn't that he had come to think that he was born for a purpose or to bring about change in this world. No, it wasn't anything like that; he has always been someone who went against the crappy notion of fate.
Everyone had a choice on how he or she lives his or her life; he made a choice and it would affect his future.
His choice may not be noble in the eyes on this world, but he hoped, and truly hoped with all the life in him, that he was truly right and his choice would bring the desired effect to the minds of men and how things work around in this world. It would leave him broken and shattered even in the afterlife to learn that he had been wrong.
He would so much as beg the devil to give him a second chance to live again and do things differently.
Looking back at Sai, Naruto shook his head to clear off his thoughts. "Can you leave me alone, Sai? I want to get back to my meditation."
Sai stared for a couple of seconds; it was a clear change from the blond, but he wasn't going to question. Staying here wasn't going to earn him any favours. It would be best if he didn't alienate himself with Naruto before they even get to start doing missions together. He would never get close and completing his other mission would be even difficult.
Watching Sai leave, Naruto sighed deeply with a large frown on his face before settling down once more. He wanted to meditate, but he could not get his concentration. It was difficult to calm the tension around his body and the raging thoughts at the back of his head. If anything, it was like there was a little insect singing a bad song in a very loud voice.
He couldn't swat it away because it was slippery.
The blond opened his eyes and stared into the space ahead of him; it was nothing but a deep forest that crept of an eerie silence and a fear inducing sense of danger, yet, Naruto wasn't afraid of it.
He had nearly faced death in this very Forest during the Chunin exams. Yes, that had been when he first met Orochimaru – but he had been dumb to know he was fighting against a Sannin. Well, it hadn't mattered anyway, the snake hadn't been after him but his Sasuke – for the Sharingan of course.
Thinking of the Uchiha, Naruto could only shake his head.
He had no doubt that Sasuke was fully aware that Orochimaru was after his body, but had still gone along with the snake because he had wanted power. His growth had scared the Uchiha and he thought he was being held back. A powerful sadist like Orochimaru could help him… perhaps that was true, but it all remained to be seen how things would end up.
At this stage, Naruto wasn't apprehensive about the Uchiha. Truth be told, the Uchiha was insignificant to the dream he was chasing. Being Hokage was a noble, but the quest for peace was even greater. It gave his life a massive purpose that he would surely fulfil, if he dealt with his doubts.
'I find it laughable that you can have a problem wearing this mask when all your life you have done nothing but wear a glowing mask that no one was able to see through.' The Kyubi said to Naruto from within its chambers.
Kurama was aware of what his host wanted to do. However, considering how enormous the task was, he really doubted that the blond would be able to pull it off with his current level. Naruto didn't have the kind of power needed for what he wanted to do. If he wanted to take on the whole world, he needed much more power than he currently had.
The Bijuu was sure that Naruto knew that he needed much more power than what he had. You had to reach the heights of men like Hashirama and Madara to be able to accomplish it. He didn't like Madara – and perhaps that was an understatement. Nonetheless, the man was still a powerful warrior.
Naruto had to reach that height in order to succeed. At his current level, he was just going to die young and as nothing more than a child of the Yondaime who lost his sanity. All the thoughts he has had would be for nothing and he would certainly resent himself over his failure.
It was no matter to Kurama, but he was still the blond's prisoner. He wasn't about to get himself degraded by mere humans and they still shared the same body. If the blond died, he would die. Even though it would only be temporary, he would still die…
The Kyubi then drew a thoughtful look on his face at the thought of the seal Naruto was using. Unless he was missing something, Minato had died and yet that part of him went along with the Yondaime Hokage. Did it mean that the same would apply for Naruto if he died? They were using the same seal. Naruto had to make changes to it for him to avoid the same fate as his other half.
The only problem to that was that the blond wasn't that of a master of the sealing art to fully dismantle the complex seal keeping him at bay. The only chance Naruto had was through weakening the seal. That was the best thing that Naruto could do at this stage.
Well, the blond would have to take some time off for training if he was serious about his agenda. Then, he could get to work on the seal. It was weakening with each usage and he was pushing more and more chakra out of the seal. Kurama would not be against getting the blond to follow a more rigorous plan of training that would see him with deep wounds. He would be there to heal the blond.
Naturally, that meant using his chakra.
'This is different; it fights with everything I stood for when growing up. Killing people has never been something I thought of… human life is fragile yet so precious. The thought of killing has repulsed me. Perhaps a bit ironic since my senseis have been killing people for a long time and yet, I have had no problem with them.
"I can say that their reasons have always been just, but that is just a way of justifying the action. Death is death, no matter what. When things get bad in this world, it's kill or be killed. But I don't want to live in such a world. I wanted a happy world. It is sad that I will never get to see though. I will be doing the very thing I have hated seeing, I must plunge this world into darkness, and betray the precious friends who have accepted me.
"Any normal person would have a difficult time in grasping this world thing, Kyubi. You don't have the same emotions as I do and you don't value humans as I do. Another irony in that…" Naruto said, but he didn't say anything further on it.
"I guess being human is what brought you back into the village. However, when the thought first came, you seemed confident of following it through. Perhaps seeing these people again has caused a change in your heart…" Kurama said. He was most concerned about seeing the seal become loose rather than Naruto's emotional struggles.
It didn't kill him to be 'nice' and encourage the blond to go on his killing spree.
Perhaps he was trying to banish the thought that he had become a little familiar with the blond since his near escape from the seal when that perverted Sannin loosened the seal.
Kurama would always curse himself for enjoying himself too much with the Sannin that he ended up being sealed once more without escaping. Naruto had been 'willing' in letting him take the body.
In any case, the blond had come to with a miserable look on his face and yet, he didn't throw a fit at him or blame him for the near death of his sensei. It was true that the experience changed the blond, but Kurama had expected the blond to come out guns blazing with hate, but there had been none of that.
Kurama had been surprised.
But he should have expected it. It was something typical of the naïve brat he had known. Naruto didn't have much capacity to hate. Even when that Uchiha nearly killed him and he had to supply with blond with chakra just to heal wounds that would have killed him, the blond still didn't hate the Uchiha. He may not care as much as he used to, but he didn't hate the Uchiha not even a little.
There was also no resentment towards him for everything. Kurama was still curious about how the blond would react when he does find out that he had killed both his parents trying to escape the sealing that now sees him inside the blond.
"Not just being human but kindness." Naruto paused for a long minute before speaking. "I must throw it all away. I don't know if it will be possible to throw the kindness away, but if I don't, this journey will break me."
"Well, I wouldn't mind if that happened." Kurama stated. "You lose it; I will end up getting out a bit more often than being locked up in this cell."
Naruto smiled, "You're not going to stop being honest about your attempt to flee from the scene, are you?"
"Why should I?"
Naruto shook his head. "That is something you desire and something I won't give to you; this is a sin that I must commit because I need your power. It is important for my survival. If I cannot survive, then all the agonizing thoughts I have heard until now would have been for nothing. It is important that I survive. No matter how painful it will be for me, I must bear it all.
"Not long ago, I was fighting for appreciation from this village which has snubbed my existence. But it was that experience that led me to conclude that regardless of the reason, when people have something in common to work towards, they really do stick with each other in unity. These people were united in their hatred for me and fear of you.
"Soon, they will resent me once more and it will be deserved. That will wound me but I must still survive. The only thing that will likely kill me before anything will be my emotional state. If I cannot control what I feel, I will not survive, but I'm sure you will be happy: an insane host will make it easy for you to break free from your shackles."
The effort he had put in trying to become the kind of person that the villagers would recognize hadn't been for naught, even though he was going to play a different kind of game this time around. It had been his desire, perhaps born out of loneliness and being ignored, but it had been something he wished for with all his heart.
If he didn't listen to Jiraiya's rambles after that incident, things may have happened. He may have returned a naïve idiot who fought to build friendships; be recognized to become the greatest Hokage in history.
For now, that was something of a lost dream. He still had the desire in him, but it would not materialize. He was following another route; one filled of pain and grief. It wouldn't be anything knew to his life. He was familiar with feelings as those. The childhood he had hadn't been one full of roses and smiles.
Even so, Naruto was going to continue with all those emotions and much more. Perhaps this time around, things will be different because this was his choice, even if he was wavering.
"There is no need for me to be dishonest about anything when I know that you're likely to find out about it anyway. You're not stupid as you were back then. I'm not saying you're smart, just not stupid." Kurama said. "If you're serious, you should leave this village as soon as you can because the more you stay around, the more attached to it you become to it. Leaving it will not be easy. You may end up not even doing anything."
Naruto stared into the sky for a couple of moments as he thought of something Haku said; it was when one had something precious to protect that they became much stronger. Not the exact words, but it went along those lines. What was precious to him? Was it friends or the ideal that he would bloody his hands in zeal for it to become a reality?
The Uzumaki shook his head as the only picture that came to mind was that one of the friends he treasured. Perhaps this was why he was calling this a betrayal of his friends… more specifically, his feelings.
Foundation Hideout
Sai was kneeling before his master, ready to deliver his report.
Danzo standing along a passage within a dark place of the hideout. He had been on his way to attend some other business with some people before Sai came long. He assumed it had something to do with the Uzumaki since that was his primary mission.
Still, he wasn't expecting a report into the matter this time around. They had to first go on a mission and given Sai's difficulty playing the part like those emotional shinobi out in the village, he had expected things to be difficult.
Even with that difficulty, he didn't expect things to fail. Failure wasn't an option for his people.
"What is it?"
"Naruto is different from what we know, Danzo-sama. He is like a completely different person from the notes I received about his character." Sai said in a firm tone just to emphasise his point. The notes he had studied were proving to be useless because nothing in them compared to the Uzumaki he had to deal with.
Danzo raised a ghost eyebrow.
He wasn't surprised, just curious. The blond person who was famous for being an idiot and loud mouth brat had grown. The former Uzumaki was nothing more than a waste of the Kyubi's chakra.
He was a Jinchuriki, yet, he could not control the power under his command. Not to mention he was pathetic for a Jinchuriki. There was no doubt in Danzo's mind that in that level, Naruto wouldn't have stood a chance against any other Jinchuriki.
He would not take into account the fact that the blond did manage to defeat a fully transformed tailed beast along with the help the Toads. The Jinchuriki of Shukaku was a different matter.
Danzo was still willing to give the blond some credit for his efforts nonetheless. The result had surprised even him, even though no one refused to believe it. His people had seen it, so had Anbu.
Getting back on the subject at hand, Danzo spoke to Sai. "What is it that you have learned?"
"Not much about his abilities, but he is powerful and not stupid. He won't just jump into a fight. I have tried to provoke him into a fight twice but he has rejected those advances. I still don't know anything about his strength as a Jinchuriki – that is something he never talks about." Sai said. "If you were to meet him, you'd perhaps be able to see some things that I am not able to see. He knows that I am from you and doesn't seem to hold that lightly."
Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. The blond had been training with Jiraiya. The Sannin was knowledgeable. If Jiraiya felt that Naruto was ready, he would have told him most things he knew about the Hidden Leaf. Part of taking in an apprentice was sharing with them the wealth of knowledge you possessed.
He wasn't going to do something as to meet the blond at this stage. Tsunade wasn't as 'movable' as the Sandaime. She had her moments of playing things hard even though she was like her sensei. Her temper made her a bit uncontrollable and it would be difficult to calculate the risks involved if she found out that he was meeting Naruto – the person she seems to hold dear more than anyone else in this village.
"I will send someone else to confirm what you have said and then decide which action to take. Continue with your observations in the meantime."
"Hai."
A couple of days later
Hokage Office
Tsunade didn't have the same smile as she had when Naruto returned to the village. There was no love for the blond that had suddenly decided to pack its bags and leave her heart; she still loved the brat who brought her back to this village. Perhaps it was out of concern for his mentality that she was sitting in this office, staring at him with a long expression on her face.
Aside from doing some chores as missions, Naruto's presence in the village was never felt by anyone. Even some of his friends mentioned that they only time they got to see to see him was when he was having is lunch at Icharaku ramen. that was the only place he made regular appearances at.
With Kakashi out of the village, she didn't want to take Team 7 out for a mission because of these new changes in Naruto. Yamato didn't know Naruto as much as Kakashi did. When the blond was being like this, he needed a leader who understood him better than someone who would react instinctively to things that would not trouble anyone.
If a situation came to that, it would cause some troubles.
Aside from that, Tsunade was worried; this wasn't the same Naruto that she knew. She had been struggling to grasp it when he returned and even when Jiraiya said that he had changed. She had thought that once he spent a couple of days with his friend, he would be all right, but there was no change. If anything, things were getting worse.
Naruto had been meeting with his friends back then, but now he was no longer doing so. They only time they could talk to him was when he was having his lunch at Icharaku ramen. Sakura saw him for morning Team 7 excises but that was that. Any invitations for doing something were humbly rejected.
"I'm sorry for calling you out like this on your day off…" Tsunade said…
Naruto shook his head. "I was actually just chilling at the hot springs listening to the sound of steaming water. I don't know, ever since Jiraiya-sensei showed them to me, I have come to enjoy how relaxing they are. Of course I like it better when it is just me alone…"
"Given that you're his student… I thought you'd be more than willing to have time out in them with girls or just peep like him."
Naruto smiled. "Don't compare me to that pervert." He said in a light tone. "I may be his student, but I don't have his tastes."
"Yeah…" Tsunade said with a snort. "Says the brat you invented a perverted jutsu."
Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the thought of his jutsu. "That jutsu has worked wonders, ya know… I mean, it worked against the old man and many other shinobi."
Tsunade shook her head as she responded in a very strong tone. "That was because the Sandaime was a pervert. Whilst he was graceful about it, Jiraiya doesn't hide it." She said. "In any case, it is good to see you smiling. You hardly smile these days."
Naruto wasn't going to tell Tsunade that there was just a lot for him to think about because he knew she would come back with so many questions that he would not want to answer. Knowing the woman, she would insist, and perhaps even use the threat of violence as a way to get him to talk.
"I have my moments." Naruto said in a calm tone. "But you need not worry about me. I'm just one of the many that you must look after in this village. Besides, if Jiraiya-sensei was here, he'd tell you not to worry about a damn thing."
Tsunade couldn't disagree with that; the Sannin never seemed to worry about Naruto, well at least to in front of her. In any case, he had told her not to worry. Even though Naruto has changed, there was nothing to worry about. "Did he tell you when he will return?"
Naruto shook his head. "During the last year of our training trip, he'd disappear for weeks. It was mostly keeping in track with his spy network. Well, he also doesn't like staying at one place." Naruto said. "He is more concerned about the Akatsuki. For some reason, he hasn't been forthcoming about details when it comes to them. But knowing him, he could be laughing madly in the company of some ladies boasting about his greatness."
Tsunade blinked as the thought of a grinning Jiraiya appeared in her mind. The woman shook her head, muttering. "That damn pervert." After a couple of moments of silence, Tsunade spoke once more. "Well, I'm glad that you've grown though. At this stage, I won't have to worry much with you succeeding me…" She said with a large smile.
Naruto appeared genuinely happy to hear that, Tsunade could tell, but there seemed to be some disappointment in his eyes… no, it was great sadness. Tsunade could not tell what brought it up. Perhaps she wasn't even seeing it right.
"And when I said I would become Hokage one day people thought it would never happen!" The blond said happily. "If you dream big and make the effort, you will succeed. Still, who could have thought that an orphan, someone who was ignored by the villagers could be considered for succeeding you, ba-chan?"
Tsunade took great care to hold her mask when Naruto said those words. It was not out of sadness over the childhood Naruto had, but the thought that Naruto still didn't know about his parents. Jiraiya said since Naruto didn't ask, he hadn't brought it up. He had focused on giving the blond better training and getting him to experience life in fullness.
The Godaime didn't want to go into a path where she would end up discussing that kind of a subject, so she decided to drift off from that subject.
While I am happy that you're still smiling, I'm not happy that you have been keeping to yourself." Tsunade said in a serious tone, eyes staring intently at the blond. "Do you want to tell me what is going on, Naruto? If there is a problem, I'm sure I can help you. You have people you can talk to; you have friends."
Naruto had been hoping she would forget about this and just focus on other things. He would be more than willing to talk about the prospect of him becoming Hokage, even though he knew that the time for that would not come. Well, if he decided to quit his ways, he could try to win the villagers approval for the succession battle.
It wasn't impossible to get the villagers to behave before him; it needed a little more of effort from him and the passion. He had seen it before. At the Chunin exams finals, they had applauded his victory over Neji. If he was able to do impressive things, they were willing to recognise it.
Despite those thoughts, Naruto wasn't thinking of quitting. It was appealing. Everything he had desired before he left the village and the dream was within the realm of possibilities. Well, at least he could be happy knowing that his dream wasn't something that he couldn't have achieved, but it was something very possible.
"There are no problems that need friends, ba-chan. I have friends; I don't need to be reminded of that. Besides, when have I been the one to bottle things?" Naruto asked with a smile, head tilted to the side.
Tsunade shook her head, remembering the blond of the old; the loud-mouthed brat who had caused her many headaches since they grew acquainted. But this was a different Naruto who was well mannered and didn't give her any of those troubling migraines. He didn't cause anyone problems and if Jiraiya was to be believed, the blond was capable of protecting himself.
Even so, she could not help but worry.
"You're like my child, you know. I get worried when my instincts tell me something is wrong." Tsunade said in quiet tone.
Naruto smiled. "I've always wanted someone to care for me and love me. It greatly pleases me knowing that someone as you cares for me."
But it also greatly hurt him knowing that he would have to betray these people who care for him. Even though he was smiling 'happily' Naruto was full of tears in the inside. Perhaps the Kyubi was right, he shouldn't have come back to this village because this was making things difficult for him. It was not the second thought, but the pain that followed the first thought.
"I'm happy to know that you care." Naruto said once more. "I'm going to the Forest of Death to release my thoughts. There might be some noise, please don't mind it."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. She wanted to observe something like that. The request was curious, but she wanted to see what he would be doing exactly that could make so much noise that she would need to worry about things. Naruto didn't really show of his abilities, so when he would be showing them, she would really get to know what Jiraiya meant by saying that the blond could protect himself against enemies.
"What exactly are you going to be doing that will make noise?"
Naruto smiled innocently. "Some things…" he said.
Tsunade shook her head. She couldn't go there by herself, but she would send someone over to watch the blond
Training Ground 44
The forest did have its frightening moments, but it wasn't anything that scared the adults away. There were some dangerous animals that could take on a genin and butcher him to death, but for someone like him who has experienced battles, he would have slipped up for an animal to get the jump on him.
The forest was nevertheless a good place to train.
Naruto was standing in the middle of trees, Sage mode already activated. He could not last forever in this mode, but there was a way through clones of making him go longer. There were no risks involved in the process even.
Senjutsu was good for the body and mind, only if you knew how to use it. Other people who tried to absorb this chakra for their use would turn into frogs.
One thing he enjoyed about senjutsu was the heightened senses. Even now, he could sense the chakra signatures of those people watching him. He didn't need to count them because at this stage, he just wanted to test his limits and work on his endurance when using Sage Mode.
After stretching his muscles, Naruto held out his right hand. On the palm of his hand, a Rasengan began to form. The jutsu quickly took shape within a couple of seconds. It was when that it started taking another form. Four wind blades stretched out of the jutsu and began to spun around the Rasengan. This created a different jutsu that made a screeching noise. It wasn't just the noise that made it seem dangerous, but the amount of power oozing from it as well.
Once his jutsu was formed, Naruto held it carefully and searched for a target; on his left, there were a couple of trees bundled together. Without any thought running through his head, Naruto took a single step towards the trees and then another before hurling the powerful jutsu towards the trees.
The blond spun in air at blinding speed as he marched towards the trees, wind blowing along its direction. It didn't take long for the jutsu to hit the trees. Once the jutsu collided with the trees, it exploded into a powerful explosion that created a large dome of powerful wind gusts that tore through the trees caught within the explosion. The trees caught within were shredded into pieces by the rotating blades.
Naruto didn't need to cover himself from the gusts of wind along with the debris that was flying all over.
The blond Uzumaki created a clone before jumping away from the Kage Bunshin. Whilst still in air, Naruto twisted around to face the clone. He held out his right hand with his eyes firmly on the clone. A Rasengan began to form on the palm of his hand, but it wasn't the normal jutsu – this one was massive in size and yet Naruto still held it gracefully as gravity pulled him down.
The moment both his feet touched the ground, he once again took off like a bullet, lunging toward the clone his eyes were carefully watching. When Naruto reached the clone, he attempted to slam the massive Rasengan into the clone, but it did a quick jump to avoid him and Naruto slammed the jutsu onto the ground, causing a large explosion that tore through the ground, creating a large crater.
Whilst still in mid-air, the clone held a hand seal, facing Naruto. "Futon: Shinkugyoku!" The clone exhaled several air bullet like wind chakra towards Naruto in high speed. The jutsu was travelling at such a speed that it would make it almost impossible for one to dodge them all.
Seeing the incoming attack, Naruto was quick respond. His speed may have increased because Senjutsu, but the clone was still using the same chakra as him. A mistake could see him with a couple of holes in his body.
The blond held out his right hand. "Sage Art: Wind Reflector!" Naruto exhaled dense wind chakra from his mouth. the Wind quickly took the form of large shield in front of him. It formed within seconds, and was partly visible even to the naked eye because it wasn't pure wind but wind chakra.
When the jutsu released by the clone collided with his shield, the jutsu bounced back to the clone, double the speed. Taking into the account that the original jutsu was already difficult to dodge without being hit, a reflection of it with double the speed, made it impossible for the clone to dodge. It hadn't even seen anything when the bullets drilled through its body before it turned into a puff of smoke.
Sensing chakra movement, Naruto twisted around to see what was attacking him. He didn't have a problem with the people attacking him at this moment because he could use someone who could be the object to take out his frustrations.
A large black and white tiger was in mid-air, lunging towards him with its teeth bared and paws ready to slash across his face. Naruto's mask didn't change as he raised his right hand toward the tiger. He waited until it got closer. When it was just inches away from his hand, he flicked his index finger, muttering a few words.
The tiger exploded into blank ink a second later.
Naruto raised an eyebrow when the ink started falling on him; it started spreading as if it were alive. It was then that he recognized a formula within the ink. He might not be a sealing master, but he had enough experience with seals to recognize a sealing technique when he saw it.
The blond looked up when Danzo flashed into view along with his agents, Sai along with him.
"Are you sure the seals will hold, Sai?" Danzo asked calmly as he watched the still Naruto.
"Yes; it should seal off the Kyubi's chakra as well as his chakra."
"Good." Danzo said, but didn't say a word to Naruto as he removed the bandages around his forehead, revealing a Sharingan on his right eye. "Uzumaki Naruto, you shall become my weapon from today, henceforth."
End of chapter
The tone was completely different from the last chapter, but we must not forget what Naruto intends to do. I wanted to do a couple of chapters within the Leaf, but I haven't been able to work around the issue.
There will be some things that will contradict A God Amongst Men. I have tried to make things a said n GAM, but it hasn't been coming out. So expect those contradictions.
Since I'm done with Legend and MK coming close to an end, I should update this one a bit regularly.
The Omnipresent Sage