A/N: Confession, I have no idea how to edit the fanfic when changing POV's so I will try something.

There will not be a (permanent) pairing in this fic. (Author's Thoughts: Even if I love redheads.).

I want this fic to be some serious practice for my writing, so any plot hole will be exterminated if I do

find it. I'm not a native English speaker so I do lack vocabulary, for instance, check out the last

chapter, I kept on repeating synonyms for Orochi-kun while writing, 'And I hate myself for it'

'thoughts '

"Dialogue"

"Other"

Jutsu

It= Kyuubi

On with the story:

Chapter 2: Conviction

Kyuubi was impressed, very much actually. The kid kept on insulting it, there is no denying that, but the thing is that the bickering they had was…well the beast couldn't actually describe it, it felt as if the fox had used the word before but actually didn't remember it. 'It feels like it was from a distant past, a memory he couldn't quite grasp'. The demon checked over his jailor and decided to ask him. The kid wasn't as socially retarded as Kyuubi was.

"Hey boy, when we talk, and sometimes fool around I get this beating in my chest, similar to being hyperactive. Could you tell me a word to call it? "The Nine-tails was blushing from embarrassment from asking a human child this, but it would rather have a word to call this, somewhat nice, new feeling.

"Huh, maybe it is fun, you know like when you play with anything and are having a good time. "Naruto said confused, when he got the great idea of teasing a demon. "Could it be that the mighty Fox is having fun with me a mere child?" Naruto teased.

The Fox simply stood staring at the empty space, remembering when he used the word the last time. It had been nearly three hundred years since it had this supposed "fun" and thus had no more need for it. He remembered fondly when he had assumed a baby fox form and had played with a lonely little girl. 'Kaede was it?'

"Kyuubi, who is Kaede?" Naruto now knew that the fox was extremely old, and had countless memories, had met thousands of beings, had trillions of adventures, in short and simple terms the Kyuubi was basically a mythical creature come true. And well Naruto was curious. He felt attracted to knowing more, wanted to hear about the knowledge the demon could give.

That is a normal reaction, after all it is in human nature to want to know more, curiosity was a curse, for knowledge is very elusive, and thus the lack of knowledge will lead to frustration which would lead to turning to more dark paths for knowledge. And when a human is finally presented with technically eternal knowledge they will react with an astonishing curiosity, threatening to consume the being whole.

And the leader of the Bijuu could not let that happen to his jinchuuriki, so he decided to deny the boy of any knowledge, and besides the kid was probably thinking something ludicrous, such as, "maybe it is a god, or Kyuubi's sister or something!" mimicked the demon in its mind.

"Hey is it your sister! Or maybe Kaede is this mythical creature that is worse than you!" Naruto said accusing the being that had now become a topic of conversation.

Kyuubi chuckled, which was in Naruto's opinion, a very disturbing noise.

"That is as farfetched as farfetched gets kid, Kaede is possibly the most naïve and playful kid I have ever met." Stated the mighty demon.

"Aww the fur ball is a big softie inside eh? You can't help but enjoy being with kids!" That really came out different than he imagined.

The fox's glare silenced Naruto, while said ninja ran retreated slowly and careful to not anger the bijuu anymore, sadly, the Nine tailed demon saw him and broke into a mad dash with the intent to show the blond the consequences of referring to the leader of the tailed beasts as a "fur ball and a softie".

Sakura was watching over her two unconscious teammates, constantly looking out at the dark forest behind her. She was on edge, expecting anyone to come out and get them, after all what kind of ninja would not attack them when they were so vulnerable.

'Only an idealistic idiot like Naruto'-She thought as she looked at her blonde teammate, why had he fallen unconscious? Now that the pink haired girl thought about it, she didn't have any idea of what the snake thing did to him.

"I really should care more about you Naruto, after all we are teammates"-She said, after pondering for a while on her behavior around the boy that had a crush on her.

She heard the trap she had set up, a bad one now that she thought about it, spring up. This made her grab a kunai out of her pouch and gathering her courage, hide behind a spot ready for a battle, which she would undoubtedly give her all on.

She couldn't afford to back away from this, her friends lives were in the line and she would be damned if she didn't protect them. Yes, now she had gathered the confidence necessary and would fight this person.

That was all ruined when she heard someone moan in pain, someone she knew.

"Damn it Rock Lee!"-She screeched.

'I spent time making that trap, and it was only a distraction for the second trap to work. Now you just ruined the one that was supposed to work, by falling for such a stupid one! Ugh that guy really was an idiot. And he was alone, thus he didn't prove much of a threat. And well, the crazy second coming of Maito Guy wouldn't kill her teammates, right?

No he definitely wouldn't, that freaking guy was nearly as naïve and idealistic as Naruto.'

"Sakura! Are you okay? This forest is filled with traps, such as this one that has managed to catch the mighty Rock Lee off guard!"-Bowl-Haircut yelled, effectively telling everyone within a fifteen mile radius his location.

"Yeah, I am okay, but why aren't you with your team?"-She asked him, coming into is view and helping him out of the hole she made.

"We were scouting the area, searching for teams with the Earth scroll.-He paused, eyeing her with a concerned look- You don't have one do you?

"No"-she lied, yep they were so screwed, they had an Earth scroll and Neji Hyuga's team needed exactly that.

"Ah well I'm glad, otherwise Neji would've attacked you guys. And by the way, why aren't you with your teammates. Naruto cares for you and Sasuke wants to win so they wouldn't let you put of their sight."

"We got separated after a fight against a team, I was heading to our meeting point.-She would be mad to tell an enemy team of the state of her team.-Goodbye Lee"

She really really hoped he would leave it be and go away, but the boy had a hero complex, or maybe he liked her and wanted to stay with her, but anyways her plans of returning to her teammates were ruined by Lee's surprisingly strong grip on her shoulder.

"Sakura if what you said is true then you are in dire need of help, I will accompany you until we find Naruto or Sasuke."

Yep, definitely hero-complex.

'Think Sakura think! Where can you take him, ugh should've left him in that hole. Maybe lead him accidentally into another team and have them knock him out, or maybe I should just trust him to not tell Neji or Tenten, then I would certainly be safe. No that is too risky.'

She was sweating a bit, right now her teammates were alone, she was with an enemy ninja and couldn't figure out what to do. She didn't have a choice, she would have to do a daring move.

-.-

Naruto had learned that playing with a demon fox was fun. And as he felt his legs burning he also tought that it was very tiring.

The fox was crazy, he didn't let up when they were chasing each other. He was a beast, literally and figuratively when playing hide and seek. The demon still wanted to play, but he had somehow managed to convince him that watching clouds, in the mindscape that he had managed to control and change, was as nice as playing around.

And that is how he was in this situation. Laying in a grassy hill, looking at the sky, trying his best not to fall asleep, next to Kyuubi.

The demon for its part found this relaxing, and to tell the truth he was growing fond of the kid. Unlike Kushina or Mito, he actually could talk with the biju. And he even played with the fox, even when the boy knew he was a demon that could easily crush him.

As to why he hadn't done that, well it was because the fox was curious as to why its container would bother with the demon.

It soon had given up on figuring out the kid. Maybe because the kid was not hiding any evil intentions, or maybe because he simply put, was a mess and his actions followed no reason.

And well, what the biju didn't know couldn't hurt it. It kept telling itself that lie, for the demon was desperate for kindness, it craved that feeling that interacting with people who wouldn't try killing it brought. The "fun" that Naruto mentioned, being wanted, it all just made the demon feel whole again, after losing something that it couldn't quite remember.

"Naruto, tell me, are you genuinely happy, like, this is not a mask you put on, or a lie that you tell yourself?"-Asked Kyuubi.

"That is a rather personal question Kyuubi, you sure you want to know, in exchange you have to answer one personal question I'd like to ask you. Is that ok?"

After an awkwardly long silence, Naruto decided to tell the fox anyways.

"Well, it happened when I was five, the day I was kicked out of the orphanage, my birthday. I didn't understand why they always did those things to me, why they hated me, or why they kicked me and insulted me, I didn't get it and I began to hate them for it. So that day was the breaking point, I snapped and swore that very day I would see Konoha in ashes and I would make that happen myself. But someone that day helped me, a strange white haired guy, he bought me my apartment, and then bought me a ton of ramen. The man told me the words the Hokage had said before, except he said so with conviction I had never seen before. He then said that he believed a peaceful world where every person would be happy, that every person could work with the rest and together create that world. But he said that for that world to exist, hatred must disappear. An even if in order to break the curse of hatred he had to sacrifice himself and bear all of it himself, he would do it. He had been very kind to me, so the thought of making him bear my hatred made me feel terrible. I then swore instead that I would follow the same path as that man, and destroy hatred in this world. That is why I could never be resentful towards anyone, which is why I will always be cheerful and ready to help others, so that I show them that we can work together as one in order to create that peaceful world that he longed for. Now it's my turn, will you tell me your name?"

His question was greeted with silence, as the demon thought about the story the kid had told the biju.

So the boy didn't have the need to lie to himself, nor was it a mask to fool others? It was just conviction? The Kyuubi couldn't believe the kid could believe so strongly in something so as to base his personality and dream around that belief. The biju grinned, the kid was special, oh he was, certainly.

"My name is Kurama".

It had been quite a long time since he had heard the name his father had given him. Heck, he had never said the name out loud; his father had been the one to say it. Now that it thought about the name, it probably came out broken or at least sloppy, he had little practice in speaking in the Kitsune tongue but that would have to do. The name brought a warm feeling to it.

'Kurama huh? Well I have finally gained his trust, or perhaps just a Little bit of it. But I saw it, how Kurama's eyes lit up when the fox had said its name. I have you now, I won't let go of this bit of trust and I will become your friend Kurama, I will make you happy again.'

Well, watching clouds was a lot nicer than either of them had imagined.

-.-

Sakura had now made her decision, there was no going back now, she had decided to do it and now she just had to wait. Rock Lee's eerie silence did nothing in the task of helping her calm her nerves. As they both walked through the forest, Lee going notably slower for some reason. 'Please, don't attack, please'-Sakura thought as she was jumping through tree branches.

"Sakura, are we going to where they are?"-Lee asked, still not telling her what he was going to do.

With no other choice she now had to go through with this. "Yes, we are going."-Sakura said, and after a long pause she gathered her courage and asked Lee-"Will you attack me once we are there?"-she hated this, she was absolutely helpless, and was now counting on Lee's kind side to help her.

Apparently Lee wasn't expecting this as he opened his eyes widely and crashed against a tree trunk in surprise. After he got back up to the branches they were jumping on he said. "Sakura, you must not be so pessimistic, or at least trust me more, I swear I will protect all you guys while they are unconscious so please, don't think of me as a backstabber that breaks his promises when he can gain something. I will not attack you." He finished with fire in his eyes.

Sakura had never been so relieved in her life, his speech, as unnecessary as it was, was genuine, and so Sakura could trust in Lee to help her protect her defenseless teammates.

They finally arrived at the makeshift base the kunoichi of team seven had made for her companions. Lee recognized the place and then realized that Sakura was the one who put the trap there; of course he waited no time in yelling this new discovery to her.

She just stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Did the guy only realize that until now?

When they got ther Sakura saw that Sasuke's curse mark was no longer glowing and that her crush was sweating bullets. His pillow was soaking wet, his head was burning and

His feet were ice cold. Apparently the fever had just gone worse. Then Sakura realized that the snake thing they had fought might have poisoned Sasuke. This was bad, oh so very bad.

So as she told Rock Lee this new theory of hers Rock Lee quickly calmed her down by telling her that if Sasuke truly had been poisoned he would have been dead after an hour with the medical care he was getting.

Sakura went to fix the trap Lee had ruined whilst said boy looked for a medical pill through his pack and found one which he made Sasuke swallow.

After the trap was set up again she went to sleep while Rock Lee offered to watch out for any one that was planning on attacking them.

As she fell into unconsciousness she dreamed of her crush and her marrying. Sasuke after all was too great to be with any other girl; he deserved the best of the best.

She was startled and confused when suddenly Rock Lee interrupted the wedding yelling "Front Lotus!"

And after that she woke up to a crashing sound that made the ground in which she was sleeping tremble. She grabbed a kunai and ran out there to see Lee jumping out of a huge crater. Then when the dust cleared off she saw two legs sticking out of the ground. She stared at the leaf ninja in shock, 'he did that?'

Then Lee turned around and said-"It is fine Sakura, I shall beat these ninja that tried to attack your team and then you can kiss m"-he was cut off as a horribly high sound reached his ears and he vomited and fell to his knees.

One of the ninja with a sound emblem on his bandage was using that weird gauntlet of his, apparently these guys used sound to attack their opponents, and that gauntlet probably sent sound through the air that confused the victim and made them vomit and feel weak. At least that was what the kunoichi got out of the display in front of her. She could take that guy on if she covered her ears. She was on a battlefield; she couldn't afford to worry about Lee.

So she put on paper on her ears and she ran with a kunai towards the sound village ninja. She threw three shurikens at the boy that was probably one or two years her senior and as she expected he repulsed them with his gauntlets. 'So the sound he uses can be strong enough to send back objects. Then the best strategy is to make him shoot a blast towards his sides and do a frontal attack. Now, how can I do that?' She glanced at her trap and for her luck it was still functional, so she leaded the guy towards her trap and as he avoided the pit covered by some leaves he set off the real trap which swung a log his way, she used chakra to climb up a tree branch as he sent a blast of sound to destroy the log. While he did that Sakura jumped at him and stabbed him with her kunai in the stomach, the fall was rather large and thus when they impacted the ground the boy broke his back, while he was screaming in pain from the cut in his stomach. He couldn't resist the pain and fell unconscious. She was sweating. She had got lucky, if that trap hadn't been there or if there was a third member she would've been defeated easily.

And well, apparently there was indeed a third member, when she heard Lee's scream.

She ran toward him and saw a girl kicking him mercilessly, she kicked him with enough force to break his ribs and then she spat on him-"Weak piece of trash, you are nothing to me. While you may have got my teammates, you cannot beat a team of the sound."

Sakura was now in a bad, no scratch that, in a hopeless situation. She had no chakra left and Lee was beaten. 'But still', she thought, 'if I manage to catch her from behind I could win this.'

She approached the arrogant girl silently from behind and was ready to stick four shuriken in her back when the girl turned around, she matched her shuriken with hers and ran to punch Sakura in the gut, with enough force to put the pink kunoichi on her knees, and then the girl grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground. She began to kick Sakura in the same fashion as she was kicking Lee before, while insulting the young girl mercilessly.

Sakura was berating herself as she cried, she should've planned this better, but she didn't have any time. Now there really was no escape.

Or there wasn't until Sasuke woke up.

And there was no hope until Sasuke punched the girl with enough force to knock the sound ninja into darkness.

And she was being kicked to death until Sasuke began doing the same thing to the girl that a few seconds ago was awake.

'Wait, Sasuke!'

He woke up, and he was just as amazing as ever, helping her out when she could no longer do anything. He after all could do everything she could not and that is why he was so very beautiful and handsome and attractive and perfect and lovely and god-like.

Because Sasuke was perfect and he always made things better.

-.-

A/N Sorry for not updating, but school began and this chapter on the rare occasions I could update it, never satisfied me. So Sakura's thought about Sasuke are supposed to illustrate that she doen't simply fangirl over him, she worships Sasuke.

Thanks a lot if anyone actually reads this.