Hey guys, sorry for the slow update I'm going with the classic school takes over my life excuse followed by the teachers and homework are slowly eating my soul and confining it within a paper prison. Then there's lacrosse…

Thank you for your support, keep reading and remember Naruto's characters are not mine, sadly.

"Move it, move it, let's go!" the roustabouts were maneuvering rapidly inside the mammoth tent. Every inch of the floor must be inspected and secure to ensure the safety of not only the performers but the audience as well, if any trick went astray the circus would surely be liable for it.

For the past couple of days the performers had been perfecting their acts, polishing their skills and enjoying some of the large city's luxuries.

"Hey where are Sasuke and Kakashi?" Kiba Inuzuka, the animal trainer spoke.

"Probably at the hospital cleaning up your mess, dog breath." Sakura bitter words did not even phase her concentration as she traversed the thin wire that kept her from plummeting to the ground.

"It wasn't my fault, princess over there should watch his little fire tricks! Nala was bound to get scared with the flames that close to her!" Kiba shouted in the poor tiger's defense, it was punishment enough that she had been cast out of the show, there was no need for harsh language.

"Insolent mutt, maybe you should take better care of your animals, my trick was perfect like always." Neji Hyuga spoke calmly while enveloping his boyfriend, the infamous Sabaku no Gaara, in his strong grasp.

"If anything it shows your inadequacy as an animal trainer seeing as you could probably use more training than the beasts themselves."

"That's enough you two, stop bickering over nothing. Neji your trick wasn't perfect, that's why it's called practice and Kiba we warned you that Neji was practicing it's not like this hasn't happened before." Ten-Ten spoke as she continued to dislodge the knives from the plywood that they were so carefully aimed at. She gracefully flipped over to the ledge of the podium and contorted her body to an abstract sitting position making both Kiba's and Choji's faces cringe.

"He may not be perfect at fire breathing just yet but he's a god when it comes to…other activities." Gaara's gravelly voice resonated throughout the practice room. Neji's eyes cast down to Gaara right as Kiba's mouth hung wide open.

"We don't wanna hear about you and your boyfriend and your nasty icky…"

"Kiba shut up, you've already caused enough trouble." Sasuke walked into the practice tent. One could feel the tension vibrating off of the Uchiha but due to his ice prick nature all the emotions were contain and transferred into one "hn"

He exited the center whilst grabbing a clipboard and a pencil to go through the necessary checklist of the preshow ritual. He never looked down but there was something off about the raven and everyone knew it, no one was stupid enough to approach the angered Uchiha, well no one but Sakura.

Sakura quickly ran across the miniscule wire hoping to catch the man of her dreams, right as her moment can to dismount the wire her vision was jarred.

"Oof!" Sakura landed in Rock Lee's capable arms within a second.

"Oh Lee I didn't see you." Sakura watched the retreating form of Sasuke with a heavy heart.

"I ran as soon as I saw Ino's treacherous plot, how unyouthful of her!" Lee proclaimed.

"Ran?..." Sakura mulled over "Wait, treacherous plot! What INO PIG!" Sakura twisted violently out of Lee's warming grasp and targeted the annoying blonde form that was soon retreating out of the door. Sakura started lunging toward Ino's disappearing self but Lee soon held her back.

"No Sakura this is most unyouthful!"

"But that that Bitch! I could have hurt myself; better yet she ruined my chances of comforting Sasuke!" Sakura snarled as she continued to fight, the sullen aerial artist kept his grip on her even though his heart was slowly breaking.

Everyone was used to the constant bickering between the two girl acrobats, each of the fights usually centered on the show stopping raven himself, Sasuke Uchiha, but the man kept to himself besides Neji who seemed to be the closest to him of the performers. Kakashi knew him well also, other than that the boy seemed to enjoy the isolation and solitude that was self inflicted. Those very unsocial traits are what made him a more that adequate ringmaster, his calm exterior was an exact reflection of his personality always analyzing and assessing, never just reacting ; it had saved many of the performers more than once. Quick thinking and reflexes along with a brain built for business and a body built for sin, stir it all together add a hint of prick attitude highlighted by a death glare and you got Sasuke Uchiha.

Though people died to be his friend the man would never take up any offers, in almost every city they had ventured to Sasuke always received numbers, love confessions, even the occasional underwear to which he looked upon with utter disgust and incinerated the offensive garments later on. To the love struck performers like Sakura and Ino this was a message of hope, to others like Kiba and Choji it was matter of ignorance and a sign of batting for the other team, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to have hordes of girls obsess over you?

Without fail in each city Neji and Gaara's confessions were always the greatest or at the very least most entertaining, many strayed from the two but those brave enough to approach the cosmopolitan stance of Neji and the mercenary looks from Gaara received more than they had originally asked for. Neji's answers were always as a gentleman's polite but unemotional, he simply explained he was in a committed relationship and left it at that. Gaara's responses stunned the poor victim, usually it was along the lines of "I'm gay" or "I like dick" even Kiba's personal favorite "I am a dedicated member of the Rainbow Rangers" followed by a boy scout salute. Nevertheless each announcement was usually followed by an over enthusiastic grabbing of Neji's ass and an over passionate kiss that left viewer either heartbroken beyond belief or aroused to the point of a necessary exit.

Neji excused himself from the tent during Sakura's meltdown and meandered around the fairgrounds until he found the distraught raven. Sasuke casually lay against a tree, his long legs out stretched in the luscious green grass giving off the ideal model pose effortlessly as was characteristic of the Uchiha. Sasuke cast his death glare upon the advancing figure hoping that the mere look would be enough to deter the person which usually was the case.

Neji sat down in the cool shade, across from Sasuke.

"Go away Neji, don't you have some fire to swallow?"

"Don't you have something to whip? But I'm not here to talk about you masochistic tendencies; rather I want to know what is disturbing you so much." Sasuke's coal black eyes stared into Neji's light lilac ones; there was no avoiding the question.

"Hn…They're close, well what's left of them, the sooner we're out of this god forsaken city the sooner I can…"

"You can what, Sasuke? Forget everything that make you what and who you are or do you forget that all of us have pasts we'd rather forget?" Neji's face was stoic as every yet each word held immense emotion that his face would not portray.

"What I am, hahahaha that's funny we're all a façade Neji in case you forgot what WE really are."

"True we all have things to conceal in the present and for the future but the secrets from the past are what haunt our ever present dreams."

"Neji our past is what brought us all here."

"Then why are you so quick to forget it?" Neji stood up and stared at Sasuke, he then turned away and moving as quietly as an apparition he dissolved into the colorful array of festivities and the play that each member partook in effortlessly.

Sasuke hit his head against the tree and stared up through the leaves. He didn't want to but he knew he had too. Slowly lifting himself up off the ground he dusted the dirt off of his pants and headed west of the city, they always say the key to the future is lost in the past…I wonder just how far in the past they meant.

The bitter cold bit at Naruto's skin as he pulled his scarf tightly around his neck, the clock read 6:30 but the sun had vanish from the horizon long ago, leaving the world encased in a menacing cover of eternal darkness. Naruto sniffled as he stood under the little light provided from the poorly lit street lamp. *sniffle sniffle*

"I think I have time if I hurry…" Naruto started off in the direction opposite of the city, towards the winding road that lead into the darkest part of Konoha's past, the past Naruto needed to see. A odd feeling struck him as he remember the gloomy day, this was no time for celebration and joyous laughs at the circus but how would the circus folk know that, it's not like they ever lived here…

"We go on in 10 minutes people!" the voices of the roustabout's shouted over the frivolous chatter backstage.

Ten minutes till the curtain arose, people were filling into their seats, the performers could hear them if they tried but all of them were lost in their thoughts of focus and concentration. Each must do their best to perform optimally, the show and their lives depended on it. During the performances the safe nets vanished, the precautions were torn off and their fallbacks cast out towards the wind. Neji's sword were sharpened, his torches ready to be set ablaze, Kiba's animals were testy waiting for their performance to receive retribution and well earned rest afterwards, Gaara's props were set, his body tense but encased in the strong arms of the Hyuga like always. Sakura stood effortlessly on the ground poised and imaging each skill with great difficulty, her arms would rise and fall with the constant breathes she would take, Hinata lay in a corner making sure each joint and muscle would stretch to their limits when called upon, no screws up were allowed, even the ever vibrant Lee was calm as he stood on his hand and balanced on a small platform.

Though each member was focused beyond belief the same daunting question ran throughout their heads….Where was Sasuke?

Naruto rushed through the woods running as fast as he could, his legs felt like jello but he need to get to his destination. It was close enough to 7 for him to realize he might miss some of the show but something was calling him there. He couldn't explain it but the boy often acted off of impulses so to venture into the unknown during the darkness of night was no foreign territory.

Almost…there. Naruto turned the corner to see exactly what had captivated the blonde numerous times before, it was breathe taking, awe inspiring, eye opening and hidden away from the world just as the city had planned it to be.

The water glistened and ebbed as the wind disturbed the glass surface causing the lily pads to bob on the surface. The trees leaves rustled and whispered as Naruto was whipped into the silent song of the forest. There in the center of the lake stood a house, well not really a house more like a memorial shrine, it's small squat structure was sculpted beautifully giving off the styles that the ancient architects of the world had so meticulously idealized. The roof slanted onto the short walls which were covered in the vines that wrapped around the cylindrical pylons that made up the walls on the stout housing. The roof was simplistic, designed to deter the elements and also to provide shade for the few who came to meditate upon this stellar ground. The building was surrounded by rocks each covered with luscious green algae that was cool and slippery to the touch. The area was secluded from society not for the naturalistic beauty of it but rather for the remembrance it brought among the people, heavy burdens are not forgotten easily neither are thoughts unsaid.

Naruto needed to see the house, needed walk inside and feel nature envelop him just as his forefathers had done. He quickly removed his jacket, shirt and shoes regardless of the temperature as Naruto waded across the knee deep pond he felt a sense of foreboding to which he quickly shook off for paranoia ; upon reaching the underwater steps that could only be felt when ones toes scrapped the sides of them, Naruto cautiously walked up into the house. The inside was bare except for the dark onyx stone engraved in the center of the building. It was illegible without light but Naruto quickly found the matches he stored away and light one of the magnificent lanterns strung from the ceiling.

As the light illuminated the room the letters once concealed in the dark, came to life in front of Naruto's eyes.

And it will be remembered that this too shall pass, that those who rose up like tall trees were cut down mercilessly by the ones they trusted the most, those who we scorned for difference and labeled as evil were done away with simply because of our ideals and conformity, let us remember those who died, died for the sake of death, for the sake of our own insecurity, let those who lived remember the fallen, let those who die discover true peace and let our generations to come learn from our mistakes.

Naruto's fingers traced over the engraved letters, regardless of the numerous times he had read this epitaph it always held reverence in his heart. Naruto utter a prayer and snuffed out the lantern, he exited the shelter to see a man across the river.

He was tall and pale, that much was known but due to the darkness and distance particular features were blurred. All Naruto saw was a flash of red as the trench coat off the man billowed behind his retreating form.

The cool wind awoke Naruto out of his trance and reminded him of his prior engagement. Though as he dressed himself and took his leave he stared at the spot where the man stood as if the forest would share one of her secrets just this once, Naruto opened his ears yet all that was heard was silence.

There you have it!

Chapter 2 is complete along with the crappy part of setting the foundation slightly so the true plot can begin. Sorry if the first part of the chapter sucked I just needed to introduce the character's in a lively and creative way and since dance party was out of the question this was the next best thing.

Thank you all who read and review if you so choose to do, I enjoy writing for the sake of it and I make no promises on the update of Chapter 3 but I have some free time in the near future so keep your fingers crossed!