Naruto: The Flying Thunder God

by EastWestWriter

Naruto grew up alone and hated by the village for much of his childhood. But for a few bright years, Shisui was his one and only friend. When Naruto finally became a ninja, he slowly started to learn how much of an impact Shisui really had on his life... and how it affected his teammates' lives as well. AU - will be mostly divergent by post-Chunin Exams. ANBU!Team7. R&R!

3. Wavering Hearts

It's been a few weeks since the announcement of Team 7's selection for ANBU training. But when Sakura broke the news, Sasuke simply grunted. To him, it didn't really matter. He was still weak, and wasn't getting any stronger. Accomplishment and promotions may satisfy the average ninja, but for the Uchiha they were meaningless titles. His true goal in life was to overcome his elder brother, and kill him to avenge the Uchiha clan massacre. Although that goal seems unassailable at this point for the young prodigy.

Both Naruto and Sakura already submitted their confirmation letters—their intent to join the program. But Sasuke largely ignored the request for confirmation. What was the point? He needed true strength, and his last encounter with Itachi left him paralyzed with indecision.

Now, Sasuke exited his apartment. He passed by the mailbox filled to the brim with letters from City Hall. All of them printed in bright red demanding the Uchiha respond as quickly as possible, and warning of his withdrawal from the program if he didn't reply before the deadline. He left the letters stuffed in the mailbox, and stepped out into the streets to try and clear his head.

The sun had set already, and the streets were mostly empty. Sasuke's mind hopelessly wandered back to the past, however. Something that he's tried to shake from ever since he woke up from his coma. But as he dragged his feet on the dusty roads, Sasuke recalled that fateful battle with his brother:

"Your choice," the words echoed, "you can't escape,"

His elder brother stood out in the inn's hallway. He wore a black cloak with red clouds—the Akatsuki's robe. To Itachi's side stood a blue-skinned missing-nin with a giant bandaged sword. And between the two Akatsuki was their target—Naruto.

At first sight of his brother, Sasuke's eyes flashed red with rage. "It's just as you said, big brother," Sasuke snarled as lightning chakra collected in his left hand, "I fostered my hatred for you all this time…" he thought of his mother and father, and how they were butchered in front of him by Itachi. His brother's aloof expression only enraged him further. "I lived my life for one single purpose, Itachi!" Sasuke declared, "To see you die!" and charged the Akatsuki. He slammed his chakra-infused fist into the wall. The plaster and wood crumbled as the blue lightning chirped away. "Die!" Sasuke hollered, and he lunged at his older brother. This was Sasuke's ultimate jutsu. For countless days of endless training, Sasuke honed the jutsu into a deadly blade to ultimately sink into his brother's heart.

But that fantastic display of raw chakra was met with indifference. And with a flick of his wrist, Itachi caught Sasuke's left arm and effortlessly deflected the jutsu. The wall crumbled before them, and the rubble rained down onto the main road outside. Sasuke glared at Itachi, just as the blue lightning slowly subsided in his left hand.

Then, Itachi twisted his wrist. With a sickening crunch, Sasuke howled in agony, and collapsed to his knees. That wasn't even the most humiliating part…

"Sasuke!" the Uchiha's loudmouthed teammate hollered.

Naruto gripped his tanto and charged Itachi. The blue-skinned ninja called Kisame intervened, and tried to bat the blond away with his giant bandaged sword. Kisame's sword slapped Naruto hard, but the blond disappeared in a puff of smoke—it was a shadow clone.

Before Kisame could react, Naruto jumped through the smoke, over the bandaged sword, and pounced on Sasuke's enemy. The blond snarled as he unsheathed his tanto, "This is for Shisui!"

Itachi's eyes briefly widened, as if shocked to hear that name and to see his blade after so long. In a split second, Naruto slashed Itachi's face. But the Uchiha narrowly escaped, unfazed from the attack. Itachi jammed his foot into Naruto's abdomen, and sent the boy's body flying backward.

Sasuke figured Naruto couldn't reach Itachi. If he couldn't land a blow with his most powerful jutsu, what could the loudmouthed ninja achieve with a simple sword slash?

But just as Naruto's body slammed against the opposing wall, Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. A freshly cut lock of Itachi's hair fluttered down to the floor.

"Heh," Kisame chuckled, "Are you getting slow, Itachi? Not even those jonin at the Leaf could land a hit on you, but this kid…"

And as Kisame jeered his comrade, Naruto quickly picked himself up onto his own two feet. His back felt sore, and his abdomen shot out in pain. But instead of running away, the ninja glared at Itachi. Sasuke noticed how Naruto's blue eyes turned red as his pupils turned to slits. He practically growled.

It sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. What is this? He wondered.

"How can you stand there?" Naruto howled at Itachi, "How can you live with what you did?"

Itachi remained still, but kept his eyes glued on the boy with interest.

Naruto tightly gripped his tanto and prepared to charge his brother's murderer again.

"No, Naruto…" Sasuke panted, as he struggled to pick himself up.

Naruto's eyes softened briefly, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

The clan-killer's ears perked as he heard his little brother pant and grunt. Itachi calmly turned around. Sasuke glared at Itachi, and warned the blond, "Stay out of this, you idiot. The one who's going to eliminate him—is me!"

But his words fell on deaf ears.

"Go away," Itachi dismissively said, "You don't interest me right now,"

Sasuke clenched his right fist, and lunged at Itachi, "Yeah? Well, I'll make you interested!" he yelled.

Itachi gripped the Uchiha's right wrist and flipped him up and over. Sasuke's back smashed onto the floor in one fell swoop. But the distraction made Itachi a tempting target.

With Itachi's back to him, Naruto took the opportunity to attack. He created three shadow clones. Naruto ran down the hallway with one of the clones, as the other two concentrated chakra on their feet and scaled down the right and left walls.

The blue-skinned ninja sighed. "Do you like toying with them, Itachi?" Kisame smirked, "Why else are we wasting our time?"

Itachi simply stared down at his brother. To Sasuke, Itachi's eyes seemed soft with disappointment. But as Naruto raised his voice, Itachi's pupils dilated. The blond piqued his interest.

"Don't worry, I'll knock this one out," Kisame raised his great-sword, "I won't fall for his tricks twice,"

Sasuke grimaced. They took more interest in the class-clown then him. To them, Sasuke was just an annoying fly to be swatted.

A clone scaling the wall lunged at Kisame. The blue-skinned ninja effortlessly swatted it away as the clone evaporated into smoke. Behind the smoke, one clone formed the tiger seal, as the other weaved the snake one.

Itachi raised an eyebrow as the clone with the tiger seal inhaled air. He hollered, "Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!" and expelled a massive ball of fire that filled the entire hallway. Then, the other clone shouted, "Wind Style! Great Breakthrough!" and blew out a massive gust of wind.

The gust of wind fanned the flames of the massive fireball, and the jutsu burned hotter and brighter. For a minute, it shocked Kisame and Itachi that the young-nin could master combination jutsus so proficiently. Years of practice, no doubt went into crafting this deadly technique.

Sasuke felt his heart sink. Not only did Naruto master the Uchiha clan's coming of age technique, but the skill to master two nature transformations already put him ahead of most other genin. What exactly is Naruto? Sasuke wondered, has he been saving up this jutsu just for Itachi? And watched helplessly as the blazing ball of fire and wind scorched the walls as it sailed by.

Kisame snorted as he weaved hand seals. He hollered, "Water Style! Water Dragon Jutsu!" and expelled a large dragon made of water from his mouth. It soared through the air and collided with the fireball. But the fireball was stronger, and the water dragon boiled and bubbled away until it was consumed. The fireball kept raging forward, and was merely coated in a thick layer of mist.

Kisame grimaced and raised his blade to meet the fireball. The blade cut through the scorching hot flames, and Naruto's jutsu dissipated abruptly thereafter. However, the bandaged sword expressed its displeasure and writhed in agony. Kisame frowned. He was both impressed and annoyed.

Even though the two clones failed to land a direct hit on Kisame, they managed to distract him long enough for Naruto to sneak by. Naruto sprinted through the mist and slid on the floor right by the singed great-sword. Once he was on his feet again, Naruto flung three shuriken at Itachi.

Itachi quickly unsheathed a kunai and deflected the shuriken. As they thudded on the floor, Naruto tucked his blade at the side of his hip in an attempt to hide its length.

Sasuke watched as Naruto leapt over him and try to slash Itachi's body from the bottom crossway up. No, Naruto! You can't fool him that easily, Sasuke thought, my brother's Sharingan remembers how long that blade is. He'll dodge it and crush you!

In a split second, Naruto slashed Itachi. He kept pressure on his toes as he landed and held the blade high up in the air. Itachi stumbled backward.

"Well, well…" Kisame snickered as he promptly dispelled the other two clones, "color me surprised,"

Sasuke looked up from the floor, and winced. A shallow cut opened up on Itachi's right cheek, and a single, solitary drop of blood dribbled down.

Naruto huffed with fatigue, but promptly repositioned himself. As the ninja aggressively pointed his tanto blade at Itachi, a burst of Wind Release chakra twirled along the metal and past the blade a full foot. His short-sword was extended to the size of a katana.

"Oi," Kisame snorted, "I know a few Hidden Mist swordsmen that could learn a thing or two from this kid. Eh, Itachi?"

Itachi wasn't amused, and simply smeared the blood across his right cheek.

In that moment, Sasuke understood what happened. Naruto knew Itachi's Sharingan could remember the length of his blade. So his teammate let Itachi underestimate him, and deceived him. At the split second he raised his blade to slash, Naruto slammed as much Wind Release chakra he could into it and extended it mid-slash.

Sasuke picked himself up behind Naruto, and thought, if it were any run-of-the-mill Uchiha, it might've worked… but Itachi's no ordinary Uchiha.

To both of the genin's surprise, Itachi lauded Naruto's attempt, "Shisui taught you kenjutsu well,"

Naruto bent his knees, and grinned, "I saved all of this just for you—Itachi,"

Sasuke clenched his fist, he thought, that idiot should mind his own business.

Kisame loomed over the two at the rear. "Don't forget me, now," he taunted, "The Jinchuuriki is troublesome. I should cut off his legs and his arms,"

Sasuke glared at Kisame, and unsheathed a kunai. He was another troublesome ninja to worry about, and another obstacle to Itachi. While Naruto fought well, there wasn't any way the two genin could take on two S-rank missing-nin.

Luckily, before anyone made a move, a giant frog crashed through the ceiling and weighed down Kisame's blade. A white-haired sage flashed before everyone in the hallway. He carried an unconscious cabaret girl, whom probably succumbed to genjutsu to serve as a distraction, over his shoulder. "You two don't know me at all, do you?" the sage declared, "I, Jiraiya, don't fall victim to any woman's allurement! My forte is winning a woman's affections!"

Naruto snorted in response, "Don't kid yourself, Pervy Sage!" He kept his eyes trailed on Itachi, and said, "you totally fell for that cheap trick—ya' know! And you left me here to fend for myself!"

But Sasuke didn't listen to Naruto and Jiraiya's prattling. Instead, he looked over Naruto's shoulder and glared at Itachi. He practically hid behind the class-clown's back, like a baby. Nothing's changed since that night. When Itachi slaughtered their whole clan, all Sasuke did was weep and cry out for help. He's still just as weak.

"You two…" Sasuke snarled, "Butt out!"

Naruto and Jiraiya fell silent. Sasuke stumbled past Naruto and faced Itachi, "I've lived for this very day," His eyes flashed red, repeating, "This very day!" and charged his brother one last time.

But once Sasuke neared, Itachi gripped Sasuke's collar and used Sasuke's momentum to hurl him down the hallway.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted out.

The Uchiha felt blood well up in his throat, and he coughed out wads of it onto the wooden floor. Itachi walked up to him, and when Sasuke tried to stand Itachi landed a solid punch to his stomach. He was at his brother's mercy now.

Itachi caught Sasuke in a chokehold. With his crimson eyes, Itachi glared into Sasuke's. "I'm so disappointed in you," Itachi remarked, "I see Naruto has grown, but you… you haven't changed a bit. You're weak," and then Itachi leaned forward and said, "you're weak because you lack hatred," The tomoe in the Akatsuki's eyes merged into a blackened pinwheel.

Then, Sasuke entered a timeless realm. Night and day merged, and everything in between held no meaning. Itachi's words echoed in his mind, "You'll never defeat me, little brother. You lack the hatred for it,"

Sasuke's body took a life of its own. He was forced to walk through a forest. His clothes were different. He wore nothing but black attire, and carried a katana by his hip. There was nothing but darkness surrounding him, and he could taste how wet the air was. The moon above was dyed a blood red, and the sky a smattering of purple and orange. He heard a waterfall crash into a nearby river, just as the white water boomed in a deep ravine.

"Do I really need to remind you the price you must pay, little brother?" Itachi's voice taunted him, "must I show you how to obtain the same power I have?"

Somebody leaned over the cliff. He stood with his back to Sasuke, and the Uchiha crest proudly showed upon his shirt. The person turned around, and smiled warmly to him. Sasuke was shocked, but couldn't speak to the ninja. Instead, Sasuke walked silently up to him—to Shisui.

Shisui kept one eye shut, and blood streamed down his cheek. Much of the right side of his body was tainted purple, and seemed to bleed out into the hellish-blue sky. Shisui seemed injured, but Sasuke didn't know why. And even though Shisui seemed hurt, he still smiled. Sasuke was confused at first, but then Shisui uttered, "Itachi," and patted Sasuke's shoulder.

"Maybe now you'll understand what it's like," Itachi's words continued.

Sasuke's eyes darted back and forth, confused and scared.

Now, Shisui kept both his eyes shut. For what reason, Sasuke didn't know. Shisui turned away, as if to paint his face in the mist of the nearby waterfall and enjoy the sounds of water slosh by. He stood by the very edge of the cliff. The red and white fan of the Uchiha clan proudly lit up his back.

"Take the blade," the voice ordered.

Suddenly, Sasuke involuntarily unsheathed a katana. The blood-red moon's reflection gleamed across the steel.

"Kill him,"

No… Sasuke tried to resist. He sent every signal he could to his arms to pull them back. But instead, his arms pushed forward. The blade plunged through the red and white fan and into Shisui's back. The Uchiha's body instinctively tensed and hugged the blade as Sasuke helplessly pressed on. A sickening crunch erupted and echoed in the nightmarish realm, and Sasuke feared he severed Shisui's spine. Then finally, Sasuke cut Shisui's heart. Blood dripped off from the blade and coated his hands. Shisui collapsed into the crevice formed by the river. And the rapids swallowed his body whole never to be seen again.

Sasuke didn't see Shisui's face. But he could only imagine how twisted the face must be. That his eyes must've dimmed with betrayal and shock.

"To possess the same eyes as I do, little brother," the voice said, "you must kill your best friend,"

Sasuke, regained control of his body, and snarled, "Never! I'll find my own way to beat you!"

The voice laughed maniacally.

Sasuke shuddered.

"Your comrades will die one way or another," the voice said, "you can either hide away in that village as a weak and pathetic villager, or you could kill your best friend—as I did, and unlock the power within yourself,"

"Forget it!" Sasuke remained resolute. He won't stoop to his brother's level.

"Well," the voice goaded, "let me demonstrate what will happen,"

Sasuke suddenly stood in his old home. He remembered those wooden doors. Behind the thin frame were his parents. They would be slaughtered before his very eyes by his own brother. He's going to make me relive this moment? Sasuke thought.

But just as he opened the doors, Sasuke was surprised to find his parents already slaughtered in the middle of the room. Instead, Kakashi and Sakura stood nearby. They walked about the room, aimless and unaware. His team didn't know what he knew. Itachi lurked in the shadows somewhere, hiding and waiting.

Sasuke called out to them. He desperately shouted after them, "Get out of there! Come here!" but Kakashi and Sakura largely ignored him and went about their business. They stepped over his mother and father's bodies, either unaware or uninterested.

Then a shadow entered, with bright, crimson eyes and a blackened pinwheel in the center of each.

Sasuke screamed, "Kakashi! Sakura!"

The shadow unsheathed his katana and quickly disemboweled Kakashi. The jonin gripped his belly, desperate to keep his entrails in, and collapsed to his knees. Then, the shadow raised his blade as it glowed in the moonlight and beheaded Kakashi. The head rolled some distance away, and the pale, white hair almost brushed against Sakura's ankle.

Sakura, however, remained unaware. She looked away, inspecting some piece of furniture or prattled away about something meaningless. The shadow grabbed her ankles and pulled Sakura to the ground. Her long pink hair dragged across the wooden floors, but she kept the same empty expression. The look in her eyes showed innocence and naiveté. As if she didn't think of what could happen in the following minutes or seconds. Before Sasuke could reach her, the shadow roughly clutched the long locks of pink hair, and pulled her up by the hair.

"Stop!" Sasuke demanded.

But the shadow raised his katana and pierced it through Sakura's throat. Then, it promptly dropped a gasping Sakura to the ground and disappeared into the darkness. Sakura gasped for air. The blood gushed out from her throat as she helplessly clutched it in her hands. It took a few seconds, maybe more, of Sakura flailing on the floor. And then she too joined Sasuke's parents and Kakashi.

Sasuke watched with horror. The family he's built to cover his own tragedy now laid dead by his old one. He clenched his fists and bit his lip. Hatred bubbled up within him, and anger welled in his throat. "I'll kill you," Sasuke promised, "Whatever it takes, big brother, I'll stop you!"

And then a voice called out from behind, "Sasuke," it said.

The Uchiha clenched his left fist, and forged a blade of blue lightning chakra in it. His eyes flashed the same bloody red as his brother's. He twisted around and plunged his hand into what he thought was the shadow's heart. A sickening crackle sounded down the hall as he buried his fist into its chest.

The shadow didn't do anything, and so Sasuke sighed in relief, "It's over… finally over,"

But as the body leaned forward, and into the moonlight, Sasuke discovered that this shadow was different. It looked up to him with bright blue eyes.

"N-Naruto?" Sasuke shakily said.

Naruto wavered in the moonlight, shocked. He tried to speak, his mouth opened slightly. But all Sasuke heard was a choking sound. Naruto violently coughed. As the blood splattered Sasuke's face, some of it dribbled down Naruto's chin.

"Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed, and moved to comfort his best friend. He tightly gripped the back of Naruto's orange jumpsuit, and felt blood soak through the threading. Sasuke kept his fist wrapped around Naruto's heart. He'd desperately try to stop the bleeding. But as he felt it beat away, each pump poured out more blood.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. His eyes searched around. He wanted someone to show up and help. But he had nobody to turn to. They were all dead. As he felt Naruto's heart beat softer and slower, Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes one last time. "No," Sasuke begged, "Don't die, Naruto,"

The blond looked at him, confused. Naruto must've been in shock as his wits started to leave him. He seemed frightened, and his own fingers twitched as if trying to desperately crawl away from Sasuke.

The Uchiha only held him tighter, and finally broke down sobbing into Naruto's orange coat. Then, Sasuke felt Naruto's heart beat for the last time. Finally, Naruto's body stretched out and died. "I'm sorry," Sasuke squeaked. The Uchiha weakened his grip, but didn't dare loosen his embrace on it.

Finally, the shadow appeared. It loomed behind Sasuke, and said, "Do you feel it, brother? What I feel?"

"Take it away," Sasuke begged, "Please, I don't want this,"

"It'll happen eventually," the shadow foretold, "He'll die for the same reason they all died. Either because you lacked the strength, or because you lacked the eyes to see before it was too late,"

Sasuke breathed heavily now. The sobbing finally stopped, and in its place was inexplicable rage.

"Remember this moment," the voice said, "think of it every time you wake up, and every time you fall sleep. Until finally, you choose what to do. You can continue down the path I've already walked, or live like vermin and hide at the first sight of danger,"

"No, I hate every moment of this. I'll never do this," Sasuke bitterly retorted. He tightly gripped the body's spiky hair as he buried his face in its chest.

"Perhaps. But once your friends are buried along with our parents, you'll still feel the same anger. And eventually…" the voice replied, "you'll begin to like it,"

Sasuke looked up from Naruto's body, and his eyes felt a burning, searing pain. It was agonizing. A pressure welled up in each orb as if it'd burst at any moment. But it kept pressing more and more with each pulse, and only hurt more and more.

An hour of that pain went by until Sasuke eventually tried to scratch his eyes out. But as he dug them out, they only returned unscathed. And then with his vision fully restored, he clearly saw those dead bodies again. He'd remember how everything was his fault and his failure.

"I'll share this feeling with you, little brother," the voice declared, "for 72 hours, you'll have my gift to you,"

And they were a long 72 hours. He fought the impulse just as the bodies laid in front of him. And the shadow kept echoing, "your choice," every time he tried to gouge his eyes out. And as his eyes reappeared, the shadow kept reminding him, "You can't escape,"

The trauma was so great, that Sasuke fell into a coma. And in his bedridden daze, the Uchiha hoped he'd never wake up. But eventually, he did. And once he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, Sasuke noticed Naruto grinning as his teacher and Sakura looked onward with ease.

He stubbornly refused to choose what his brother laid out. But the words kept gnawing at him in the long nights afterwards. Sasuke committed to find his own way to power, or so he'd tell himself. And yet the image of his dead comrades slowly chipped away at his resolve.

Even as Sasuke walked down the quiet, dark roads of Konoha, the Uchiha wondered if he should simply give in. He walked to a park. It was calm there, peaceful even. It should be safe. He took many walks during these restless nights.

But as he travelled down the dusty streets, Sasuke noticed an old man with a cane stand in the middle of the road. The elder seemed to speak with someone hiding in the adjacent alleyway. But once Sasuke approached, the elder stopped speaking. And when Sasuke looked down the alley, he found it empty. The Uchiha figured the old man was crazy or muttered to himself as old people sometimes do. He slouched to try and hide himself from the elder's view.

Unfortunately, the elderly man called out, "Young man… shounen. Please, could you help me?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, and sighed. He turned around to meet the elder.

The elder had thick bandages wrapped around his right eye, and leaned on a gnarly wooden cane. He swayed unsteadily, and seemed very frail.

He must be a retired shinobi, Sasuke thought, from the last two wars, most likely.

"What do you need, sir?" Sasuke politely asked. There's no point in being rough with someone so fragile.

"I seem to have lost my way," the elder said, "At night, the village seems so different. Could you please escort me?"

"Where do you need to go?"

"My home lies just past the Senju Park. But there are so many trees, the park might as well be a forest! Please, could you guide me through it?"

"I can," Sasuke hesitantly replied, "please, after you, ojiisan"

"My, my," the elder praised Sasuke as he hobbled forward on his cane, "such manners. It's rare to find young ones so polite,"

Sasuke hummed in acknowledgment, and slowed down to the old man's pace.

The elder didn't say much, but seemed appreciative of Sasuke's company.

They entered the park, and kept to the path. Overgrown pine trees towered over the two, which blocked the moon and the stars. It felt like they entered a cave.

Suddenly, a twig snapped some distance behind them. Someone was there.

The Uchiha gripped a kunai in his holster. He needed to get the elder out of the forest as soon as possible. These aren't run-of-the-mill thieves and muggers. If they hid in the trees and rustled the bushes, they must be shinobi. But instead of leaving the park as soon as possible, the elder had other ideas.

"I need to rest for a bit," he said, and shakily walked over to a bench, "my legs aren't what they used to be,"

Sasuke grimaced. Now he had to stand guard in the middle of the forested park to protect an old, frail man. Darkness surrounded them, with only an old street lamp hovering over the bench to illuminate them. Gnats and moths fluttered about the lamp, flying straight into the bulb and burning up from its hot glow. Sasuke heard the trees rustle once more, and unholstered his kunai. He considered carrying the old man over his shoulder and running for it. But he didn't know how many intruders lurked in the shadows.

Finally, the shadows jumped down onto the path. They surrounded Sasuke and the old man, and circled about the two cautiously. When they were certain no one would interrupt them, the shadows stepped into the light. Their sandals shuffled across the stone cobbled path.

"Oh? Is anyone else there, young man?" the old man mumbled.

There were four of them. All of them were around Sasuke's age, and each wore a faded robe with purple ropes tied about their waists.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded as he held his kunai close.

"I'm Kidomaru of the Sound Four," a dark-skinned shinobi with shaggy hair tied into a ponytail said. He was clearly the leader of the group. The others said their names:

A two headed shinobi introduced himself as Sakon and Ukon.

A red-haired kunoichi with a nasty disposition said her name was Tayuya.

And a hefty shinobi with short orange hair called himself Jirobo.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked. He stepped backward slowly, and made sure he guarded the old man who seemed painfully unaware or uninterested in their situation.

"We have an invitation for you," the four-armed Kidomaru said, "from Orochimaru,"

"Not interested," Sasuke roughly replied.

The giant Jirobo opened his mouth to talk, but the red-haired kunoichi didn't waste time to interrupt and speak her peace, "What's your objective in life? Are you going to live a simple life in this ho-hum village and grow fat?—are you going to forget about Itachi Uchiha?"

Sasuke furrowed his brow, annoyed.

Sakon of the two-headed shinobi continued, "You shouldn't forget your objective. This little village of yours limits you. Forget about this place. Once you cut off all ties to it, you'll obtain much more incredible power,"

Kidomaru pointed out, "That curse mark of yours. It's just a taste of the power you could obtain,"

Sasuke gripped the back of his neck. He remembered how Orochimaru bit him there. It was true, that whenever he used that power he was stronger, faster, and brimmed with potent chakra. And in that moment, Sasuke carefully considered his options. It would be for the best. The sooner he could leave this village, perhaps the sooner he could avoid the fate Itachi laid out for him.

But then the elder spoke, "Young man, I'm well-rested now. Let's leave,"

Tayuya ran her mouth off, "Shut up, old man,"

Kidomaru smirked, "Take a load off, geezer. This has nothing to do with you,"

Sasuke figured the old man would cower in fear, or beg for his life. But he surprisingly remained stoic.

Kidomaru produced a kunai, "We should kill him so he won't warn the rest of the Leaf," and hurled the knife at the old man.

Sasuke moved to intercept it, but a shuriken flung from the trees knocked the knife off course before he could stop it. As the knife clanged against the stoned pavement, Sasuke and the Sound Four looked out to the forest.

Within seconds, four ANBU attacked.

Tayuya quickly tried to sing from her flute. But an orange-haired ANBU promptly punched her in the gut and snapped her flute in half. And then he forced her to the ground as she yelped in shock.

Jirobo sunk his hands into ground and tried to pull out a boulder-sized mound of earth and stone. But a pale-skinned, black-haired shinobi furiously drew something on a scroll and formed a hand seal. Snakes outlined in black and white jumped from the parchment and wrapped themselves around Jirobo. They quickly strangled him, and the giant fell to the ground unconscious.

Sakon and Ukon separated, and seemed to unleash their own curse seals to free their comrades. But an ANBU promptly clasped his hands together and hollered, "Wood Release! Wood Locking Wall!" The earth rumbled and massive wooden pillars sprouted from the ground and encapsulated the twins. With the shinobi helplessly stuck in a shell of wood, the ANBU weaved another seal and compressed the shell even tighter to subdue them.

Now, the leader of the Sound Four, Kidomaru, grimaced. And spat out threads of spider webbing in the distance to try and flee from the scene altogether. But a tall ANBU with a monkey mask kicked Kidomaru down to the ground. The four-armed Sound-nin recovered and charged the ANBU. He spat out another web to incapacitate the ANBU, but the ANBU summoned a cloud of insects which ate the webbing and reduced it to dust. But Kidomaru remained undeterred, and hardened his skin into armor as the insect cloud surrounded him. But it was all for naught. As the insects burrowed themselves through the armor, his skin blotched a deadly purple color.

In only four seconds, the Sound Four were captured. All their talk of the Leaf village's weakness quickly evaporated, and Sasuke stood shocked at how efficient the ANBU were.

The old man pulled himself from the bench, and clicked his tongue, "Kids these days have no manners, how disappointing," He hobbled over to Tayuya who was still pinned to the ground. The old man poked her briefly with his cane, and sighed, "The Lord Fifth didn't see the need for these extra precautions. She even pushed back on my policies, and was going to put it to vote the next council meeting. I'm glad I have something to show her when the time comes,"

"Lord Danzo," the tall ANBU with a monkey masked knelt before him, "What shall I do with the prisoner?" he referred to Kidomaru, whom writhed in agony as his skin boiled a sickening violet.

Sasuke watched in awe as the Lord Danzo slowly walked over to the cloud of insects. They immediately dispersed, leaving a purpled Kidomaru flailing about on the ground. The elderly shinobi said, "You seem to be an intelligent person. If you tell me what I want to know, you'll answer truthfully?"

Kidomaru spat in his face.

Lord Danzo didn't flinch, and simply wiped off the wad of spit. With a wave of his hand, the cloud of insects returned and devoured the Sound-nin. "Maybe hearing and watching your demise will loosen these other prisoners' tongues, hm?"

Kidomaru screamed in agony. His skin boiled off his bones, as the insects ravenously devoured him. Soon, whatever outline was left of him disappeared in the cloud of insects. And once a puddle of thick sludge pooled in between the cracks of the stony pavement, the insects dispersed altogether.

"Take the others to Ibiki," Danzo ordered, "I'm sure he'll be interested in what they have to say,"

The ANBU nodded and took their respective prisoners away. However, the shinobi which controlled the insects remained by Danzo's side, just as the elderly shinobi hobbled up to Sasuke.

"Mr. Uchiha," Danzo addressed Sasuke.

For a moment, Sasuke didn't respond. He stared shocked at the pool of sludge that was Kidomaru.

"Mr. Uchiha?" Danzo asked again.

Sasuke blinked, and looked at the commander of the ANBU. He no longer seemed like the frail, old man from before. His name preceded him, as Danzo was a very reclusive shinobi. Few ever truly saw him outside of the Hokage and jonin council. So it came as a shock to Sasuke to see that the Lord Danzo was tall, and towered over the ninja. His face was contorted in a perpetual scowl, and for a second the Uchiha feared saying something out of turn.

Sasuke quickly copied the other ANBU, and knelt before the "Darkness of Shinobi". "Yes, Lord Danzo?" Sasuke said carefully.

"I see you can address me properly—very good," Danzo nodded, "I wanted to come visit you personally to speak of something important, but then we had this situation to deal with. You successfully distracted the Sound Four while my ANBU got into position, and made this intrusion a minor inconvenience. On behalf of our great Lord Fifth and the village, I thank you,"

He used me as bait? Sasuke furrowed his brow.

"Now, onto business," Danzo started. He walked over to the bench and sat back down. Danzo motioned for Sasuke to sit next to him. The tall ANBU with insects eyed the Uchiha carefully as Sasuke slowly sat at the opposite edge of the bench. The Lord Danzo relaxed into the wooden seat, and said, "You haven't been returning our mail,"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Your confirmation letter to join the ANBU training program," Danzo dropped.

Sasuke remained silent. He wasn't sure what excuse he could say. Indeed, it surprised him that a man of Danzo's stature took the time to visit him.

Danzo snorted, "If I don't receive a reply by tomorrow morning, the offer for you to join will be dropped without prejudice,"

Sasuke refused to speak. In his heart, he still didn't know what to do. Any choice he made had to be vigorously examined, to see if it played into Itachi's hands or not.

"I sense indecision in you," Danzo pointed out, "let me illuminate some things. Orochimaru won't give you strength, he'll take that untapped potential from you. And if you try to leave the village, I will have my ANBU hunt you down. And as this little demonstration showed, it would be a trifling concern,"

Sasuke nodded silently. He dared not argue with this man, especially with the ANBU nearby.

"You want power," Danzo said, "The ANBU can provide it. Itachi Uchiha joined the ANBU when he was 11 and his battle prowess only improved. You are 13 now, and you have a lot of work ahead of you if you want to overcome Itachi,"

"What do you know about him?" Sasuke demanded.

The ANBU interpreted Sasuke's exclamation as a threat and unsheathed his katana. But Danzo raised his hand, and the ANBU promptly sheathed it.

Danzo said, "I've been with the ANBU a long time, young man. And I know a great deal about your brother. If you want to gain power and learn of your brother's weaknesses, I urge you to join,"

Sasuke considered the matter carefully. Indeed, the ANBU appeared to be a formidable force. If he could learn their secrets, train as they train, then maybe Sasuke could obtain that power to defeat his brother without stooping to his level. Even more so, Danzo seems to know much about Itachi. Whatever this old man knows, Sasuke could use it to meet his goal on his own terms.

"So what say you?" Danzo asked.

Sasuke looked to him, and nodded, "Fine. I'll join,"

Danzo grinned slightly, and promptly pulled himself up, "Good. You'll receive a message with more details in the coming week," and the commander walked away with the ANBU in tow.

Sasuke sat alone in the middle of the park. He thought about the whole ordeal the entire night. And when the sun finally rose and peaked through the pine trees, Sasuke still felt some unease joining the ANBU. But joining up strangely seemed to be his salvation. The "Darkness of Shinobi" could be the light he needed to resist his brother and defeat him the right way.

---

It's been a week since Naruto sent in his confirmation letter. Naruto hoped to use the free time to master the Flying Thunder God Technique. But Yata insisted that Naruto read the scroll first before attempting such a jutsu.

Much to Naruto's chagrin, it's been a rather arduous, painful read. The scroll has been written in a very old style, and it used words that he's never even heard of. There were a few illustrations, much like the Forbidden Scroll that taught him the Shadow Clone Jutsu, but not nearly enough to visualize what exactly happens when the technique was in use.

Every day, Naruto ran off to the most secluded part of the village with Yata and just read from the parchment. The blond diligently read and re-read the scroll multiple times, but it simply wouldn't sink in. Yata offered his advice every now and then, and went so far as to clarify some words that Naruto didn't understand.

From what Yata said, it is something called a space-time ninjutsu. It enables the user to create a seal or technique formula on any solid object or surface, and to instantly teleport to the location of that seal. There was no limit to the number of seals the user could use, and certainly no limit to the number of times the user could teleport. Indeed, it actually required very little chakra. But Yata warned that mastery of the jutsu comes at a very heavy price. The raven tried to explain this and many more complicated aspects of the jutsu, but it fell on deaf ears.

Finally, in a fit of frustration, Naruto demanded a more practical approach.

"Yata, why don't you show it to me?" Naruto asked, "Pervy Sage showed me the Rasengan and it helped a lot,"

Yata grumbled, "There isn't really anything to see…" and the raven hopped off to a rock at the other side of a pond. With his feathered wing, the black-bird applied a seal. A circle with inked lines weaving radially from the center was painted across the rocky surface. Then, Yata flew back to Naruto on the other side of the pond. Yata perched on Naruto's shoulder and cleaned his feathers briefly.

Naruto scratched his head, and waited impatiently for Yata to weave seals or holler something.

But instead, Naruto's ear drums ruptured as a thunderous roar ripped through the air, and Yata flickered out of existence. In an instant, Yata teleported some 50 meters away to the rock where he applied the seal.

Naruto winced as he pressed the palm of his hand against his bleeding ear. "That's it?!" Naruto exclaimed. It was both impressive, but elusive. Whatever Yata did, it was all in his mind.

"Afraid so," Yata replied as he flew back, "That's all I can really demonstrate for you,"

Naruto grunted, "That isn't much to work off of… why don't you let me try it out?"

"I wouldn't recommend that," Yata simply said as he perched himself on a nearby tree branch.

"What? Why not? Practice makes perfect!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Didn't you read the warnings on the scroll? It should be obvious why," Yata said.

"It said something about waves and points,"

"Yes, it did. What else did it say?"

"I… don't know,"

Yata sighed.

Then Naruto exclaimed, "C'mon! Let me try. Show me how to do it! I learn better by practicing—ya' know!"

"Fine," Yata yielded, "but try it with a clone! Don't use your real self,"

Naruto shouted in joy.

Then, Yata hopped onto Naruto's shoulder and directed him to make a seal. "Since you mastered the Rasengan, this will be the easy part," Yata cawed, "we'll first paint a seal on where you want to teleport to. Try this tree," and the raven directed Naruto to the tree overlooking the pond. "Place your hand on it," Yata said.

Naruto rested the palm of his hand on it.

"Think of something. It can be anything: a drawing, a symbol, or even calligraphy. But let it be something you can instantly think about inside your head,"

Naruto thought for a moment, and then nodded. He was ready.

"Good," Yata squawked, "Now, I want you to imagine burning that image you have in your head on the surface of this tree. Concentrate as much chakra into the palm of your hand, and sear that image onto the tree trunk,"

Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated. This was a lot like popping the water balloon in his Rasengan training, so it wasn't terribly difficult. A moment later, the trunk underneath his hand instantly felt hot, so Naruto lifted his hand from the woody stem.

The blond opened his eyes, and emblazoned on the tree was a black swirl. Surrounding the swirl were inked lines that radiated from the edge outward, and formed a sun-like image. "Interesting choice," Yata hummed, "I see you picked the Eight Trigrams Seal,"

Naruto scratched his chin, "the Eight what? I just thought of this mark I have on my belly—ya' know?"

"Ah," Yata nodded. So he doesn't know that it's the seal keeping the Nine Tailed Fox in check… Yata thought, that'll be something to go over some other time. Then, the raven cawed out loud, "Now, I want you to walk over to the other side of the pond and summon a shadow clone,"

Naruto rushed across the pond. After which, he crossed his fingers and summoned a clone out of thin air.

"Alright," Yata hopped down from Naruto's shoulder and picked up a pebble, "pay close attention,"

He hurled the pebble into the pond. It splashed, as the impact from the pebble created waves in the still water. The waves emanated from the impact site as it expanded until they either disappeared or hit the edge of the pond. "I want your shadow clone to remember this pattern. But first, I want him to muster all the chakra in itself," Yata started, "Think of the chakra that makes you, the physical you,"

The clone nodded, and closed his eyes to concentrate.

Yata continued, "Your chakra's calm. It's still like the pond before I threw in the pebble. Imagine compressing every thought and feeling you have into that pebble. Focus, this is important,"

The clone imagined a small dot as the pebble, and nothing else. It furrowed its brow, and struggled to keep its attention on the dot and nothing but the dot.

"Now, take that pebble and plunge it deep into your well of chakra,"

The clone dropped the pebble into what he imagined as a pond—his chakra. Once the pebble struck the calm surface, the clone could only describe what he felt as a "warm, fuzzy feeling".

"Excellent," Yata nodded, "Naruto, notice how more translucent the clone is. It's faint, but you can see through him and look at the grassy hills behind him,"

Naruto did realize this, and was surprised. He also noticed the clone struggle. As if it had difficulty focusing on disrupting his chakra like the tremors in the water.

"Now, clone," Yata said, "I want you to touch one of those tremors with your mind. Like dipping your fingers into that pond of water. You touch a wave of your own chakra. Lose yourself in it, but only for a brief moment,"

The clone imagined dipping his finger into the chakra. He could feel it wash against him. All the clone could describe next was a sense of "seeing in both directions".

Yata continued, "You're that wave now. You should feel as if you could travel through anything: any solid, liquid, or gas. Explore with your chakra, and sense the seal Naruto imparted on the tree,"

The clone imagined a tremor reach out beyond his own self. And instantly, it felt the seal on the tree trunk tug on him, and pull on him in that general direction. The clone nodded with confirmation.

"Good," Yata cawed, "Now, take the plunge. Well up your chakra, and plunge yourself like a pebble into one, giant tremor this time. You are a wave, and you are no longer the pebble,"

The clone imagined himself as the pebble again. And then he plunged himself into his reserve of chakra. It shook that calm reserve of raw power, and he directed it out towards the technique formula on the tree trunk in a single, forceful push.

Strangely enough, he no longer felt tangible. Instead, the clone felt himself expand to one edge of the pond out to the other. He was everywhere, and could pass through everything. The clone imagined travelling across the pond, but that "warm, fuzzy" feeling from before distracted him and he lost himself. He overshot the distance, and now extended from one end of the village to the other. He couldn't compress himself into the pebble anymore. And the clone could no longer reform himself. It was too late. His body kept expanding until it spanned across the entire known World. Desperate, the clone tried to hone in on the seal on the tree again. Unfortunately, the slight tugging from the seal wasn't enough to pull him back. And the clone felt himself fade into the World—and become part of it.

Naruto blinked. To him, the clone flickered away with a loud thunder. And in that instant, the blond felt less whole. "Eh?!" Naruto exclaimed, "What happened?"

Yata sighed, "The clone disappeared,"

"Disappeared?! No, I didn't feel it dispel. Normally, when a clone disappears, I feel some of the chakra come back or something—ya' know? But this feels different, it feels like-"

Yata interjected, "The chakra was torn out from you?"

"Yeah…"

"That's because it was," Yata simply said, "it's part of the World now, and you won't get it back,"

"Eh?! What do you mean part of the World? Won't I just regenerate that chakra or something?"

"Afraid not," Yata shook his tiny, black head, "The clone never really dispelled, it just can't reform itself. In other words, he's lost in an endless forest, and can't find his way back,"

Naruto nervously swallowed, "So you're saying that if I tried the technique and failed, I'd-"

"You wouldn't even be dead," Yata nodded, "You'd be wandering in some formless realm for an eternity,"

Naruto stared dumbfounded at the raven.

Yata continued, "That's why Shisui could never master the technique. He tried using his own shadow clones to master it. Like you said, with normal ninjutsu 'practice makes perfect'. But he used up one too many shadow clones before he gave up. If he tried any more than his own chakra reserves would've been permanently depleted, and his life as a shinobi would be over,"

"But why's it so hard to reappear?"

"You need mental stamina and strength to overcome that 'warm, fuzzy' feeling the clone described,"

"Yeah, I heard him mention feeling fuzzy. But what did he mean by that?"

"It's complicated," Yata sighed, "recall how the scroll mentioned waves and points,"

Naruto nodded. Those words were littered across the parchment.

Yata continued, "We animals are so big that we perceive the World as solid. But in reality, everything, even us, are composed wholly of chakra. And chakra is fundamentally vibrations or waves. It's not a thing like this stone or that pond of water or even the air we breathe. We can manipulate our reserves to form whatever nature transformation or ninjutsu we desire based on how we vary the vibration or frequency. Do you follow?"

Naruto scratched his head, "Uh, not really,"

Yata grumbled, "I don't blame you… Okay, think of music. There are various notes you can play on a keyboard, yes? Some are high pitched, some are low pitched. Imagine weaving hand signs as hitting notes on the keyboard. Once you've completed the necessary seals, you play a 'song'. That 'song' can be a fireball jutsu, or your shadow clones,"

"Ah, I think I get it now," Naruto nodded, confidently, "But what does this have to do with my clone feeling fuzzy?"

"What I essentially told that clone was muster all the chakra within himself to vibrate at a single, loud frequency. Just enough to turn himself into a vibration—that's why he felt fuzzy,"

"Turn himself into a vibration? How can he be a person and a wave at the same time? They're different. One's a thing and the other's just… a wave,"

"Technically, we're just vibrating so fast that we appear solid. But this is getting too complicated. My recommendation is that you just accept that it is possible for us to be a 'thing', as you put it, and a wave at the same time," Yata shrugged, "so the clone chose to vibrate himself at an arbitrary frequency. That frequency was wrong. But I don't blame him. There's millions of frequencies he could've chosen and only one of them enables him to teleport,"

Naruto grumbled. He wasn't satisfied with that answer.

Yata explained, "Like I said, these are concepts you'll never really grasp. And even if you do, it's not something that is describable. That's why so few people can use this technique. If you can even jump past the abstract part of it, there's still the matter of actually performing it right the first time,"

"And that's why I use shadow clones,"

"Yes," Yata nodded, "You have to use your shadow clones to guess at what frequency and at what power you shake up your own chakra. This isn't precise but think of your chakra as a glass of water. Say, we twirl that glass of water around at some frequency. You don't want to spin it so fast and forceful that it spills over, but you also don't want to spin it so slow that virtually nothing happens. It's that sweet spot where the water just hits the edge you want to achieve—a perfect balance. Only two people successfully did it on their own. The Second and Fourth Hokage. And they either had the forethought to pick the right frequency or the luck to guess it right,"

"But if I use shadow clones I effectively split up my chakra every time I make one…"

"That's true. And that means you'd risk becoming weaker with each clone you lose,"

Naruto was silent. This was a heavy price to pay. And even now, Naruto felt a little colder inside without that chakra regenerating within him. Indeed, his punches felt just a bit less powerful and he felt more lethargic just after losing one clone.

"I wouldn't blame you for wanting to give up," Yata tried to comfort him.

But Naruto suddenly asked, "How many clones did Shisui lose before he gave up?"

Yata raised an eyebrow, "Ten, why?"

"Then that means…" Naruto crossed his fingers. He summoned an army of shadow clones. Yata flinched at the sight of an endless field of orange. Naruto stumbled briefly, and panted. He huffed, "I can make at least 10,000 clones before I start feeling weak,"

Oi, oi… Yata thought, grinning, you're making me all excited, kid. You might actually master it!

Then, Naruto immediately dispersed his clones and laid down on the grassy ground to rest. He pushed himself a bit too hard forming all those clones.

Now, a gentle breeze cooled his hot skin, and he closed his eyes briefly. Yata suddenly hopped up on his chest. With the weight of the bird pressing down on him, Naruto grimaced, "What's up, Yata?"

"Nothing," the raven cawed, "I just realized why Shisui had so much faith in you,"

Naruto hummed in acknowledgment, and let his mind wander for a bit.

"What was Shisui like?" Naruto asked the bird, "When he was fighting, I mean,"

"Strong, but gentle," Yata replied, "He always did his best to avoid bloodshed,"

"Avoid it? Why?"

"Shisui never liked fighting. If there was a way to end it without violence, he'd find it," Yata said, "Why do you ask? Do you like violence, kid?"

"Not usually," Naruto's voice trailed off. He opened his blue eyes, and looked up into the sky, "There were only three times I wanted to kill. One time, I saw Sasuke get hurt when we were on a mission. And I thought he died. When I felt his body fall limp, I saw red. Another time was when I saw Itachi," Naruto dug his fingers into the soft, loamy soil, "I hated him for what he did to Shisui… I skipped classes growing up, just so I can keep practicing all those jutsus Shisui taught me,"

"Why?"

"There wasn't any real reason why. I just felt like I had to perfect those jutsus. And thinking of Itachi just pushed me harder into practicing them day and night. I didn't really imagine killing him. It wasn't like there was a plan in the works, not that I know of anyway. But all that bitterness had to come out, I guess. And when I saw him, I saw red and did everything I could to hurt him. I didn't come close to actually killing him, but it scared me that I wanted to…"

"And what was the third time?"

"It was actually the very first time, and the closest I ever got to killing someone. A chunin told me to steal a scroll. He said if I learned anything from it I'll become a ninja. When my teacher found me, I discovered it was all a lie so that the chunin could steal the scroll himself. There was this big fight between him and the chunin. And the guy let out that I was the Demon Fox that nearly destroyed the village,"

Yata nodded, "And you saw red,"

"No," Naruto simply said.

Yata cocked his head, curious.

"When I heard that, I ran," Naruto sighed, "I ran because I thought I was a monster. That at any moment, I'd destroy everything,"

"And?" Yata sensed more than just fear.

Naruto took his time to think of the words. He'd watch the clouds up high fly past the vast blue expanse, and finally admitted, "A part of me wanted that to happen,"

Yata only hummed in acknowledgment. They were lucky he was the only one there to hear him speak. If Naruto said this in front of a Leaf ninja, the consequences could've been dire. "…you were neglected as a child," Yata tried to console the boy, "anyone would feel some frustration with the hand that you've been dealt,"

"But why did it have to be me?" Naruto bitterly said, "It's my life the Fourth ruined,"

Yata didn't know what to say. But luckily, Naruto spoke for him.

"Don't worry, Yata," Naruto strangely laughed, "I don't expect anyone to have that answer for me," and continued, "But back to the story. I ran until the chunin and teacher caught up with me. They fought some more, and I hid behind a tree. My teacher, in spite of everything I did and everything that I am, defended me. Even when he didn't have to. And for the first time, in a very long time, I felt loved,"

"After Shisui?"

"…Yeah, after Shisui," Naruto's voice cracked, "and when the chunin was about to murder my teacher, I knocked him down. I used the technique I learned from the forbidden scroll—that same scroll he tricked me into stealing—and beat him into a bloody pulp. But my teacher was still there, and he stopped me before I could finish the job,"

"You speak as if you'd actually do it," Yata said, "like you'd really kill him if not for your teacher,"

"Maybe I would… I don't know," Naruto sighed, "I'd like to think that it's the Monster Fox in me. That everything's It's fault. But somewhere deep down, I can't help but think that's just who I really am—a killer,"

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Yata asked.

"…No," Naruto said, "but a part of me is afraid that when there isn't anyone there to stop me, or if I lose control of my anger, that I'll finally sink that knife in and twist it,"

"Then why be a ninja? And why join the ANBU? Or even have a dream of becoming Hokage?"

"I don't know!" Naruto exclaimed, "Everyone loved Shisui… and everyone loved the Old Man, and the Fourth. They speak about all of them as if they're still around, and we all know they're dead. The Hokage must have something going for them. Why else would everyone love them?"

"You think if you get stronger, you'll become the Hokage and still not be a killer?"

"I guess…"

"What exactly does the Hokage mean to you?"

Naruto bit his lip, "I want to say it's someone who's acknowledged by all. Someone that's important. But lately, now that I've been studying this scroll Shisui gave me, I've been thinking about what being Hokage meant for Shisui. But I don't even know what he meant by it,"

"What did he say?"

"The Hokage is the 'ultimate supporter',"

Yata's eyes widened. Shisui always clung to his ideals. And though he never viewed himself as the next Hokage, the Uchiha held the office in high regard. Yata's seen Hokage fight in battle, and some have bloodied their hands to protect the village. But Shisui's vision of the Hokage as a support role and not the vanguard seemed just like him.

Before Yata could give his two cents, however, a hawk suddenly dived down to the ground in front of the blond. Yata recoiled in fear and quickly hid behind Naruto's back. Strapped to the hawk's leg was a letter tied in twine. Naruto carefully reached for the letter. And when the hawk didn't flinch, the blond untied the letter and unfolded it.

As the hawk flew back up in the air, Yata walked back out into the open muttering, "I hate those things…" the raven looked wearily up in the sky to make sure the hawk was really gone. But flinched again as Naruto loudly shouted, "Yes! It's tonight!"

"Tonight?" Yata asked, "What's tonight?"

"The ANBU exam," Naruto grinned as he excitedly crumpled the paper in his hands. He quickly picked himself up, tucked in the scroll containing the forbidden jutsu, and started to walk away, "C'mon Yata! We got to get back home so I can pack up my things!"

But Yata remained on the grass and stared at Naruto as he sprinted back to the village. When Naruto's orange jumpsuit faded into the forest, the raven grimaced. There's more I have to teach him then that jutsu, Yata thought, a lot more…

And unfurled his wings and flapped them until he was high in the air. Yata followed the small, orange dot all the way back to Konoha. He'd perch at Naruto's windowsill, and wait for his summoner to slide open the window to help him pack up for the ANBU exams.

One way or another, Yata figured he'd be with Naruto for quite a while. And hopefully, when the time was right, the raven could tell him just who Shisui was as a shinobi, and what he aspired to be.