Minato glares at the large tree beside the village wall. He had spent days trying to identify any jutsu that would allow someone to grow and control wood without The First's ability with no luck. This is not the work of the First's jutsu- if it was the tree would be a wood block, not a tree. Not to mention the other wooden structure on the outside, but that was defiantly not made with the ability. The wood looks as if it had grown natural- not forced to be grown.

This is concerning, if someone does have abilities greater than the First, and was within the village as a possible spy, this could mean drastic consequences. If Orochimaru gets them… Or if they work for Danzo- Fuck.

He cannot forget that the spy could have been from another village, or worked on his own. If this is the case, getting answers will be very difficult and cause more problems.

However… the person did not harm his family, no one had been hurt- the scrolls in his library where untouched. Also, in the Hokage tower, everything is where it should be. The intruder did not touch anything that most criminals or spies would have gone for first. This just keeps getting more interesting, unfortunately. 'Why can nothing be easy?'

Looking from the tree, Minato turns to Kakashi, "Report."

"We cannot locate the intruder Hokaga-sama. No trail was left; none of my dogs, nor the Izunaka dogs, could pick up or even find traces of a trail." His student seems to be with holding some information.

"And?"

"Sir, it almost seems like the forest is… protecting them, purposely covering any trail. The trees are filtering the air at an astonishing rate; any chakra has been absorbed by nature and has been made part of the nature chakra here." Minato frowns deeply, who is this intruder? They clearly have a mastery over this power they possess. This could be an even bigger threat than previously thought.

He thinks back to his family, Kushina is watching over their children like a hawk. The children are just happy to be spending time at home…well, Masami is just a little angry; she seems to actually like school. Katsu and Narami, however, are playing and being normal children. Naruto is-

His thoughts freeze. Naruto…

Perhaps he had been too hard on the boy… that was the first bad thing he had ever done… 'No, he needed to be shown that that sort of behavior will not be tolerated!' He decides to ignore the fact that Katsu gets away with worse all the time. Once his oldest boy had destroyed his room- really destroyed. Nothing was salvageable, his mattress was in shreds, his clothes where all cut up, and pages of books where turned into confetti. The walls where painted with various colors and- O god it had been such a mess. But even he was not punished so severely…

Maybe he should speak with Naruto when he gets home.

Slowly, he awakens. Warmth surrounds Naruto; he can't help but cuddle into it. Another thing, the warmth is… breathing? Cracking his eyes open, he is blinded by sudden light. What… It's morning already? The blond scolds himself; he woke up late- again!

Shifting himself into a sitting position, he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. When he reopens his eyes he sees a large black wolf- momentarily he panics, but then calms down. The wolf won't hurt him… The wolf huffs and turns itself from lying on its side to its stomach. "Good morning," Naruto says still a little sleepy.

When exactly had he fallen asleep, and when had they stopped? Hearing a small growling noise, he looks back at the light source; his eyes slowly, adjust allowing him to see a few other wolves. They look different from the ones he met earlier.

The big black wolf growls lowly at them, they all back off a little. One, clearly a female, who had been growling, trots away to puppies. The blond can't help but smile, puppies are cute! Too bad he probably won't get to see them. Mothers are very protective- they would do anything to protect their young! Smile fading, he thinks back on his own mother... she never really cared- 'No! I'm sure she would have! It- She! Her love was taken! She couldn't love me! But it will be okay... she will get her love back.' He fights away tears. Mothers love their children, and his mother will love him too! The blond just needs to be patient...

A few moments later, he feels something heavy in his lap. Opening his eyes he sees the wolf had put its head in his lap. It wines a little, "I'm okay…" The blond strokes the large wolf's head, ignoring the pain in his legs from the size and weight.

After a few minutes, the wolf stands, clearly wanting Naruto to follow. He gets up and follows the wolf out of the cave-like area where they slept, and into the sun. The puppies play off to the right a little, and the massive white wolf lay off to the left. The others are near the puppies, keeping an eye on them. Around them the trees swish in a small breeze, and small birds chirp in the trees.

When the others notice him, some look suspicious of him, but others look at him fondly- those are the ones he fed. There is something missing… "Hey, where is the spider?" The spider. That sounds so unfriendly… maybe he should name it? Ask its name? Wait, do animals- arachnids have names?

Within a few seconds of asking, something runs around his feet. The spider makes a small squeal screech noise to let the whiskered child know he is here. "Hey!" Naruto bends down to pet the spider, "I was just wondering where you were!" It makes another little noise, but this time one of pleasure.

"Um…" He says shyly, "Do…. Do you have a name?" The spider does not respond, it just enjoys being pet. Naruto frowns a little, "You don't have a name then?" Still, no real response is given. This saddens the blond a bit, "Ca-Can I name you?" He blushes; his words had been soft and small; like he had been afraid of an answer.

The spider screeches in delight, "I-is that a yes?" He smiles a little. A small warm feeling tingles in his chest. "Okay…. How about…" He looks over the spider carefully. It's blue, but color names are so lame, how about- no… Hmm… Like I said before small children are not exactly the best at coming up with names. As he continues to rub the spider, the blond gets an idea "Kosuru!" He says, "I'm not sure if you're a girl or a boy, but it means rub because you like to be rubbed!" Blushing, he realizes how loud he had been, "S-sorry." Naruto hunches over and closes in on himself a little.

The spider squeals again, "You l-like it?" It snuggles his leg affectionately. His lips tug into a small smile. The black wolf blows air out of his nose, and nudges Naruto's shoulder, quietly begging. Naruto looks from the spider to it, why did it do that? Maybe it wants a name too? At that thought Naruto brightened up a small bit.

"You want a name?" The wolf's tail swishes back and forth like an excited puppy. "Okay." Again, he isn't very good at names.

It has to be something unique- they are unique and deserve an equally special name! Rub isn't exactly a unique name but no other spider or pet will have it! Hmmm, and it can't be off-the-wall random… It has to mean something to them- it has to tell you something. A name needs to reflect the owner.

The black wolf is gentle and caring- or that's what it seems like. It hadn't been gentle when attacking, but that's instinct. The wolf IS a boy… but it seems motherly in some aspects. The black wolf had purposely gone slow for the others while the white one pulled a head, it also seemed to be determined to feed the others so it attacked when Naruto was going to run.

"Odiyaka…" He smiles fondly, "it means gentle." The wolf licks Naruto's face, happy with his name. The blond smiles brightly, "I'm glad you like it, " he whispers gently while rubbing the black wolf- now named Odiyaka. He may not be gentle to opposing creatures- but to those he loves, or at least likes- he is very gentle and caring.

Naruto looks back over the other wolves; his smile fades. They are all skin and bones- not one of them has any really muscle. Their ribs are very viable underneath their fur, and they all move slowly with their tails low. Queasiness snakes into his stomach, these poor creatures- they are starving, all of them. The puppies are even unhealthy looking.

No creature should starve- not like he had. No one should starve like he had. Balling his fists, Naruto looks down at the spider, happily standing at his side. "Can you catch something for them?" He gestures widely to the wolves. Soundlessly, Kosuru dashes into the forest, presumably going to catch a meal for itself and the wolves.

Odiyaka nudges his face to get attention. Giggling slightly, he rubs the black wolf's big head. His fur is soft- excessively so. It's like petting a cloud. It's just strange, it looks wiry and intimidating, one would not expect it to be so… silky-soft.

The black wolf lifts his head and trots off between the white wolf and the puppies. Momentarily, it stops and huffs at him, before lying down.

The blond follows after Odiyaka, sitting near him. Taking a quick look around, he brings his bag into his lap. Naruto pulls out his new colored pencils and journal with excitement. Nothing had been damaged when he was attacked- YES! Flipping to the next available page, Naruto glances at the stagnant white wolf, before looking back at his page.

He will draw the white wolf, it's laying there like the perfect model, its head is unmoving as it stares out into the foliage, and it's appealing laying pose- it's perfect!

Now… he has never really drawn a model before, only from memory- so this is really exciting. Even if the wolf moves, it will be okay- he can just draw what he remembers. He has always done it like that.

First, he sketches out a base, and then he begins with his colored pencil. Amazing- These are so much better than the ones he was using! What he had previously where some cheap kindergarten pencils. But these- O kami- they glide over the paper, making it feel like he is drawing with silk. He can get much better, and more precise, colors out of these- the originals were very hard to get proper color out of, they would break easily too- these are amazing, he can press much harder with these and not worry about them breaking!

Every few minutes he glances up at his model- checking over every detail before turning back to his drawing.

Suddenly he feels hot air on the back of his neck. Looking back, he smiles. Odiyaka tilts his head, and looks at his page curiously. The whiskered child smiles as the black wolf notices being caught; his ears go down. "You want to watch?" he asks kindly. The wolf's ears perk up and he sits down, taking the kind tone as an invitation to observe.

The blond continues, giggling every once in a while when Odiyaka's face gets closer to his after every few minutes. As soon as he finishes a small patch of dirt, the wolf's face is right next to his, looking at the page with curiosity.

The white wolf still had yet to move significantly. Occasionally he will look around, or his ear will flick, but overall he stayed very still.

Smiling down at his work, he looks over at Odiyaka, and gently rests his head against the other's. He continues his work- now, occasionally, reaching up to pet the black wolf.

Time passes, and rustling in the bushes makes the wolves alert. However, Naruto's face splits into a large grin when he sees the spider backing up in to the clearing, pulling something. Abandoning his drawing for now, he runs over to help pull the dead animal.

Underestimating the weight of the animal, he pulls- and slips. Landing on his butt, he blushes, 'Well, at least no people where around to see that.' Dusting off his pants then giving a few mighty tugs -he braced himself this time, falling once was enough, thank you- they both pull a large buck into the clearing.

The wolves look over in interest- clearly intending on ripping the buck to shreds. They lick their lips, waiting. Naruto pulls off the webbing and gives it back to the spider; they only have so much ya know! Then, he smiles over at the group of hungry animals, "Here you go!" He quickly backs away from the carcass, just so they don't think he is part of the meal too. Being torn apart once was fine; he does not need to experience that again.

They rip the deer to absolute shreds. Blood pools around the area they had been eating- and their muzzles are stained in blood. Once they all finish, a substantial amount is left over, but no one touches it. Instead, they leave it alone.

'It's for the mothers…' if he remembers correctly, wolves will partially digest food for their puppies, then throw it up for them to eat. So, after the puppies eat, the mothers will go back eat the rest.

He goes back over to his drawing, and looks it over. It is mostly done now, maybe a little more work could be done on the grass, but overall it looks better than almost everything else he has done. The new colored pencils really helped, and so did his model!

Speaking of the white wolf, where did he go? He is no longer lying where he once was, matter of fact, he isn't anywhere. The other wolves went off by themselves in a group again. The black wolf is near the cave hangover watching the blond. I mean, really, it should be easy to find a white wolf anywhere except in a snowy place.

Looking back, he jumps. The wolf is looking at the drawing of himself. 'Why do they like it so much?' It's odd… The wolf looks up, his nose centimeters from Naruto's face. Calmly- or as much as you can be this close to the mouth of a creature that may eat you- he places his hand on the head of the creature, "Hello," he says kindly.

It licks his face; Naruto giggles. The wolf comes around to his side, and lays down- it is very tall- and produces shade for the blond. He likes shade, always has. The sun is too bright and makes you hot really quickly. If he sits in the shade when he draws, he can be outside longer.

Leaning into his fur, Naruto sighs. He already finished with his drawing- for now at least, but the small but of shade is still welcomed. A few seconds later, he hears a huff- Odiyaka lays on his other side, a little jealous of the white wolf. Naruto pets him, it's awful to be jealous, he had been… he still is.

Shaking his head, the blond thinks about something else- the white wolf. "Hey…" Both look at him. "Do you have a name?" Odiyaka sets his head in Naruto's lap and out of nowhere, the spider jumps onto Naruto's back. The white wolf huffs a little, but makes no other indicating it understands.

"W-well, can I name you?" It lays its head down which Naruto takes as a yes.

Okay… so let's see. This wolf seems a little like Sasuke and Itachi- more reserved and closed off, maybe not to Naruto so much, but defiantly to others in general. He can't name it Sasuke or Itachi though! That's weird…. This one tried to- well, it did rip off his arm or that's what he remembers, so he is definitely vicious. Perhaps a scary name will be best for him.

"Satsujin?" Naruto offers, "it means murder, or homicide." It huffs, so…. That's a no then.

Well, what else- O! he was still for so long, "Heishi, It means soldier-" The white wolf groans, that name is a no too…. Naruto's chest becomes heavy, what if the white wolf disapproves all of the names he comes up with?

"How about Zō? It means statue." The wolf picks its head up, but sets it back down, uninterested. Then, Naruto gets an idea- what if he just doesn't like long names? Okay, so… short…. Short… He is not naming the wolf Short, but he needs a short name.

Naruto smiles, "How about Chi?" The wolf picks up his head again, interested. "It means blood or gore- stuff like that." The white wolf tilts his head, and then licks Naruto's face. "Chi it is then!" He laughs. He was a little hesitant naming him Chi, but it fits.

Chi lays his head back down, and eyes his, now closed, sketch book. Naruto shifts, Odiyaka's head is starting to hurt his legs… but he doesn't have the heart to push him off. He rubs Kosuru's back, and Obiyaka's head- it's a little awkward, but Naruto wouldn't want it another way.

His body is flooded with a pleasant warm feeling, his eyes water. It's so strange… why does he feel like this? He has never felt this sort of thing before… Is this what love feels like? No- perhaps it's just because he is surrounded by two furry animals? Yea, maybe that's it.

Naruto can see Chi staring intently at the book, trying to will it open. Naruto holds back giggles as he picks up the book. "You want to look inside?" Both of the wolves heads go up- "I ta-take that as a yes." Nervously, he flips open the sketch book, and shows them his first few 'drawings'.

He has never showed anyone the inside of his book- no one. Not that anyone would want to look in it anyway, so he is just a little nervous. They might be animals, but they are the first creatures that have showed him any real emotion other than hate. Even when attacked he didn't feel as if they hated him, it was for survival. Most creatures will not kill another unless it is for food.

He skips the first page, however, and shows them the second. On the page is a very bad drawing of a butterfly. Granted, it is better than what most children would have done at that age, but it's still bad no matter how you look at it.

They all- even the spider, seem very interested. The pretty colors must be attention grabbing for them.

The next page is no better, nor is the one after that- but his friends seem to be enjoying them. Friends, huh? It sounds so foreign, but… it sounds right for this situation.

Naruto shows them page after page, occasionally telling them of the process or of the dream it came from. Once, the spider thought a picture of a big fly was real. That had been really funny- and exhausting, but afterward he continued to show them his drawings and sketches. About halfway through, though, he stops.

'It's dark already?' He sighs, and tells his… friends… "It's getting late; we should go to sleep." To prove his point, he yawns and rubs his eyes. Before he could stand up, the white wolf rolls over onto his side, showing his back to Naruto. The blond blinks, is he just going to sleep out here?

Odiyaka cuddles him, and licks his face. Naruto is going to protest, but then he remembers the other wolves, they don't like him. So, he would still have to sleep in the open. One of them might even kill him while he sleeps, they must know that. With a small sigh, the blond lay on his side and moves his bag so it isn't crushed.

He snuggles into Odiyaka's side, and blushes. The warm feeling is back… has it been there the whole time? Maybe he is just noticing it again now… The spider stands on Naruto's side, and makes himself at home. Not that Naruto is complaining- but wouldn't he want to sleep in a tree or something? Being in the open seems like a mistake for a spider.

His thoughts drift off, 'so warm. So soft…,' he smiles, 'maybe they are my friends.' Naruto's mind clouds, 'maybe this… will be easier than…. than… I thought.' His eyes drop, 'I could start over… Maybe… maybe I…. don't need to… to go back to Konoha, what if, if I just…. just stay in my Village.' His eyelids become heavy- 'Maybe… I should never return to Konoha.' The blond's eyes close. 'Never.' With those final thoughts, he falls into a blissful sleep, one without monsters or demons, a harmless sleep.

Naruto has never slept better.

Minato leans back in his chair; he finally has a minute to rest. All of his paperwork is done for the day, well- it's technically tomorrow at this point. It was a nightmare, his mind was in two places at once- thinking about the intruder, and his paperwork.

When he left the sight of escape, Minato returned to his office, it would be better to just get this paperwork over. He sent out the best team of ANBU available, and, not only that, but he has Kakashi's dogs, and the best trackers known to the Izunaka clan after the intruder.

Speaking of his student, the man is very skeptical that the spy will be found- he has covered his trail too well. He insisted they keep looking; it is detrimental to the village that the spy is caught.

Sighing, the elder blond realizes something, the council will want to talk about this, and no doubt Danzo will put his slimy, 'cripple' hands all over it. Even if it was a ROOT, he will play it off as if it wasn't… Most likely send ROOT after the intruder- then insist on using them for a weapon for the Village.

The next meeting will be a massive head ache he doesn't need. "Kami, What have I done to deserve this?" After a few moments, he rubs a tired hand over his face.

"Hokage-sama!" an ANBU kneels in front of his desk, waiting for the Hokage to acknowledge them.

Minato leans forward, "Report." This better be good, he can go home now, any more time spent in this building is hell.

Rising, the ANBU reports, "We have managed to find a way to track him, Hokage-sama."

"How is that, Fish?" he asks, irritated. New ANBU are the worst, they always leave out important information. Why couldn't they have sent Kakashi or a more experienced person?

"The trees have not stopped their accelerated filtering, and we have discovered that the over active trees are not allowing any sort of smells to come within a few feet of them." Minato's face hardens, "We can follow the trail of trees, but we are unsure exactly how far the trail really leads."

The blond Hokage nods, this is a major lead, even if it ends at some point, it will give them a head start. "Follow the trail, send the ANBU. Report back when you find the end of the trail, or if you find the spy." The ANBU nods, ready to leave, but Minato adds, "Do not hesitate to kill them, they are far too big a threat to let live."

The ANBU shunshins away, traveling back to the wall to tell the others about Minato's orders.

They begin their search.

Minato collects his bento box and heads for home. 'The ANBU better find the spy,' he thinks, 'if they don't, things are going to be a hell of a lot worse. Council members will be having a fit, ANBU will need to be on high alert while keeping the civilians blissfully ignorant. This… is no easy task to accomplish.'

'I hope Kushina won't be mad I stayed in so late…' Minato opens the door to his dark home.

Yawning, Naruto snuggles into the soft fur around him. His attempt to go back to sleep it cut short, however, when he remembers how late he has been sleeping in. Groggily, he sits up, and rubs the eye crumbs away.

The blond looks at the sky, the sun is low- barely sunrise from what is appears. 'It's early.' He thinks happily, it has been a few days since he woke up on time- Naruto had been afraid of making sleeping in a habit.

He climbs out from between the two wolves, stifling a giggle. Chi has not moved, but his tongue is now hanging out- and Odiyaka has somehow rolled over onto his side, and is randomly kicking and making small huffing noises. 'He's dreaming. I wonder what about? Probably killing, hunting, or running maybe?' Hmm…

Something, or someone, brushes against his leg. "Hey," Naruto whispers, "good morning, Kosuru." He rubs the spider's back for a moment, but then stops to check his bag. Things could have fallen out or been crushed… much to his surprise, everything is completely intact. The apples aren't even bruised.

He yawns again, well this sucks- Naruto's inner clock is all out of whack and it will take a while to get used to waking up at a good time. 'Good time' meaning before his family gets up so that he can wash his clothes, take a shower, and eat. To do most of that he needs a few hours, so it's necessary to get up before sunrise. Sometimes, if he has extra time, he can go out into the garden and sketch some of the flowers. It doesn't happen often, but it is amazing when he can.

The wet grass feels amazing on his feet and tickles his toes, and the glassy shimmering of the leaves on the oak trees and dew on the flower petals…. Amazing and beautiful. His favorite in the garden is the forget-me-nots, Ironic, isn't it? In all honesty, he liked them long before he knew their name. Tiny little blue flowers, the blue ones are his favorite, with bright yellow centers- they are just so-

Odiyaka barks suddenly, waking himself up- and making Naruto hold down his laugh. It was cute! Embarrassed, the black wolf just lays back down as if nothing happened. Chi, too, had been woken up and was playing it off cool, trying to pretend that his tongue was not just falling out of his mouth.

"Good morning." They both look over to him, Odiyaka looks between him and Chi, confused as to why the blond is not still cuddling with them. Chi huffs, in what Naruto is going to assume, is a greeting. The black wolf stretches, and comes over to lick his face, which of course makes Naruto giggle.

Just before he has a chance to say anything more, Chi jumps up as well, but not to greet him. The white wolf is growling savagely into the dark surrounding forest- waking up the others and setting Odiyaka on edge. Chi crutches low in an attack stance, hair standing high all the way down his back.

Slightly fearful, Naruto moves behind the black wolf, Kosuru jumps into his arms. The rustling in the bushes makes everyone tense. Then, something jumps out- a rabbit… Naruto relaxes. It's just a little white rabbit-!

Wait a second- Rabbits change their fur color depending on what season it is, that rabbit was raised in captivity! Chi scares the poor thing away, and most of the wolves relax.

Naruto, however, is standing rigged, fear building up in his chest. How could he have been so stupid!? Of course the ninja would still be after him- They are going to kill him and the wolves! No, no, no. This can't be happening. How could Naruto not remember? How could he… O god…

Trying to calm himself, he thinks up possible scenarios, 'I… It could have just been someone's pet- and they let it go…. Yea…' After a few terrifying moments, he clams down, no attack. So… it was just someone's pet. Hahaha- he had been worried for nothing!

Why would ninja still be chasing him… I mean, it is just one person, what possible reason would there be to continue a chase? Naruto's father takes security serious, but not that serious… right?

That little scare has reminded him, however, that he cannot stay in one spot for long- he needs to lose the ninja first. Biting his lip, he checks his bag again- everything is there, his drawing book, two apples, and the book on his powers.

His depression comes back like a tsunami, he is leaving his first 'friends'… he almost endangered them, he is so useless… everything he does always ends up messed up or completely ruined. The spider, still being held in his right arm, wiggles loose then pushes on his leg. Naruto frowns, and pets his back, but then turns, and begins to walk, where he presumes, it going to take him farther from the Village.

Near the edge, Odiyaka notices- he jogs over, questioning. Naruto glances over at him, and sighs, "I'm leaving." The black wolf huffs, and licks his face. When he turns to the black wolf, a lick on this other side makes him jump. Chi stands over him intimidating. "I'm leaving-" He looks down, Kosuru rubs his leg affectionately, again strange for a spider, but his thought it cut off by Chi. The white wolf breaks the tree line, and turns to look at Naruto.

"You… want to come with me?" Odiyaka licks his face, confirming his suspicion. Warmth once again bubbles up in his chest, tears sting his eyes. The happiness is cut short, however, when he remembers the rest of the pack.

What about them? Are Odiyaka and Chi really going to leave them behind? That's not fair- not to them. He can't do that… He looks back at the wolves, and is surprised- they don't care. Odiyaka is the alpha right? Why are they…. Is it because of him? I mean, these two where protecting him- the others wanted to gut him.

Sensing something wrong, Odiyaka licks his face, and nudges his side. Well, this could be for the best. They are so much bigger than the others, and because they helped him, they would be outcasts. Smiling softly, he begins to follow Chi with Odiyaka by his side.

They could help with his Village- and if they let him ride them, they will be able to get farther more efficiently. Their new found size and speed should also allow them to catch food whether the creature knows they are there or not. Possibly, they also know the area and can actually help him get away from Konoha.

Suddenly, a sharp cutting pain appears in this leg. Stumbling, he catches himself of Odiyaka, then, he looks back at what is causing him pain in his leg. It was fine moments ago-

Naruto's heart stops.

Lodged in his leg, is a…

'A kunai.'