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Chapter 2

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As the boy came to- for the second time in days!- Sarutobi fumed silently. How could he have let such a thing escape his notice? Konoha, while not as well protected as Iwa or Kiri, was still a shinobi village, and it was almost embarrassing to think of how easily that missing-nin had gotten in!

Roshi Han. Former ninja of Iwagakure who had ran after attempting to steal valuable scrolls from the office of the Tsuchikage himself. Frankly, the man had been lucky to escape with his life- he was only supposed to be chuunin after all. It would be extremely humiliating if word got out.

The Hokage allowed himself a glance at the bed before him. The hospital was still quiet in the early morning, and only a few nurses stalked the halls. The sleeping Uzumaki breathed quietly, eyes closed as he recovered from his ordeal with the nukenin.

From the scrolls in the man's bag- it had been lying in a pit not yards from the corpse- it was pathetically easy to see that the shinobi had been paid off by Kumo. It came truly as a shock to the pacifistic old man, yet it had been half-expected. He had hoped that sending Hyuuga Hizashi's corpse to the Raikage would clear things up, but it had been, of course, an impossible hope. Shinobi do not give up- they simply try again, sneakier and quieter.

Kumo, of course, would not have given the nukenin a place in their village- no self-respecting kage would sink so low. Still, he had to admit grudgingly, it was a cunning plan. They could kidnap the Hyuuga heiress, gaining a powerful resource while flipping Sarutobi off to his face. And there would have been nothing he could do about it… nothing if not for what had evidently happened to the missing-nin.

The body had been found, almost burnt beyond recognition. Only the serial code on his hitai-ate as well as documents in his pack had been able to identify him. It was what was present on the man, though, that worried him the most. If those hadn't been present, then there would have been no leads, none at all. It would have been possible that there was a fight, between two or more missing-nin, but… it was too unlikely. So, instead, there was one single lead.

The two child-sized handprints on Roshi's shoulder blades.

Sarutobi shivered. It had been those that had perplexed them the most. The man had had two holes, burnt through him, coming out on his chest. From there, the heat had spread, roasting him alive and from the inside. From the forensic inspections, it was obvious that it had been quick, yet horribly painful. Ibiki himself had been impressed, though it wouldn't do well in Interrogation where it was vital to keep the subject alive.

It wasn't just the presence of the handprints, though, that unnerved him. ANBU had quite meticulously gone over the site and had proceeded to announce that no other shinobi had been present. That left one option left: one of the children had done it.

Well, not the only option, but Sarutobi hardly thought that Roshi had committed suicide. And that conclusion was highly troubling. If either of those children had such a power, it had to be nurtured but kept secret. He wouldn't put it past Danzou to try something.

He thought about it for a minute. Whichever of the two had done it, it had been from some deep hidden power. Hinata was almost immediately ruled out. Her mother had been fiery and rambunctious, but the small heiress seemed to be timid, inheriting nothing of her mother's temperament, especially after her death. That left… Naruto. The Hokage rubbed his temple tiredly. This would not be simple.

The Kyuubi was widely known as the Nine-Tailed Youko, the gigantic fox that could topple and raise mountains and create enormous tsunamis with but a flick of the tail. What the world didn't know was that the bijuu was called, in some ancient stories, the incarnation of fire. He had heard of the gifts that some jinchuuriki obtained from their prisoners, but he had never observed Naruto displaying any such thing.

Well. It didn't matter. If Naruto was displaying signs of a power gotten from the fox, it had to be controlled. There was no other option. Sarutobi sighed. He had hoped for the boy to live as close to a normal life as possible, but he had been a naive fool. Even had he not been an orphan, the child would still be hated for the Kyuubi. Well, he had no choice: he would have to keep a closer eye on the boy, no doubt about it.

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Deep in a sewer, raucous laughter was heard. The insufferable old man had gotten it right- partially so at least- and this new development could only help in making the host feared and strong.

The Kyuubi was plotting, and anything to come out of it could not be good.

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Naruto stirred and opened his eyes. He flinched out of reflex as he saw the shadowed figure looming over him, then relaxed when the silhouette resolved into the Hokage. "Ojii-san…" he said drowsily, and then shut his eyes when a wave of nausea assaulted him. "W-what happened?" he asked, stumbling over the words.

"It is alright, my dear boy," Sarutobi replied, smiling fondly yet sadly at Naruto. "You are in the hospital, now, and we are making sure that you are in good health." The six-year-old's mouth turned up at the corners into a smile and he coughed weakly.

"Heh. Is… is Hinata-chan OK?"

"She's fine, Naruto."

The blond grinned cheekily and happily before closing his eyes. ""That's...good…" Gentle snoring was heard from the bed as the Sandaime slowly stood up, eyes closed in resolution.

Yes, Naruto, we will have much to talk about soon. I will do whatever I can to help you, now.

Sarutobi took one last glance at the peaceful child and turned, and left.

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Hiashi sat, troubled. Moonlight bathed his black hair in silver, and the stars glinted off his face as he stared up into the sky. A face flashed across his sight- and then it was gone. Hana… He shook his head. Such things were gone, best forgotten.

The Hyuuga clan head glanced at the pale child breathing softly on the bed beside him. Her pale blue hair, too, reflected the mercurial light, and the room lay still as the seconds passed.

A door opened, and-

"Oh, my!" came the whispered gasp. "Hyuuga-sama! I-" The nurse was cut off by a wave of Hiashi's hand.

"It is of no consequence," he said harshly. "I will remain with my daughter for now. Please leave." The woman nearly fell over herself in her exit. Hiashi gave a mirthless chuckle. It would be ironic that he was finally turning his attention to his eldest. He had distanced himself from her, wanting her to be strong.

And so he had watched coldly as she, instead of springing free of her familial bonds, had been dragged down, weak and foolish.

Hyuuga Hiashi was a proud man, and not one to admit easily his mistakes. Yet… perhaps he could change their relationship somewhat. He owed his wife that much. Hana, he thought. Why…? He did not hear the gentle click of the door as a figure stepped in, closing the door softly, yet he sensed the man's presence. He turned soundlessly and bowed his head in a small gesture of respect. Sarutobi Hiruzen returned the favor, smiling sadly.

"How is she doing?" the old man asked, and there was no need to ask what "she" he was referring to.

"She is… stable." Hiashi paused for a moment then turned his unflinching glare onto the Hokage. "She is lucky that she was not injured badly. The iryou-nin (medical ninja) tell me that she is simply in shock, with no more than bruises and a few cuts." His mouth turned downward and he bowed his head, the words staggering. "We were… lucky… that she was not treated in… other ways."

"Indeed," came the answer, and the Hokage's eyes burned with a rare-seen anger. His own fondness of children gave him fury at the very thought of such acts. "It is doubtful that she would have lasted… untouched… much longer." Hiashi flinched at the words, and raised his gaze to the Sandaime. "Indeed," continued the older man. "We were indeed lucky." He finished his words breathlessly, quietly, yet not so much that the clan head could not hear.

"How…" Hiashi's lips were dry and he drew in a slow breath as he attempted to finish the question. "How was that possible?"

Sarutobi looked over the Hyuuga male. He had been so carefree, once- but that was then, and now he was simply a cold shinobi. He supposed the loss of the Fourth, as well as the death of a wife could certainly affect one's persona, but-

"It is unknown exactly how the missing-nin Roshi Han was taken down," the Third said calmly. He noticed the younger man's eyes narrowing. So he hadn't missed it either. "The corpse, as you found it, was seemingly cooked from the inside." The medics had almost refused to look at the body, the state that it was in. "It is somewhat probable that he was taken by a rival shinobi who, by luck, missed the children." He didn't miss the short hiss of air when Hiashi spoke again.

"Sarutobi-sama, with all due respect, you know as well as I the unlikelihood of such an event." Hiashi's voice was suddenly tinged with an undercurrent of… Fear? Curiosity? Amusement? No matter. "If any ninja able to take down a B-class ninja was there, he would not have missed my daughter." Ah, so he refused to include Naruto in his statement. Apathy, perhaps?

Pale, pupilless eyes stared at the old man, awaiting a response. Sarutobi sighed and looked straight at the man. "So you also have suspicions, Hiashi?" He smirked as he saw the man stiffen.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," replied Hiashi, returning to his monotone, but not before a flicker of interest emerged again. "So… the Uzumaki?" It was neither a statement nor a question, yet Sarutobi understood. He breathed out slowly then replied.

"Yes," he said, leaning his palm on his forehead. Oh, how old age tired him. At times the headaches just wouldn't go away. But now…

Hiashi took in a quick breath. "But, still… how?" He was probing for information and they both knew it.

Sarutobi shook his head, but looked directly at the Hyuuga. "Let us just say," he began, "that young Naruto may have come into his inheritance as a jinchuuriki."

Hiashi was floored. "Does he… does he know?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "No, and I'm sure of it. However, from what I can tell, jinchuuriki may well develop 'abilities' at a young age, depending on the nature of their bijuu." He paused. "From what I gather, the Kyuubi has been mentioned in some ancient texts as having some dominion over fire… so that is what I assume has awoken in Naruto."

The color returned slightly to the Hyuuga head's face. "Is there any chance that-" But a shake of the old man's head, and the raising of his hand cut him off.

"Believe me, Hiashi-san, that the Kyuubi is well contained. I will check the seal myself later. In the meantime, though, I will watch him personally. That is to say ,that… recent events… have made certain things clear to me." And so the Sandaime got up to leave.

Hiashi watched the Hokage step through the threshold of the room and suddenly glanced at his small daughter, the image of his wife flashing across his vision once more. "Hokage-sama," he began. "I require… an advisory."

Sarutobi only turned and raised his eyebrow, a twinkle in his eye. "She does look like her mother, you know," he said. And then he was gone.

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Within a day, Naruto was back at the Academy as if nothing had happened. Of course, all the teachers knew that something had happened to the Kyuubi brat. Most of them were cursing the fact that he hadn't returned dead, yet some others were strangely contemplative. There were… rumors… that the boy had had something to do with the return of the Hyuuga heiress, but…

It was impossible, of course, but there was a strange sort of thoughtfulness present nonetheless. And so Umino Iruka decided to give Uzumaki Naruto a chance.

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Rubbing his eyes, Naruto stumbled into the classroom. He looked blearily around the room and saw Hinata-chan sitting and looking at the board. Good, he thought, a grin on his face. He bounced over towards the girl and sat in the seat next to her. "Hi, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, eyes closed and mouth in a wide smile.

The pale-eyed girl jumped and stole a glance over at the blond beside her. "Ano… g-good morning, Naruto-san."

Naruto frowned. "Hey, we're friends, remember?" Hinata froze, an image of her father's cold visage emblazoned on her vision before it was replaced by the cheery Uzumaki.

She smiled softly. "Ano… I think I'd like that, Naruto-kun." She prodded her fingers together. "Friends…" she murmured softly, beyond even Naruto's range of hearing. Just then, the teacher walked in.

"Good morning, class," said Iruka, Mizuki following close behind into the classroom. "Today we'll be looking at how the Shodai came to find the area where he would create the village using the fabled Mokuton…" His voice drawled on and Naruto found himself getting bored. He flopped forward onto his desk, chin on his hands.

He tried to remember what had happened the days before. He had remembered being with Hinata-chan, eating lunch, and then there was this big mean enemy ninja who grabbed him, and then… nothing. He had some thoughts of a kind of pain, but… the most he could call up was the sight of Hinata-chan, about to be hurt and- blankness.

He frowned again. He didn't like not remembering stuff. How could he get by if he didn't know what had already happened? It happened too much and he didn't like it, and each time he seemed to end up in the hospital. He didn't like the hospital much- the doctors tried to ignore him and the nurses were mean.

"Uzumaki!" Iruka shouted. The poor demon-container only had time to yelp and jump up, falling out his chair and onto the floor. The class erupted into giggles. Naruto grinned sheepishly before getting up and sitting back down.

"Naruto," said Iruka sternly. "Are you going to pay attention or not?"

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei," said Naruto quietly.

The chuunin's expression softened slightly. "It's alright, Naruto," he said. He turned back to the board, missing the shocked and surprised look that the blond gave him for his leniency, as well as the glare that passed across his assistant's face aimed at the boy. "Now, as I was saying…"

Naruto blinked once before settling back into his seat. Maybe… maybe school would be okay after all.

This time, nobody noticed the warm breeze drifting lazily throughout the room.

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A week passed and the students learned more about the life of a ninja. It was barely anything compared to what it would actually be like, but it gave them a taste nonetheless. The student's were still obsessed with the ideal of "super-cool" shinobi and Iruka had no notion of disabusing the impressionable children of that blissful concept anytime soon.

Naruto stared out the window as the other children chattered excitedly. He and Hinata had talked a few more times since the incident, and she was nice, but a little shy too. He thought about it for a second, then brightened. Aha! If he could get more friends, then maybe she wouldn't be so quiet! It probably wasn't a good thing to be that quiet, and would do all that he could to get to be a better friend with her. And Uzumaki Naruto never broke his promises. Unbeknownst to his conscious mind, a thought prodded at him before dissolving in mist- you're only this interested in her 'cause she's the first one who ever was nice to you beside ojii-san.

As he ran happily over to her during recess, he didn't notice the masked ANBU watching him from a tree.

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That night, as Naruto slept, softly snoring, his mind was elsewhere. As his body slept, his consciousness awoke, but not in his bedroom. He was half-asleep, still, and so was confused, but curious. "Wha…" he began. "Where am I?" His answers were met with silence until he looked around him and noticed his surroundings.

He was in a hallway, an area that somehow seemed… familiar, in a way that was strange but also made him fearful. "Hello?" he called out, short legs sloshing through the murky water on the ground that reached his waist. The crimson lights, that once again seemed so eerie yet also inviting flickered, drawing shadows across his face. He reached the end of the hall and gasped and stepped back as he saw what lay at the end- a giant room, stretching across his vision, ceiling reaching huge heights. He stared at the opposite side and blinked- a cage and a sneering face passing across his vision, a sneering face- a muzzle?- then pain, pain, pain-

He noticed he was on his knees then slowly got up and took the room in.

Unlike what his subconscious had told him to expect, the light ended here. Instead of a bloody fire illuminating the walls, the room was instead bathed in blackness, the only source of light appearing to be streams of brightness, touching onto five separate parts of the room. Naruto squinted; he could see what appeared to be five figures standing still in each of the beams of light. "Hello?" he called again, but the figures didn't move. He cautiously moved towards one of the taller ones and looked up- as he approached, it seemed to grow, filling his whole vision until he stood before it, mouth slightly open as he gazed up in the face that he now realized lay nearly even with his own.

He looked and saw… something. Something familiar.

The statue looked confident, mouth set in a smirk, spiky hair flying in all directions, and for a brief second, a wave of heat washed over him and he felt the flame of red, and then-

It was gone.

Naruto closed his eyes slowly and felt to the floor, fading from his mindscape as the statues watched, still frozen into position.

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Far away, in separate locations, things stirred. Four pairs of eyes slowly opened and stared forward emptily before closing again. Then, everything was as it was again, with only a vague whisper present on the wind.

"…consequences…"

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AN: Hello, my adoring fans, and welcome to the next installation of Naruto of the Five Elements! I'm really sorry for not updating, and so have discovered that I can't be trusted with a schedule- at least, not until school is over and summer is here, anyway.

On another note, this will not be a "Naruto get's kickass and beats on Orochi, Madara, etc." fic. There will be other forces, involving not only the other bijuu, most likely, but also to do with the final scene of this chapter. Kyuubi is known as the Incarnation of Fire in some circles, true, but there are other things not meant to be shared.

By the way, not sure what happened with Hinata and Hiashi. I was only planning on using her for that one scene and maybe foe Naruto's team, but they just kind of shoved me aside and sat there. I guess this chapter's as much as filler as anything.

Finally, I'd like to encourage you all to take a look at my story And Let the Chaos Come. It's the prologue for another project of mine called Kami no Naruto, which will be a trilogy of sorts, with three parallel stories which will then meet up in one final book. First chapter(s) going up soon, and so I highly encourage you to check it out. I'm actually kinda disappointed with how it's been received, but… ah, well.

Have fun, mes amis, and see you soon! R&R, please- even just a word will do!

SoS