AN: Yay, chapter 4!

Chapter 4: Return

Trees rushed past him in an endless blur as he quickly navigated through the branches trying his best to avoid running into one as he continued pushing through the vegetation. With every breath he took a shattering wave of pain danced through his body and made it harder for him to concentrate on the task at hand, but he forced himself to keep moving through sheer will alone. He had to tell Tsunade of his discovery as soon as possible. He knew he should have come with the information as soon as he'd found out, but he had been hesitant to set foot anywhere near here. His presence could only mean danger to the village, and he had not spent the last ten years of his life trying to prevent that just to come back now and ruin everything. But now this knowledge was too important to continue ignoring it as he had been. It could possibly even mean the destruction of Konohagakure if they were not aware, and he wasn't prepared to just stand by and watch that happen if there was something he could do about it.

Struggling to keep his train of thought and focus on where he was going, he did not notice the abrupt halt of trees as he broke through the tree line and ended up jumping into open space. Falling through the air, he belatedly realized his error and twisted his body at the last minute to accommodate his landing, trying desperately to locate the forest floor through his disorientation. He just barely managed to land on his feet before he fell to his knees, pain scoring through his veins and dimming his vision until he could see nothing through the haze of it. Working to breathe through the heavy nausea it caused, he pushed the dizziness back and took better stock of his surroundings.

Behind him lay the dense fire country woodlands, spanning miles and miles until it reached the bordering lands and became rockier, eventually transforming into Suna desserts if one went far enough. Beneath his bare bandaged feet he could feel the soft green grass between his toes, leaves and twigs snapping as he shifted his weight to ease some of the pain in his back and legs. The break in trees had obviously been unexpected, but as he fully processed the sight in front of him he realized the necessity of it, something he possibly would have realized sooner if he had been in better health. Approximately 50 yards in front of him the slate grey bricks of the village wall rose high above his head, a sign that he was almost to his destination and could relay the information he had come to share. Just a little bit further and then he could lie down for a bit.

Struggling back to his feet once more, he stumbled over to the tall barrier before leaning heavily against it, all the while trailing blood as he went. The hot midday sun was burning high in the sky, and he felt a trickle of sweat slip down his neck and over his collar bone. He was positively burning up inside the heavy black material of his cloak, but he refused to take it off for fear of being recognized by any of the villagers. It was best if he just get into the village, tell Tsunade what he came to say, and then get back out again without causing any disturbances. Or getting the shit beat out of him. He wasn't really in prime shape to defend himself, much less fight back. Not that he would anyway, but still, it was the principal of the matter.

Sliding slowly down to his knees once more, he braced a hand against the cool stones of the wall and turned his head to the right, hacking up blood into the grass. The contrast of bright red against the green was startling and caused the ache between his eyebrows to become more palpable. Jerking back from the onslaught of discomfort he averted his gaze back to the calm grey of the village wall, and struggled to keep from falling over into the grass. His bloody hand slipped and smeared across the rough masonry leaving behind a rusty trail, but he managed to keep his balance without causing too much pain. He took a moment to regain his breathing as best he could and take stock of himself.

He could feel the ragged edges of the large gash on his back burn as sweat continued to mingle with the wound, blood pouring down and around his sides to seep through his layers of clothing. His double sword hilt rested along the outside of his clothing but beneath the heavy cloak, and the weight of it pressed against the injury and aggravated it with every step he took. There was also an older wound on his upper thigh that had reopened during his hurried traveling, and that too bled, warm streams dripping behind his knees and onto the ground. He did not think that anything was broken except for perhaps a couple ribs, and everything else was minor, like scrapes and bruises if he didn't count the chakra burns on his arms. He shuddered thinking exactly on why they were there.

The injuries themselves were pretty bad, but that wasn't what was slowly killing him. Sure he could probably bleed to death here on the forest floor if he waited long enough, but the poison in his veins would get to him first. It was what was really causing him so much pain. Damn Sasori and his freaky puppet army.

At the thought of the poison that was infecting his system, the fox demon inside him thrashed against the restraints of its cage further forcing its demonic chakra through his veins in an attempt to heal him, but it did no good. It only served to make the seal on his right shoulder blade burn as if it were being branded into his skin all over again. The burning sensation continued outward from the seal and radiated down both his arms, the searing pain causing the bleeding to pick up speed and seep through the once pristine bandages that wrapped around both his arms from the tops of his biceps all the way down to his wrists. This time his cries were more like screams of agony as the intricate chakra burns were reopened, and as he slowly recovered from the terrible pain he cursed the demon nine ways to hell under his breath, to which the demon responded by sending another surge of chakra through his system. He could feel his eyes flicker from blue to red and back again, each time causing his pupils to dilate into slits and sharpen his already excellent vision, which in turn made his head ache even more as he sight went from normal to abnormal repeatedly.

Piecing his resolve back together, he clambered back to his feet and, using the wall as a support, continued moving onward. Just a little bit farther and then he could rest. He just had to get into the village and to Tsunade so he could tell her about what was going on. It would have been a wasted trip otherwise. He decided to follow the wall to the left, hoping that his memory and calculations were correct, and the main gate was located not too far off. He knew there would be guards at the entrance, and he wasn't sure yet how he was going to get past them, but right know he was just hoping to make it to the gate at all.

Trying his best to keep from thinking of the pain, he pushed himself heavily onward, his pace slow but steady. Every step was an agony unto itself, but he thought of the damage that could be dealt to the village and its civilians if he failed in his mission, chastising himself for thinking of himself when there were more important matters at hand. Slowly but surely he walked about the perimeter of the village, following the wall as it was the only thing that kept him from falling over. Just as he was starting to recognize some of the foliage from many years past he caught sight of a small lone cherry blossom tree that was almost in full bloom and whimpered pitifully in the back of his throat. It reminded him all too much of the last time he had come back to the village seven years earlier. He had come back for Sasuke's and Sakura's wedding.

The ceremony had been a beautiful one, he not expecting anything less of the Uchiha heir. Cherry blossom petals had been everywhere, coating the ground and any available surface as they swirled and drifted down from the tree branches, their sent permeating throughout the whole village. Sakura had looked stunning in a long mint green kimono and deep cerulean obi, her features older and more matured since the last time he had seen her three years prior. Of course he had found Sasuke far better looking in comparison, swathed in the fabric of his deep blue yukata with the Uchiha fan embroidered on the back, his eyes sharp and full of light where once there had been none, but that was neither here nor there. It had none the less been a sight for hungry eyes.

He and Jariaya had stayed far back and out of sight, watching from a distance as they exchanged their vows and the crowd cheered gleefully. Almost the entire village was present; each of them happy to finally see the last of the great Uchiha clan getting married. From where he and Jariaya had stood, both of his former teammates had looked so happy, both of them flushed, their eyes dancing with excitement. He was happy for them, too. Sakura was finally getting what she had always dreamed of, and it appeared that Sasuke was finally in a good place. That was all he had ever hoped for.

As the memory slowly faded away he felt a now familiar hollow feeling amongst all of the pain, and lurched to a stop right alongside the pink tree, falling to his knees for the third time. Perhaps this was how it felt to be completely worthless. His purpose and reason to live and been seen through, and now he was no longer needed. There was nothing else he wished to see accomplished, and sometimes he truly couldn't find a reason to keep living. The only thing left to him was the demon and the duty to keep it from Akatsuki, but recently he had been feeling so tired, as if he had not slept for years. What if he just died? No one would mourn or grieve his death. He could just slip away quietly into the nothing. Then no one would get the demon, and he could finally get some rest.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, he shook himself from his thoughts and thought of how much further he had left to go. He tried desperately to get his legs to support him once again, but they would not listen, and he slowly began to realize that he might not make it. Due to the seal that had been forcibly placed on him, his chakra reserves were already abnormally low, and now they were almost completely drained do to all the energy he had expended by running to get here from rain country. To add to it, the seal also prevented him from accessing any of the Kyuubi's chakra and without it he wasn't healing as he normally would have. He had been continuously bleeding for far too long and the poison was definitely not helping anything. Damn it and he had been so close, too.

He could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth and could even smell the cloying stench of it. It made his stomach flip-flop uncomfortably. It was as if he were being burned from the inside out, every inch of his body feeling as if it were flayed open. It was unpleasant to say the least.

Through the overwhelming sensations he vaguely felt two approaching chakra signatures, and tried to get his muddled mind to process whether they were a danger or not. Slowly, he unraveled the energy so that he could read the signals properly, the task causing his head to explode in a new agony with the mental effort. Using the last bit of chakra left to him, he successfully deciphered the signatures as belonging to Konoha nin. He continued to read through the information present hoping to sense whether or not he should be worried when he realized who both the chakra signatures belonged to. He felt a shock jolt through his system at the revelation. It built up in his stomach, butterflies slamming against his insides and causing another pained cry to fall from his lips.

Bloody hell he was literally burning up! What the hell kind of poison had Sasori used this time! He tried desperately to calm himself and regain control, but all he could think about was that, here he was dying and out of everyone in the village these were the two people to come along and watch it happen.

Finally, he could feel both anbu as they jumped from their positions in the trees and stop before him where he kneeled slumped against the wall. The anbu to the right of him exuded a familiar cool and commanding chakra that washed over his heated and broken body, surprisingly easing some of the pain if only slightly. He found that rather cliché given the circumstances and would have laughed if he had been able to, but what the hell. He would take any relief he could get. Before he could lift his head from against the cool wall pressing against his side, the ninja spoke.

"State your name, village, and purpose."

That voice. God, it had been so long since he had heard that voice. It was the same if only a bit deeper and it made his bones tingle. It was a really weird sensation that thrilled and worried him. Maybe the poison was frying his brain.

Finally finding the strength to lift his head, he turned to see blood red and powder white eyes staring mercilessly at him from behind animal masks, waiting expectantly for his response. The rest of the anbus' faces were hidden behind a snarling wolfs mask and an eagle mask respectively. Long, dark hair flowed in straight lines along the sides of the eagle mask and from a crimson tie at the back of the anbu's head that shone brightly in the sun. Slowly he realized that they were probably waiting for him to reveal his own face seeing as the hood blocked their view. He watched as the anbu to the right slightly tilted his head waiting on him to respond. Black blue bangs fell across the bone white mask and into the wolf's crimson eyes.

He raised his trembling hands to the hem of his rough black hood, wincing as even that caused pain to course through him. Jerkily, he drew the material back allowing it to fall from his head completely. He felt his long hair free itself from the confines of the fabric and drop heavily past his shoulders in slight waves to sway in tangles around his waist. Hmm, he must have lost his last hair tie in the battle with Deidara. He fought him before Sasori right?

His bright blue eyes squinted in the glare of the sun and he let out grunt, his head shattering in pain from the stimulation. For a moment he was completely blind, unable to focus on the two familiar men before him. He listened as a hot wind rustled through the leaves and pushed a long strand of his blonde hair back from his face, brushing against his heated and scarred cheeks. He could feel more blood slip down his chin in wet rivulets. It slid hotly down his neck, and he imagined the red of it against his skin.

Carefully, he cleared his throat wetly and responded. "Uzumaki Naruto, former resident of Konohagakure, and I have some information Tsunade-sama needs to hear." His voice came out weak and hoarse and he wasn't sure that the anbu could really hear him, but regardless, he turned to the side and coughed up more blood. It burned as it came up his throat, and with every cough he could feel the demon push more chakra into his system where it seared through his veins and caused him more pain. Through the ringing in his ears he could hear the crunch of grass as one of the anbu moved forward and, expecting some sort of violence, he closed his eyes in preparation, when suddenly he felt cool fingers grasp his chin, tilting his head upwards and into the now jet black gaze above him. Okay, he hadn't been expecting that at all.

He felt the Kyuubi thrash against his cage once more, and furrowed his brow as his eyes dilated repeatedly, everything jumping into focus, chakra swirling visibly in blue and red rivulets about the man before him, and then dulling until the colors where no longer present. It made him light headed as his vision continued to change rapidly, unable to process exactly what he was seeing. Blindly he reached up to grasp a pale wrist in his burning hand as the world tilted and swayed about him. As things started to fade he uttered the only thing he could.

"Sas-ke."

As soon as he opened his eyes he was up and crouching on the thin mattress as if he were an animal about to pounce. Without any hesitation his eyes roved anxiously over the room trying to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. The first thing he realized was that it was really white. Everything was either a sterile color or grey. The next thing he noticed was that it was really quiet.

Was he in heaven? Wait did he even believe in a heaven? No. He didn't, and even if he did, he wouldn't think of himself as belonging in heaven. But he was dead wasn't he? Hadn't he had that hallucination of Sasuke and Neji coming along to watch him die? But wait. If he was dead then why did his body still hurt so much?

As Naruto realized there was no immediate danger he relaxed his posture and slumped against the cool, white wall behind him, trying to breathe around the pain that still permeated throughout him. Looking down the length of his body, he realized that his torso was basically completely wrapped in bandages, as were his arms, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. He still wore his dirty ragged black cargo pants, but his legs and feet were wrapped in clean bandages as well instead of the dirty ones he had been wearing before. His hair hung in long clean strands about his shoulders, and he cautiously picked up a clump that hung in his vision and took a whiff. It smelled clean, too.

Putting together all of this information, Naruto realized that he must be in the hospital or something. That meant he wasn't dead. Well, he guessed that was good. He still had information to tell Tsunade after all. Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he attempted to stand up and found that it was a little hard if not very painful. His head spun a little as he got completely to his feet, but he stubbornly remained standing. The clean white tiles were cold beneath his bare feet, but he quickly got used to it. His skin being hotter than a normal person's, it actually felt kind of refreshing. Carefully stretching and tensing his muscles in a quick physical check he found that they were stiff and very sore from the poison, but he felt nothing like he had earlier on. Wait what day was it? How long had he been asleep? Not only that but where was Tsunade? He still had to tell her of his findings. Glancing towards the window in the room, he saw a pink and orange sunset fading over the buildings as twilight settled in. Not much of an indicator as to the date, but it would have to do for now.

Tossing his hair behind his shoulders so that it hung down his back, he scanned the room in search of his missing clothing items, but couldn't find them. His fishnet and cloak where gone, but leaning against the wall beside the only door in the room was his double sword hilt with his short swords tucked into the leather thongs. They were a one of a kind pair, with curved blades, and intricate handles that protruded from the x formation of the hilt.

Moving quickly but stiffly across the room, Naruto scooped up the blades, and placed them carefully across his back, sweeping his hair out of the way before letting it fall back over the weapons, efficiently concealing the relatively small blades. Warily he opened the door, being sure to be as quite as possible, and glanced both ways down the hallway. It didn't look like the hospital; it looked more like the Hokage tower. That meant he was probably in one of Tsunade's private examining rooms. That also meant that he was closer to Tsunade's office, which was definitely good. Without his cloak, he didn't want to be walking around the village whether it was broad daylight or not.

Stepping out into the hallway, Naruto felt completely exposed, and as he quietly padded down the hallway to the right he worried that someone would walk around the corner at any moment and discover him sneaking about. Behind him to the left of the examining room he had been in the hallway ended in a dead end with a window mounted on the back wall overlooking a courtyard, so he continued to the right until he came to another hallway that branched to the right as well. Unsure of where he was, he decided to follow it hoping that Tsunade's office was on the same floor.

It continued like that for awhile, Naruto turning down whatever hallway came first hoping to find something that would point him in the right direction. Eventually he looked out a window and found that he was on the fifth floor. That meant that Tsunade's office was on the floor above him. Well that would have been useful information to have about an hour ago. Thankfully no one had come running after him or anything during that time. Turning right for maybe the third time in a row in hopes of finding a stairwell, he noticed a person sitting on the windowsill to his left and almost jumped out of his skin when he realized who it was.

Kakashi looked the same as ever, silver hair sticking up in a messy disarray, headband and mask still in place. His flack vest was unbuttoned and beneath it he wore a sleeveless black ninja shirt showing off his muscular and surprisingly unscarred arms. In his hands he held the same orange book that Naruto had seen so many times in his childhood, his former sensei's attention riveted on the text. It made something small and melancholy stir in his stomach before he squashed it beneath his slight annoyance and the pain in his body.

"Is it just me or are you always reading the exact same book?" Didn't he ever get tired of reading the same thing over and over again? Besides that, wasn't it one of Jariaya's porno books? That stuff was just pure drivel!

"Ah, Naruto. I was wondering when you were going to come along. Are you sure you should be out of bed so soon?" Kakashi drawled, sounding the same as ever, not once raising his eyes to look at Naruto.

"Jesus, some things never change." Naruto scoffed under his breath. "Care to show me to Tsunade's office since that is probably what she assigned you to do?" Couldn't he have come along and just escorted him? Why was everything so complicated with this man!

"Why, Naruto, have you gotten smarter while you were away?" This time Kakashi did look at him, his eyebrow raised in mirth. "I would be happy to show you the way." He stood from his seated position on the window, and placed a cool hand on Naruto's shoulder, smiling up at him with a warm grey eye. This time the small feeling of melancholy returned full force and Naruto smiled sadly back at his once sensei. This was going to be one hell of a day.

Wait a second, did Kakashi smile up at him? Looking down at his sensei, Naruto couldn't help but be startled at the height difference. It was small, he was perhaps only a couple inches taller, but the last time he had checked he had been much shorter than most everyone his age in the village!

"My, my, Naruto it appears you had a bit of a growth spurt." Kakashi drawled, sarcasm and glee dripping from every syllable. He took a step back and fully examined his ex-student, making Naruto squirm in discomfort. "Hmm, how is it that all of my male students got taller than me?" Kakashi mumbled, shaking his head slowly.

"Holy Hell, I got big!" Naruto finally exclaimed fully realizing the change in him since leaving. Kakashi sweat dropped.

"Naruto, how could you not notice your own growth?"

Naruto thought back to the months that had easily spanned into years where he had gone completely without human contact as long as you didn't count Akatsuki attacks. It was hard to compare height differences while fending for your life. He thought of the trees, and the rivers, and the mountains and how they had always been so much bigger than him and always would be. He thought of the loneliness and silence that seemed to span such great distances that he could no longer see their beginning.

Choosing not to divulge such sad details, Naruto locked the sorrow away within him and forced a small grin onto his face. Scratching the back of his head in a show of nonchalance he replied, "I guess I didn't get as smart as you thought I did, sensei."

Kakashi appeared to frown beneath his mask, but before he could say anything more, Naruto turned and began to walk away.

"Come on sensei! Are you going to show me the way or not?" Sometimes Kakashi was too smart. That was probably why he and Sasuke had always been better together. Both had been young prodigies after all, and both had gone through terrible tragedies as well. He had just never factored into the equation.

"Naruto you're going the wrong way." Kakashi called after him, the amusement apparent in his voice. Naruto stopped for a moment and sighed inwardly before turning back around.

"Then show me the way!" He said in aggravation.

Kakashi chuckled before turning in the appropriate direction, nose buried back in his dirty book. Naruto just rolled his eyes and followed after him. Their progress was carried out in silence, Kakashi turning at all the appropriate times without once raising his eyes from the text before him. Naruto soon began to realize that he had been walking around in circles earlier, and felt the urge to hit him-self for being so dumb. Why was the Hokage Tower so big anyway!

Soon they arrived at the main stairwell located in the center of the building. Kakashi easily reached the top of the stairs, eyes still riveted on the text in front of him. Naruto got about ten steps up before he had to stop, his knuckles white from grasping the banister so hard. He had forgotten about the injured ribs, but he was definitely remembering now. His side burned in pain, and he found it hard to breathe much less scale the remaining stairs. Due to the fucking seal he was always in some sort of pain without the Kyuubi's recuperative powers.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Kakashi called down from the top of the stairs. Naruto straightened and eased his grip on the railing. "Yeah, I'm good." To make up for his slight stall and to persuade Kakashi of his health, he jogged up the remaining steps and ignored the burning. As he reached the next floor he began to recognize where he was and felt a spark of excitement dance through him. He was going to get to see Tsunade again.

Naruto picked up the pace and unconsciously took the lead as he remembered the way to Tsunade's office. As they neared the large ornate doors, Naruto heard what he thought to be Shizune speaking in a hurried manner and stopped just outside the slightly open entry to listen.

"…can't find him anywhere. He must have woken up, Hokage-sama." There was the sound of fabric rustling then "Woke up! How could that boy possibly have woken up and left his room with the injuries he had! It hasn't even been an entire day yet! I sent Kakashi down there not but an hour ago to watch him!"

Well that answered a few questions. Naruto threw a scathing glare towards his irresponsible sensei, who only shrugged in reply before returning to his book just as another voice piped up. "Hokage-sama, you know not to trust Kakashi-sensei with anything of importance." It said with a hint of sarcasm. Sasuke.

Naruto struggled with the emotions that rose at the thought of that name and forced them down, before turning back towards Kakashi.

"What the hell is wrong with you sensei? Why do you insist on making things more complicated than they have to be!"

"Oh come now Naruto, I make things more fun."

"More fun my ass." Naruto mumbled loudly before the door burst open. Tsunade stood there amber eyes glaring and hands on her hips. Basically she looked pissed.

"You. In. Now." She growled at Naruto. Behind her Naruto could just make out the backs of two anbu clad people and didn't have a hard time guessing who they were.

"Yeah, yeah, nice to see you too Tsunade-baba." He said before walking past her and into the room with Kakashi following close behind.

"Oh no, don't you dare call me that." Tsunade warned before closing the door behind her. "Not after the scare you gave me. Uchiha and Hyuuga brought you to me practically dead! What the hell happened and why isn't Jaraiya with you?" Tsunade moved to stand behind her desk, waiting for a reply.

"Aren't you supposed to keep their identities hidden while there in uniform?" Naruto asked, hoping to stall her.

"Shut it gaki. You know who they are anyway. Just answer the question?"

"That was actually two questions, Tsunade-baba. Perhaps you've grown senile while I was gone."

"Naruto," She hissed, "Don't fuck around."

Naruto sighed. He felt the melancholy rise within his stomach again. It had been so long. It felt as if the life he had once shared with all of these people stood somewhere far behind him and he would never again be able to reach it. The melancholy grew into sorrow at the thought. Resisting the unexpected urge to turn and look towards Sasuke, Naruto stared into the expectant amber eyes of Tsunade and answered honestly.

"I separated ways with him seven years ago." His voice was monotonous as he managed to keep it under tight control. After the wedding he had just been so tired. Tired of living, tired of fighting, and tired of putting everyone in danger.

"What!" Tsunade cried. She stormed around her desk and pushed herself into Naruto's face, her anger rolling off her in waves. "The only reason I let you walk out of my office ten years ago was, because I believed you would be safe with him." Her voice was lethally quiet. "And then you go and just decide to wander around on your own!" She slammed her fist into the wall just beside Naruto's head leaving a sizeable hole in it.

This, however, did nothing to deter Naruto.

"Safe!" he cried back. His stomach hurt and his head was pounding and he was angry. "No one is ever safe near me, not even someone as strong as Jariaya!" Mainly angry at himself. "I left him, because not even a day went by where I wasn't putting him in some kind of danger. After the wedding we got ambushed, and that was the final straw! Hidan almost cleaved him in half! I couldn't continue to risk his life like that!" Naruto felt the pain radiate down his arms as his anger continued, a sign that his chakra was trying to flare in his emotion despite the seal. Taking a couple deep breaths he worked to calm himself down before anything more could happen.

"You were at the wedding?" A soft voice asked from just behind him. Naruto knew exactly who it belonged to. Whirling around he saw Sakura standing in the doorway with a small child perched on her hip. It had been so long since he had last seen her that his heart skipped a beat with excitement and perhaps even a little bit of fear. She looked older, and stronger, and her hair was almost as long as his. Her emerald eyes were bright and sharp as they rested on him, but it was the child in her arms that held his attention.

The first thing that came to his mind was gorgeous. She was perhaps no older than six with ebony, long, curly hair. Her skin was so pale and soft looking and her lips were full and rosy. Naruto could feel her faint and unfamiliar chakra presence brush against his skin, and felt his eyes unconsciously dilate until they were narrow slits, no doubt very red. Her aura was a deep red with a hint of blue in it. A thin ribbon of green ran through the middle of it as if it were trying to keep it all together, most likely contributed by Sakura.

"She looks just like Sasuke." He whispered.

Seemingly unfazed by the way Naruto's eyes had changed, Sakura gave a small smile and replied. "Her name is Akane."

Naruto gave a smile in return. Akane was a perfect name for her.

"She'll definitely have the sharingan. I can see it." He said.

Sakura appeared confused but before she could say anything Tsunade was in front of him again, tilting his head down to get a better look at his transformed eyes. He was at least a couple heads taller than her. "Naruto what happened to your eyes?" She asked, her voice a lot calmer than it had been moments before. Instead it had been replaced with curiosity and a little bit of worry.

Naruto focused on her and saw ribbons and swirls of orange and yellow energy dancing before him. Blinking, he felt his eyes return to normal. He could also feel the three gazes of Kakashi, Sasuke, and Neji all on him, waiting for his reply. Shizune had long since scurried from the room.

Pulling his head from Tsunade's grasp he answered. "A lot has happened Tsunade-sama, but I came back only to deliver some information." Naruto felt himself close up as he fully realized that Sasuke and Sakura had obviously had a kid together. They were married and in love and had a beautiful little girl. Something sharp and tight struck him, but he chose to ignore it. The urge to look at Sasuke arose again, but he too ignored it knowing it would probably be unwelcome. He wouldn't be able to see anything except for the emotionless wolf mask anyway.

An annoyed expression crossed Tsunade's face. "Naruto, whatever you came to say can wai-"

"No. It can't." He interrupted softly. "It can't wait and no one is going to like it." He gave in to the relentless urge to look at Sasuke, looking around Tsunade to stare into those dark eyes for the first time in years. He felt a bit of fear and apprehension rise but pushed it down. It was now or never.

"Orochimaru is alive."

TBC