A/N: I'm sure all of my lovely fans absolutely adored the ending for chapter three…so would any of you like to know the truth?

Chapter 4

"…Naruto? I…I think it's time you…know the truth…" Naruto hadn't exactly been…awake, shall we say, for the past few moments; so at first, he wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about. But as soon as he figured it out, he wasn't so asleep anymore.

"The…truth?" he asked, still unsure if he even wanted to know the truth.

"Yeah…I mean, everyone else…knows…Neji told them…And so…" she looked away for a second, clenching her eyes shut. Then, she stared at him with the most unrelenting look she had ever given him. "But only…only on one condition will I tell you…P-please tell me…where did you go after I ran away?"

Naruto was taken aback. What kind of a question was that? Where did he go…Pft! Was it not her who had disappeared? Why was she so concerned anyway? But…if Naruto ever wanted to learn the truth (and I mean ever!) he would have to just go with it. "I…was…busy…"

"Oh, c'mon, Naruto-sensei, you've got to have a better answer than that! You're talking like that freakin'…" she stopped. She almost said Sasuke…and that would be bad. "Anyway…You've got to have a better answer than that!"

"And what if I don't, huh? Are we just going to go through our lives not knowing your secret?"

"Um, Naruto…We all know…" he just stared at them with that weird face he always makes, then turned to Takara.

"…I guess then…fine. I'll tell you…I was…thinking…"

Takara raised an eyebrow. "What's so secretive about that? Were you…in the bathroom or something?"

o.O

"NO! WHAT KINDA SICK, TWISTED FREAK WOULD EVEN THINK THAT! THAT IS THE SINGLE STUPIDEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD!" After this sudden…outburst…Naruto just stared at a very shocked Takara with a look of disgust. So, she replied in the only way she could have possibly replied in this situation…she added to the yelling.

"SHUT UP! I MEAN, HOW CAN YOU MAKE SUCH A BIG DEAL OUT OF THINKING! THAT'S ALL I WAS DOING TOO I SUPPOSE, SO THERE!" And after both of them fumed for awhile, they regained their composures and finally started to be serious.

"Alright, since now I finally know where you were, we can…(sigh)…get on with it…" she paused(again). Naruto looked on intently.

"Yes?" Everyone else also looked on in agony. Why was she drawing this out so long? Takara made a weird face, and then…finally began.

"Here goes…Long before the Ninja nations were formed, this land was ruled by warlords. The name tells it all. The rulers of this land challenged any country they could find. Unfortunately, they ALWAYS lost. So, they made a plan. They would create the perfect soldier to do their biding so that they could win. And…they succeeded. His name was Kai, the first prototype. He was seemingly perfect. He could use any weapon efficiently, learn any skill, and had the intelligence of the entire world all rolled up into one. In his very first battle, he defeated his opponent in five minutes. When they first sent him to war, he beat the rival army single-handedly. But…it wasn't as if he wanted to. They forced, telling him it was his purpose. However, he begged to differ. Kai knew that there was something out there bigger for him. So he tried to tell them to let him go…"

Flashback…

"Please! I just know this life isn't for me! Please, just let me go!"

"Are you kidding?" snickered one of the lords. "This life is why you were created! You have nothing bigger for you. This is all you have!"

Kai looked on with resolve. He wasn't about to give up yet. "Then I will just leave, with or without your permission!" He turned to leave, when…

"The moment you step out that door, a curse shall be put upon your head!"

"W-what is that supposed to mean!"

"I mean…Once you leave to find out what's out there, you will get the full extent! You will become a weak, bloodthirsty human, just like the rest of us! In other words, every time you see blood, you will not stop until you get it all. And if ever you were to make friends or fall in love, that person will become your one and only weakness, and you will die because of so!"

Kai could not speak. He looked around at the menacing faces staring at him.

"What's the matter? Scared?"

"No! I don't care what you say! This life is not for me!"

End of flashback…

"And so, he was cursed…No matter what he did, if someone wanted to fight him, he would have to kill them. Eventually, this drove him mad and he killed himself, so no one ever got a chance to see if the second curse actually worked. But they would, as soon as another perfect being was created. The lords needed one, and would stop at nothing to create one again. But they didn't have enough resources to make one. So, they formulated a plan. Instead of having to make one from scratch, they would just use a human child to do their bidding. Although this would take longer, they didn't mind. All they wanted was to continue on their plan for world domination. While the technique they used to possess a child was similar to the beginnings of a kekkei genkai, but it wasn't like that. See, so that no one could find out exactly what they were doing, the process would not go to a single family, but to any. Where the child ended up didn't matter. But what did matter was that the child didn't have ties to the outside world; no more wild "better life" stories. To do this, the lords but a secondary curse on the child: when it was born, its parents…would die."

The group was wide-eyed all around, especially for those…who knew what that felt like, to be alone. Takara took another pause, then resumed her tale.

"This would go on continuously, year after year, but the result would always be the same in the end. A soldier, or as the public began to call them, Elementals, would always find that weakness the lords had first predicted they would. Or they would just go mad from the blood. But around the time the Ninja nations arose, the Elementals found a way to keep from the danger of the blood: you see, if they drew their own blood first, the curse would be void. So, if a ninja were ever to fight an opponent that cut himself before they began, they would initially know who they were…"

"So wait…" asked Naruto. " Is it still happening? Is there still an Elemental?"

"You idiot. Why would she be telling us this if there wasn't?" Neji said wryly. Naruto was still confused. Why was Takara telling them this? Unless…

"Takara! You aren't…"

Takara nodded. "The very first female Elemental. When I was born, I had no one. No one that is, until Sensei came. She found me and trained me in every jutsu she knew! And I even taught her some! She didn't, belong to a village, but she was still the best ninja out there! When I turned 11, she sent me on a mission: 'Battle the strongest ninja from every village. Win, and gain their hitai as your prize. When you complete your mission, find me again.' And so I did…"

"But wait," Neji interrupted, "you said that you were supposed to challenge the strongest fighter from each village. Have you not come to Konoha yet?"

"Yes, I have. Why do you ask?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Because you didn't challenge any of us…"

Takara laughed. "I have to admit…when I came to Konoha, I was a bit anxious. It was my last village you see, so I just challenged the first high-ranked ninja I found. I beat him, went back to Sensei, and she said my training was over. She said that now, the only thing I would have to worry about was people who would come after me. So, I decided to hide out here until I found a permanent home. Frankly, Konoha was my favorite."

"So what did you do with all the headbands?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Suddenly, Takara disappeared. Everyone looked around wildly until she reappeared coming from the direction of the village. In her hands, a pack, a pack Naruto remembered as the one she had worn the day they had met. She sat back down in her place and opened the bag.

Everyone gasped. In the sack were about a hundred hitai-ate. As they each picked one out, some found bands they had never even seen before. Throughout it all, Takara sat there smiling, as if every band congratulated her on a job well done. When the commotion was over with, she nodded and looked around the group, "Any questions?"

The guy with the dog raised his hand, "Yeah, I got one. Who was the guy you faced?" Takara blinked and laughed.

"To tell you the truth, I never learned his name! But, it was a battle I will never forget…"

"Why?"

"Because. After I sent him to the hospital, one of his friends came after me and challenged me. He was one of the strongest opponents I ever had. Almost won, matter of fact…"

"And do you remember the name of this ninja?" asked Ino.

Takara smiled. "Yep! Hatake Kakashi!"

End of Chapter 4!

A/N: I bet you guys are tired of this…But this is my signature, so deal with it! And if you have any questions, or think you can figure out the pairs, just REVIEW!