Before this chapter begins, I just want to give a fair warning. In this story, there will be places that don't exist in the anime/manga, so please keep in mind, this story won't be entirely canon. Also, I am sorry if I make Tsunade appear as a bad person, she has never been one of my favorite characters, so my own personal prejudice may show through.
Naruto's POV
Mumbling slightly as I slowly woke up, I became aware of what felt like someone rubbing me on top of the head. Opening my eyes, I looked up, only to see Kurama absentmindedly petting my head, a smile on her face. Blinking, she looked down at me, and upon seeing that I was awake, her eyes widened, and her smile vanished as she pointedly looked away, blushing slightly. "O-oh, good morning, Naruto." She said, clearing her throat awkwardly, and I looked at her in confusion for a few seconds.
"W-were you just... Petting me?" I asked feeling more confused than upset. Blushing again, she quickly shook her head.
"N-no! Maybe you imagined it." She said, and I gave her a deadpan look, before shaking my head and rolling my eyes, deciding that this was something I was probably going to have to get used to with her around.
"Whatever, anyways, are you hungry?" I asked, and her stomach growled in response. Taking that as an answer, I stretched, separating from her tails and reaching for my backpack. Looking inside, I frowned, as the only food I had was dry ramen and wrapped loaves of uncut bread. Sighing, I held out one of the loaves of bread for her. "Here, not sure if you'll like it plain, but it's all I have besides dry ramen." I said, and she took it, giving it a curious look, before taking a bite, shrugging a few seconds later.
"It's ok... So, do you want to try summoning a fox now?" She asked, taking another bite of her bread, and I walked towards the mouth of the cave. Already, I could feel the temperature beginning to rise as the sun climbed higher into the sky. It was already slightly past mid morning. Turning and stretching once again, I shook my head, much to her confusion.
"It's already getting late into the morning. Maybe if I woke up earlier, I could have tried it, but if we want to make it to The Hidden Sand Village before it gets to hot, we should start heading out now. I could always try when we get there." I said, and she nodded, standing up as I grabbed my backpack, before following after me as I began walking. "So, how big do these foxes get? The toads can get pretty large; I just don't want to summon a fox, and have it cause damage to the Hidden Sand Village." I said, and she looked thoughtful.
"Well, some of them are pretty big..." She said, before noticing my look of apprehension. "But you shouldn't have to worry about summoning them, unless you're in Sage Mode." She said, and I looked at her in confusion.
"Sage Mode?" I asked, and she blinked, before frowning.
"Huh, I would have thought that old pervert would have taught you about Sage Mode..." She said, shaking her head. "Remind me to take you to the Land of Tofu." She said, before sighing. "Anyways, Sage Mode is a state that can be reached by mixing Nature Energy and your own chakra in order to make a new chakra called Sage Jutsu Chakra. In Sage Mode, you can get new techniques, as well as make yourself even stronger." She said, and I frowned.
"Why wouldn't the Pervy Sage teach me about Sage Mode? That sounds pretty awesome!" I said, and she looked away.
"Well, it can be dangerous taking in Nature Energy, so that could be why he didn't mention it." She said. I looked at her questioningly for a few seconds, and she sighed. "Taking in too much of it can cause... mutation." She said, and I stayed silent for a few seconds.
"Mutation? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, if you train under the Fox Sage, if you take in too much Nature Energy, you can completely turn into a fox; Losing all that made you human..." She said, and I nodded silently, thinking about the risks, before shrugging.
"So, when can I start learning how to enter Sage Mode? You seem to know a lot about it, are you able to teach me?" I asked, and she looked at me in surprise for a few seconds, before chuckling.
"Still eager to get stronger, are you? Unfortunately, I wouldn't be the one teaching you. We would have to go to the Land of Tofu." She said.
"You keep saying that, but what is the Land of Tofu? I've never heard of that place." I said, and she smiled.
"You wouldn't find it on a map. The Land of Tofu is like the Toads' Mt. Miyōboku. It is an island where the foxes reside, and it's location has been kept secret." She said, before looking serious. "Now, if I show you the island, you can't tell anyone where it is, or anything about it. It is a location that has been untouched by humans, and I would rather it stay that way, got that?" She asked, and I nodded. Smiling once again, she nodded in satisfaction. "Good!" She said, before falling silent, as we continued on to the Hidden Sand.
Shikamaru's POV
Standing outside of Naruto's house, I sighed, knocking for the fifth time on his door. Nobody around the village had seen him since yesterday, and as much of a drag it was to walk all the way over here, I decided to check on him. Even though he generally stayed to himself, it was unusual not to at least see him wandering around the village. "Oh come on, Naruto. I know you're in there. Don't tell me you're upset we weren't around on your birthday..." I said, getting nothing but silence. Frowning, I began to get the feeling something was wrong. Trying the doorknob, I blinked in confusion when I found that it was unlocked. "Hey, Naruto, are you ok?" I asked, before looking around. Naruto wasn't here. In fact, none of his things were here; His house was empty. It was as if no one was living here. Concerned, I decided to ask Lady Tsunade if she knew where Naruto was. Making my way to the Hokage's office, I knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, Lady Shizune opened it.
"Oh, good morning, Shikamaru." She said, and I nodded.
"Good morning, is Lady Tsunade here?" I asked, and she nodded, opening the door for me.
"She is, she was just about to call for you." She said, before turning around. "My Lady; Shikamaru is here to see you." She called. Looking at her in confusion for a few seconds, I walked in. Lady Tsunade was at her desk, however, instead of being busy with paperwork, she looked troubled. Looking up, she sighed.
"Hey, Shikamaru, I was just about to call for you. It's about Naruto..." She said, and I straightened up, my attention on her.
"That's why I'm here. No one has seen him since yesterday, and when I went to check on him, his house was empty. Do you know where he is?" I asked, and she sighed, steepling her hands.
"He's gone... He's been exiled. As for where he is, when the ANBU and I last saw him, he was at the border between us and the Land of Wind." She said, and my eyes widened.
"What?! Why would you exile him after everything he's done for the village?!" I asked, and she frowned, standing up and looking out at the village through the window.
"Look, I offered him the chance to return, but he refused. I didn't want to exile him, but the point of the matter is that he put the village in grave danger." She said, and I opened my mouth, looking at her in shock.
"W-what did he do?" I asked, unable to picture Naruto doing anything that would bring the village he loved to any kind of danger.
"The Ninetails is no longer sealed away. Naruto released the seal..." She said, clenching her fist.
"Did you ask him why? I mean... Hasn't the Ninetails tried to escape before? Isn't it possible it managed to escape this time?" I asked, and Tsunade sighed.
"Maybe, but Naruto seemed pretty chummy with her..." She said, her eyes darkening. "Do you understand now why he's been exiled? Like I said before, I offered him the chance to return, but he already made up his mind. He turned his back on the village, and in turn, has chose the life of a rogue ninja." She said, sitting back down.
"I-I..." I stammered, trying to decide what to think.
"Anyways, it's too late now. I really don't like making this decision, but I need you to let the others know that if Naruto is seen near the village, they are to attack on sight and drive him away." She said, and my head snapped up so I could look at her. Having made up my mind, I shook my head.
"No. I will not!" I said, and she looked at me in shock.
"What? Are you saying that you're going to ignore a direct order from your Hokage?" She asked, and I turned around, walking towards the door. "Hey! Where do you think you're going? I'm not done yet!" She shouted, and I stopped for a few seconds.
"Don't get me wrong, if Naruto actually made an attempt to harm the village, I would lay my life on the line to stop him; I wouldn't even hesitate. But I will not harm someone who hasn't done anything, especially a friend. As for not wanting to come back, can you blame him? Ever since I can remember, people treated him with fear and hatred. Even his own friends avoided him on his birthday... Would you be willing to return to that?" I asked, and she remained quiet. "Now, are you going to exile me too for disobeying you? If so, prepare to exile all of Naruto's friends, because none of us are going to follow that order!" I said, before walking out, leaving Tsunade in silence. Quickly making my way into the village, I began looking for the others. Passing by the Yakiniku Q, I heard Choji. Walking inside, I saw that not only was Choji here, but Iruka-Sensai and the others as well. The only one not here was Sakura. Looking up, Choji waved.
"Shikamaru! Come on, sit down, Iruka-Sensai is buying!" He said, and Iruka sweatdropped.
"J-just try not to get too much." He said, and I gave him a sympathetic look, before remembering why I was here in the first place.
"That can wait! It's Naruto!" I said, and Iruka looked at me in confusion.
"Is he ok?" He asked, and Neji nodded, looking concerned.
"Yeah, where is he? Sakura went to get him yesterday for the party, but I haven't seen either of them since..." He said.
"Naruto has been exiled! Lady Tsunade has declared him a rogue ninja!" I said, and Iruka dropped his chopsticks, looking shocked, and the group grew silent.
"N-Naruto?" Hinata whispered, the color draining from her face.
"What?! Why?" Iruka demanded, and I sighed, lowering my voice as other people began to look.
"Apparently, the seal holding the Ninetails has been undone. Tsunade says that she gave him a chance to return, but he refused. He was last seen near the Land of Wind's border, but Tsunade is already planning on telling us all to attack him on sight if he is seen near the village." I said, and Neji scoffed.
"Has she gone insane? None of us would attack him!" He said, and I agreed.
"I said the same thing. Naruto has done so much for this village, and for us. I certainly wouldn't attack him like she wants." I said, and Iruka stood up.
"Well, I'm going to see if I can go talk to Tsunade about all this..." He said, setting money on the table for the food, before walking out. Taking this time to sit down, I sighed.
"We're going to go find Naruto, aren't we?" Choji asked, and I looked up in surprise.
"I'm in if you two are going. We already lost Sasuke, I'd hate to lose another friend." Ino chimed in, and I blinked, before sighing again.
"Yeah, but not to bring him back..." I said, and everyone looked at me in surprise.
"W-what do you mean?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide, and I frowned.
"Think about it, Naruto has been branded as a rogue shinobi, he'd only be attacked if he came back. And even if Lady Tsunade were to change her mind, the Ninetails has still been released, and the only person who knew how to seal it away in the first place was the Fourth Hokage, and he's dead. The village would never accept him back anyways. If we go looking for Naruto, it would be to say goodbye." I said, and Hinata looked down at the table.
"I-in that case, may I come along too? I-I would like to see Naruto again." She said, and Neji shook his head.
"Hinata, you can't! You're a part of the main branch, and you have a reputation to keep for the Hyuga clan. You can't just up and leave the village!" He said.
"It's not up to you, Neji!" She said, raising her voice slightly, before quieting down again. "I-I claim to like Naruto, yet I wasn't even there for him on his birthday... I-I want to apologize to him." She said, and Neji stayed quiet. Frowning, I stood up.
"Well, if we're going, we should start getting ready before Lady Tsunade decides to put us all under watch. Get everything you need, then meet up at the gate." I said, and the others nodded, before we all headed out. Ten minutes later, Ino, Choji, Hinata, and I, as well as Kiba and Akamaru, gathered at the gate.
"I hope you don't mind Akamaru and I coming along, we figured you'd need help tracking Naruto." Kiba said, and I nodded, before taking a look at everyone gathered.
"Ok, here's what we know. He was last seen close to the border between here and the Land of Wind. We can assume he was heading for somewhere he felt he could stay at, and the only place I know of there is the Hidden Sand." I said, getting a collective nod. "Alright, if you're ready, let's-"
"Hold it..." Someone said, and I looked up, only to notice Kakashi sitting on top of the guard post, his 'Make Out Tactics' book in hand.
"K-Kakashi-Sensei!" Hinata said, and he jumped down, looking at each of us for a few seconds, before sighing and closing his book.
"You all aren't planning on bringing Naruto back, are you?" He asked, and I sighed, shaking my head.
"No... We know full well that that wouldn't be a good idea. No, we're going to find him and properly say goodbye." I said, and he looked at us in surprise.
"Oh? Huh... With the way you all went after Sasuke, I would have thought that you would do the same. However, I'm glad you aren't, you'd just be setting yourselves up for disappointment. Anyways, it looks like Naruto will be able to pass on his message himself..." He said, and Hinata looked at him in confusion.
"Message?" She asked, and Kakashi nodded.
"He wanted me to tell you all that he was sorry for leaving without saying goodbye or letting you know what happened." He said.
"Well thanks for telling us. Does this mean you aren't going to try and stop us?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"Why would I? You're just going to say goodbye to a friend; One who is still a member of Team Kakashi in my eyes. It's not like you're leaving the village for good." He said, and I nodded.
"Thanks, Kakashi-Sensei." I said, and he smiled, forming a few hand signs, before disappearing using the body flicker technique. Feeling determined once again, I turned towards the others. "Ok, let's go!" I said, and the others fell in behind me as we exited through the gate. Wherever you are, Naruto, we are on our way...
Naruto's POV
Sneezing, I wiped my nose on my sleeve, sniffling slightly, and Kurama frowned. "You're not getting sick, are you?" She asked, looking concerned, but I just shook my head.
"No, just a random sneeze; No reason for you to abandon your pride and start worrying!" I said teasingly, and she smirked, rolling her eyes. "Hey Kurama? Do you think you could put up your human disguise?" I asked, and she flicked an ear.
"I guess I could, but why? Is something wrong?" She asked, and I once again shook my head, coming to a halt.
"No, nothing's wrong, it's just... Look up ahead, you see that dune?" I asked, and she nodded. "Ever since the threat of the Akatsuki, the Hidden Sand set up a constant watch. As soon as we get past that sand dune, we'll be in their sights, and I'd rather not send anyone into a panic when we plan to ask for a place to stay." I said, and she nodded, changing herself to look human. When she was ready, we began to walk once more. Apparently, I was correct before, as when we passed by the dune, and the stone outcrop hiding the village came into sight, a few seconds later, I noticed someone running towards us from the large stone wall. Pausing, I raised my arm to bar Kurama from taking another step. Waiting for the figure to get closer, I soon recognized the man in black as Kankoro.
"Naruto?" He called, as he got closer. "It is you! I thought I recognized your orange and black jumpsuit through my scope! So, what can I do for you? He asked, and I sighed.
"We need to talk to Gaara..." I said, gesturing to Kurama, who was standing close to my side. Looking between us, he grinned, raising an eyebrow.
"And who is this; Your girlfriend?" He asked, and I paused, before nodding, causing her eyes to light up.
"...Yes." I said, and he grinned even more.
"Well, look at you! And here I thought you had your heart set on Sakura!" He chuckled, and I frowned.
"Yeah... Well things change." I said, and he frowned, as if sensing I wasn't up for catching up. Shifting his weight to his other foot, he took a look back towards the direction of the village.
"So, may I ask what you want to talk to Gaara about?" He asked, gesturing for us to follow him. Sighing, I shook my head.
"I don't really feel comfortable discussing it out here, but I promise I will explain everything when we get to Gaara's office." I said, and he nodded.
"So, how's the Leaf? I noticed it's only you and..."
"Kurama" I said, and he nodded.
"Right. I noticed it was just you and Kurama. Is everything ok at your village?" He asked, and I scoffed silently, causing him to look at me in surprise. "Woah, was that a bit of contempt I heard?" He asked, and I stayed quiet for a few seconds.
"Like I said, I'll explain everything." I said, and he nodded. Walking in silence, we eventually reached the stone wall that stood as the guard station. Stopping in front of it, Kankoro looked up at the top.
"Maki!" He called, and a few seconds later, a woman looked down. "I need to escort these two to Gaara, so you're in charge until I get back, ok?" He asked, and she nodded, before looking at us.
"Oh, hello Naruto!" She said, smiling and waving. Awkwardly, I waved back, before we began to continue through the ravine like entrance.
"Maki... Why does that name sound familiar?" I asked, and Kankoro raised an eyebrow.
"Probably because she was the leader of the squad you were placed in when you, Sakura, and Shikamaru came to help watch out for the Akatsuki. She's also my girlfriend." He said, and I looked surprised.
"Huh, congratulations. So how long have you two been together?" I asked, and he looked up at the sky fondly, a smile on his face.
"Tomorrow will make it a year." He said as we made it into the village. A few people smiled and waved, and I waved back.
"You know, I still find it weird when people actually go out of their way to be kind to me..." I said, and Kankoro looked at me in confusion.
"You still getting trouble for being the Ninetails Jinchūriki?" He asked, and I sighed, a slight frown on my face.
"You have no idea... That's mainly why I need to talk to Gaara." I said, and he looked at me in curiosity for a few seconds, but he didn't ask any questions.
"Actually, I have somewhat of an idea. Gaara still gets fearful looks from the elders of the village, even though he's been running himself into more and more stress trying to prove that they have nothing to fear." He said, and I looked at him in shock.
"Really? I would have thought he more than proved himself!" I said, and he sighed.
"Unfortunately, some people still don't think so, and the fact that he is Kazekage doesn't seem to have helped." He said, and I went silent; How much Gaara had been going through finally sinking in. "It isn't all bad though." Kankoro said, and I looked at him in confusion. "He seems to take all the doubt he gets, and use it as motivation. It just makes him work harder at his goals." He said, and I smiled. That seemed like Gaara all right. Continuing to walk through the village in silence, we eventually made it to the Kazekage's office. "Well, here we are..." He said, before leading us inside and down a hallway. Knocking on a door, he paused. "Gaara? Sorry to bother you, but you have visitors." He said, before opening the door, when Gaara called us in. Walking inside, I could immediately see how stressed he was, resting his face in his hands for a few seconds and rubbing his eyes, before sighing.
"Yes? How can I help-" He began, before his eyes widened when he saw me. "Naruto? What are you doing here?" He asked, before gesturing towards two chairs. "Go on, have a seat. How long has it been since you were last here?" He asked, and I sighed, sitting down on a wooden chair; Kurama taking the other.
"Two years... Almost three." I said, before looking him in the eyes. "Look, Gaara, I need to talk to you about something." I said, and he nodded, becoming serious.
"Kankoro, you can leave." He said, and Kankoro looked like he was about to argue, and I spoke up.
"No, it's ok. I did promise to answer his questions he asked me." I said, and Gaara sighed.
"I see... Then can you at least close the door?" He asked, looking at Kankoro, and he nodded, quickly shutting the door, before leaning against the wall. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked, and I frowned.
"First of all, I should tell you that I'm no longer a shinobi of the Leaf: I have been exiled." I said, and Gaara sat up straight, his eyes widened as he looked at me in shock.
"What?! When did this happen?" He asked, and I sighed.
"It happened yesterday..." I said, and he frowned, steepling his hands, before looking thoughtful for a few seconds.
"Why were you exiled? No matter how hard I try, I can't picture you doing anything that would warrant it." He said, and I sighed, looking at Kurama and nodding. Understanding what I meant she slowly stood up, catching the attention of Gaara and Kankoro.
"Ok, before I do anything, know I am not here to cause trouble. However, if any of you make a move, I will have no trouble killing you." She said, and without waiting for their reaction, she released her disguise jutsu. Gaara looked at her in shock, while Kankoro reached for his kunai pouch. Seeing this, I stepped in between him and Kurama.
"But... Y-you're the-" Gaara began, and Kurama rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip.
"The Ninetails? Yes, that's right." She said, and he turned his shocked eyes on me.
"How did she escape? It was to my understand that when a tailed beast is removed, the Jinchūriki dies!" He said, and I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"R-right, well, you see..." I began, before turning towards Kurama. "Well, she can explain it!" I said, and she rolled her eyes at my childish embarrassment.
"I swear, Naruto. You can be so childish! Anyways..." She said, turning to look at the Kazekage. "I used something you've most likely never heard of. I used my chakra to place something called a mate mark on Naruto." She said, walking towards me and grabbing me, before lifting the back of my shirt and showing the mark. Squirming out of her grip, I jumped back and glared at her. She chuckled, before going solemn. "To answer your other question, my escaping caused quite a bit of trouble between Naruto and Jeriah. Since the one who sealed me in Naruto before is long dead, and there was no way to reseal me, Jeriah exiled him; A day after his birthday..." She said, and I looked away. Gaara nodded, him and Kankoro having calmed down now that they realized Kurama wasn't going to start going on a rampage.
"I see... So why did you come here?" Kankoro asked, and I turned to Gaara.
"I was hoping I might be able to stay here; At least for a day or two. I have money, so I can pay for a room. I just need somewhere I can stay so I can figure out what to do next." I said and Gaara nodded thoughtfully. Seeing this, Kankoro frowned.
"Gaara... I get that Naruto's a good friend, and he's helped us a lot, but is it really a good idea to take in a rogue ninja; Especially one from the Hidden Leaf? This could sever our alliance with them!" He said, and Gaara shook his head.
"Nonsense!" He said, before looking at me. "Of course you can stay here for a bit. I can't give you a free room at the hotel, but I can give you up to a week to stay. Two days is certainly not enough time to figure that out." He said, and Kankoro looked to be about to argue, before being silenced with a glare. "However, the only condition is that she stays in disguise. I don't want the villagers going into a panic." He said, and Kurama grumbled, before bringing up her disguise.
"Thank you, Gaara. If you need any help around the village, just let me know; I'd hate to feel like I was freeloading." I said, and he smiled.
"Will do, Naruto. Kankoro, please show Naruto where the hotel is." He said, and Kankoro sighed, giving a nod, before leading us out. As we walked out of the building, I frowned, looking at Kankoro.
"Look, I'm not trying to cause any trouble." I said, and he nodded.
"I know. It's just... You inspired Gaara to become Kazekage. You proved to him that even a Jinchūriki could have friends. He's just going to keep on trying to make it up to you; I'd just hate for this village to come under fire because of his good nature..." He said, before falling silent again, and I looked down. Eventually, we reached a small two story building that reminded me of the apartment building I lived in before. "Well, here you are, now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to guard duty." He said, leaving us in front of the building. Walking inside, I walked up to the front desk. Handing the man at the desk some money, he handed me a key, and Kurama and I headed back outside, before climbing the steps to our new room for the time being. Once the door was unlocked, Kurama instantly made her way inside, throwing herself onto the bed.
"Ah, it feels great to be in a bed again!" She said, sighing and closing her eyes in relaxation. Rolling my eyes, I set my backpack down.
"Yeah? Well don't get used to it yet, we have to go get you some new clothes." I said, and she blinked, sitting up and looking at me in confusion.
"I already have clothes though." She said, and I frowned.
"Yeah, my clothes. Clothes that I would rather have back." I said, and her eyes narrowed, before she wrapped her arms around herself, as if she were hugging herself.
"Mine." She said, and I looked at her in exasperation for a few seconds, before sighing.
"Why do you like my clothes so much? They're men's clothes, and anyways, aren't they tight around your... chest? It certainly looks that way." I said, and she blinked, before giving me a smirk.
"Oh, so you've been looking at my breasts? I'll just have to remember that." She said, causing me to look away. "As for why I like these clothes... T-they have your scent." She said, looking away in embarrassment. Looking at her strangely for a few seconds, I sighed.
"Fine, keep them, but we're still going to get you more clothes! You can't just have one pair of clothes, and you're not getting any of my other clothes!" I said, and she pouted, before giving a sigh.
"Fine, come on then. The sooner we get to relax, the better." She said, before getting up and walking to the door. Making sure I had my money, I followed her outside and locked the door, before heading into the village's shopping district, Kurama still not looking very happy.
Hey everybody, I just wanted to thank you all for the attention you've given this story. I've said it before, but I am still shocked by how popular it is. Within a month of uploading this story, it has already received more than 100 favorites and follows! Never in any of my time writing fanfics have any of them received this much attention, and for that, I must once again thank you.
~spudbud16
