Different 07

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"It's settled. Naruto, Hinata welcome back to Konoha.

That's it? Hinata almost asked out loud though she managed to hold it in. No way. But . . . Great for them, but it couldn't be this easy. It was Konohagakure! The best, toughest, strongest of all shinobi villages. In principle they wouldn't welcome strays back that easily or at all. So why . . . ? It didn't make sense for them to be taken into the Hokage's large bosom without being interrogated, tortured and thoroughly dissected.

"T-thank you."

Then again . . . Hinata glanced at the blond nukenin, her expression as neutral as possible though she was pretty sure she was pale. This man standing directly beside her was amazing. He looked and felt like a cowardly, dependant man. Aside from the fact that he looked like the old Naruto (only older), he had no resemblance to the Naruto they'd known and cherished as a fellow shinobi.

"Fine." Tsunade said and motioned for the elders to leave though they seemed to hesitate a fraction of a second before turning around and departing from the room.

"Naruto," Tsunade continued once footsteps were no longer heard out in the hallway, "your apartment is . . . no longer open for you. It's been over two years, so you have to understand that- Shit! Look I have rooms available in my home. If you want to you can stay there until better accommodations can be found."

Hinata glanced back from Naruto and wished he were farther away from her because he was giving her a headache with all the tipping her head back to see his face she was doing. Naruto seemed uncomfortable and was acting very fidgety but eventually he nodded weakly though he glanced at her as if silently wondering in a panic if they were going to be separated.

"I have my own home Naruto. I need to return and explain what happened to my father and family. They'll understand. And as soon as I'm done, I'll come see you, okay?"

Naruto shivered in a very convincing way and glanced away from her, his face a mask of panic.

"Hinata, you better go. The longer you stay here the longer it'll take for you to return. Naruto's already in a raging panic so be quick. If your father caused you problems bring him along when you return, got it?

"Yes Ma'am." Hinata glanced at Naruto and placed a hand on his trembling forearm as if she were lending him her courage though when she glanced at him, her eyes were nothing near compassion. She was letting him know that he could count on her to act the part she needed in front of her family. "I'll be right back Naruto, so don't worry. Promise."

With that said, Hinata walked to the window and jumped out.

Naruto was an extremely good actor. When they'd faced each other just now, Naruto's eyes had looked haunted, as if he was letting go his last chance for getting out of there alive. Someone could look one way and even radiate that feeling, but few could also express an emotion they weren't feeling through their eyes.

And somehow that reminded her of the old Naruto. After all, he'd been known as the number one maverick shinobi in all of Konoha. And such a shinobi was a very dangerous adversary.

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"Naruto . . .?" Tsunade called softly, watching the blond giant before her. He was fidgeting, glancing at the window every few seconds and looking like he wanted to go after the Hyuga heiress.

Naruto glanced at the older woman before him. She still looked young and beautiful. So his memory hadn't gone awry in that aspect. The fifty-plus woman looked like a hot twenty-something girl, fit to protagonize in a man's dirty wet dream. But, that in no way made her any less dangerous. She was Hokage, the strongest fighter here and he better not forget that tidbit. It could cost him everything otherwise.

Tsunade, meanwhile, took a step back. He'd taken a wary step back himself and his gaze had shifted to her feet. What was going on??? This was not Uzumaki Naruto, the number one maverick shinobi from Konoha. He . . . He was a shadow of the blond shinobi. Was this boy truly Uzumaki?

"Naruto, what happened?"

Tsunade waited patiently for the young man to look up at her and answer, when he did no such thing and appeared to have no inclination of doing so, Tsunade felt a strong wave of fury flood her veins. "You do not act like Uzumaki!!! I cannot believe you are him!"

Naruto tensed. Was he being an fool for inciting her so much? No, he was doing what he needed to do, he must be believed.

"Argh!!!" Tsunade flew at the insipid creature before her and hit him with as much strength as she could muster. The blow landed on an undefended face and sent the body head first in a collision against the wall on the left side of the large window. The glass cracked as he landed on the floor.

Naruto shivered violently, his face hurt the most but he was pretty sure nothing was broken though that realization didn't cause any relief. Ever since the hokage had begun to loose control of her emotions, Naruto had also discarded his own act. She had scared him, truly scared him. This woman had unknowingly used the emotions he still held within him from his life here in Konoha and used them against him. And he'd been left without protection, without a working mind in the few seconds before her attack caused pain of its own and brought him out of the maelstrom he'd stupidly fallen into. Now, as he lay in a heap on the floor, Naruto focused and brought his training to the forefront. Assignments were always completed. No excuse was ever accepted from anyone including himself.

With that in mind, Naruto straightened himself where he sat and looked away. His eyes becoming distant, and within seconds he was once more the indifferent boy that Konoha had found weeks ago.

"Damn you!!! You won't do this to me!!!" He heard Tsunade say, seconds before he felt her more than heard her drop to her knees and move toward him. He didn't move. Even when her deceptively soft hand caressed his injured jaw, he remained aloof.

"I'm so sorry. Naruto, I'm so sorry. Please snap out of it. Please!" She pleaded her voice rough as she mechanically healed the injury she'd caused with the skill she was known for.

A sob escaped from her, and Naruto tensed. Tears. Why oh, why were women so adept at them? When another one of those soul tearing sounds was let out, Naruto felt his fingers twitch and he began to feel a twinge of guilt. Damn. Double fucking damn. It was too much. Naruto turned to her and reached for her. He didn't know what he would do after he comforted her, but he'd figure it out when the time came.

Only that time never came. Tsunade had removed herself a good distance away and had turned away from him seconds before he'd caved in. Great, Naruto thought chagrined as he quickly returned to the pose he'd been in before the hokage's tears had brought him running to help her. Really, how stupid could he still be? His assignment must always come first.

Tsunade closed her eyes and willed herself to get control of herself before she faced the blond shinobi. What had she done??? They finally had Naruto back after all this time and she'd attacked him. Damn, but it hurt. It had been unbearable to see this Naruto act so insipid, so cowardly. She'd felt helpless as she stared at him and had found nothing of the old Naruto. She'd wanted to erase this man before her, to put in his place the old Naruto. And she'd lashed out.

A dry sob escaped. This being was Naruto. There was no changing it. But one thing was for certain, she would find out what had created his pitiful creature and while doing so, she'd bring out the old Naruto. He was after all the future Hokage.

What exactly happened these two years? Why did Naruto disappear without a trace? She vowed then and there, as she pivoted to face him, she would discover everything that had troubled her these past two years.

"Naruto?" Tsunade smiled softly at the blue eyed giant, her voice controlled once again. "Come. Let's get you to your dormitory. You must be tired, and the hit I gave you must have worn you out even more."

Naruto heard her, but made no move to do as she asked. Nothing hurt now; his fast healing had already taken care of the minor pains. And he was far more clearheaded now, thanks to what had happened earlier. He simply would not do as she said, not after what she'd done.

Tsunade didn't say another word. She walked to where he was and pulled him to his feet. She looked at him, observing for any change and when none came, the beautiful young-looking woman turned and led the way to the room she had selected for Naruto. She had reached the door when it opened and Shizune nearly bumped into her.

"Oh, Lady Tsunade, Kotetsu called, I think the job got to him. He was saying Naruto and Hi-" Shizune stopped and blinked, there behind the princess stood a very tall young blond man. He also happened to be a very familiar looking young man.

"Shizune, Naruto and Hinata are back. Let the gate guards know that they are here since the reason they called was most likely to confirm their arrival." Tsunade said as she gently shoved her young apprentice to the side so she and the still withdrawn Naruto could leave the room.

Naruto noticed the dark haired woman's shock but reframed from looking back to check how long she stood there watching his retreating back. Tsunade had left without ordering the girl to keep quiet. If his arrival spread too quickly he would have a harder time carrying out his assignment. Then again, those that could make his stay here difficult had already found out. First hand too.

Tsunade led Naruto down the long and winding corridor and up a set of stairs then led him down the dimmer hallway to the second door on the left. "This will be your room."

Tsunade opened the door and stepped back so Naruto could walk in and inspect the room she had selected for him. It was on the opposite side of her room, and not far away from her door. In total there were five bedrooms here, two on one side three on the other. She and Shizune shared the two sided right side and Naruto would be in the middle room on the left side. He would be close to either one of them if he needed anything. Plus the room was the largest of the three and sported a big bed and two chairs by the glass doors that looked out to the cliff side and ensured no one would bother Naruto since he seemed prone to panic at the moment.

Only Naruto didn't move. He just stood there and stared at nothing. Tsunade took a deep breath and desperately tried to control her frustration. Losing control earlier had made Naruto withdraw and he still hadn't recovered, if she took it out on him again things might turn worse. How things could get worse she didn't know, but she didn't want to tempt fate by wondering. So as gently as she could she pushed him into his new room and led him to the bed where she pushed him down so he sat on it.

"Naruto, I, ugh, have work to do. Get some sleep and when Hinata gets here I'll send her up, alright?" And with that the fifth hokage left the room, glancing only once back at the unmoved blond before she pulled the door closed behind her.

When the door closed, Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. Part one complete. Slowly he opened his eyes but didn't otherwise move a muscle. Before he could do anything he had to ensure there were no anbu watching over him. There were many ways to do that, but few where stillness was part of it. And fewer still which could sense chakra. Among those few was the toad sage technique. The ability to sense chakra while his remained unnoticeable was unsurpassable. The toad sage technique was dangerous and it was at the top of his arsenal, but it was in no way his strongest weapon now a days. Nevertheless, it was the best choice weapon he had right now.

Having come to a decision, Naruto slowly moved forward and leaned his forearms on his knees. He placed his hands together in the correct position between his thighs and closed his eyes once again. Concentration came next. Focusing was no longer a problem. Within seconds the natural chakra flooded him and enhanced his humanoid senses. The stillness was no longer quiet, but full of sounds from the outside. And people were no longer far out of his reach, but within an arms reach. It was an exhilarating experience to go from not knowing what went around him to almost hearing everyone around him.

Heh. No one was around yet. But a tight squad was quickly making their way toward him from the town. They would be here within three minutes.

Fuck. Those elders worked fast.

So he had to work twice as fast.

He stood and moved quickly to the glass doors. The sage fell of his body and Naruto brought his right hand to his mouth. His fox's canines grew inside and he used them to pierce his palm. Before the pooling blood could gather too much he moved his hand and pressed it to the glass. His blood spilled down in small rivulets, fast racing to the floor frame. His eyes flared red for a second. He needed no words for this, intent was all that was needed and after all, someone like him had no problem creating illusions for his audience. The blood froze on its way down. He pictured the images he wanted those coming his way to see and pressed his hand even closer to the glass. It shuddered beneath his hand, threatening to crack from the power, but it held on and the images ingrained themselves into the particles that man had molded together to create the transparent material. The glass glowed for the smallest part of a second and then cleared, the blood disappeared with it and it would only reappear when he disengaged the technique he'd created.

Just over two minutes remaining. He backed away and turned to face the room. Two doors were to his right, one was a sliding door and it was the closest to the doorway into the building. So he tried the one closest to him and found the bathroom. He guessed the sliding door opened into a closet of some sort. The bathroom had a toilet, a sink, and farther in it had a bathing area. He headed for the sink and turned the handle until the water flowed over his hand as fast as it would go. He spent only a fraction of a minute cleaning his hand then turned the water off with his uninjured one.

He walked out of the bathroom and made his way to the center of the dim bedroom. He knelt down and pressed his right hand to the floor. His wound was almost completely healed, but a few drops of blood still made their way onto the wooded floor. "Partial Silence Seal." Four blood red lines streaked away from the center and made their way up the walls and cross the ceiling to come together right above the seal he'd made. He removed his hand and stepped back. The seal on the floor sent a fifth line through the air and into the center of the one on the ceiling. Both glowed in sync once then dulled. A simple circle appeared after that but it as well as the seals slowly faded into nothing.

Just under a minute remained, but Naruto didn't worry. The seal and the cover were set, he was safe enough now. He walked to the doors and waited.

Two minutes later, five anbu observed with a keen gaze everything he did. They were positioned around various strategic points on the cliffside. Naruto smiled. They saw only what he showed them. And they would hear only what he allowed.

Face two complete.

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Hello, this be Yoru no Chandra,

Hello. I'm back. From Work.

Sorry. Stuff happened. (Our family truck overheated or something and we kept having to turn it off. Thing was we were nowhere near our house when this happened and we were in the middle of nowhere let alone near any stores that carried coolants or antifreeze. Which one is it?) And that was just one problem, there were others.

I hope you all like this chapter. I did. Finally we get to find out a bit about Naruto and the things he learned during the two years and some months he disappeared. After this it's only going to get better.

Review. Review. Review. Review. Review.

Ja'ne

Yoru no Chandra