Chapter 7


The afternoon sun made the autumn leaves gleam brightly as Naruto landed in the branches of a giant oak tree, the ancient wood creaking from the impact. He crouched down, eyes scanning the forest quickly. Having sensed no other presence than his own, the blond jumped down from his leafy perch, making his way towards the main road to the Hidden Cloud village. He stretched the tension from his back and shoulders as he walked, smiling as his feet met the dusty road.

An impressive mountain terrain rose up on the horizon, a cornucopia of billowing clouds drifting lazily around the peaks. A slight breeze ruffled Naruto's hair as he walked towards the village, carrying with it the scent of water. A few minutes passed before Naruto could sense several chakras approaching. He stopped abruptly, habitually tightening his headband while he waited for his escorts to arrive.

They didn't keep him waiting long. A small team appeared down the road, coming towards him quickly. They slid to a halt in a flurry of dust, two of them sinking to their knees with their heads bowed respectfully as their captain stepped forward. Naruto recognized him as one of the guards Raikage had brought to the Kage Summit: Shi. The sensory-type Jounin bowed his head.

"Naruto-sama, we're glad that you were able to come on such short notice."

The blond grinned widely, rubbing his head. "Ah, it's not a problem. It's my job to help our comrades when they're in need, you know?"

Shi returned the smile warmly. "I'm glad you feel that way, sir."

Naruto blushed, laughing nervously. "I'm still not too good with this formal stuff, you know?"

Shi nodded sharply, turning to gesture for his subordinates to rise. "Well then, allow us to escort you to the village. I will be able to brief you on the situation on the way."

Naruto quickly agreed, leading the way to Kumogakure with Shi by his side. The sensory-ninja was visibly uncomfortable being beside such a massive chakra, but maintained his composure as they walked. The other two shinobi fell behind to act as a rear guard while Shi began to speak.

"As you know, the Cloud has recently been the unwilling host of a rebellious organization. The information we provided in the initial summons was a little vague for fear of it falling into the wrong hands, but I think it's safe now to tell you that this group had begun to get violent. Although the majority of the group was composed of citizens or politicians, there were also several of the Clouds shinobi within their ranks. I am ashamed to say that many of our higher ranking ninja have been attacked by these rebels." He paused here to inhale deeply, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. He determinedly ignored Naruto's overwhelming chakra, his voice stiff as he continued.

"I am pleased to report that we managed to capture many of their members, including the man we believe to be their leader. His name is Miyagi Kou, and according to our files he retired from duty prematurely about ten years ago for reasons that remain unclear. Ever since we captured him, the amount of violence has been dramatically reduced. Miyagi Kou is currently being interrogated, though I'm afraid the Cloud does not have anyone as frightening as Ibiki in our Interrogation Force."

Naruto nodded slowly, frowning as he asked, "Do you guys know why they're rebelling? I mean, what exactly do they have such an issue with?"

"Yes, about that," Shi said nervously, glancing sideways at the Jinchuuriki. "I would prefer to let someone with a better grasp of the current situation explain that. Our Lord Raikage is in a meeting right now, so I will take you directly to the interrogation room."

"That's fine." Naruto said, his deep voice echoing off the rocks. "I want to hear what this Miyagi guy has to say for myself. What about Uncle Bee? I'd like to see him today, you know?"

"Master Bee? I believe he has returned to his training residence, now that the commotion has died down."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully as they continued on in silence. It wasn't long before they were in the village, the air buzzing with excited voices as they made their way down the main street. Naruto blushed uncomfortably as the Cloud shinobi saluted or bowed in his direction, causing ordinary civilians to stop and stare at him curiously. A group of blushing young kunoichi screamed excitedly as he passed them, much to the disapproval of their male teammates.

Shi looked around at the blushing kunoichi with a look of refrained amusement. "Is it like this wherever you go, Naruto-sama?"

"Pretty much." The Sage replied, rubbing his nose shyly. "It gets kind of annoying, actually. But, usually people don't even notice me. I'm pretty fast, you know?"

"I had wondered about that," The sensory- ninja said as they made their way towards the prison grounds. "Even assuming that you had left as soon as you received the message, we weren't expecting you until tomorrow at the earliest."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why's that?"

"Well, even though we sent our fastest messenger hawk, it would have taken more than one day for it to reach Konoha. And even assuming that you would leave right away, it takes even the fastest shinobi three days to get here from your village. Now that I think about it, we were just sending the hawk around this time three days ago. Actually, we didn't really expect to see you for at least another couple of days, especially since we had yet to receive a reply from Tsunade-sama."

"Oh," Naruto muttered as they mounted a flight of stairs carved into the rocks. "I left Konoha yesterday evening."

Shi stopped walking, staring at the blond in amazement. Naruto realized that the other man wasn't beside him, glancing over his shoulder a few steps later. When he raised an eyebrow questioningly, Shi simply shook his head as he resumed climbing the steps.

"I suppose that's to be expected from the son of the legendary Yellow Flash."

The hallways were teeming with activity as Naruto and Shi walked through the open doors. Ninja bustled back and forth; some of them rushing in or out of the building while others escorted prisoners around. Shi led the way through the maze of hallways; his pace quickening as more and more of the shinobi began to recognize Naruto. They had almost reached their destination when a loud, harsh scream shocked everyone in the hall into silence.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

The Jinchuuriki turned slowly, his hands in his pockets and a muted expression on his face. Two guards struggled to subdue the man who had caused the disturbance: a prisoner wearing heavy, chakra sealing shackles.

"Monster! Monster!" The prisoner screamed, trying to shake off the guards. "The likes of you have no place here!"

Shi reached up to place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "One of the rebel prisoners." He whispered. "The guards will take care of him, so try not to worry about it."

Naruto frowned, allowing himself to be led into the interrogation wing of the building. The door slammed shut behind them, cutting off the noise from the hallway immediately. Naruto ignored Shi's nervous apologies as they walked swiftly down the hall, the frown lingering on his face as they entered the only occupied room. The interrogation team saluted formally when they entered, the head walking forward to greet them. However, both Naruto and Shi immediately sensed a certain irritation lingering in the atmosphere of the room.

"How are things going?" Shi asked in a low voice.

The interrogator shook his head. "He isn't saying much. I have to wait for the Captain to return to get permission to use more intensive methods."

"I will speak with him."

An eerie hush fell over the room as everyone turned to stare at the blond Jinchuuriki. Even though his tone had left no room for discussion, Shi stepped forward nervously.

"B-But, Naruto-sama, you saw how one of his followers reacted just now. I hardly think that you speaking with him is a good idea."

"If you want him to speak, then I'll make him speak." Naruto replied in a softened tone. "Don't worry, Shi. I'm used to dealing with hatred."

Shi and the interrogator exchanged a quick look. "Very well," The interrogator said, smiling nervously. "We will accompany you."

They approached a heavy metal door laden with carved seals. Naruto noted the symbols that composed the seals, having studied sealing jutsu well enough to see the strengths and weaknesses in them. Beside the door, a large one-way mirror made it possible for observers to go unseen by the prisoner inside the room. A flurry of hand signs later, the head interrogator pulled open the heavy door.

The room beyond was dimly lit by a single light bulb, which flickered slightly with a faint buzzing sound. Directly below the light was a sturdy wooden chair, bolted to the floor and decorated with chains and seals to control the man who sat there.

He did not stir as the door shut behind them, his head bowed as if he were in a deep sleep. Shi gestured politely to one of the two chairs that sat facing the man. When Naruto shook his head with a faint smile, Shi and the interrogator sat down quickly, while Naruto leaned against the wall.

Shi glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. Ever since the other prisoner had spoken in the hall, Naruto's sun-like chakra had been burning with an almost unbearable heat.

As Shi looked at the Jinchuuriki, who was leaning against the shadowy wall with his arms folded tightly across his chest, he could have sworn that Naruto's sky blue eyes now gleamed a fiery red.

A stifling silence fell over the room. Naruto seemed content to stand there observing the motionless prisoner. Shi shuffled uncomfortably, his head beginning to pound from the intensity of Naruto's churning chakra.

Within Naruto's mindscape, the Nine-Tailed fox growled fiercely. "What's with this guy?" Kurama wondered aloud as the fur bristled around his neck. "His chakra is unsettling. It feels like I'm in the presence of one of those damned Uchiha."

"You're not totally wrong." Naruto replied, feeling the same prickle on his own skin. "His chakra isn't even close to Uchiha chakra, in intensity or composition. The reason you're reminded of them, I think, is because of the aura he gives off. As if he is damned."

"Tch." Kurama turned his head away, eyelids shuttering over blood-red eyes. "You have a habit of getting mixed up with these creepy guys."

"And I wonder whose fault that is?"

Before Kurama could retort, sudden laughter drew Naruto's attention outward. It began as a barely audible chuckle, and then slowly evolved into a bellowing and highly unsettling laugh. Miyagi Kou swung his head back, laughing madly while the other three men stared in dumbfounded silence. Just as suddenly as he had begun to laugh, the sound cut of abruptly as Miyagi's head snapped around in Naruto's direction.

The blond's lip pulled up in distaste, his frown deepening. "There's something seriously wrong with this guy." He thought as he grit his teeth. "He reminds me of some sort of snake."

Miyagi spoke then, and to Naruto's surprise, his voice was soft and eloquent.

"Well now, if it isn't our celebrated hero, Naruto Uzumaki!"

His manner of speaking was much like that of the Hyūga and the Uchiha, as if he had been raised in a cultured household. His shoulder-length black hair was pin straight, and his sharp eyes were of the palest green. Like many people in the Cloud Village, his skin had a rich honey-like colour. He was rather thin, but his muscles were hard and sinuous as he strained against his shackles.

"What brings our great conqueror, our fabled savior, to this humble little prison?"

Naruto didn't move, concealed in the shadows as he responded in a low, husky voice. "I think we both know the answer to that already, don't we Miyagi?"

A wide grin spread itself across Miyagi's face. "But of course! Why, it seems that my little band of troublemakers caused quite the stir, so Raikage rushed to summon his favourite vigilante! Come once again and save us, dear Naruto! I had, of course, expected him to do so. It's almost ridiculous how completely according to plan everything was!"

"According to plan?" Naruto muttered. "So you knew all your men would be captured, and yet you sacrificed them? To achieve what? As far as I can see, all you've done is cause trouble and waste everyone's time."

"All we've done? All we've done?" Miyagi repeated, his voice rising sharply with anger. "Do not belittle my efforts, young Uzumaki! I have not simply caused trouble! I planted the seeds of doubt and unrest! I have completed my intended task perfectly."

"Congratulations." Naruto replied irritably. "Now, fill me in because I'm not really following you. What was the point of creating unrest?"

Miyagi was silent for a moment before answering, his head bowed once more. "What right do you think you have, Naruto Uzumaki, to exist in this world? You, who has transcended into the realm of gods? What right do you have to walk our earth as an indestructible entity, preaching your ideas of virtue and peace? You can no longer call yourself human, as one who has forgotten the fear that accompanies weakness!"

"I cause unrest because those who have been blinded by your light must see reason! You are no savior, 'Child of Prophecy'. All those who follow you unquestioningly will be doomed by failure. Our fearful, weak Raikage does not see this. He puts his trust into foreign powers - namely Konoha, from which you hail. We will forget our own strength before long! Before long, we will find ourselves bowing down to the Sage of all Jinchuuriki! Naruto Uzumaki, I ask you again! As one who has forgotten weakness, what right do you have to exist in the world of men?"

Shi jumped to his feet. "How dare you speak to Naruto-sama that way? If it wasn't for him, you would probably be dead by now! We all would!"

"Yes, Captain Shi!" Miyagi exclaimed enthusiastically. "And your life has become the debt! How could you deny any favour asked by the great Uzumaki? The same man who has sided himself with the last demon in the house of Uchiha: the clan born with the curse of hatred?"

He swung his head in Naruto's direction once more, his eyes as wide as his grin as he yelled, "We will see to it that Sasuke Uchiha pays for all the misdeeds of his clan! You cannot save him from justice, just as you cannot save yourself from justice!"

"This guy is completely insane!" Kurama said, revealing his razor fangs as he growled. "He isn't even making sense anymore!"

"Listen well, Naruto Uzumaki." Miyagi whispered, still grinning wildly. "Though we can't hope to lay a hand upon you, I assure you, we will remind you what weakness is! We will remind you of fear! Our men are watching in your village as we speak, boy. Slowly, one by one, we will destroy everything that is important to you. Starting with the treacherous Uchiha."

Before anyone could react, Naruto was an inch away from Miyagi's face. He grabbed one of the chains that was wrapped around his chest, using it to lift the man and the heavy wooden chair completely off the ground, ripping the bolts out of the stone floor in the process.

The colour drained from Miyagi's face as Naruto's eyes flashed blood red. The Jinchuuriki's deep voice lowered venomously, his upper lip pulling back to reveal pointed, animal-like fangs.

"Try it." He hissed. "Just try and lay a hand on Sasuke. Give me a fucking reason to tear you to pieces."

"N-Naruto-sama!" The head of the Interrogation Department exclaimed, jumping to his feet and taking a nervous step forward. "Please release him at once!"

A feral snarl escaped from Naruto's throat as he deposited the man and his chair, turning in a flurry of red fabric. He paused momentarily at the door, glaring over his shoulder.

"I have no time for people like you. Cowards who hide behind threats and thugs." He growled, his red eyes flashing in the dim light. "Sorry, Shi, but I think I've heard enough."


The Raikage bellowed orders from his desk, shuffling through paper after paper as his subordinates rushed in and out of the room. Naruto couldn't help but think that the chaos in the office was a direct representation of the situation within the village. The blond smiled sadly at this thought as he stood looking out the panoramic windows that boasted a spectacular view of the Kumogakure sunset. Golden sunlight gleamed through the window, haloing around Naruto's blond head.

The Jinchuuriki felt his eyes drifting shut, his mind retreating from the bustling office into the silence of his inner world. Naruto fancied himself back in his own village, sparring with Kakashi or listening to Shikamaru's lectures. His fists clenched suddenly as a pair of unblinking, coal-black eyes filled his mind.

"Naruto!" Raikage suddenly called, his booming voice pulling Naruto out of his daydreams. "I heard about what happened when you went to see Miyagi Kou. I won't apologize for what happened. It's best that you see what we're dealing with. The man's obviously insane."

Naruto sighed, turning to look at the massive blond ninja. "The only insane thing is that people are willingly following him."

"That's true," The Raikage agreed, watching as Naruto took a seat at his large conference table. "I know it's difficult to follow what that weirdo is talking about once he gets going, so I'll summarize. We had originally thought that this group was anti-alliance, like the group that had appeared in the Hidden Rain. However, it seems that we're dealing with something more outrageous than that. This group is under the impression that the villages will soon merge into one large force, which will spread over the entire continent. They believe that this will be initiated by Konoha, or more specifically, by the future Hokage. Naruto Uzumaki, I expect you to take responsibility for this. One of the side effects of power is fear. Humans instinctively lash out at things that they can't understand."

"I know that." Naruto growled, his hands clenching into fists. "As a Jinchuuriki, I've lived with that reality all my life, you know?"

"Then you should understand the seriousness of this situation, boy!" The Raikage yelled, his white teeth flashing. "If there's one thing we've learned from Miyagi, it's that he isn't the actual leader. He's just some disposable pawn who was planted in our village. Based on what we learned from the Hidden Rain, it seems likely that the rebel factions appearing in the villages are all linked. That means we have no idea who their leader is or where they're located. However, in a matter of months, they managed to wrangle up all the desperate losers they could find and organized them to cause trouble internationally."

When Naruto didn't speak up, the Raikage continued. "Personally, I think that fear is half of what makes someone powerful. As a last resort, it can be an underhanded control tactic. However, if it's this bad, I'd advise you to make yourself more relatable to the public, Naruto. There's no point being in a position of power if your own comrades can't trust you."

Kiba's voice suddenly boomed in Naruto's memory. "You might be some big shot now, Naruto, but don't you dare forget about your comrades!"

Naruto sighed, bowing his head tiredly. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." The lightning-nin said with a firm nod. "Now, enough of that. What I want to know is why the hell Sasuke Uchiha hasn't been killed yet! And, why the hell did I get this letter from Bee telling me to forgive him?"

Naruto's gaze flashed towards the Raikage, his eyes fierce as he snarled, "Sasuke isn't going to be killed! I went and talked to Uncle Bee myself, and he agrees that Sasuke should be given a second chance."

"What?" The Raikage bellowed, slamming his fist through his desk. In a flash, he had barreled through the window, his voice echoing through the quieting village as he screamed his brother's name.

There was a clattering of feet, and Shi burst into the room. "Not again, sir!" He whined as he ran over to the window, glancing after his Raikage through the broken glass. After a moment he turned toward Naruto, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry about that, Naruto-sama." He said. "If you'd like, we have a room prepared for you here."

"That's alright." The blond said, the legs of the chair rumbling across the floor as he stood. "I should be getting back to my village."

"But, you've only just arrived!" Shi exclaimed, the disappointment obvious in his voice.

Naruto smiled. "I'm sorry, but I have to report back to Granny Tsunade." He paused to slip into his long red cloak. "Not only that, but I can't afford to be away from my village right now. You understand, don't you Shi?"

"Of course, sir." Shi said. Then, to Naruto's embarrassment, the Cloud ninja bowed.

"Have a safe journey, Naruto-sama. And remember, you will always be able to find comrades within Kumogakure."


A tense silence hung heavily over the group of shinobi who had hurriedly gathered in the Hokage's office.

The tall, silent figure of Naruto Uzumaki, his face unreadable and his broad shoulders set in agitation, stood before them. A few lanterns had been hastily lit, and their light flickered across the Jinchuuriki, his eyes blazing like sapphire jewels.

Tsunade was the first to rouse herself from her shocked silence. With Naruto's words still ringing in her ears, she leaned forward in her seat.

"Did Raikage mention what would become of this Miyagi Kou?" She asked, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin upon them.

Naruto reached into one of the many pockets that decorated his Jounin vest, pulling out a large scroll marked with the symbol of the Hidden Cloud. His footsteps were heavy in the silence as he walked towards Tsunade's desk.

"This is a detailed report compiled by the Raikage's attendant. If they've made any plans for him, it'll be mentioned in here – you know?" Naruto said in a low voice as he handed the scroll to his Hokage.

After she had accepted the scroll, he turned back towards his comrades, glancing at their concerned faces. Naruto had returned from his mission to the Hidden Cloud earlier than expected. It was well after midnight when he had appeared suddenly outside the gate, not taking the hour into account when he woke the Hokage and summoned a select few Jounin to her office.

Sakura stood beside Sai, makeup smudged under her eyes from sleep. Neji's eyes reflected the moonlight seeping in through the window, making them glow eerily in the dim light. Kakashi and Yamato hung back from the group; the silver-haired sharingan user relaxed as always while Captain Yamato fidgeted nervously. Shikamaru stood in the foreground, the light reflected in the beads of sweat collecting on his temple.

Every person in the room could feel that Naruto's chakra was blazing furiously, despite his calm demeanor. The warmth that they were so comfortably familiar with had been completely overridden by his powerful anger. But despite this, Naruto's comrades found themselves unable to fear him. Rather, it was respect that struck them silent. Respect for the man who had just calmly conveyed to them, despite how much he was raging internally, a plot in which both himself and his dearest friends were the targets.

Naruto's voice echoed in Shikamaru's memory. "Just when we were finally making progress towards peace, this had to happen. I'm sorry. It seems that I'm putting you all through a lot of trouble again. But I swear, I'll do everything in my power to protect what's important to me."

The rustle of paper disturbed the silence as Tsunade scanned through the scroll. "Do you think it's true that he has spies in the village?" She asked no one in particular. "If so, then every ninja, even those of Genin level, must be put on alert."

"It's definitely possible." Naruto said, walking silently over to the window. "With so much activity in the village daily, it's impossible for me to track every chakra that passes through the gates. And I haven't sensed any hostile or particularly strong chakra's either."

Neji spoke up softly. "Just as Naruto says, there have not been any notable movements within the village. The visitors appear to consist mostly of contactors and other regular citizens who are hired to rebuild Konoha."

"We can't assume these spies are outsiders." Shikamaru cut in, his sharp eyes resting on the tense set of Naruto's shoulders. "Even within Konoha, it's possible that there are shinobi who don't favour Naruto. If they were long-standing ninja, it would be easy for them to move freely while gathering information."

"But how would they relay the information back to their master?" Neji wondered as he drifted into the ring of light, his ANBU mask hanging from around his neck. As Naruto peered at Neji's reflection in the window, he realized how strange it was to see him clad in the black and grey uniform of the Black Ops, as it was in stark contrast to his usual white robes. "Any messenger birds whose flights have not been authorized are shot down immediately. Even the highest ranking Captains and Jounin's must have their message recorded before the bird is sent out."

"That's true," Shikamaru said as he shifted his weight from one leg to another. "But, neither the village nor ANBU keeps tabs on the mail service for regular civilians. They could be using that to convey information. Although it would take much longer, the information would still reach its destination."

Tsunade rolled up the scroll, her deep frown accentuated by the flickering lantern light. "In that case, we will monitor that mail system as well. Neji, see to it that sensory-type ANBU are permanently stationed in the mail offices for now. Instruct them to confiscate any items that have a chakra trace on them. If this is the method that they're using for communication, then knowing that we're onto them might make them panic and slip up."

Neji nodded, glancing over to Sai. The silent artist blinked slowly to show that he understood before vanishing in a splash of ink. "Tsunade-sama, perhaps we should review the mission reports that have been filed since the war to look for any suspicious content? It might also be beneficial to look at the records that are kept by the gate guards, to make sure no shinobi have been leaving the village without authorization."

Tsunade opened her mouth to respond, but Naruto cut her off. "Don't waste your time with that." He said, his voice rough as he continued to stare out at the sleeping village. "If any of our shinobi were acting out of the ordinary, I would have noticed for sure. That Miyagi guy had a very refined way of speaking. I got the feeling that he probably has friends in pretty high places."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Naruto, you can't mean-"

Naruto turned his head quickly, one blue eye capturing Shikamaru's gaze. "Shikamaru, Neji, are you two still looking into those council members who caused a fuss during the trial?"

The two geniuses exchanged a glance before nodding in unison.

"Good," Naruto said, turning to face the room. "Right now, they're my number one suspects. Since those guys have a ton of money, it would be easy for them to hire people or even assign their own guards to pose as builders and have them infiltrate the village, you know? They would know that I keep track of the chakra movements of the Leafs shinobi, so they would either send someone with weak chakra or no chakra at all."

"That makes sense," Sakura mumbled, tucking a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "They seemed pretty threatened by Naruto, if you ask me. It didn't make sense for them to be so nervous in those circumstances. I asked Shizune about it, and it seems like they have all been members of the ninja council for years. It just doesn't seem right that they would get so worked up at a trial like that."

"Unless they had something to hide." Shikamaru added with a frown. "Also, most of them don't even live in the village right now. Since they're scattered around the Land of Fire, it removes them from the situation and makes them seem less likely to be involved."

"That's true," Neji said, gripping his chin gently as he latched onto Shikamaru's train of thought. "If Naruto is correct in assuming that they would hire average men to serve as their spies, then we won't be able to find any chakra traces on their messages. Not only that, but if they are posing as one of the merchants who works in the village by day but leaves at night, then it's entirely possible for them to send messengers hawks as soon as they leave."

"So in other words," Tsunade said with a sigh. "We need to be patient and remain silently vigilant. Now that we know something is going on, all we can do is keep our eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Naruto, I know you've already got a lot on your plate, but try to pay closer attention to the chakra movements within the village. Also, Sakura, I'll ask you to look into the family name Kou. The name seems too familiar. It's possible that Miyagi is the remnant of a fallen clan."

"Yes, Master." The pink-haired kunoichi saluted.

Naruto nodded firmly, a faint smile finding his lips. "It means I'll have to meditate even more than I already do, but you can count on me, Granny Tsunade."

"Naruto." Kakashi cut in suddenly, walking forward with his hands in his pockets. "What are you plans now in regards to Sasuke? How do you plan to protect him?"

An anxious silence fell as everyone turned their attention back to Naruto. The blond glanced quickly at Sakura, only to smile reassuringly when he saw the concern in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan." He said softly. "I won't let anything happen to Sasuke."

He spoke then to the group at large, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've already put quite a lot of thought into this, but no matter how I try to reason it, I can't justify keeping Sasuke locked in a cell. Even though that would be the easiest, and maybe the safest, thing to do; it just isn't fair to him."

"So what do you propose, Naruto?" The Hokage asked, her delicate eyebrows meeting in a frown. "That Sasuke makes room for himself in your apartment?"

Naruto laughed shyly, rubbing his head. "I'm sure there'd be plenty of room for him, Granny, since I'm never there anyways. But, no, I wouldn't locate him in such a densely populated area. I thought it'd be best to have some sort of safe house, something out of the way enough that I wouldn't have to worry about innocent people getting hurt if something happened. Then, we could also set up some barriers, just to be safe. And since I'll have to protect and guard him all the time, it has to be somewhere that we can both live. It's just more convenient that way."

"You really have put a fair amount of thought into this." Captain Yamato said as he stepped forward, feeling more comfortable now that the Jinchuuriki's chakra had calmed a little. "It seems like a fairly good idea to me. The only problem is finding a place which would be suitable."

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "How about somewhere in the Nara district?"

Naruto blinked several times in confusion. "What?"

"Why don't you get a house built on Nara land?" Shikamaru said with a sigh. "The people in my clan aren't really keen on crowds or loud places, and we keep to ourselves, so you don't have to worry about it being densely populated. That will also mean that any spies creeping around will stick out immediately, since they aren't a Nara. Also, if anyone tries to sneak in through the forest, you'll know right away. Our deer know an intruder when they see one."

"That would also make it easier for the Black Ops unit to guard the house." Neji said thoughtfully. "Forests are easier to conceal oneself in than city rooftops. This seems like a good option, Naruto."

"But," Naruto said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Is it really okay for us to live on Nara land, Shikamaru?"

The shadow-nin sighed as he rubbed his head. "Usually, we prefer to preserve the land for members of our clan only. However, these are special circumstances. And besides, we owe you for restoring our forest for us."

His eyes swimming, Naruto sighed in relief. "Thank you, Shikamaru! I feel so much better now, you know?"

Shikamaru returned the smile despite himself, slouching as he slid his hands into his pockets. "I'll ask my old man to look into the matter as soon as he can. Hopefully, the house will be finished in a few months."

"That's perfect!" Naruto said as he rested his hands behind his head. "It should be ready around the same time that everything's settled from Sasuke`s trial!"

"Yes, yes, it's all wonderful." Tsunade said gruffly, standing up from her chair. "Now, I think that's enough for tonight. We will hold another meeting tomorrow afternoon to continue discussing these matters. For now, you're all dismissed. Go home and get some rest. I won't have you all slacking in your duties tomorrow. That includes you, Naruto! Get some rest: that's an order! Dismissed! "

Kakashi disappeared in a puff of chakra smoke while Captain Yamato bowed to the Hokage. Naruto was the first to leave, bursting out into the silent hallway with purposeful steps. Neji and Shikamaru followed soon after, entering the hall just in time to see the flapping end of Naruto`s cloak as he leapt from the open window. Shikamaru yawned widely.

"I found myself rather impressed by Naruto tonight." Neji said as they made their way down the hall. "He handled the situation rather calmly. A couple years ago, he would have been yelling and causing a fuss, I`m sure. "

Shikamaru nodded tiredly in agreement. "It`s always amazed me that someone with as much energy as him could master mediation so quickly. For some reason, I always sort of assumed that the only people who could meditate were the ones who`re pretty calm already." He glanced through the windows towards the cold, starry sky. "My Mom had been nagging me to learn mediation from him. She said it would help clear my mind or something. So I went with him when he was meditating in our forest one day, just to get her off my back. And, I`ll admit, it was one of the most interesting things that I`ve ever witnessed. He was just sitting there, glowing like the freaking sun, and the trees were all growing like crazy. When I actually slow down to think about it, he`s a pretty intimidating guy. "

"Yes," Neji agreed with a smile. "I believe that he will be a great man someday."

"He`s always been a great man." Sakura said suddenly as she caught up to them. "The only thing that`s changed is that people are noticing it now."


Naruto walked swiftly through the quiet streets, ignoring his exhaustion as newfound determination settled within him. The threat that had seemed unbearably large only hours earlier was lightened, and he found himself able to think more clearly. Even though his strong desire to protect his friends still had his chakra flaring brightly, it had calmed to a steady flame.

"Whatever it takes, I`ll protect you." Naruto thought as he caught sight of his apartment, jumping from one rooftop to another until he landed on his balcony. "I swear Sasuke, that I will never let anyone hurt you."


A/N: Edited!