Disclaimer: By gum I wish I owned Naruto...I wouldn't be churning out irrelevant flashback filler shite weekly, or progressing the manga far too quickly. Sadly, I don't, so we all have to put up with it.

Author Note: Sorry it's been AGES since my last update. Apologies.

***Chapter 8 -***

The overwhelming sadness within the room seemed to radiate in all directions, infecting all those who were aware of the pink haired Kunoichi's demise. The painful grimaces on the many shinobi who walked solemnly throughout their 'new' village told a thousand words to those who did not yet know. Amongst those who had yet to hear of Sakura's death, was the Hokage. Although he knew of the severity of her condition, he, as well as the rest of the squad he arrived with, did not know whether the operation had been successful.

"Ho-Hokage-sama..." Kotetsu managed to form the welcome to the calm looking Hatake Kakashi. Although he looked at ease, he was more distraught now than he had ever been...well, since Rin that is.

"Good afternoon Kotetsu. I'm glad that the village is still standing. Naruto was...not himself, when he advanced from our group." The tinge of relief under Kakashi's almost humoured remark quickly dissipated when he looked at the guard's reaction to his comment. The look he received from the wild haired Chuunin told him that "you really shouldn't be making jokes", as well as "I'm so sorry".

"Neji, search for Sakura's chakra signature." The cool facade began to falter on Kakashi's face as he watched the white eyes of Neji shoot open, scrutinising every chakra system he could set his eyes on from there to the hospital. He found nothing.

The gentle shake of his head signified to Kakashi that he couldn't locate her. As if on cue, the heavens opened on Konoha. As if it couldn't get worse for Kakashi, a black cat scurried out into his path as he moved away from the registration booth. 'This is really not good...' he thought to himself as he signalled Yamato, Neji, Kiba and Shino to follow him towards the hospital.

The group scaled up the wall of the nearest building, and began jumping over the rooftops as quickly as their fatigued legs could carry them. Kakashi and Yamato were much fresher than the others, who were beginning to lag behind. The Hokage noticed this, but he pressed on regardless. He had to get to the hospital. Sasuke had reached the point of no return; there was no way he was losing another of his students as well. He couldn't go through such a loss again.

They got there after about five minutes, and they were immediately struck by the eerie silence of the reception. Many were in tears, but most were just sat in silence, contemplating many things in their heads.

"Haruno Sakura's room." The assertive and disrespectful tone of Kakashi's voice slightly angered the receptionist as she pulled her tear stained face from her arms. But when she noticed the red Kage robes he was donning, she could begin to understand the attitude.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Room 401." The same solemn look she gave Naruto was painted on her face, underneath the tear streaks. Kakashi knew by the look that it was too late, yet he rushed as fast as he could down the corridor, with the rest of the group failing miserably at keeping up.

As he reached the open door of room 401, he saw the semi-circle of saddened faces looking towards the single occupied bed in the ward. The next thing he noticed was the wild blonde locks, knelt by the side of the bed, with a comforting hand gently squeezing the shoulder the hair belonged to. The body language of Naruto and Hinata did not sit well with him as his footsteps echoed into the silent room, alerting everyone to his presence. The group turned in unison as Kakashi, Yamato, Neji, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru fanned out into the already crowded room, slowly walking towards the others.

"Hokage-sama," Shikaku spoke first as he left the group and headed to greet his friend, and his superior, "I-I am so sorry, I failed you." The council was dead, as was Sakura; one of Kakashi's students, and Sasuke was the culprit. It had all happened on his watch, and he didn't know if Kakashi could ever forgive him.

"I-it's okay, Shikaku. I..." Kakashi's stuttering was cut out by an outburst from behind him.

"God damnit Sasuke! I'm gunna kill him for this!" Kiba was fuming. Everyone was taken aback by the outburst, but when they realised it came from the mouth of the hot-headed Inuzuka, they just ignored it. Everyone had their own way of dealing with things, and it was well known that Inuzuka's couldn't keep their opinions to themselves. Akamaru began to growl slightly in his master's direction, in an attempt to urge him to shut up. Kiba just wasn't reading the tone of the room at all as his outburst continued, spitting his venomous words around the room.

"Shut up and show some respect to Sakura! If you can't be quiet then get the hell out!" Everyone was more shocked by the sudden outburst that came from the extremely introverted Hyuga, whose eyes zoned in on Kiba with more hatred than anyone had ever seen from her. Her teammate began to quake in his boots when he saw the Byakugan activate on her pale face. He had known her for so long, but this was the first time she had ever shouted at him.

"Its okay hime," Naruto stood up from his crouched position and wrapped his arms around her waist as he whispered into her ear, "let him be." The instance the words passed through his lips, she relaxed her back into him, as she disengaged her eyes from her target.

Kiba too relaxed a little as her eyes moved away from him. He still felt a little uneasy as the rest of the group seemed to be thinking what Hinata had said. As Akamaru moaned slightly, Kiba eventually got the picture and stood at the back of the group, away from prying eyes.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you, Sakura." That was all that Kakashi could muster before his voice began to falter from his usual 'I don't give a shit' tone.

It was obvious to everyone that he wasn't taking it very well, no more so than Kurenai. She walked up behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder as a means of comfort. She was one of the few that knew what Kakashi had been through in the past. The loss of his best friend, his girlfriend and wife-to-be, the loss of his Sensei, and of course the loss of his parents. The inner turmoil that Kakashi had felt for so many years, she had only begun to feel with the death of Asuma. A death of a student was something that she was yet to witness, and frankly never wanted to, yet she could only offer her hand to him as a means of comfort and hope that he took it.

To her surprise, he did. He raised his hand up to his shoulder, and squeezed her petite fingers gently in a way that said "thank you" before returning his gaze back to his peaceful student. He felt so much grief as he gazed at her still body, yet he somehow seemed so much more at ease with Kurenai's hand on his shoulder. It was almost...soothing.

"We will get him Naruto-san. Everyone in this room will help you avenge her." Neji's words were greeted with a sea of nods from the others.

Everyone seemed to feel exactly the same, Sasuke had to be dealt with, and soon. Previously everyone was willing to go along with Tsunade's initial orders three years ago, to capture him. But now, you could see the anger in their faces, except for Lee that is. He looked worse than everyone put together. In a way, the last thing she did was 'open her eyes' to him, and that's what hurt him more than anything. Sasuke's final words to him sunk into his mind like a hot poker. "How touching. I guess you finally got her in the end. Now you can join her."

He wanted vengeance, he wanted his head on a pike, but he wanted Sakura to be alive even more. He couldn't save her, he was too weak and she died because of that. He would much rather die than live knowing that his weakness is the reason that she was no longer here.

"No. There will be no vengeful acts against him." Naruto's words caused everyone to take a double take.

"What? Can you be serious? Look what he did to Sakura!" Kiba was robustly voicing his opinion again, but this time Naruto reacted faster than Hinata could put him back in his place. In the blink of an eye, Kiba was being pressed against the back wall, with a kunai to his throat. Naruto's blood red eyes scared Kiba half to death as he spoke.

"Are you that stupid to think that I don't care about what that bastard did to her? She was like my sister you idiot. Now shut up and let me speak." By the end of his dressing down of Kiba, the sea of blue had returned to Naruto's eyes as he turned to the shocked group, aside from Yamato and Kakashi, who knew firsthand how fast he could be.

"I will never be able to forgive him for this, and I know that no one in this room will be able to either. Haruno Sakura was a beloved friend, and has saved the lives of everyone in this room on more than one occasion. But, if we seek out Sasuke with only vengeance in mind, we will be no better than him." Many in the group began to look puzzled at his words. They fully expected him to come out berating the Uchiha bastard for his actions. No one expected such, composure.

"Jiraiya-sensei left me with the task of bringing peace to this war-torn world, and there is no way that we can achieve peace through vengeance. Look at what happened with Pain. He is the prime example of how not to live. He tried to achieve peace by bringing death and pain to all those that had pained him. Sasuke is rooting out all those that he believes are to blame for the death of his clan, and is reaping vengeance as he sees fit. If we hunt him down, we will only become as empty and hollow as he has become." His words forcefully resonated around the room, slowly being taken in by all those who heard it.

"We cannot just let him off without any form of punishment. He has killed a fellow shinobi, as well as the entire elder council. Any one of the incurrence's should bring the death penalty." Shikaku stated 'matter-of-factly' as his words brought a few groans from the group.

"Don't worry, Sasuke will die. But he will die on the battlefield, and he will die by the sword that he killed Sakura with." Lee was forcibly pushing himself up from his wheelchair as he spoke. The sadness in his face was still there, but he seemed, different.

"Lee, please don't push yourself." Gai urged his student to sit down again, but he continued to take small steps towards the centre of the room, where Naruto was stood. It was only after he passed through a number of people was it clear that he was clenching something with his free hand.

"You should have this, Naruto-kun. You are the only person in this village capable of defeating him. I don't care how you do it, vengeance or not, but I want you to kill him. Do you understand me?" Lee was visibly shaking as the anger in his voice turned into a shrilled gasp for breath as he began to collapse to the ground. Naruto caught him before he hit the deck, and sat him back into the wheel chair.

"I-I understand Lee." Naruto wanted to fully oblige with Lee's request. He wanted to kill him for what he's done, but he knew that hatred was not the answer. He could never forgive him, and frankly there was no alternative than to kill him. But when he looked at Hinata, the hate melted away. Something Jiraiya had told him once came to mind as he looked at her.

~~Flashback~~

"Do you know where true power comes from Naruto?"

"From your fists, and the Jutsu's that you use Ero-sennin." Naruto replied quickly without even thinking as he turned back to the three clones he was sparring with.

"Baka! True strength comes from having someone that stands by your side. A person who has something to fight for, something to protect, something or someone to love, will always triumph against those who are fuelled by hatred and fight for personal gain." Jiraiya laughed at his young students puzzled face. He really was so slow.

"But, then why do you train me so hard? I have friends who I want to protect, I want to protect everyone. Shouldn't I be strong enough already?" Jiraiya chuckled again at his disciples words.

"You must look underneath the underneath you baka."

"Stop calling me 'baka' you pervert!"

"I am not a pervert! I am a Super pervert!" The grin that wisped across Jiraiya's face made Naruto laugh uncontrollably as he looked at his sensei. 'You definitely made a good one, Minato.'

"What do you mean, 'look underneath the underneath'?" The confusion in his voice returned again as he stewed over the words.

"You'll understand when the times right. Now, let's get back to our 'information gathering'." The perverted smirk returned as the two left for the hot springs.

~~End flashback~~

When he looked at her, he finally understood what Ero-sennin had meant. She was the shining light that would keep him from the path of despair and vengeance. She would give him the strength that he would need. The overriding desire to protect his 'precious people' trumped his desire for revenge when he looked at Hinata.

"As long as I have everyone in this village behind me, I will be able to defeat him. True strength comes to those that will put their lives on the line to protect everyone they care about. As long as we stick together, we will not lose. That is our will of fire." He turned back to his sensei, who had remained quiet for a long time. "What do you say Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked at the large group that were staring back at him, waiting for a reply. After all, it was his decision on what was going to happen.

"Naruto is right. But I will not be sending a mission to assassinate him. We have much greater issues to attend to. Uchiha Madara and Akatsuki have declared war on the ninja world."

"What?" many of the people in the crowd replied in unison to what their Hokage told them. An extremely tense silence ensued as the group waited for answers.

"It's true. The five Shinobi Nations, as well as the Samurai of Tetsu no Kumo, have formed an alliance against the Akatsuki. If the reports of Sasuke are true, it will not be long before we cross paths on the battlefield." Naruto's reassurance that Kakashi spoke the truth was a bit disheartening to the youngest of the group. They were yet to experience war, where as the more seasoned of the group, had lived through one.

"We must call an emergency clan head meeting immediately. ANBU, alert the head of each clan and tell them to be at the Hokage tower in fifteen minutes." As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, four figures in ANBU attire appeared from nowhere, and immediately shunshined out of existence as soon as they acknowledged his order.

"Shikaku, Yamato, and Naruto, I require your presence for this meeting. Everyone else should take the day off. No missions will be issued today."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The group replied in unison as Kakashi gave Sakura one final look, before moving towards the exit. Naruto did the same, giving her hand one final grasp before hugging his beloved Hyuga princess, and signalling goodbye to the rest.

Many of the others lingered around, contemplating the life that was Haruno Sakura. Slowly, one by one, the group departed until only Team Gai was left. Tenten embraced Neji in a hug, as Gai tried his best to pick up Lee's spirits. He had reverted back to his saddened self after his angry outburst. He seemed so dejected and it was hurting Gai more than anything.

"I'm sorry Lee; we weren't fast enough in getting to you. I understand if you can't forgive us." Neji took the words straight out of Gai's mouth. He was showing a great deal of angst and pain as he spoke. In his eyes he had been more to blame than Lee. At least Lee was there. But the backup didn't reach them quick enough.

"I-its okay, N-Neji-kun. We will get him, even if it's the last thing I do." Lee quickly brushed away the tears and looked up to Gai. "I want you to teach me that move."

Gai simply looked down at his faithful student for the briefest of moments, so that he could see the pain in his eyes. His only reply was a simple nod in acknowledgement as he grabbed Lee's wheelchair, and headed towards the door.

'I hope that you get to him first Naruto,' Gai thought to himself as they left back towards Lee's room, finally leaving Sakura at peace.


The silence in the Hokage tower was enough to drive someone insane. Kakashi had just finished telling the clan heads what had happened at the Kage summit. It was a lot to take in, considering that War had been declared by someone who should have died decades ago. The fact that an alliance had been formed between the great shinobi nations was another factor, as it was an entirely new phenomenon. All of the clan's representatives were old enough to have lived through the previous war, and they knew what it meant for the village. Add that to what had happened the previous night inside the village, and you have a cause for wide spread panic in Konoha.

Surprisingly, Aburame Shibi was the first to speak up.

"What goal are the Akatsuki trying to achieve by this action? From what you have already informed, there is only believed to be seven members remaining in the organisation."

"All we know is that Madara is after the Biju's, and as far as we know the only one not to have been captured is Naruto. The Hachibi is believed to be their prisoner, but has not yet been sealed. With the power of all of the Biju's, he would easily have the capability to wipe everyone off the face off this earth." Kakashi replied quickly to the bug user. The answer appeared to satisfy him as he simply nodded and became quiet again.

"If that is the case, shouldn't our top priority to be searching for the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi?" Shikaku butted in before anyone else could speak.

"Indeed, but we have no idea where the Akatsuki hideout is. On top of that, we are in no position to aid assistance. This is the weakest our village has been since Orochimaru attacked four years ago..." Kakashi was trying to explain his reasons for his lack of desire to assist when he was cut off by his student.

"Killer Bee is the Raikage's brother, and the Raikage has assured me that he will find him. But Kakashi-sensei is right; we are in no position to aid them." Naruto's urgency to get the council behind Kakashi was well noted by the Hokage. He was lucky he still had one student to look out for him.

"Thank you Naruto." Kakashi smiled slightly before standing up and walking towards the window. "With the village elders gone, we need to assemble a new council, and frankly there are no fitting replacements. Unless anyone here can think of a better alternative, I propose that we change the way in which the village is governed into a clan based system. Decisions will be made by those that are in this room."

This seemed to be greeted by a wave of uncertainty. By doing this, Kakashi was placing the power of the village into a handful of people, yet in a sense, it removed the bureaucratic nuisance that was civilians out for personal gain. After a period of open conversation between the clan heads, they eventually agreed that this was the best course of action.

"Of course, this would only be temporary. I will have to get the approval of the Daimyo to make this permanent. And with that, I would also like to propose that an extra seat be added to the council for Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, sole survivor of two of the most prestigious clans the Ninja world has ever known."

*pin drop*

"No...Way...you are the Yondaime's legacy?" Tsume blurted out in shear disbelief.

"Please tell me you did notice the resemblance? They look identical. How else could he learn, and complete Minato's signature move so quickly?" Shikaku goaded the Inuzuka before something happened that resulted in utter silence. Hyuga Hiashi...laughed.

"Wow, I don't think I have ever seen the high and mighty Hyuga Hiashi laugh before." Inoichi laughed awkwardly as Hiashi began to stare him down.

"What's so funny Hiashi-sama?" Naruto requested an explanation for the sudden uncharacteristic behaviour.

"I'm sorry Naruto-san. I did not mean to offend you. It's just, well, it makes sense now. Your mother and Hinata's mother were best friends in the academy. It explains a lot as to why you two have become so close. Also, it is quite funny that Tsume failed to notice the similarities between you and your father."

Inuzuka Tsume sunk back into her chair. Even Hiashi, king of uptight bastards was making fun of her. His remark even gleaned a nod of approval from Shibi, as well as laughter from Choza and Shikaku. Before Naruto could ask him about his mother, Kakashi chirped up.

"As much as I would love to make Tsume squirm some more, we still have one matter left to attend to. Naruto, what exactly is your plan?" Kakashi turned to face the blonde haired, blue eyed teen, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Hiashi-sama, if you don't mind, could I borrow your Byakugan for a bit?" Naruto asked calmly.

"For what purpose do you require my sight?" Hiashi replied unsure of Naruto's request.

"From what Hinata-hime has told me, the Byakugan can be used to detect any form of deception. If I am going to discuss my plan, I need to know that no one in this room will ever betray the knowledge they are about to receive." Naruto looked around the room, taking a mental image of all of their reactions. He fully expected looks of disgust, but all he received was a tone of understanding.

"Understood, Naruto-san. Byakugan!" Hiashi's white eyes widened as the veins grew from the sockets. With his activated eyes, he began to scan all those in the room, as well as the ANBU standing guard outside it. As soon as Naruto was given a nod of approval by Hiashi, he began to form seals at a rapid pace.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Naruto-chan, I was just about to summon you myself. The elder sage has requested your presence." Fukusaku sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by the council. It only took the briefest of moments before he could feel so many pairs of eyes burrowing into him. "What's going on here Tsun...Kakashi!" The elder toad began to get quite uneasy as to why Kakashi was the one wearing the Kage robes.

For the next ten minutes or so, Kakashi and Naruto explained to him all that had happened since he and the rest of the toads had been reverse summoned back to Mount Myoboku. It didn't take long for him to become acclimatised to the severity of the situation.

"That brings me onto my plan. Mount Myoboku is near enough impossible to find, unless you already know how to get there. With your permission, I would like to station myself there, until I am needed in battle. That way no one will be able to find me, and I will only be a summoning away from the frontline of any battle that I may be needed in." Naruto laid out his plan as simply as he could to the council. It seemed decent enough to them. He was out of harm's way, and was easily accessible at any time.

"I am sure it will be fine Naruto-chan. I will have to have a messenger toad stationed here at all times, but that can be arranged. However, I will not allow any Ninja forces to be stationed with him. I hope that is satisfactory Hokage-san?"

"That should be fine..." Naruto cut off Kakashi again before he could finish.

"I do have one request. There is someone I would like to bring with me, if it would be acceptable?" Naruto blushed slightly as he spoke. Everyone around the table noticed the pink arise in his cheeks, no one more so than Hiashi.

"You have my permission, Naruto-san, on the proviso that you help to train her further." Hiashi forced his words upon Naruto with a watchful eye. He knew what he was up to, but he also knew that his daughter would be much safer away from the action.

"Bagged yourself a Hyuga huh? Well done kiddo." Fukusaku nudged the teens arm teasingly as he turned back to Kakashi. "I will allow one person to accompany him, but I expect him to be ready to go by tonight. We really need to bring him back before the elder toad forgets what he wants him for." Naruto deadpanned as he remembered upon his previous conversation with the elderly sage toad, how forgetful he could be.

"Very well. If everyone is satisfied then you are all dismissed. I expect everyone to return tomorrow for the war council meeting. I shall inform the Daimyo of the issue. And Shikaku, bring Shikamaru with you. Two Nara masterminds are better than one."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the clan members stood up and left in single file. Only Naruto, Yamato, and Fukusaku remained.

"I will go and ask Hinata-hime about it. I will summon you when we are ready to go." The teen told the sage toad before heading towards the double doors.

"Oh, and another thing Naruto. Change your clothes before you leave, that combat suit is torn to shreds." He simply nodded in compliance to Kakashi's words of wisdom as he left the room. The others waited for him to leave the floor before they began to talk again.

"I would strongly recommend allowing Yamato to accompany the two of them. He possesses the ability to control the Kyubi's chakra, in case any trouble arises." Kakashi openly urged Fukusaku to reconsider, but the sage toad had other ideas in mind.

"I don't doubt that, but after tomorrow, Naruto will have no need for a babysitter. The decision has been made, and we are giving him the other half of the Kyubi's seal. When he activates it, he will be able to control the Kyubi, with his own free will and use its chakra openly." The sage instantly rejected Kakashi's request.

"And if he fails in taming the Kyubi?"

"He will not fail. Naruto is the child of prophecy, said to bring peace to the ninja world. He will succeed. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get home and tell Ma that we should be expecting guests." Before Kakashi or Yamato could protest, Fukusaku dismissed himself, leaving a small cloud of smoke where he was stood.

Kakashi and Yamato looked at each other uneasily, before Yamato shunshined away, leaving the Hokage alone in the meeting room. He really didn't want to be alone at a time like this. Now that everyone had left, all he could think about was Sakura and Sasuke. 'What did I do wrong Kami? Am I that bad of a sensei that one of my students killed the other? Is this what the Sandaime felt like when Orochimaru betrayed Konoha?'

Kakashi sat with his head in his hands, silently asking himself question after question in his mind. Where did it all go wrong?


In a darkened room, a single occupied bed, accompanied by a heart-beat monitor, saw its patient slowly wake up from their drugged state. As the figure grew more conscious, they managed to haul their tired body into an upright position, so that they were leaning against the headboard. As the solitary lamp swung from the ceiling in the draft, the light finally caught the patients face, highlighting the bandages across their eyes and nose. The figures battered hands clawed up to their face, feeling at where the pain was coming from. It was excruciating, but they could feel the power growing from their eye-sockets.

Sasuke was blind, but he was alerted by the sound of the footsteps coming towards him. "I'm glad you finally changed your mind, Sasuke-kun. It would have been a waste of a good set of Mangekyo eyes if you hadn't of taken them." A masked figure chuckled lightly as they walked out from the shadows.

"Why didn't you take them? Surely you could use an extra set." Sasuke was bitter. He didn't want to take Itachi's eyes, but after his fight with Lee he could feel his eyesight failing him.

"I have no need for them. In due time, you will see the true power of Uchiha Madara." He held back a sadistic laugh before continuing. "Besides, you will thank me when you get to try your new eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Your eyesight will not falter, and your power will increase tenfold."

Sasuke didn't reply he just lay back down again, using his hearing to keep himself alert in case Madara did something. He still didn't trust him.

"I take it your mission was a success?"

"I achieved my goal. I am one step away from avenging Itachi. And I finally got to silence that fucking fan-girl. I lost my sword though. That was a bit of a downer on proceedings." He sighed as he reminisced on his killing spree. He really did enjoy the feel of another person's blood washing his hands clean.

"How did you lose a sword of Kusanagi?" Madara was intrigued by this. The sword used by Sasuke and Orochimaru was a fabled sword, one of the best ever made. For Sasuke to just, lose it, sounded completely absurd.

"Well, I assume it's where I left it, unless they removed it from Sakura's stomach already." Madara laughed at the cold hearted Uchiha's words. In a matter of weeks, he had turned the kid from an avenger, into a cold blooded murderer. It was going exactly how he had planned.

The two shared a silent appreciation of their hatred of Konoha, before Madara left the room, leaving Sasuke to relax back into his pillow. It would take a couple of days for his body to get used to the new set of eyes, so he allowed himself to return back to the calm pastures of his mindscape...

Unfortunately for Sasuke, during his unconscious journey back to the hideout, he had picked up a tail. Outside of the rock face that the cave travelled deep into, a three man cell lay in wait for their backup to arrive.

"Are you sure this is the place? That cave seems too shallow." A red-headed girl asked barely above a whisper.

"There is an extremely strong Genjutsu placed on the entrance. This is definitely the place." The leader of the cell replied at the same volume.

"If this is the place, and we get spotted before backup arrives, we may have to fight every member of Akatsuki singlehanded. If we can't take them out, then we will probably die, then all the girls waiting for me in Konoha and Kumo will commit suicide because they can't bear to live without me. Then I will be stuck in heaven with fifty girls try..."

"For fuck's sake will you shut up Omoi?" Karui was barely audible, but she was loud enough, and aggressive enough to get her point across to her tanned teammate.

The group sat there in silence after that. Any noise could trigger an incident that they were not prepared for. A three man cell could not take on the entire Akatsuki.


Konoha was a very sombre place. News had spread of the deaths of the elders, Sakura, and the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War. There wasn't a happy face within the village walls that was for sure. As the evening drew nearer, it didn't get much better. The alcohol was beginning to flow freely in many of the bars, but it didn't really help lighten the mood.

As Naruto walked through the village, he was greeted by many who wanted to pay their respects to his teammate. It wasn't helping him much, but at least he knew that the village cared for Sakura, and also for his well being. He had taken Kakashi's advice and changed his attire before he headed out to meet Hinata at the Hyuga compound.

He had no spare combat suits when he got back to his apartment, so he left for the clothing store at the end of the street. He found a pair of black combat trousers, but they were slightly too long for him, so he used white strapping to tie them to his combat sandals. He matched it with a high necked, long sleeved, black fitted undershirt, with the red swirls of the Uzumaki clan on both shoulders. It was such a change to his normal attire. It felt so loose, and it wasn't covered in such loud colours. He felt the blackness was a bit much, but he was in mourning after all. It also surprised him how much it cost him. The material was much better quality than what he usually bought, but it was only a fraction of the price. 'Maybe I get a hero's discount' he thought to himself as he handed his money over to the quiet shopkeeper.

It was unfortunate that he wasn't a Chuunin, one of the standard combat vests would have made his outfit complete. He felt like one of the older shinobi with his new look, and many were gazing at him in ore. It made him a little uneasy, but even he couldn't realise how similar to his father he looked in his new attire. Especially since everyone in the village now knew that he was in fact the blood kin of the Yondaime Hokage. The only thing that could make him more famous was if he became the Hokage.

After a short while he reached the gateway of the Hyuga compound. He knew the guards so well now that they just nodded and let him in without any hassle. It was such a benefit being in Hiashi's good books, he could enter the compound uninvited whenever he liked. As the rookie sage of Konoha walked through the flower garden of the head family he caught the sound of a fight coming from the dojo. It couldn't hurt to take a look, right?

"Juuken!" The two combatants screamed the Jutsu at the same point as the pair traded blows.

"Kaiten!" The two domes of swirling chakra met in the middle of the mat, causing sparks to fly from the impact points. Eventually the two attacks cancelled each other out.

It was unbelievable what Naruto saw. Hinata was fighting Neji, and she was winning. His beautiful girlfriend looked a little tired, but her movement was perfect and in time with Neji's attacks, allowing her to dodge with relative ease. Neji on the other hand, looked a little worse for wear. One of his shoulders sagged slightly, signifying that he had been caught by a full Juuken strike at some point in their spar. His breathing was as irregular as Hinata's. Both looked they had been at it for a while.

"I'll be with you in a minute Naruto-kun." The look of determination loosened on her face slightly as she spoke, smiling at him as he took to his usual seat besides Hiashi. The clan head simply nodded at the teen, taking a note of his new attire before returning to the action.

"You let your guard down, Hinata-sama..." A fatigued Neji took advantage of her dropped stance and went in for the kill, moving quickly over the mat with chakra charged into his left palm. He was mere inches away from striking her left breast before she gave him a sly smile. In an instant she ducked out of the way of the attack, spinning on her hand as she delivered a roundhouse kick to his cheek. The kick wasn't overly forceful, but Neji was off balance as it connected, catapulting him towards the wall. Luckily for Neji, Naruto used a number of Kage Bunshin's to lessen the blow.

"S-sorry Neji-kun. Are you okay?" Hinata was a little distressed; she really didn't aim to hurt him...that much.

"Do not apologise Hinata-sama...you defeated me fair and square. I was unprepared for such an, unpredictable manoeuvre." He latched on to the hand that was being held above him as he spoke, allowing Naruto to haul him up off two of the clones that survived the impact.

"What can I say; I guess my unpredictable nature rubs off on people. Right hime?" he smiled at her as she walked over to the two teens, embracing Naruto in a bear hug, sapping the air from his lungs. All Naruto could do was hug back as she snuggled into him. "Speaking of unpredictable behaviour, you should have been in the clan head meeting today when..."

*Cough* "Naruto, don't you have something to ask my daughter?" The urgency in his voice and the fake cough made Naruto chuckle slightly. If Naruto told his daughter and nephew how he had openly laughed in the middle of the meeting, his image would be shot forever. Naruto felt the prankster returning, yet refrained. He really didn't want to piss off the guy who had already given him so much lee-way when it came down to his daughter.

"Sorry Hiashi-sama, I got a little sidetracked." Naruto sniggered a bit at that, alerting Hiashi to the fact that he was genuinely thinking about saying it.

"You don't need to call me 'sama' anymore Naruto. After Hokage-sama's decree today, we are equals." This caught the attention of both Hinata, and Neji.

"Equals? May I inquire as to how?" Neji asked as politely as he could, but it was clear he was a little miffed to say the least, that Hiashi had called him 'equal'.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei kind of revealed my heritage during the clan head meeting this afternoon. But to be perfectly honest, he had to. Madara already told everyone at the Kage summit who my father is...well was. It was more appropriate that any word of it came from the Hokage, rather than a shinobi from a different country. I would have liked to have kept it our little secret Hina-hime, but Madara somehow knew who I really am." He seemed a little upset as he spoke. He really did want it to be their little secret. Until the Kage summit, only Hinata and Kakashi knew his full name.

"It's okay Naruto-kun, I understand." Hinata smiled up at him before she kissed his chin. "So will you be using your full name now?"

"I think it would be appropriate considering I am technically representing both clans on the council."

"I'm sorry but could you please tell me what you three are talking about. I am at a total loss here." Neji was becoming a little agitated with the fact that they appeared to be having a private conversation without him.

"Let's just say when you called me a loser all those years ago; you were way off the mark. From now on you can call me, Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto." The look of utter dumbfounded disbelief on Neji's face was enough to think he had lost his marbles.

"N-Na-Namikaze? Y-your f-f-father wa..." Neji's stuttering easily put Hinata's old self to shame as Naruto finished it off for him.

"My father is Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage and Konoha's 'Yellow Flash'." Neji paled even more than the norm for a Hyuga's milky complexion.

"So what did you need to ask me, Naru-kun?" Hinata played with his locks teasingly as she spoke. He'd gotten side-tracked again trying to make Neji jealous.

"Let's walk hime. I think we should talk about this alone. I hope you don't mind Hiashi-san?"

"No, no. You already have my opinion." Hiashi watched as the two left hand in hand, leaving him with an unbelievably gobsmacked Neji. The elder Hyuga simply sighed and left the gaping teen in his place, as he walked back to his quarters. There was something Hiashi wanted to find before they left.

The couple walked slowly through the garden, before setting down underneath a huge oak tree that resided within the grounds. They sat down against the stump, relaxed as can be on such a terrible day. Naruto felt extremely conflicted as he sat there. He was in mourning, he was in pain, yet he was happy that he could finally be with Hinata. The couple shared a moment in blissful relaxation before Hinata prompted him to ask her what her father alluded to.

"I will be leaving Konoha this evening, and I don't know how long I am going to be gone for..." Before Naruto finished Hinata had gripped herself around his waist tightly, and was almost in tears. "...hey, hey, Hina-hime, it's okay. That's what I wanted to ask you about."

She picked her tear struck face from his shoulder, gazing up at his sky blue gems, waiting desperately for what he was going to ask.

"Would you like to...?"

"Of course I would Naruto-kun." She answered his question before he could even finish asking her. The kiss she planted on his deprived lips was even better than knowing that she was going to be going with him.

They wrapped each other in their arms as they rolled playfully on the grass, kissing each other happily. Some of the other Hyuga's that were walking by just looked on in disbelief, thinking how 'un-Hyuga' the heir's actions were. That was the reactions of the men, who were simply jealous of Naruto. Hinata had grown up to be a beautiful woman. The women simply made an 'awwhhh' noise at what they deemed to be a cute sight.

"But, what about the War? We can't abandon the village now." Hinata's happiness seemed to dissipate when she realised that she would be leaving at a time when she would be needed the most.

"Hime, it's okay. We will be able to be summoned back home any time we are needed. I know it's selfish of me, but I want you to be with me. I could be away from the village for a very long time, and I don't want to be away from you again." He hoped she could understand where he was coming from. If the kiss she gave him was anything to go by, he was pretty sure that she did.

"Will anyone else be coming with us? Don't you need a security detail?" She asked intriguingly, hoping for a resounding no.

"I have my security detail sat next to me." Hinata knew at that moment that they would be alone, without anyone else from Konoha. It would be, perfect.

"You should really get packing; we will be leaving in two hours. Fukusaku-sama told me that I need to get to Mount Myoboku before the day is up." This alerted Hinata slightly. She had to be packed in two hours? Without warning she shot off into the main building. All Naruto could hear from his position under the tree were massive amounts of screams and lots of "sorry" being shouted through the chaos.

'I really should have told her earlier.' He chuckled to himself as he headed towards her room.

As he walked through the door, he could see what destruction she had left in her wake. Near the entrance, a maid was busy picking up bed sheets off of the floor. Naruto crossed his fingers into the seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and left three clones to help her pick everything up. Further down the corridor he saw a similar sight, only this time it was with dirty laundry. He left a few more Bunshin's to assist the maids as he walked further down the corridor to his hime's room.

All that could be heard on the other side of the screen door was the sound of someone frantically rushing around the room, coat-hangers clanging together as the clothes were ripped from them, drawers slamming shut and then being opened again. As he slid the door open, he was greeted by a pillow flying directly at his face. Unluckily for Naruto, his defences weren't fast enough, and it hit him full on in the face.

"Hey, watch it Hina-hime, you could have had my eye out." She giggled as he failed to keep a straight face as he 'told her off', before he began to tickle her, only making her laugh even more. 'Who would have known she was ticklish too?' he thought to himself as he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

"If you are going to fondle my daughter, please keep the door closed." Naruto immediately let go of Hinata and stood up straight, looking extremely serious.

"I'm sorry Hiashi-sama, I mean Hiashi-san, but she did throw a pillow at me." Hinata let out a squeaky laugh as she turned to her father to apologise for their public showing of affection.

"I take by the state of your room that you have decided to go with Naruto-san? If so, then I would like to see you before you leave." With that Hiashi bowed to the couple, and slid the door shut as his footsteps carried on down the corridor.

The two turned to each other and for the briefest of moments shared an awkward silence, before they simultaneously burst out laughing.

"I thought he was going to kill me..." Naruto laughed at the prospect, then realised that it was probably on his mind, making him pale slightly. She nudged him reassuringly before returning back to the many piles that were laid out on her bed.

"Can you help me pack Naruto-kun? I don't even know where we are going."

"A tropical paradise called Mount Myoboku, land of the toad summons. I hope that makes things a little easier?" He smiled as she instantly rummaged through her half packed backpack, and pulled out a number of winter clothes.

"Much easier, thank you Naru-kun." With that the two made quick work of the packing. She only took one large backpack, but it had enough supplies in it for at least a month. It wasn't an issue really, because if they ran out, they could come back at any time to get more. "Can you pick up that parcel for me, please?" She pointed to the long and shallow rectangular box that was stored at the foot of her open wardrobe. It was wrapped like a birthday present.

"Who is this for hime? You know we can return at any time for their birthday?" He sounded a little confused as she simply walked over to him and planted a kiss onto his whiskered cheek.

"What is the date today?"

"It's October sixth, what does that have to do wi..." It finally clicked in his head.

"Thank you hime." He placed his present on the bed and pulled her in close, brushing the hair away from her beautiful face before moving his lips towards her ear. "I love you," was all that he whispered into it as the words tingled on her exposed skin.

"I love you too, Naru-kun." She raised her hand to his cheek, cupping it as she pulled his face towards her lips, pressing them against his. It wasn't very passionate, yet it still felt unbelievably good. It was comforting more than anything, and that was what he needed to feel.

The moment passed slowly, and the two eventually separated their parched lips. Naruto performed his most useful jutsu and left a number of clones to tidy up Hinata's room, as they left for Hiashi's office.

As they walked, many of the branch members greeted Hinata politely, and also nodded in respect to Naruto. Some even commented on his new outfit, mostly girls, who were quickly put in their place by the glare they received by the girl on his arm. Hinata wasn't an aggressive person, but she would protect her boyfriend from anyone.

*Knock**Knock*

"Come in." The monotone voice on the other side of the door called the couple into the office.

As they opened the door, Hinata was greeted by a flying hug from a blur of white and blue. Hiashi sat behind his desk and looked on as his two daughters embraced each other in a hug; with Neji stood besides Hiashi with a significantly more reserved look to when Naruto left him before.

"Please look after my daughter, Naruto-san. I will be holding you responsible for anything that happens to Hinata. Do I make myself clear?" Naruto gulped.

"Crystal. Would you like me to give you a moment with your family?" He had gotten a little uneasy after what Hiashi said, and the death glare that came with it.

"No, it is fine. I have something I wanted to give you anyway." With that he pulled a small photograph from his desk and handed it to Naruto.

"Who is this?" He replied puzzled to why he had been given a photo. The picture had four people on it, two boys, and two girls. The left of the photograph showed two young Hyuga's, with their arms wrapped around each other as they smiled. The right showed another couple, one with blonde spiky hair, and the other with flowing blood-red hair. The four of them seemed to be good friends as each of them had a smile on their faces.

"Oh...my...god. Is that you Hiashi-sama?" Neji was a little shocked to say the least. He immediately received a nod of approval from the clan head as it caught Hinata's attention also.

"This is a picture of mother and father shortly after they left the academy. I don't know who the other two are though." Hinata smiled as she saw the look on Naruto's face as he focussed more on the picture.

"Turn it around." Naruto complied with his wishes and saw the small note on the back of it.

Hiashi and I, with Minato and Kushina, shortly after the Chuunin exam.

Age 13

Naruto finally got to see a picture of his mother. They seemed so happy together, as did Hinata's parents. It was hard to believe that the stern-faced man that stood before him was the same kid who was smiling happily in this picture.

"T-thank-you H-Hiashi." It had left Naruto speechless. A simple thank you was all he could muster as he gazed deeply at his parents. Hiashi walked around to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, before hugging- yes hugging – Hinata and Hanabi. It was the first time either girl could remember their father showing such affection.

After a few heart-felt goodbyes between the group, Naruto picked up Hinata's backpack and headed for the door. Hinata stayed behind a few seconds more to give Hanabi another hug, before catching up to her almost unrecognisable boyfriend. She held his present under her left arm, as she linked him with her right. Many of the Hyuga's were out in the gardens, wishing them farewell as they exited the compound.

They walked quietly through the streets, attracting looks from many onlookers, in the direction of the main gate. It didn't take them long before they got there.

"Since when did you have a twin, Naruto-kun?" She joked as she looked at the 'Naruto' that was stood at the gate with Kakashi, holding a large rucksack.

"You know I should really teach you how to make Kage Bunshin's, they are far too handy in day to day life." He replied with a smile and shouted ahead to Kakashi, who took a double-take when he saw the real Naruto walking towards him with Hinata. Just to add insult to injury, the clone that he had been stood talking to for the past twenty minutes disappeared.

"You mean to tell me I have been stood talking to a clone for twenty minutes?" Kakashi paled as he looked at the smirk on Naruto's face.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei, Hinata needed help packing and I didn't think you would actually get here before us." He really didn't understand how Kakashi had suddenly become more motivated to be on-time.

"It's okay; I guess I have a reputation of being late for everything." He sighed as he picked up Naruto's bag and met them half-way.

"Not leaving without saying goodbye are you?" Naruto and Hinata looked around to the tree-line besides them to see Shino and Kiba leaning against a tree, with Kurenai sat above them on a low-branch.

"Of course not, I saw you hiding there a while ago." She smiled as she de-activated her Byakugan, waiting as the three of them walked towards her. Naruto left Hinata to talk to them as he walked over to Kakashi.

"And don't worry about Sasuke, we will get him." He smiled as he patted Kakashi's shoulder. When he dispelled his clone he was flooded with information of their conversation, which appeared to mostly reside around Sasuke and Sakura. It was understandable really.

"I hope so. I don't know what I would do if he spills the blood of another friend..." The anger in his voice was apparent, yet Naruto simply rejected to accept this attitude from his sensei.

"It's okay Kakashi-sensei, I understand how you feel. But, with Hinata by my side, I can't even think about revenge. It's physically impossible, her presence sooths my soul. I don't really know about your past, but I know by how you reacted to our talk the other day, that you have lost someone close to you before. But I saw how you seemed to calm down drastically when Kurenai..." Naruto's rant was cut short by a sudden 'pop', and the rising cloud of smoke near the front gate.

"Are you ready to go Naruto-chan?" The small green sage toad asked to get the attention of the small group.

"Hina-hime, you ready to go?"

"Hai, Naru-kun." She gave one final hug to her teammates before turning back to Naruto, who was holding one backpack in each hand. She walked over to him and picked up her own, and slid it on to her back.

"Have you already signed a summoning contract, Miss Hyuga?" Fukusaku politely enquired as he rolled out the enormous scroll that he had been stood on. She shook her head to signify that she hadn't. She could never get used to talking animals.

"You don't mind signing a contract with the toads do you hime? They're really friendly, well...apart from Gamabunta that is." That remark almost resulted in Fukusaku falling off the scroll. He did enjoy how Naruto thought so 'highly' of Bunta.

"W-what do I have to do?" she replied a little apprehensively.

"Just sign the contract with some of your blood, and put your fingerprints on it. You can copy mine if you like hime." He smiled as she looked at the name next to the empty square that had been rolled out in front of her. It read 'Uzumaki Naruto'. It didn't surprise her when she read the next two names on the contract, 'Namikaze Minato' and 'Jiraiya'. It was a privilege to become part of something that only legends of Konoha seemed to have signed on to. After she finished signing the scroll, Fukusaku quickly began making hand-seals.

"Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" After he slammed his palm into the ground, the three of them disappeared into thin air, leaving a stunned Kiba and Shino. Kakashi and Kurenai were both aware that the toads had the ability to reverse summon those that held their contract. The four turned away from the gate, and headed back into the middle of the village. Kiba and Shino both had clan issues to attend to, leaving Kurenai and Kakashi.

"Thank you for before." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask as he spoke. It seemed to ease Kurenai, who was beginning to find the silence a little awkward. "I-um was wondering if you wanted to, maybe, um – go for a drink? I really don't think I could be alone any longer today."

"I expected a better chat-up line from the 'fabled' Hatake Kakashi, but I can understand how you feel. I would love to, but you're buying." She smirked as his face seemed to light up slightly. He was fully expecting a rejection, as he knew it really wasn't one his best lines. The two of them walked through the middle of Konoha, looking for a quiet place for a drink, which was quite difficult, considering most of the shinobi force inhabited almost every bar in the entire village.


Apologies again for the long delay, but as I mentioned in my other story, I've been having a pretty crap couple of weeks so I've not really had the motivation to write.

Speaking of which, please look out for my new story Shadow which I started the other day. It is much darker than A Hero's Return, and in a sense is a 'what if' version of this story. It is set two years into the War, and Naruto's life is hell. The major difference between the two stories is that he continued to pursue Sakura rather than acknowledge his feelings for Hinata. Oh how such a thing could affect his life.

If you want to know a little more about it, give it a read because it's only a relatively short chapter.

Reviews are always appreciated. I reply to all reviews, good or bad.

Hope you all enjoy. :)