Author's Note: Not much to say except I love you all for your feedback, especially the constructive criticisms. However let's get on the subject of Hinduism. It's relevant to the plot and I think it fits in the Narutoverse, if done right. I personally thought the Narutoverse was a mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism. In fact the eight chakra gates are in in the same place as the eight chakras in Hinduism. If I made a mistake... my bad. Too late now. :D Also the pairings... I'm unsure how the pairing are going to turn out. What I'm trying to do is develop characters, see which one works and flows with the story and do it.

Therefore, even though I brought Yugito, and I first thought about bringing her in as a pairing, she might just serve as a villain for this arc. I really don't know, depends how she turns out and if I can breathe life into her. A pairing helps add to the story, it shouldn't be the focus of it.

That being said, if this weren't a serious story and I was just writing for purely myself, and decided to forsake quality...

Yugito and Naruto would be fornicating right now, long and hard. It would be a phenomenal palooza of mind-blowing sex, and they would do it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

However, I want to write quality so I'm gonna take my time and make it believable, despite the concept of a strong and lazy Naruto being pretty ridiculous... especially with what I have planned...

Well anyways, let's continue.


Chapter Nine: The Journey to the Village

Jealousy, Envy, Anger, and Sorrow—the feelings bubbled within Sasuke, mixing into a cacophony of disarray that hurt the youth's head.

Naruto was the last member of his clan, like him. Not just any clan, a major clan that was respected and feared throughout the nations, like him. Yet, ironically, the blonde was also the complete opposite of himself, opting to do the least amount for the most award.

It frankly conflicted the boy. He didn't know whether to feel happy that he had someone who could understand him. He didn't know whether to be saddened that there was someone like him.

In all honesty, Sasuke didn't know what he felt towards Naruto, all he knew is that he was jealous-almost green with envy-because Naruto was so similar to him, yet leagues ahead.

He just gazed at the blonde, noticing that there was a small grimace on his face, and a slight sense of defeat in his eyes.

It actually aroused a sense of sorrow from the raven-haired youth. "Naruto, you okay?"

The blue-eyed boy looked back, narrowing his eyes slightly before snorting. "Che, why would I be sad?"

Sakura seemed to speak up. "You're shaking, Naruto." She was holding the blonde's hand, something that still confused Sasuke to this day.

Ryoma and Kakashi watched the blonde, curious as the boy's reaction to his heritage. It made Naruto feel uncomfortable, to the point where he could have sworn that a heat-wave just engulfed the area.

"Mah, mah..." he chuckled as sweat rolled down his brow. "I'm fine, let's just continue on." he sounded rather unconvincing but the group just seemed to accept it silently before walking on, while Naruto and Sakura drifted to the back.

He knew he had a clan, but he never expected it to be so great. It unsettled him a bit, the thought of being the last of such an outstanding lineage.

"Naruto..." Sakura whispered. "You sure you're fine?" She was still holding his hand, it was almost cute actually. However, the blonde hated feeling pitied.

"Just peachy!" He beamed, albeit forcefully.

"Your palms are sweating." She deadpanned, her eyes narrowed.

"Maybe you should stop holding my hand." He frowned.

"But they're so soft! I just want to rest my head against them." she whined, activating those puppy-eyes of her. It was irking him a bit.

"... You don't know when to quit, do you?" He sighed

"I don't think your sweat glands do either." Naruto did not know how to respond to that. Honestly, he almost wished he had the old Sakura back.

Sakura, although she didn't show it, was blatantly amazed by the enigma that was Naruto Uzumaki. The more she got to know the blonde, the more she realized she didn't know.

Honestly, she had just found he was a genius, seal-master, math-geek, engineer, and heir to a great clan! What was she going to find out next? That he held the Kyuubi or something?

She inwardly shook her head. No, that would just be insane. She was about to ask him another question but she noticed the sour look on his face and just remained quiet, enjoying the fact that in his confusion he would still hold her hand.


(Few hours later...)

With the moon and stars shining in the sky, the group decided to rest, finding a nearby stream off the road with a mild-sized clearing. They proceeded to set up camp, pitching a tent and setting up a fire.

They then proceeded to sit around burning wood, enjoying the warm-cackling flames as their breaths made vapor puffs in the cool, nightly air.

After a couple of minutes Ryoma decided to go to bed, entering the tent, and leaving Kakashi with his team.

Once he was sure the man was asleep, evidenced by the soft-snoring, the silver-haired man spoke up. "How about I teach you kids to climb trees?"

The Genin, except Naruto gave the man an inquisitive look.

"Ummm Sensei, we already know how to climb trees." Sakura voiced, confusion ridden on her face.

"Hmmm, well you haven't learned to climb trees like this before." Kakashi smiled, before Naruto an expectant look. "You want to show them?"

"Sure..." The orange-clad boy got up and walked up to a tree, putting his foot on the trunk before slowly walking up the stalk, his body parallel to the ground.

Sakura felt her jaw slacken.

"What?! How?" She whispered in awe.

Surprisingly, Sasuke spoke up. "He's just channeling a steady supply of chakra to the soles of his feet."

Kakashi blinked, looking at the boy while Naruto sat on a tree branch, interest piqued.

"You know this exercise already?" The silver-haired man spoke.

The Uchiha nodded. "Taught myself." Ever since the raven-haired Uchiha saw the blonde do that "air grasping" technique of his, Sasuke had tried to emulate it, devouring any chakra-control exercises he could find so he could eventually do it himself.

Sakura felt amazed and a little bit sad about her own abilities after hearing this, she was dreadfully behind the two.

"What else do you know?" Kakashi scratched his head.

"I know the water walking and water molding exercises."

"Show me."

The raven-haired youth walked to the stream, casually putting down his foot on the water before he put another and another toe forward, eventually standing in the middle, looking back at his team.

"Perfect," Kakashi nodded, "now the next one." The raven-haired boy bent down, dipping his hands in the water, edging chakra forth, the water adhering to his hands as he pulled them out, a thick-basketball sized orb of water between his palms.

It wobbled for a bit, but held still as the Uchiha furrowed his brow, holding his concentration.

It was stunning, most Genin never even bothered to learn the water-molding exercise.

"I have to say, I'm impressed." Kakashi scratched his head in embarrassment. "I underestimated you."

Sasuke gave a small smile as he let the technique go, the water dropping to the stream in a splash. He actually felt proud of his achievement, especially the fact that Naruto had watched the entire time in shock.

However, said blonde suddenly appeared next to Sasuke in a swirl of wind, his arm draped over the Uchiha's shoulder.

"What would you do if you met a bear?" the blonde asked.

"A... bear?" Sasuke was utterly confused.

"He has a hat." A poof of smoke later and Naruto was wearing a white and green striped bucket hat.

"What?" Sasuke was so shocked that he lost control of his chakra, falling into the water.

He kicked and spluttered for a second, almost choking on the liquid before swimming back to land.

"Naruto..." Sasuke coughed, crawling back onto the grass. "... the hell?"

Indeed, the hell?

Sakura and Kakashi were looking at the now guffawing blonde like he grew a second head.

"Hahaha! I was trying to see if the water walking was instinctual. It isn't...yet anyway..." He grinned, the hat disappearing back in a poof of smoke.

"So, you question me about a bear wearing a hat?" Sasuke growled.

"Well, I was trying to make you lose your focus. It worked!" he suddenly heard a cough from his Sensei.

"... A bear with a hat?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yes, a hat." Naruto nodded.

"Well," he brought his finger up in an explanatory manner. "if it has a hat on then it has been domesticated enough, or is at least smart enough to know that I am no harm. I would just have to stay calm and keep moving, keeping my eyes on it at all times."

"Interesting thought process." Naruto tapped his chin.

"Thank you." Kakashi nodded.

"You guys are so weird..." Sasuke looked at the two, shaking his now aching head. Honestly, why didn't they just beat the bear up? They were certainly capable enough.

Sakura was honestly confused, sitting silently for a few awkward seconds before saying, "So could you help me with the tree climbing exercise?"

Kakashi nodded. "Of course!"

The tent suddenly opened up, and Ryoma peeked his head through. "I'm sorry, but could you guys keep it down?"

Kakashi looked embarrassed again. "Oh, sorry Ryoma-san, we will be quieter now."

"Thank you..." the man closed the tent, the sound of snores evident once more.

"Umm, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes Naruto?"

"Why is he still wearing sunglasses?"

Kakashi scratched his head. "... That is an excellent question."


After a couple more hours the group went to sleep, save for Naruto. The blonde was actually sitting on a branch of the tree, looking up at the moon with a distant look in his eyes.

His life... it was moving so fast, unbelievably so. It made him quite uncomfortable. New things were being thrown at him left and right: he had gained a self-proclaimed eternal rival, a self-proclaimed girlfriend, a self-proclaimed slave driver of a teacher, and to top it all off, he found out that he was descended from a long line of super powered spiritualists.

He had only been out of his room for two months.

Why was everything happening so quickly?

Why couldn't his life be normal?

"Naruto, you okay?"

"Why do you care?"

He was met with a moment of silence before the great voice boomed. "Because, even though I hate to admit it, you're my only friend."

The blonde was still for a moment, before giving a huff. "It's just strange, I feel as if fate keeps on tugging me along, thrusting me into new events left and right."

"If this is about me getting you out of your roo-"

"No...thank you for that."

The fox paused for a moment, its eyes widening. "I haven't heard you say those words in a long time..."

"I have to say, being cooped up in a room is extremely boring. So it is actually fun being out and about... despite all the work I have to do."

"So what's your problem?"

"Again, life's moving too fast. Plus, I think I'm getting too attached to my team."

"You shouldn't be afraid of being attached to people, Naruto."

"I'm not..." He whispered, clenching his fists.

"That Yuna girl was a bitch."

"..."

"She made you feel special, made you feel wanted, then she left the village without saying anything."

"She probably had her reasons..."

"You locked yourself in your room because of it..."

"I got tired of dealing with everybody."

"I still don't understand why you keep all of the things she gave you, especially that damnable orange jacket."

"Kurama, drop it. Please, just drop it."

"Fine, but you shouldn't be afraid of getting attached to people, kid. Having friends is what keeps a person sane."

"How the hell would you know?"

"There was always a man I looked up to... He taught me the value of resilience, the value of keeping true to your ideals, and the value of not shying away from life's challenges."

"Who was he?"

"He was my father."

Naruto was silent for a few seconds. "Father?"

"You humans call him the Sage of the Six Paths. But to me, he will always be my father."

A plethora of questions was raised for the blonde, but he decided to file those thoughts for later. "You seem to hold him in a high light?"

"Indeed, he was a great human being... yet I find it strange..."

"What?"

"He also had a problem when it came to letting people into his heart."

Naruto was taken aback by the sudden statement. "... what do you mean?"

"I don't think you're ready to hear the rest. Just keep in mind, a person needs friends."

Naruto only heard silence after that, and thus he was alone again, left pondering into the night.


(Couple days later)

The team had arrived at a ship port after a truly non-eventful walk, setting out in a traditional vessel to the island of Uzushiogakure. Needless to say, the group was happy to set out to sea, never having experienced the ocean before, save for Kakashi.

However, none were as giddy as Naruto Uzumaki.

Said boy was grinning like a madman, atop the crow's nest with arms spread wide, feeling the cool breeze of the ocean brush against his skin.

It was simply fantastic.

The way the morning sun rose up from the sea, lighting the sky in a majestic orange glow, just exhilarated him. It made him truly joyful that he took this mission, just seeing this view was enough to get his blood rushing.

Honestly, seeing the ocean in person was tons better than seeing it on TV!

He had been up on the ship for a few hours, yet the entire vessel was simply fascinating!

It was not just any ship, it was one that looked like the ones he had seen in those movies, what were they again? Oh yes, pirate ships!

"This is awesome!" he belted, activating the seal on his hand, a telescope 'poofing' into existence within his palms. "So cool!" he put the scope to his eye, looking through as he saw the endless, vast expanse of the sea. "So... epic!" He grinned.

"Oy Naruto!" Sasuke called on the deck of the ship, gazing curiously at his teammate.

"Yeah!" the boy still had that grin on his face as he looked down from his perch at the youth.

"Why are you still up there?"

"Dude! The view is awesome!"

"You can't just stay there!" Sasuke groaned. "Seriously, you've been there for hours! You should come down and eat!"

At first the blonde's face became serious for a moment, and a very evident grumble was heard from his stomach.

Sasuke just stared with a satisfied smirk on his face.

In turn the blonde stared back, though a thoughtful expression graced his features before he flashed a smile, a metaphorical bulb lighting in his mind.

"I have ramen!" Naruto suddenly ducked into the crow's nest, pulling out a steaming bowl of noodles in a poof of smoke. Sasuke could tell it was noodles because the blonde started slurping the long strands as obnoxiously as possible with a pair of chop sticks that he pulled from god knows where.

*slurp* *slurp* *slurp*

"... " Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "... Just how did you get ramen?"

"Storage scrolls are amazing!" The blonde grinned.

"Of course..." The Uchiha shook his head. "You sure you don't want to join us inside? The ship captain has some interesting stories." He was trying to be friendly, mainly because Kakashi told him that Naruto would most likely still be in shock.

*Sluuuuuurp* Naruto was out of sight, sitting down in the crow's nest while he enjoyed his noodles.

"..." Sasuke's eye twitched. "Naruto?"

*Slurp* *Slurp* *Sluuuurrp*

Sasuke just waited. The boy was eating rather quickly, if the sounds were any indication. He would be done soon. "..."

*Sluuuurp*

He waited some more.

*Slurp*

... and more.

*Sluuuuurpity* *Slurp* *Slurp*

... and more...

Suddenly the sounds of inhalation stopped and Sasuke smiled. "Finally!"

A poof of smoke suddenly erupted from the crow's nest again, and the sound of slurping began anew.

"..." Sasuke just threw his arms out in exasperation before walking back inside the ship. "I'm getting Sakura..." She could probably get him to get down.

The poor blonde had no idea what Sasuke was saying as he finished his second bowl of noodles, reveling the way the broth washed down his throat.

"Oh Ramen..." He sighed happily. "You're always there for me." He unrolled a scroll from his pocket, making a simple hand seal before a poof of smoke and noodliy awesomeness attacked his senses. He jabbed his chopsticks into another bowl and started slurping away again.

"Naruto!" Said blonde froze... Sakura...

Maybe if he stood still, she would go away.

"Naruto!" He did not move a muscle. "Naruto!" He did not twitch. "Naruto!" He did not even make a sound. "Naruto! I'm coming up there!"

"Fuck..." The blonde gave a sigh as he heard the pinkette climb up the rope ladder to his perch.

A few moments later and he saw her head peer over the crow's nest and aim an expectant look at him.

"Naruto?" Her voice drawled out as she drummed her fingers on the hard wood of the ship.

The blonde was sitting away from the girl, still hoping his plan of utter ignorance would work.

"Oh Naruto..." The girl sighed as she climbed into the crow's nest and walked in front of the blonde. "What's wrong?"

The blonde had his eyes closed, feigning light snores while a steaming bowl of ramen was sitting firmly in his lap. It caused the girl to frown. "I see..." she looked contemplative for a second before giving a sigh as she held her stomach.

"Maybe he won't mind if I have some?" She uttered out loud as her hands made way for the bowl. However, the blonde fazed out in a blur of orange, reappearing four feet away with a sour expression plastered on his face.

"I would mind." He growled.

The girl smiled. "I know."

"Really? Then what else do you know?" He asked defiantly as he slurped some noodles.

"I know that you know that I'm not going to leave until you come down." She challenged, her eyes twinkling.

He set his bowl down, narrowing his eyes. "I know that you know that I know that you know I'm not going." He challenged back, sealing his noodles in a 'poof' of smoke.

"Well..." She began, accepting his challenge. "I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know that I'm worried." She ended, a frown gracing her features.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Prove it." She walked up to him, her hand on her hips as well as a look of expectancy.

"Woman, I am not coming down." His eyes narrowed.

Sakura's eye twitched. "Naruto, I really like you." She shook her fist in his face. "But don't ever call me woman." Her voice got low, startling the boy, but making his eye twinkle.

"Make me, woman." He challenged again, crossing his arms.

The girl growled again and she stepped forward, clenching her jaw. "Say it again." She moved over to the side of the crow's nest. "I dare you." She smashed her fist down on the edge, the wood giving away and cracking under the blow. "I. Dare. You."

Naruto actually sweated at this, visibly gulping at the display at the crazy girl's strength. "... I'm sorry." He voiced weakly. Even he knew not to mess with Sakura's anger.

The pinkette's anger vanished as a tiny smile returned to her face. "Oh, that's okay." she waved it off. "Just don't be a jerk." she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him in an awkward hug. "'Kay?"

"Erm... yes." He nodded.

"So, will you tell me?" She looked to him, her eyes narrowing.

"Umm..." He began, but noticed the hug getting dangerously tight. "I mean, yes, I could do that." The girl's expression softened as well as her grip. That being said, he was extremely uncomfortable with the girl's new-found dominance over him.

"Naruto, please tell me." Her voice had a tint of tender worry.

Crazy psycho-bitch.

He gave the bi-polar, possessive, possibly insane girl a tired look. "Okay, fine." He took a deep breath, calming his nerves. "I'm just a little shaken by being a descendant of such a great clan."

The girl frowned. "Why would you be shaken? I would be quite happy."

Naruto gave her a tired look as he gently got out of her grasp. "You don't understand." He clenched his fist. "To know that your the least of a line of a great line of people. That's just... heavy."

The girl put her hand on his shoulder. "Heavy?"

"Like the entire planet is on my shoulders. Like everyone is going to expect me to be something phenomenal. Extraordinary. That I'm going to carry out my clan's traditions and revive it like it's my god given fate." He gagged the last word out like it was poison.

The pinkette made a move to cup the blonde's cheek but he pulled away. "Naruto..." She gave a sigh. "What aren't you telling me?"

"You wouldn't understand." He clenched his jaw.

She took a step towards him. "I want to understand."

"I don't want you to understand." His voice got harsh.

The girl froze. "Naruto..."

"Look, I understand that you want to be kind to me and all. But, just because you think I'm all badass and cool ever since I saved you and Sasuke from failing doesn't mean you can keep on being lovey, dovey with me."

The girl shook his her head. "I don-" Naruto looked at her, eyes narrowed, cutting her off.

"That's pretty much what you said to me awhile back. You find me all interesting and cool now since I showed you all my abilities. Please, just spare me the crap. You don't make any sense." He was facing away from her. "Just leave me alone."

The girl stood, shocked and on the verge of tears. "You... jerk..." she sniffed.

"Save it." He glared. "Just leave me alone."

Sakura left without saying a word, leaving the blonde alone on the crow's nest.

"... well, aren't you a dick." Naruto snorted.

"Shut it. I had to draw a line. I had to show her that I'm not just her play thing." The great beast just shook its head and gave a sigh.

"Naruto, you should take a deep breath. You're letting this news about the Uzumaki screw with your head."

"..."

The blonde was silent, opting to heed the beast's advice and adopting a meditative position. He closed his eyes, feeling his body expand: his chest, stomach, and lower back. He exhaled through his mouth, his mind clearing as he continued the exercise, forgetting about his troubles. He felt his back naturally lengthen as he felt his body free up, the tension in his shoulders, forehead, and arms vanishing.

Kakashi had taught him this trick in their now routine "torture" sessions. He had explained to him that one of the many reasons he tired out so quickly in their fight was because Naruto had never learned to "breathe."

It was one of basics for what Kakashi called, the "Namikaze Technique."


(Two weeks earlier)

Naruto looked across the training field to his teacher, sweat pouring down his face in buckets, chest heaving in pain.

"C-come on... again." He whispered weakly. Despite his wish to end their spar, the blonde had learned that complaining had gotten him nowhere, and thus tried for the opposite.

Needless to say, it made the sessions bearable.

His sensei narrowed his eyes, before palming his face. "Looks like I'm going to have to break it down for you."

"Wha..." Naruto's chest heaved again. "Do you mean?" he wiped his forehead.

The man shook his head. "We're going to have to focus your training on supplementary skills."

The boy quirked his head. "My progress is slowing?"

"Exactly. I had originally hoped that you would automatically just 'adjust' as you went on, but it seems I have overestimated you." The silver-haired man seemed disappointed.

The boy was slightly confused but the Jonin continued on.

"I'm going to teach you the Namikaze Technique."

The boy raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the..."

"The secret to the the fourth's unparalleled speed? No."

Naruto blinked.

"I'm going to teach you the reason why he was able to become the best in the village before his speed."

The blonde could only furrow his eyebrows in wonder.

"As a ninja develops throughout the career, their body usually breaks down because of the lifestyle and physical labor. As is the case, the Fourth was no exception. Midway through his Chunin career, something odd happened. Whenever the fourth would engage in a fight, his legs would freeze up, preventing him from moving."

Naruto nodded slowly. "So..."

"So he became a burden on his team, and had to be put out of active duty."

Needless to say, this was a big surprise to the boy.

"To remediate the problem, he went to the best physicians. They told him that he was just overexerting himself and he just need to rest for a few months, so he did so. It seemed to work, in a spar with one of his friends, he seemed to be back to his old self. He moved with the speed and grace of some of the most promising shinobi in the village, toying with his opponent. But after a few minutes, his legs locked up again. That was all his opponent needed before he promptly took the Fourth down like a sack of flour."

The silver-haired man looked to the boy, gauging his reaction. The blonde was still nodding, a look of complacent confusion gracing his features.

"However, whereas most shinobi would have given up. The fourth didn't. You see, the fourth had a certain quality that put him above any shinobi I met. Do you know what that was?"

"..." The blonde stood still for a moment, cupping his chin in thought. "... his mind?"

The Jonin chuckled. "Close. But be a little more specific."

"Umm..." He tapped his chin in further contemplation. The fourth was known as a genius among men, having observational skills that... "His analytical skills!" He grinned.

"Partly."

"Wait, what?"

"He had an analytical mind, and a certain obsession with being great. No, not just great, being a splendid shinobi that everybody would look up to."

Naruto nodded. "So what did he figure out?"

"He realized that he was adding unnecessary tension to his body whenever he would enter combat, and that as he had progressed further on his career he would tense more and more, eating away at his physical capabilities at a rapid rate."

"... and he learned to fight without tension?"

"Exactly."

"How long did it take him?"

"Approximately three months. Though during those three months, he didn't talk, and probably averaged six hours of sleep... a week."

The blonde was a little taken aback. That strangely sounded like how he himself had delved into seals.

"So I'm guessing he never sustained any self-inflicted injuries from that point. Great..." the boy furrowed his eyes. "But how does that help me progress faster?" He was a little skeptic about this, fighting without any tension? That just seemed impossible, and extremely counter-intuitive. Tension was actually good for combat, it kept one alert.

"Well... the Namikaze technique process shines a light on inefficient habits of movement and patterns of accumulated tension, which interferes with our innate ability to move easily and according to how we are designed. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination."

"Wait, you're making it sound like it completely evolves one's body or something."

"It does, by removing the inhibitions on our body's potential."

Before the blonde could open his mouth, Kakashi continued. "Why do you think Lee was still faster than you? Despite the fact that you walk around with half a ton of weight on your shoulders?"

"..."

"As a martial artist Lee is naturally trained in the art of relieving tension, which is why he was still quicker and stronger than you. Logically, you should be much faster than him, but you never allowed your body to properly accustom itself to your speed, so you subconsciously tense yourself to limit it."

"Forgive me, but what are you saying?"

"Now that I've beaten into you some basic fighting awareness, and refined your wind manipulation abilities to a suitable level, I'm gonna make you realize your body's potential."

He was suddenly before the boy. "Now breathe."

The boy was shocked momentarily, but took a deep breath.

"No, no. That's wrong." He poked the blonde's sternum, knocking his breath out. "Stop sticking out your chest. Relax your shoulders."

This continued on for what seemed like hours. The man would constantly berate the boy while the blonde would begrudgingly listen to him. The boy had developed horrible posture and all sorts of postural habits that inhibited him.

However when he stood at the end up straight, and breathing he felt... free.

"Now... keep this posture and run." The blonde crouched forward, but Kakashi shook his head.

"No, no, only tilt your head forward, just enough to give you forward momentum. Yes, that's it."

The blonde shot forth, his widening as he marveled the weightlessness he felt. His body seemed to be propelled forward, moving with a certain grace and finesse that he never experienced before.

Before he knew it, he had crossed the entire clearing in an instant.

*Thud*

Right into a tree.

"Ugh..." His face hurt... was his nose broken?

Kakashi shook his head. "We still have to work on your control."


Naruto was taken out of his musings. Though he was a little skeptic about this technique, he couldn't deny the fact that it calmed him. In fact he finally seemed to be able to control his breathing.

"Maybe... I should. Wait how long have I been here?"

His eyes darted up to the sky. Stars were twinkling, while the moon shined brightly.

He heard a yawn within the depths of his mind. "So... how did you enjoy your momentary spiritual journey..."

The blonde palmed his face. Wow, he really had no sense of time. He had probably been breathing for a couple of hours. Goddamn.

"It was calming. Though I still want to be alone."

"... How about you apologize to the pink-haired one?"

"She's probably asleep now. I'll apologize in the morning. For now..." he slammed his palm on the ground, a dome of chakra bubbling up around him before fazing out, invisible to the naked eye.

He had ceased to hear the sounds of the ocean, the protection seal had worked. Any rain or major sound would cease to affect him.

"I'm going to sleep." He laid his back against the hard wood and closed his eyes.

As he slept, the winds picked up and thunder cracked.


To be continued...

Hopefully you enjoyed that chap, a little more uneventful than I know you guys would like. But It was more fleshing out the characters. Next chapter will be much more plot-driven.

Please review and tell me your honest opinions!

Storm Out!