Welcome back to my little show. As always, thanks goes to ncpfan for his help.

Siatuvai1002 thought I was evil for the last cliffhanger, so this little cliffhanger is dedicated to them.

Every fifth chapter of this story is going to be twice the usual length, so I'll have a 10k word chapter for you all next week.

So, other than reminding you all that there are no refunds, there's nothing left to do but start the show.

Enjoy.


Back and forth she paced over carpets of lush crimson leaving indents that Naruko was beginning to doubt would ever come out. With every passing second of every day she became more restless, never able to keep her mind off of that which troubled her for more than a few scant minutes at a time. With a shake of her head, Naruko returned to reading her scroll. She was worried about Naruto too, but her mother had been the one to tell her they couldn't go back yet, so what was the point in allowing such desperate thoughts of him distract them from the task at hand.

Her mother might have felt bad now, but she would feel a whole lot worse if this trip proved unsuccessful and Naruto had to go through this for nothing. Then again, for all Naruko knew this trip was for nothing. Sure, she was getting some training, but they could have done that in Konoha with her brother. The first year had been spent visiting nobles about the almost extinct Uzumaki clan, but that could have been done in a month or two if it had just been her mother to go. It would have made a lot more sense to leave the two of them at home with Mikoto or the Ichiraku family while she took care of business.

Of course, then there was the pacing. It wasn't so much as she wanted the trip to be over, but more as if she was waiting for something so assuage her fears. Considering that they hadn't heard anything from Naruto, Hiruzen, or Tsunade, Naruko wasn't really surprised. Kushina was completely blind out here and Naruko could only guess as to the horrors her mother's imagination had conjured up for her brother to face in her absence.

Whatever it was, it was probably highly unlikely that he'd actually have to deal with it. Even if he did, Naruko knew her brother would be fine. He was smart, much smarter than her, and always seemed to know what he was doing, even if he was making things up on the fly. She was sure he could get out of any mess he found himself in with little difficulty. Hell, he could rule Konoha by the time they got back. She had to giggle at the thought of returning to the Hokage tower only to find her brother dressed like a Daimyo and sitting on a throne.

If he put his mind to it, he probably could, but he'd be much too busy studying at the academy. Even getting special training from her mother as she was, Naruko was certain that her big brother would manage to keep her on her toes using just what he learned at the academy and picked up from the various shinobi of Konoha. With some real training, her brother would be the last thing you wanted to go against.

She'd have to work hard then to ensure she wasn't left behind. Then the two of them could team up and go on adventures all over the elemental nations. They'd need a theme song and a catchy name, a comedic mascot to accompany them, and some major quest to be working towards throughout their adventures. Then again, they were shinobi, so maybe just the name.

And the theme song.


Cat was by the door when he arrived, opening it for him and granting access into the office of the most important person within Konohagakure no Sato. Giving a quick nod of thanks, he continued forward, his usual duffel bag having been left behind today in favor of a small shiruken pouch. A holster containing three kunai was strapped to each of his legs to leave him armed. It might be considered rude by some to have weapons so blatantly showing in the presence of your leader, but within a shinobi village such as Konoha it was expected, even in times of peace. If you weren't armed in times of war you probably wouldn't even be allowed in to see your Kage.

"Naruto-kun, thank you for coming in such short notice."

There was something in the air, he noted immediately; a tension that wafted about the small room. Something wasn't' quite right here and he didn't like it. Monkey and Bear stood at attention flanking their leader in plain sight. That was odd, usually Hiruzen only kept a single guard for his meetings.

Perhaps the recent massacre had the village more on guard than he had previously suspected. A sudden nervousness overcame him. He had been playing a dangerous game letting Hiruzen in on the fact that he knew the details behind the massacre and it probably singled him out for everything pertaining to it. The fact that he knew could keep him safe, but the shield was also a target, especially when some would see it as a weapon he wielded. He could cause a lot of damage with that information and Hiruzen knew it, but Hiruzen would also know that a lot of that damage would be to himself. He couldn't give up the secret without putting himself in danger.

He wasn't about to put himself in danger and Hiruzen knew that.

No, everything would be fine. Hiruzen would have learned of Mikoto's escape and known the connection between her and Kushina. A few questions would be asked,-veiled, of course, within their conversation- as Hiruzen tried to determine whether or not she was a threat to Konoha and decided whether or not to search for her.

Mikoto, of course, had been under house arrest because she didn't want to be a part of the coup, and considering that it was her son who had been spying for Hiruzen, the Kage would have to know that.

Perhaps, however, Mikoto's escape affected something else. Maybe someone had said that she and her son had worked together, maybe Itachi had abandoned whatever plan Hiruzen and the council may have had for him in order to go after his mother, maybe he was over thinking things. There may have been an unexplained tension within the room, but Hiruzen was a friend of the family, he was safe under his leadership.

Hiruzen had his trust, despite his order for the eradication of the Uchiha, and that was not something that was easy to get.

"Of course, Sarutobi-Sama, there is nothing in my schedule that could possibly more important than a meeting with our village's leader. In fact, I was happy to come; it gives me a break from Sensei's lectures. He knows what he's talking about, but he really doesn't know how to talk. It really does get boring far too quickly."

"Yes, yes," The Kage agreed, somewhat jovially. "I do hear quite a lot about his infamous lectures. Please, have a seat."

Moving to the offered chair, Naruto withdrew a bottle from his shiruken pouch and placed it upon the desk before sitting down.

"The wine, Sarutobi-Sama, just as I said I would provide." The aged leader seemed taken aback by the fact that Naruto had even remembered to bring it despite the hasty summons to his office. Picking it up, he was even more surprised by the actual wine.

'This- This is from Fugaku's personal collection! Madara himself placed this and ten other select bottles within his cellar upon the founding of Konohagakure no Sato. Only one bottle was known to have been opened and that was because Madara shared it with Hashirama and Tobirama to celebrate Konoha's completion.

It took Hiruzen nearly five minutes to compose himself. 'I suppose that's more than enough proof that Naruto's been spending a lot of time within the Uchiha district. To think he managed to steal this away- incredible. I wonder if he realizes just how valuable this is.'

A feeling of guilt surged up within the head of the Sarutobi clan but he quickly crushed it before anyone could notice. Naruto would have to have known its value to be so confident of its quality after their banter during their last meeting. That he would be willing to share it with him was huge and Hiruzen couldn't help but take a quick glance at the files lying innocently on his desk. He'd just have to continue and pray for the best.

"I must admit, Uzumaki-Dono, that your choice in wine renders me nearly speechless. I can only imagine what you might use in celebration if this is your choice wine to share with an old man such as myself."

"You sell yourself far too short, Sarutobi-Sama. You are a legend not soon to be forgotten. It is only proper to provide you with an equally memorable wine."

"Your words flatter me. Come, let us share a drink before we begin." With practiced ease Hiruzen produced two glasses and poured into them generous measures. The two spent the next ten minutes in comfortable silence, enjoying their drinks. As they were finished off, however, the tension began to return.

Hiruzen looked sadly at the boy before him as the last dregs of wine were finished from the boy's glass. He was so at ease here in this office and to see him there enjoying a glass of wine just seemed so natural.

"I'm afraid it's time we got down to business, Naruto." At the plain use of his name Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously, watching the old monkey before him like a hawk. All lightheartedness that may have continued had they resumed their game was gone, replaced with an expression Hiruzen had seen far too many times in meetings with Hyuuga Hiashi.

'Ah, that's right; he used to sit in on meetings between Hiashi and Kushina, didn't he? That would certainly explain some of his mannerisms.'

"You may recall our last meeting, in which you commented upon the efficiency of my shinobi." He paused to give Naruto another sad look. "Unfortunately," He continued. "It appears you were correct and they did 'Miss a spot', as you put it."

Monkey and Bear tensed behind Hiruzen.

"I would have understood you protecting a family friend, would have commended it, in fact. But it wasn't just a friend who got away, was it? Seven Uchiha have disappeared, seven Uchiha which you have had contact with, seven Uchiha you could have directed us towards. You have placed the village of Konohagakure no Sato in a very dangerous position, so I'm afraid I have no choice."

One final pitying glance was shot at a confused Naruto.

"As Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, I hereby order the arrest of Uzumaki Naruto."

Monkey and Bear had him restrained and removed from the office before he could open his mouth in protest.

Giving a deep sigh, Hiruzen briefly considered pouring himself another drink. The reminder that it was Naruto who had so graciously provided him with it as a gift not even an hour beforehand, however, stopped him from doing so.

Technically, Naruto had done no wrong, and that's what made this situation even worse. Traitors or not, the Konoha populace never knew and the Uchiha had never been publically declared traitors. To have helped them was what any decent person would have done, but when you're the Hokage you have a lot more to be concerned about than how decent someone's actions were.

With Mikoto, the matriarch of the clan and an ex-ANBU agent, two civilian women, two civilian men, and two shinobi missing, there could be a vengeful army of Uchiha within twenty years, especially if they received aid from one of the major villages. Konoha was not ready for something like that, even with all the time they would have to prepare. They were still trying to recover from previous shinobi wars and the more recent Kyuubi attack. Were Iwa, Kumo, or even his wayward student Orochimaru to get their hands upon that group of survivors the results would be catastrophic.

'Forgive me, Naruto, but for the good of the village this must be done.'


The scroll from earlier lay discarded upon the lush carpets of the hotel as she glared at the oblivious woman before her. Arms crossed over her chest, Naruko gave a huff.

"You know if you wanted to pace back and forth we have a perfectly good floor back home with Naruto." She wasn't sure if it was her voice breaking the monotonous silence or the mention of her brother's name that drew her mother's attention so quickly but if she had to bet she'd put her money on the latter.

"You know we'd go back if we could, but we haven't finished what we came here to do yet."

"And what would that be?" Shot back Naruko. "We've spent the last week lazing about this hotel doing nothing. What, is this supposed to be a four year vacation?"

Her mother frowned, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed they had been sharing.

"It's a training trip, Sunflower, you know that."

"Then why aren't we training? The sooner we've covered everything we need to we can go back." Kushina bit her bottom lip, looking away from her daughter.

"It-it's a little more than that, Naruko." She finally admitted. "There's more, a reason we can't just go back, but I don't want you to worry if it turns out to be nothing."

Naruko thought for a moment. "That's why we're waiting here in the hotel, isn't it? You're waiting for someone to tell you what's going on."

"That's right; I've been waiting a while. So far I haven't heard anything, but if word comes that everything's alright I'll cut our trip short and we'll return immediately."

Naruko gave a nod before dragging Kushina up from the bed. "Alright then, there's no point in wasting time sitting around then, is there?"

"What are you talking about?"

Naruko gave her mother a firm stare. "If we have to be away from Naruto we'd better make it count for something. If we can't tell him all about what we did when we get back then we might as well have not left in the first place. Now come on, let's go train."

Kushina gave her daughter a grateful smile. "Yeah, you're right. Let's get our butts in gear so Naruto can be proud of having two powerful Kunoichi as his family."

Pumping her fist into the air, Naruko gave a cheer. "Yeah, that's right, Kaa-Chan's back, it's training time!"

"Not quite yet, my little sunflower, there's one thing that comes first." Kushina's voice had taken on a mischievous tone that Naruko recognized all too well.

"A-and what's that, Kaa-chan?"

"Tickle time!" Like the child she was at heart Kushina launched herself at her daughter who tried valiantly to fend off her mother's nimble fingers as she squealed in childish glee.

There was still plenty of time for training today, they could spare a few minutes to have some fun.


Cold steel bit tightly into his flesh, letting small rivulets of blood trickle slowly onto a floor that probably hadn't been cleaned within the past decade. His rigid seating kept him slightly reclined in a position that probably wasn't good for his back as dim light flooded down from above.

He wasn't aware of any of this, however, his attention firmly within the grasp of molten fury that flooded through his veins with every beating of his heart. To think that he had actually placed his trust in that old monkey, he wanted to kick himself. He was the Hokage, not a family friend, not a kind old man, but the leader of Konohagakure no Sato who would do whatever he deemed necessary for the village.

The Uchiha massacre should have taught him that.

But no, he had to believe that Hiruzen had his best interests in mind. Such foolishness got shinobi killed and him here, locked deep within Konoha's T&I department. He'd have to be far more careful about who he associated with in the future, that is, if he managed to get out of this.

There was someone in here with him, he knew, keeping hidden in the shadows as they observed. They were probably waiting for him to begin to panic, but that wasn't going to happen. He could hear their quiet intakes of breath, smell what was probably their lunch-red bean soup, and he could make out a vague outline within the shifting shadows every time they moved to the side of him.

He was a patient enough person and knowing that someone was there with him only strengthened his resolve to outlast them.

It could have been minutes that passed, maybe even hours as he sat there hating himself for the vulnerable position he had put himself into by trusting his Kage. Eventually, whoever was in the room with him grew restless.

Her purple hair was the first thing to catch his attention, pulled back into a spiky bun. Next was the outfit, no doubt showing as much skin as possible to catch opponents off guard. Having been so recently surprised by the actions of Hiruzen, her short brown skirt and fishnet top did nothing to make him underestimate her. Of course, then there was her smile. This was a woman who enjoyed her job. Had he not been in this situation, he may have found that attractive. As it was, her enthusiasm wasn't a good sign for him.

"So, you're our little leak, are you?" She asked, amused.

"It would seem so."

"Oh, you're not scared at all, that's no good. You really don't know who I am, do you?"

"I can't say I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance yet, no. Perhaps when you're done with me we can get to know one another over a nice dinner." She gave him an enormous, lecherous grin.

"I just love it when my food plays back, if only you were a bit older and not in my special chair."

"I'm sure we could have plenty of fun in your special chair." She gave a hearty laugh in response.

"Tempting, very tempting. You know, I like you, kid, so it's fortunate that I'm just here to assist today."

"Like a nurse? I'm good with that. When do I get to see you in your uniform?"

"Such bravado," She shook her head with a smile. "You put on a great face, but I'm sure you're terrified inside."

"I'm more angry at myself for getting into this situation than terrified." He admitted. "Though I won't deny that I'm a bit nervous and more than a little confused."

"Well, you're doing a good job hiding it." Praised the woman. "I'd almost think this isn't your first time."

She was giving him this opportunity on purpose, so who was he to waste it?

"Who said this was my first time?"

"I just assumed, but can you prove to me otherwise?" The woman seemed pleased that he had taken the opportunity she had given to continue their banter. She was probably waiting for whoever it was who would be interrogating him, which must have been boring. Well, that or she was trying to get him to lower his guard. Maybe a combination of both.

"Take me up on my offer for dinner and I can."

"You know what, if you manage to graduate from the academy I'll take you up on that dinner. You better start saving now though, squirt, because I expect to be treated like a queen if you hope to get even a kiss afterwards."

"I'll keep that in mind, does this queen have a name?"

"Mm, Anko, but you can just keep calling me a queen, little prince.

"If I'm a prince and you're the queen, then this is getting a little weird."

"Some say weird," She shrugged. "I prefer kinky. Don't you want to join mommy for a bath?"

"As wrong as that should sound, coming from you it's actually rather arousing."

"Of course it is," Anko scoffed. "I'm the sexy and single Mitarashi Anko, everything about me is arousing."

"I could help you be the sexy and taken Mitarashi Anko, I promise I'll still find you arousing."

"You'll help me find a boyfriend? That's adorable." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before ruffling her hand through his hair.

"If you're quite done touching little boys, Mitarashi," Came another voice. "I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible."

The newcomer was obviously a Yamanaka, judging by his long blond ponytail and the simple fact that he was at T&I. Three quarters of the department had ties to the Yamanaka, most through blood, so there was a good chance that if you were interrogated within Konoha, it was by a Yamanaka.

"Ah, Inoichi, about time you got here, I got so bored I was considering having a bit of fun without you."

"You seemed to be having plenty of fun already." Came the dry response. She just gave a nervous chuckle. Turning to the young man in the chair, Inoichi gave him a frown that was far too similar to the one the Hokage had given him earlier for his tastes. Why did they all seem to pity him when it was their choice to do this? If they really didn't like it, it wouldn't be done. They were shinobi, weren't they? If you start something you damn well better finish.

Naruto elected to give the man a snarl.

"Come on then," He practically spat. "Show me what you've got."

The man shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid it will be you showing me what you have." Performing the handseals, Naruto's world went black.


This-

This was not normal.

Being the head of the Yamanaka clan, Inoichi had been within plenty of minds, but none of them were anything like this. It was common for him to find himself before a large representation of a brain from which he could read memories like a scroll, it wasn't unusual to find yourself in a hallway of memories or libraries of varying levels of organization, but never had Inoichi found himself within the memories.

Not in the sense that he was viewing them or was a part of them, but as if they had all been dumped together to form an ocean of thought that threatened to crush him from all sides as he struggled for breath. Within the currents flashed brief glimpses of memories in no discernable order, small looks into a life that Inoichi couldn't quite piece together from his current position.

As his lungs began to burn and he feared he might have to cancel the technique he suddenly found himself breaking through the surface of the water. Grasping desperately for something to hang on to, his fingers hit hard stone and he gripped it as if his life depended upon it.

When he had sufficiently caught his breath he took a moment to observe his new surroundings. Beneath his hands was a platform of black marble, stretching in either direction as far as he could see. To his right there was a bright gold line crossing the platform and over it sat a massive dining table currently empty. The walls surrounding him made him think of a tunnel and he wondered ever so briefly if he might end up coming into contact with one of those new trains that Yuki no Kuni had created.

Torches cast pale green light upon him as he dragged himself fully onto the platform. Looking back at the water, he was surprised to see that it did in fact contain the boy's memories. The fact that there was a place he could physically interact with was normal, but for his memories to not just be unorganized but unseparated too? That was ridiculous.

If one thing was clear, it was that this was not going to be easy.

Time on the outside passed differently within the mind, and time within the mind passed differently depending on the mind. He may have sat at the edge of those churning waters for hours or perhaps even days, but rubbing his tired eyes Inoichi stood up and moved to the table for a quick break.

He found himself beyond surprised when he learned he wasn't alone.

Sitting calmly at the head of the table as if someone was not currently within his mind, Naruto sipped slowly from a glass of wine. But that shouldn't have been possible, only the user of the technique would be brought to this place, it shouldn't exist without proper training or the use of special Yamanaka abilities. The thought that he had managed to stumble into here while Inoichi was working was absurd unless the mind walker had been in here for far longer than he had realized.

"You know, if you had questions, you could have just asked. Save us both a lot of time and effort."

Inoichi couldn't help but scoff. If it was that easy to be sure they got the information required he wouldn't have had to use his Yamanaka techniques.

"Even if you told me everything I wanted to know, I wouldn't believe you." Naruto only shrugged.

"Take your time then, I suppose, you might as well be thorough. I don't have any plans for the evening unless that assistant of yours accepts my offer for dinner."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Inoichi went back to work. What seemed to be a few minutes later, Naruto joined him at the edge of the water.

"So, what are you looking for?" He didn't receive an answer, bringing a frown to his face.

"If you told me what you were looking for, I'd think about it and you'd have a better chance of finding it, wouldn't you? I'm quite comfortable here, but I'd rather not waste time sitting around when I could be out training."

"Fine." Spat Inoichi through gritted teeth. "The Uchiha massacre."

The change was instantaneous as all memories within the swirling waters became focused upon the Uchiha clan. The first image was naturally the face of Mikoto, followed quickly by the sight of her as she cried into his neck. Images of them sitting on the couch together swam through his thoughts and a final memory of him slipping his purse into her pouch was the last thing to appear related the event.

Even having seen what he came for, Inoichi was frowning. The slight glimpses these images provided were genuine, but they were a far cry from what he would usually be able to witness. There was too much of a chance that he had missed something important within these memories he didn't have full access to. This was a strange mind indeed.

"So, you spoke with Mikoto, what of the others?"

Being inside the boy's mind, he knew the confusion in his voice was real.

"What others?"

Hiruzen was not going to like this.


The moon shone brightly as he was released from Konoha's T&I building and Naruto's fury was nearly boiling over. They had actually suspected that he aided in the escape of a large group of Uchiha survivors? He had thought he had Hiruzen's trust, but for the old monkey to think he would hide something like that from him and then have someone enter his mind in search of information that didn't exist?

The Uchiha could have bled to death outside his door and he wouldn't have batted an eyelash, it was only because it was Mikoto who came to him that he helped her. Sure, he may not have been close to her, but he wasn't close to many people. He knew her and so he helped her, there was nothing else to it. To suspect him as part of some elaborate escape scheme to ensure the survival of the Uchiha clan was insulting.

That they thought they could get that kind of information from him if he had was even more so.

Giving a snarl into the night, Naruto began stalking through the empty streets of Konoha. It was usually busy on the streets of Konoha but at two in the morning in the shinobi district there was little activity. He briefly considered taking the rooftops due to the lack of shinobi dashing across them but quickly cast that thought aside. Most shinobi had already left to go about their business, but the chances of running into one atop the roofways of Konoha were far too high for him right now.

Moving without direction, he snaked through the village, intent on walking off his frustration before returning home. Actually, maybe returning home was a bad idea. Chances were that he'd be under surveillance and he really didn't feel like being watched right now.

Perhaps he could stay with a friend? He laughed silently at his own little joke. He didn't have friends, just a few scattered acquaintances. Dog he knew in passing, he had spoken with Shizune a few times, Hiruzen was out of the question, Anko he just met, Kurenai couldn't stand him, Mikoto was gone, Iruka was his teacher, and the rest of the Uzumaki clan had left him nearly two years ago.

But then, there was one other option.

Tatsuki was a pretty good acquaintance; she might let him crash at her place for the night. The thought made him frown. He was, admittedly, pretty close to Tatsuki, far closer than he was to most others, it almost didn't seem right to call her a mere acquaintance. No, Tatsuki was a friend, a very dear friend, and one he probably didn't spend enough time with.

Perhaps it was time to fix that.

Moving down familiar roads, he let his feet lead him to where he knew she lived.

He heard her before he saw her.

"Let go of me you bastard!" Naruto's molten furry ignited instantly as he abandoned his walk for a mad dash.

"Aw, come on, love, you do this shit all the time, what's once more with me?"

Naruto's blood boiled at the sight.

Her dress, one of the better ones she owned, was in tatters, barely covering her decency as she was pressed against a stone wall by a man who was at least four heads higher than her. Even from a distance Naruto could smell the alcohol the man must have bathed in. This was why Tatsuki never worked at night, too many unsavory characters that had too much to drink never made good clientele. For her to be out at this time and wearing such an outfit meant she had been getting desperate.

Her eyes met his with a single desperate plea and he reacted on instinct. Bursting through his shirt without concern for his clothing, tendrils of glowing blue chains snapped through the air like baying hounds. There was something different about these chains however, something that made them feel heavy and sluggish, like a limb that had been overused the day before.

Even as they changed from blue to a deep purple he commanded them forward, links of chakra reluctant to follow his orders. Gritting his teeth, he directed them to strike from the side as he rushed towards the man.

They struck like a serpent, quick and without mercy, and in a flash of red it was over.

But they did not strike from the side.

Violet chains hummed red as if pleased that they pierced cleanly through Tatsuki's assailant-

And Tatsuki.

He was aware of his pulse as it increased, he could feel as his stomach attempted to strangle itself and his lungs burned in refusal to draw breath. He watched as his chains dissipated in wisps of purple and heard as the man collapsed to the ground, but none of that registered within his conscious mind.

As horror took hold of his entire being and his world seemed to crash down around him, he was unaware of the smiling crimson eyes that watched it all with glee-

Because the only thing he could truly see was an image that would haunt him until the day he died.

As her torn body fell into the bloodied street he was only vaguely aware of the tears that streamed down his face.

And still the moon shone brightly-

Even as yet another sun lost its light.


Kukukukukukuku And thus concludes act IX, I look forward to seeing you all for act X next Friday evening.