Awakening to the sun's blazing morning rays, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi got up. They had talked about last night, about Naruto. Even Gai and his team were included in the inter squad politics of a typical Konoha Shinobi Cell. They argued, talked until very late. It was the consensus that Naruto might be troubled, but is loyal to Konoha. Ironic that Sasuke was included in a decision about possible defectors.

Kakashi, being his usual self, decided that his and his team's opinions might be skewed. He had predicted the other half of the team backing up Naruto. He was that kind of guy, Kakashi supposed, that could make allies or enemies anywhere he wanted.

Even while Kakashi looked back on several suspicious situations, Naruto had proven infallible. He had always been right and had not made a tactical decision that had backfired.

A maddening swirling insanity of luck seemed to surround that child, Kakashi mused.

It was only that Naruto had left earlier that night to report to the King himself that the team was able to have the conversation at all.

Nothing would be done, could be assumed right now. Kakashi would wait until he could speak with Tsunade or Jiraiya. Perhaps they knew something of the way Naruto was acting.

For now, there was nothing to do. But that never stopped Kakashi or his team for long.

He nodded to the now fully dressed Sakura and Sasuke.

Kakashi carefully ignored the fact that they shared the same bed last night. His colleague's personal lives were not his to pry into. Not while on a mission at least.

They both nodded back, signaling their departure for Kansai's Library and Royal Records department.

Sakura and Sasuke found themselves outside the Forbidden City, looking towards the surrounding buildings next to the taboo block.

After asking around a little and a warmer reception thanks to Sasuke's more civilian like attire, they were able to find the largest tower in Kansai. Not by much, only a few floors. Still, the massive edifice seemed to breach the clouds and alter the winds themselves.

Made of steel and glass, the modern exterior sported a traditional interior of wood and marble walls. An elevator and concierge desk located in the middle of the otherwise empty first floor would lend itself to intrigue all who walked in. Sakura and Sasuke were no different.

Of the thirty or so finely dressed attendants, Sakura chose to walk up to one of the only females.

'Curator Arashima'

It read in great golden brass underneath her section of the large circular desk.

Arashima was the first to speak.

"Welcome to the Royal Library of Kansai. How may I help you?"

The other 'curators' around her stared straight ahead, or were busy attending to paperwork of some kind of another. The scene, unsettlingly sterile.

"My name is Sakura, this is Sasuke-kun." She started, earning her a passive glance from Sasuke who seemed oddly cold to the term of endearment she had added.

"We are here to request mission logs and records for Uzumaki Naruto."

She worded it perfectly, Sasuke thought. They had agreed to research Naruto and not 'Shesshomaru', even though he suspected they were one in the same.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" She thought putting a curled finger to her chin. "…That file is held on the 99th floor."

Sasuke was impressed. There were more than 150 floors in the building, all rumored to be riddled with files and books. Ancient knowledge resided in this place. This curator had memorized it's layout. Impressive indeed.

It was said that the Royal Library was harder to sack than any hidden village by itself, security taken to different levels not previously reached.

She added, breaking his train of thought.

"However, all floors beyond 80 are classified. I am sorry for the inconvenience. May I recommend some historical documents regarding his earlier, unclassified records?"

She reached inside her dress and pulled out her head band. Flipping it over, she presented the inside of the wrap. Inscirbed on the reflective metal were the words.

'Haruno, Sakura

Chuunin

Hidden Village of the Leaf

A-class security clearance'

Reading over the inscription and validating the security pin number inscribed at the bottom left, she was able to pull a picture matching the number out of a large filing cabinet attached to the underside of the large desk. Finding no problems, she spoke once more, this time while taking out a medium sized yet intricate looking key.

"This will take you to the 81st floor, as is the level of your clearance."

Not much, but Sakura would take it.

Taking the key from Aramisha's hand, she walked towards the only break in the circular desk and straight to the elevator. Looking back towards Aramisha, she could see her helping another customer and pulling out a file. She could appreciate the intricacies of Aramisha's job now, the rotating clockwork under her desk muffled by the large dense wood that surrounded it. Constantly rotation under the desk, shifting as each curator requested a file. She traced an odd red file and watched it disappear into the desk, never to return. The file belt must circulate in other places as well. No telling how long it was.

Pushing the one button on the elevator, it opened its brass and gold accented doors to reveal a roomy elevator. Enough to fit twenty people with gear and still be comfortable.

They entered the solemn vessel of transportation inside the structure, and the doors closed with a small clang of metal. Now illuminated by the elevators interior red lights, they pressed the button for floor number 81.

The door was massive, its wooden slabs maintaining its rich dark complexity. Carved from what looked like whole trees for each side, it sported depictions of nature. Trees, water, wind, everything under the sun seemed to be carved out of the fallen giants.

Sasuke looked straight ahead towards the keyhole.

"Every door in the Royal Library is ancient, predating even Kansai. They are world renowned." Sasuke interrupted, prompting Sakura to cease her admiration for the doors of the Royal Library and open them already.

It's not that Sasuke was unimpressed. It's that he was even more excited to see what lie beyond.

She clinked the key to the right, releasing what sounded to be over thirty locks and clicks.

'Truly the only key for this door…' Sakura thought on how hard it would be to pick this specific lock. She did not doubt for a second that shinobi techniques would be useless here.

She could feel the expensive, advanced cameras looking at her from every marble ceiling tile. Truly the most secure place on Earth had to be the Royal Library.

Sasuke pushed one side of the door open, and two pairs of eyes grew wide. All around them were books, files, attendants. Bustling about, ignorant of Sasuke's and Sakura's presence, the worker bees went about their jobs with vigor. Filing, pulling, reading, filling out, the Konoha ninja could not even see the tops of the mighty rows upon rows of shelves being attended to by the swarm.

She grabbed Sasuke's reluctant hand, and tried to find a row unoccupied. They had searched the massive floor for a couple minutes before finding a semi secluded spot amongst the historical archives.

She turned to face Sasuke, when something caught her eye. A large book with golden trim. It read 'Kansai' on its spine. Absently, as if the book were calling to her, she picked it up. Guessing the weight wrong, she dropped it on its spine, the crack of the leathery tome hitting the wooden floor and snapping the book open to somewhere along its middle.

The chapter read, 'Modern Kansai, a study of the past.'

Sasuke observed Sakura's strange behavior. It was unlike her to focus on something else while in his presence. Perhaps she had changed over the years after all.

She picked it up, and started reading aloud.

"The city of Kansai, eighteen miles in diameter, it was shaped like a perfect oval. Its walls, constantly expanding and more structures were built. The city itself was carved of marble and a jungle of concrete, its markets accented with wood and ceramic tiles. Its cobblestone roads and smooth pavement separated the older inner city from its increasingly modern out city.

Its buildings always trying to reach the top of the skies. Property values around the center, older part, of Kansai drove the most inspired developers to truly attempt to spit in the eye of the gods with monstrous, gaudy buildings of glass and steel. The Forbidden City, where the royal family and nerve center for all of Fire Country was located at its absolute center. "

'The Author has an interesting way of writing. This must be an old periodical during the industrial era half a century ago, when poetry was all the entertainment people really had.' She thought.

"The center of the city that resides in the center of the world. Its own style, drastically different from the modern architecture that surrounded it. It raised itself fourty floors from the ground only, and was carved, not built, from Fire Country's Marble basin and strong, dark, oaken woods. Its style, traditional. Humble even. Belying the importance of the block wide palace with many smaller extensions was the perfectly carved marble wall. It was similar to Kansai's larger models that enclosed the city itself, except totally smooth and ordained with inhumanly precise runes and carvings dating back to the most ancient of times. Its walls had never been breached."

She paused, finding Sasuke inattentive. He was searching through the books on the other side. Apparently, he had been stumbled onto the 'U' section, thinking he might find what they came here to seek.

She read on to herself now, ready to explain to Sasuke that mission files and military records were kept in a different section. She used to work at Konoha's library, after all.

'The winding river of Ni-Hong divided the great city, its bends and twists numerous, the narrowest part of the river flowing right through the Forbidden City, a great wooden bridge connecting the two sides of the narrow river that would flood every so often. The Ni-Hong brought great troubles to the city, but ultimately was an economic boon for the whole of Fire Country.

The Ni-Hong river not only extended itself through Kansai and the Forbidden City, but also allowed itself to run through the whole of Fire Country. It ran through the frozen Northlands and dumped out into the South Sea. No one had ever found its origin at the frozen blasted lands of the North. Regardless, the Southern part of the Ni-Hong created a nation establishing aspect. Each year the great river would flood and bring nutrients to the soil for miles around it. Till this day, organic goods are the most exported resource of Fire Country.'

"Sakura." Sasuke interrupted, lightly grabbing the book from her hands and placing it back in its proper spot after snapping it shut.

"We need to locate Naruto's file." She recognized a call for help even if it came from someone like Sasuke. Blushing, she said.

"Military records are kept at a separate room on this floor I think. We have to ask around." She said.

Naruto walked the halls of the Forbidden City leading to the throne room. Its halls dark, light unable to pierce the now tinted glass of the marble and wood fortress. Only dimly lit torches provided illumination now, giving the Royal Family Portraits a haunting visage and the shadows of fires danced over their faces. From the beginning of the line to the end, they all stared. Akina, stared at him to. He would often stop on his passages to the throne room and stare at her face. The portrait of her, finished when they were just getting to know each other. She seemed so happy then, so loving and gentle, yet fiery and devoted. Now, her portrait failed to capture that moment. What once seemed happy now seemed sad.

Naruto shrugged off his stare and headed to the door on his left, Akina's portrait being the last added.

Opening the door, he was expecting the blinding white light of the redecorated throne room. It seemed to have no true dimensions; merely an infinite space locked inside a finite place.

He saw the figure in the middle. He saw what it watched. Along the seamless room, circular patterns of screens showed. Projected by undetermined means, Naruto moved forwards and approached the figure.

Dawned in the same armor except with a red trim and red scarf and wore minus the cloak, the figure looked exactly like him. His eyes, providing the light and piercing time and space with their power, they growled out a loud vibrating noise. It quieted down as Naruto approached and another man walked through the door.

The man sported white hair that hung in long strands, and a long white lab coat with the symbol for Flame of Eight sewed onto his right coat pocket.

He smiled, as he always did, when he shut the unassuming door and its seems to the hallway disappeared.

The figure in the middle, Naruto's carbon copy, had two very distinct features. His hair was different. Instead of Naruto's usual unruly blonde hair that seemed to stick out at the front, this figure's slightly lighter hair has adopted a gnarled blade-like appearance. Choosing the sag down slightly instead of up, he also had his most intriguing feature. A halo of light surrounded his head, obscuring his eyes and everything horizontally aligned with it along his face.

The vibrations died down as the Halo slowly receded. Light itself bent as the glow diminished and what was left were two blazing orbs of red light. They looked like they were on fire and tiny blades of flames and cinders tried to escape them.

"Have you found it yet?" The figure's voice asked to the man behind him, totally ignoring Naruto's presence. Yet, it seemed Naruto did not mind.

The smiling white haired man smiled wider. It was understood.

"It seems your little friend has been busy, oh great Fire Lord."

He always did like to use sarcastic honorifics, even if he didn't intend to. It was one of his many odd quirks.

The figure turned to regard Naruto.

The screens in front of the figure seemed to flicker, before focusing on a picture of himself. Moving slightly, it was a live picture, perfectly mimicking the 'King' with his mirror movement from Naruto's perspective. The figure raised its hand to within four inches of Naruto's eyes, yet he did not move, did not flinch.

The white haired man smiled as a plethora of images, a flood of data and information was displayed on the screens within seconds. The screens went back to a picture of the figure holding his hand out, from Naruto's perspective once again. Another surge of chakra occurred, this time the blue spectral energy released into Naruto.

As the figure lowered his hand, Naruto turned around. He tended to focus on what wasn't said, what was his instinct. What he was created for.

'Go. I gave you ten percent more this time. Do not fail with the sealing instructions I gave you.' He heard his own voice in his head.

Naruto walked out towards the door, ignoring the stare of the white haired man as he followed Naruto out, ready to divulge the location of his new objective.

Sasuke and Sakura were most definitely frustrated on the 81st floor. They lay in piles upon piles of empty manila folders, strewn about them sitting down between two isles. They had found the proper personel.

By the time the files got back to them, they had three full carts worth of missions. That was only five minutes ago though. Apparently, even Naruto's early work was classified beyond their reach, sometimes leaving only three or four words per mission or per page. They compared it to the Flame of Ten, and found that even his records weren't as classified. In fact, the only real piece of information they learned was his rank and who he was assigned to.

Apparently, she was already dead. From what Sakura knew of her, Akina was very beloved by the people. In fact, she was a favorite to become the next King, succeeding even against her brother.

An unsettling pattern showed up with all the Flame Guard's records. Around six months ago, they just stopped being reported. Frustrated, Sasuke walked back up to the counter.

Staring the male attendant right in the eye, he asked, "What do you know about Uzumaki Naruto, the Flame of Ten?"

Activating his sharingan discreetly, he subtly crafted the genjutsu that would give him his answers.

The man stared straight ahead past Sasuke, as if staring at nothing and yet reacting to everything. Like a statue, he stood, but his mouth would not stop moving when Sasuke asked the question.

"Uzumaki-san is the Flame of Ten, but was reassigned by dishonorable discharge. They kept him on the payroll until Akina-sama died."

He stopped to stare slightly downwards.

"But I remember, he used to be head of the Military Police before Shesshomaru-sama. It's not documented here and all the periodicals are censored, but I remember reading it in some of the contemporary archives I was restoring at the time."

And the plot thickens.

Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan just as Sakura walked up behind him. She didn't approve, but none-the-less, it was effective.

"Thank you for the help." Sasuke uttered as he disappeared, leaving a bewildered curator to wonder how he had helper at all.

It was about 15 minutes until the King's speech. They did not want to miss such an occasion.

For the first time in just over half a year, the Forbidden City was open to the public. Kansai's population of over 15 million flocked towards the city center. The streets were packed for miles around Kansai, trying to view one of the giant projection monitors that were set up two days prior. Many chose to watch from the towers that surrounded it. The Royal Library, just now closed to the public within moments of the five minute warning until the King's speech.

The crowded masses themselves, restless, unruly. Cheers and jeers resounded amongst the cacophony of indistinguishable rants and raves. The Military Police, riddled at key locations, sporting rather large rifles, not their usual handguns. Each one of those rifles were worth a small fortune. Still, their faceless presence littered the streets and entrances, large barricades of steel and barbed wire surrounding roads in the cobblestone center of the city. Security measures knew no bounds, each citizen going through random security checks and weapons sniffing dogs. The creatures vicious, yet tamed, sniffed out even the smallest trace amounts of metal.

The King was due to approach any second as the Konoha teams met up on top of the tallest building in the city, a commercial building that rose to a staggering 170 feet. The building, much like the Royal Library, needed an exceptional width to its dimensions in order to rise that high. It was said one could see the subtle curves of all of Fire Country, of even the curve of the wastes beyond the known lands to the North and West, and the endless oceans to the South and East.

They greeted each other warmly in their regular shinobi attire, all of them feeling more confident for it. They each wanted to go to Kansai for their own reasons, be it business or pleasure, but all were relieved to go back home. It was definitely not safe here, in this urban jungle, this wooden world, this marble creation. The largest in the world.

They did not have much time to share information when the microphones strewn about through the city started picking up footfalls. Slow at first, they seemed to be even slower as a lull washed over the masses. Painfully, the projections picked up movement on the ornate marble balcony on the top floor of the Forbidden City. The balcony itself was wide, almost fourty feet, but only jutted out for twenty. But it was carved of marble, its railings a solid slab and accented in a light rosewood. The roof extended itself just fifteen feet, providing sun and shade to those who demanded it.

The footfalls were closer. They could see a hand. A foot. The figure stopped for a moment and the crowd was deathly ill. Not a word was spoken or whispered. Their eyes glued to the balcony, the monitors, their ears strained to hear the booming words from the microphone speakers.

Naruto stood there, contemplating all his actions up until now. He concluded, as he always did, that they had to be done. With clean conscience he observed the crowd from the shadows.

'I was created for this purpose and this purpose alone. Born I was weak, now I am strong.' He chanted in his head as he went over his own personal experiences.

He began making a few more steps, and out from the shadows rose his chest, both arms and a whole leg, he kept going until all but his face was shrouded in darkness created by the overhang of the midday sun. And slowly, ever so painfully, his face was no longer obscured by the blackness that seemed to surround yet not affect him.

Golden hair and stark blue eyes. He wore the armor of the King, or rather, the orange trimmed version. The crowd, once recognizing his status yet not knowing who he was, waited to hear footfalls of the King of Fire Country. Yet, no footfalls were heard. Murmurs began to spread as Naruto simply looked forwards, into the clear blue skies and carbon steel that accented the horizon down the main roads.

He stared at the progress of man.

And he spoke.

Just as the murmurs of questions began to spread, as the drones began to buzz, he spoke.

The speakers, amplifying his voice, all in the massive metropolis did the citizens hear his words.

The Konoha team, shocked that Naruto would be included in such an important occasion, grew even more numb as they realized Naruto was the speech.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, of the Hidden Village of Konoha…" he began.

"Father…" a child of ten dressed in green and blue asked his father beside him. The father, glued to the projection monitors somewhere in the concrete maze of the city center. The images, focusing with a shaky hand on who was now identified as Uzumaki Naruto. The boy's father, like all those around him, grew tense. His father had told him never to trust a shinobi, that they are the reason that his Uncle and Aunt were killed in the Souther Provinces.

Indeed, the entire crowd was tense.

"…I am the Flame of Zero…" The crowd was in shock at first, putting together the pieces of the puzzle. This crowd's cold stares grew pensive, grew viscous, grew rabid and twisted.

The yells of outrage came forth, the disdain of the citizens of Kansai evident in the pieces of fruit and vegetables they threw. None could reach the height of Naruto, sailing back to the Earth from whence they came.

On the other side of the city, a lone woman dressed in olive green and white observed The Flame of Zero on her own projection monitor. The people beside her grew angrier than what seemed like the rest. The shaky camera, now focusing on his eyes and a blinking subtitle that read 'Uzumaki Naruto, The Flame of Zero'.

People began to chuck things at the giant white projection screen, blotching and ripping it. The whole of Kansai was calling for blood almost thirty seconds later, the military police dawning riot shields and warming up their high pressure water hoses.

All of the Konoha ninja, save for Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were varying degrees of shocked. Kakashi himself, simply felt betrayed. Sasuke, was oddly excited. And Sakura, was slightly scared.

"…And I come bearing a message concerning the King…" He raised his arm, and instantly a flare shot out from the top of the castle roof, signaling the planned action on behalf of the Military Police.

Instantly, on top of all the roofs and blockades, and even in the mixed crowds, they started to discharge their weapons into the air, avoiding buildings and people. The cracks resounded and echoed longer than anything they had heard, people were frightened, everyone seemed to instinctually quite down.

Still, they grew angry, merely a silent anger had washed over them when the weapons had stopped their barrage.

"…Six months ago, the King had died…"

A bit of news that would be heard round the world before the sun would set.

The crowds, unbelieving, shocked, could not utter a word, grew more panicked, grew sad and cold.

"…Weeks ago, we have brought to justice those who had killed the King…"

Assasination. The crowds anger, forgotten on Shesshomaru, the heavy handed head of the Military Police, the brutal murderer, and instead was more focused on whom had killed their beloved King. They waited on baited breath, the name of the man or nation that had done it. Naruto did not disappoint.

"…The Nation of Kumo to the North has been utterly decimated by our Military, our casualties are in the tens, and theirs are in the hundreds of thousands…"

The crowd, expected to take in the celebration of their King's murderers brought to justice, was wasted of deaf ears. Most, still recovering from the fact their King is dead, others, dwelling on who would be the next ruler. The King had no heirs, after all.

The ancient dynasty that had survived since the birth of man had died off. Most, felt hopeless. Shesshomaru was hated, despised as being a brutal phsycopath, surely this did not mean he was wresting control of the throne.

"…Some time ago, we had disclosed that her highness Akina-sama had passed away in child birth. This was not so."

Confused and for the first time in this speech, showing a glint of hope, Naruto pressed on as footsteps began to echo in the background of the microphone. The cameras focused on the spot next to Naruto's left shoulder as a smaller figure with blonde hair began to emerge wearing the true armor of the King. The red trimmed infamous armor of the true ruler of Fire Country.

The citizens focused on her, on the shaky images of her face and eyes, of her mouth and blonde golden hair. They awaited confirmation. Once again, Naruto did not disappoint.

"…The King is dead, long live the King!" He shouted as the monitors began to display the words 'Akina-Hi, Daimyou of Fire Country' under the new dainty figure, now surrounded by the sun's bright raise.

A man in his forties dressed in nobleman's robes shouted from his position, close to the balcony inside the Forbidden City.

"The King is dead! Long live the King!" his voice echoed across the masses. Few precious moments passed as a small undistinguished chant came from hopeful faces. It proved contagious as it spread quickly, like a fire or a plague.

"Long live the King!" They began to shout, words and rythms becoming synced as the crowd began to forget their anger. Their beloved Akina-sama had returned. The heart of the people had returned.

She chose that moment to speak, just as the cameras began to zoom out and in, static buzzing in and out due to the large amounts of electronic interference that occurs when so many devices are hooked up to the same feed.

"I am Akina, the Lord of Fire Country."

The crowd erupted in cheers of joy and hope. So loud was it in the centers of the city, people covered their ears. All of them, caught in the moment as if caught in a miracle. Akina-sama was back.

"I ask that you please listen to me now, that we may work together to make our nation a better one."

The crowd cheered one last time before they died down. Almost three minutes later, the crowds of Kansai found their need to know more.

"As my first royal decree, I declare the Southern Provinces officially annexed from the hold of Fire Country, and instead, be made its own official nation provided they follow economic embargos and policies set forth by the Council and I."

More cheers filled the air, as a needless rebellion and unnecessary blood would no longer rage or flow.

"I also announce…" she interrupted the cheers.

"That until further notice, Kansai and the whole of Fire Country will remain under strict marshal law until the political implication of Kumo's destruction subsides. The world is in turmoil, my sisters, my brothers. And if we work together, we can secure our own futures and that of our children's."

The crowd started applauding and cheering again, as Akina turned with Uzumaki, the camera's focused on their retreating back. Some noticed a small blood red symbol on a patch of black. On Naruto's back armor was an intricate design of a moth. With a smiling and sad pattern on opposite wings, but drawn to be visible only when squinting or staring past.

They retreated into the shadows as Akina shouted once more, the ambient microphones still enhancing her voice as she turned her head slightly to the side.

"My heart will always belong to the people."

And again she retreated into the obscure shadows, her angelic voice following her.

And again, the cheers were heard.

'I was created for this purpose and this purpose alone…' the smaller figure in the darkness thought. '…born I was weak, now I am strong.' It chanted in its head as it and Naruto sizzled into a flurry of red ribbons, nothingness replacing existence.