The Paths We Walk

Otherworldly Arts

"We've confirmed it at the lab. The blood belongs to Uzumaki Naruto." The ANBU member said calmly.

Kakashi bowed his head, still staring at the dried blood staining the ground in the forest. "I see…" He looked up, showing no emotion, and looked at the ANBU captain. "So then, do we have any leads on his location?"

"Currently, there have been no signs of a blonde boy in a white robe, in or out of Konoha, but we have sent a squad to place photographs of him in neighboring villages, and we are currently forming a list of suspects."

Kakashi nodded. "Very well. Is there anything else?"

The ANBU nodded. "Yes, we found something strange. A small rounded cone on a cylinder, no longer or wider than a finger joint, made of metal. It was found nearby buried into the ground, almost as if someone had thrown it with such force that it embedded itself deep into the ground." The ANBU held out a clear bag, containing a small metal item of that description.

Kakashi leaned in for a closer look. There was still some dirt on it, but the metal was still shiny, and looked new. Kakashi nodded. "Thanks. Please continue with your investigation."

"Yes sir!" The ANBU squad vanished to perform other duties for the investigation, leaving Kakashi and the Hokage to stare at the crime scene.

The Hokage turned to Kakashi. "Do you have any idea why Naruto would come out here at this time of night?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, but with all the things that have been happening recently, it's hard to follow. Though, there is something you should know."

The Hokage nodded. "Are you going to tell me why you didn't offer to train Naruto?"

"Well, yes, but before you say it, it wasn't only for Sasuke. Someone else offered to train him for me. He claims to know what's happening to Naruto."

"Claimed? Are you telling me you let him train a Konoha ninja without him revealing anything or offering any proof of his ability to understand the situation?"

Kakashi raised his head. "He offered the proof of trust. He tracked you, yet even avoided your detection." The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "So, if he had any evil wishes, he could have easily performed them without alerting us it was him, and he also came to me asking permission. I was out of options, and I wanted to get Naruto help, so I accepted."

"Kakashi, what would make you do something like that? It's unlike you to be so trusting of others with your students."

Kakashi shifted his gaze, looking at the blood. "He told me about the mark, and how it could be fatal. He said he could cure it…"

"Do you suppose he did this?"

"No, I don't. For one thing, he was alone, but this shows signs of a duo. There are three sets of footprints. Second, he gave off no negative aura, or one meant to fool me. I did what I thought was best." He paused, before continuing. "He promised he'd have him back in time for the finals. Maybe he rescued Naruto from this."

The Hokage sighed and turned around. "Well then Kakashi, I hope your theory is correct. For now, perhaps all we can do is wait and see." The Hokage walked off, having other matters to concern himself with.

Kakashi nodded and walked away as well. 'I have to get back to Sasuke anyways. He'll get impatient if I make him wait too long.' He took one last look at the blood. 'Naruto, you better not be dead. I don't want to have someone else close to me die again.' With that, he left the forest, heading back to the cliffs, and a fuming Sasuke.

"Hey Cloud, where are we going?" Naruto asked as they walked down the stairs.

Cloud looked over his shoulder. "We're going to talk to Reeve. He was the man in the office room just now." Cloud walked ahead of Naruto, carrying both their swords. Naruto looked at Cloud's sword, noticing it was slightly shorter in length and had several detachable areas. "So are you gonna train me or what?!" Shouted an impatient Naruto.

Cloud nearly went deaf from all the constant yelling. "Sure, just don't damage my hearing, please. Remember this is our base. We're not the only ones here."

"Okay!" Naruto said again. Cloud sighed.

They walked into another room at the end of a long hall on a red carpet, to a finely crafted wooden door. Cloud opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Naruto. The room was filled with light, exposing the vibrant blue walls, and the large bed in the back of the room. Inside stood the man in the long blue coat, who stood up when they entered.

"Ah, Cloud. Have you talked to him yet?"

"Yeah, Reeve, but you should probably tell him the finer details of it. I gotta to talk to Yuffie anyways. I'll be back in a few minutes." Cloud said, and leaving the Buster Blade and taking his own sword, he left the room, waving good-bye. Naruto sat down in a fancy chair and looked that the man.

"Hey…so you're Reeve, right?"

"Yes, and your Naruto Uzumaki. I've read your report."

"I've got a report?!" Naruto gasped.

"Yeah…is it that suprising? Reeve asked, taken aback at the sudden shout.

Naruto pointed accusingly. "YOU HAVE BEEN SPYING ON ME!!"

Reeve searched for words for the situation. "Well…that's one way to put it, but I'd like to call it scouting for talent."

"…That's what ero-sennin said." Naruto said to himself.

"Sorry, I missed that." Reeve said.

"Nothing, nothing…look, why am I here? Something about helping defend the worlds, right? What's going on?"

Reeve looked at him with a serious face. "A little over two months ago, we detected Jenova cell activity coming from an unknown sector, but that sector wasn't anywhere on our world. But Cloud, also having Jenova cells, could sense it, and demanded I search for it. We found it, and it was you in your battle on the bridge."

"Sooo…I have these Jenova cells?" Naruto asked, confused.

Reeve nodded. "Yes, but let's let Cloud explain that later. All that's important now is that you understand this: after we found you, we discovered your world. So, Cloud developed a technique to warp between the worlds, and he found you. After he found you, he observed your behavior, and saw you fit for training to assist us."

"Yeah, I got that much, but why exactly me?"

Reeve smirked, finding this quite fun. "I already said it: you have Jenova cells." Naruto just looked confused. "Those who have Jenova cells have acquired them, usually through SOLDIER training. But you have them, without ever coming in contact with a SOLDIER or another bearing Jenova cells. That's what's strange. However, until we figure that out, let's focus on what's important."

"After doing some background checks, we discovered that you are unique, in more ways than just having the fox demon sealed within you. You also possess other abilities, making you a prime candidate for training. With the discovery of your world, the World Regenisis Organization also needs to establish a base there. You could be the representative, if you wished."

Naruto didn't follow for a second. "…Okay…so I got these cells, and they make me strong, and there are at least two worlds, and you need to help my world too…" Naruto looked ready to rip his hair out.

Reeve saw Naruto couldn't process all of this information at once. "…How about we explain the rest of it later? Listen, for now, I'll just tell you this: we need help. Things are getting violent, and we need someone with your abilities to join us to create a peaceful world, both this one and your own."

"Wait, couldn't you just give the cells to someone else?"

"Well, normally yes, but you have other abilities besides those granted to you by your cells, putting you above all other possible candidates. For now, let's make a deal: you agree to join our cause of preserving the world, and in return, we give you our support, such as tools, equipment, and training facilities."

"Alright!" Naruto shouted, excited. "Hey, what kind of stuff do I get?! Special Kunai? Stealth boots? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Reeve thought. "Well…we'll get to that when we need to, but when we do, we have far stronger weapons than kunai available to us."

"YES!"

Reev suddenly looked serious. "But you must realize, this isn't a game. This could very well turn to war. If that's the case, you'll be called to fight. The world's future depends on our organization's success."

Naruto stared. He knew this was big. He smirked. "Looks like I'll be able to fulfill my contract with the wolves after all."

Just then, Cloud came back in, placing his giant sword next to the door and walking over to Reeve and Naruto. "So, I take it as you explained it to him?"

Reeve sighed. "Well, as much as I could. He doesn't really get it. It'll take time, or at least until after the SOLDIER procedure."

Naruto cocked his head. "…SODLIER…procedure…?"

Cloud turned to him. "It's the beginning of your training." Cloud walked over to the door and pressed a button, causing the door to open with a swishing sound. "Please wait outside for a minute. I've got something to talk to Reeve about."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, oblivious. "O…kay…but why can't I listen?"

"You'll find out soon." Naruto sighed and walked outside and leaned against a wall, sliding down to the bottom, and the door closed again, leaving Cloud and Reeve alone to talk.

Cloud spoke first. "I'll be taking him to the lower levels for training. Can we get permission to use the special training chamber?"

Reeve nodded. "Of course. Give them my name and they'll give you access."

"Thank you. Are the scientists ready to begin the new procedure they've been researching?"

"Yes. They've been setting up the experiment for a week. All they need is Naruto to begin."

"So the Mako is prepared?"

"Yes, and all is as you've requested."

"Alright, but I hope this works. We haven't tested this procedure yet. But with any luck, the mako and Jenova cells won't take more than two weeks to balance with his body."

"Isn't it dangerous?"

Cloud folded his arms. "A little, but if Naruto wants to grow, it's the best option. I'll oversee it in case anything goes wrong." Cloud grabbed both swords and began to leave, but Reeve interrupted him.

"And there's no need to worry about the village of Leaves. I've requested Reno and Rude be sent to the village to set up a headquarters for monitoring their world. I have made plans for Naruto to stay in the headquarters as well while he lives in Konoha." Reeve took out some papers and handed them to Cloud.

Cloud took them and looked them over. It seemed they were planning on buying some land and building the base. He shifted his gaze back to Reeve. "Just how many steps into this plan are you?"

Reeve smiled. "They're already on their way."

Two men walked through the crowded streets of Konoha, searching for the middle-class area. One had spiky light red hair that he had in a ponytail down his back, wearing goggles on his forehead. He wore a black unbuttoned collared shirt with matching pants, and a white undershirt. He was young, and had twin symmetrical red marks on his cheeks. The man beside him was well-dressed with a suit and tie. He was bald, with a small goatee, and wore black sunglasses. He walked with powerful strides, while the other was a little lanky.

The red-haired man spoke first. "Hey, Rude, where're we going anyway?"

Rude didn't turn, but kept walking. "The middle-class area, near the markets. It's always busy, and people won't suspect anything odd happening in that area with all the daily activity. We were briefed on all this before we left, Reno."

Reno sighed. "I know, I know, but it's just, we need to find a vacant lot, right?" Rude nodded. "Well, this place looks pretty crowded. It'll take a while to find one. Maybe we should rent a hotel."

Both were bumping into people at the crowded market of Konoha, but both just kept going. "That may not be the best idea, we're not exactly dressed…culturally. It may look suspicious."

"Hmph. Yeah, we're setting up a secret base out in the open worth millions of gil, right in the middle of another world, but renting a hotel makes us look veeeeery suspicious." He said sprinkled with sarcasm. He turned to Rude. "Look, I'm not saying we'll need the hotel, but we may be here a while. This place is big, and we're not even sure if this is the main market."

"…At seven, if we still haven't found anything." Rude gave in.

Reno smirked in victory. "I knew you'd see it my w-" BAM!!

Three figures crashed into them, one with pink hair and a red dress, one with two honey-brown pigtails behind her head, and one wearing a black jacket with brown hair. The five of them slowly stood up, trying to regain their balance.

"Oww…" The brown-haired boy said. "Oh, sorry about that. Say, have either of you seen a kid with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes? He should be in a white robe."

Reno and Rude looked at each other. "Nope, not that I can think of." Reno replied.

The girl in pigtails replied "Oh, well, nevermind. Sorry about that!"

"Yeah, sorry!" The pink-haired girl replied, before they ran off into the market.

Reno and Rude stood up and dusted themselves off, then turned to each other. "They were talking about that Naruto kid, right?"

Rude nodded. "I believe so. After all, he did disappear from here. They must have known this would affect the village."

Reno shrugged. "Oh well, let's keep moving. Man, being a Turk is tough sometimes." And they walked on.

"Hey hey, Cloud, where're we going anyways?" Naruto jumped in front of Cloud the second he walked out of the room."

Cloud had expected this and thrust Naruto's sword into his chest, causing the small boy to tumble over. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"If you've got the energy to jump around, carry your sword. Consider it the start of your training."

Naruto shook trying to stand, holding his swords on his arms as he staggered after Cloud down the brightly lit steel hall. They walked down the stairs, when Naruto remembered something.

"Wait a minute! That guy shattered my sword!"

Cloud stopped and turned around. "Yeah, and we re-forged it, and added some other suprises."

"And…who did that?"

"A weapon-maker we hired. He added a special attachment to the sword, and added mithril to the metal of the sword."

Naruto didn't understand. "What's mithril?"

"A strong metal, and very light-weight. However, because of the added metal, the sword length has increased by six inches, throwing off your center of balance when you use it."

Naruto cocked his head. "Center of balance?"

Cloud sighed. He had a lot more work ahead of him. "Let's just get to the test center." Cloud turned around and started walking, rubbing his temple in hopes of avoiding the oncoming headache.

Naruto stumbled, still holding his sword. They walked down a flight of stairs, and walked down another steel hallway. Then, they turned a corner, only leading to a steel wall with a small slit in the center. Before Naruto could ask, Cloud pulled out a card and inserted it into the slit and removed it, and the wall began to split apart, just like the sliding doors had before. Cloud guided the panting but amazed Naruto to a brass semi-circle at the end of the exposed hall, and had a seam separating it from the floor.

Naruto stared. It was like a work of art. "Cloud, what's that thing?"

Cloud smirked, amused at Naruto's cluelessness. "It's an elevator. We use it to travel higher or lower in the base, like stairs, but they save energy and are faster than walking."

Naruto's eyed brightened. "Amazing! This really is a different world!"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, but that brings about another question." Cloud punched in a code on the number pad, and the elevator started to descend, much to Naruto's amazement. He didn't even hear Cloud's comment.

"Oh wow! We're moving! We're actually moving!" Naruto's eyes shined with excitement. He looked at everything, from the panel to the supports, and at the walls that kept going up as they went down. Naruto looked up at Cloud. "Where's this thing going?"

Cloud looked up, drawn out of thinking. "This is a private lift. It's taking us down into a special part of the base, especially designed for our type of training."

"AWESOME!"

Cloud smirked. "You'll love it, trust me." He added with a bit of sarcasm.

The elevator continued to descend for a minute longer, before it came to a sudden stop, causing Naruto to tumble over form the sudden stop. "Woah!" His sword didn't make the fall any easier.

Cloud just stared. "…Get up. We're expected in the Mako injection chamber."

Naruto looked up from the ground. "Mako…?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know yet. Oh well, it's down the hall." Naruto looked around, and there was only one very long hall filled with lights. Naruto stood up, leaving his sword on the ground, and picking it up when he stood up again. Cloud turned around and walked down the hall, with Naruto hurrying after him. They walked for about a minute before reaching the door.

Naruto turned to Cloud. "Hey, spiky, why's the room so long only to reach a door?"

Cloud flinched. First Barret, then Yuffie, and now this brat gave him the nickname. Was his hair that distinctive? "If any unwelcome guests made it down here, they'd have a fun time getting through this hallway unscathed."

Naruto froze, not wanting to know what kind of thing this technology could do to someone. The Mako room must be valuable.

Cloud walked up to the door and inserted the same card, but the door didn't slide open. A small slit opened in the wall, revealing a small circle, and as Cloud stepped up to it, a bright light shined over Cloud's eye. "Identity Confirmed." Came a soft female voice from somewhere above, and the door unlocked.

"Spiky…what was that?"

"Cornea scan. It's the only way to confirm identity with complete security. We use it on all high-security areas of the base." Cloud explained. He reached out and turned the door handle, leading Naruto inside. Naruto turned sideways to get in with his sword, and once he was in, he dropped his sword, along with his jaw.

The room was big, at least the size of two classrooms at the Ninja Academy. There were at least a half-dozen scientists in white lab robes working in the lab, taking notes or sitting at a screen typing on a board. The walls were all lined with screens showing numbers and symbols and pictures, and in the center there was a giant tube filled with clear blue liquid like lake-water, connected to several giant tubes on top of it, leading to the ceiling and to the machines.

One of the scientists walked up to Cloud. He had black hair and a notebook in his hand. "Ah, Cloud. We've been waiting for you." He looked at Naruto. "Is this the boy?"

Cloud nodded. "Yes. I believe Reeve sent you a message?"

The man nodded. "Yes, and we're almost prepared for the procedure."

Naruto was brought out of his excitement when he heard that. "Wait…ARE YOU GONNA EXPERIMENT ON ME?!"

A few notepads and a beaker were dropped when he yelled. "…"

The scientist stared. He'd seen SOLDIER experiments done, but he'd never seen a recruit so…loud. "Well, you could say that…but-"

Naruto crossed his arms, his sword still on the ground, and shook his head violently. "Uh-uh! No way! Not gonna happen! I'm not a lab monkey!"

Cloud thought this would happen, and had planned for it. "If you go through it, you could get stronger than Sasuke, and maybe even Kakashi."

Naruto flip-slopped. "…Fine, but you not do anything freaky, like a third arm or something!"

"Well, if you really wanted one…" The scientist joked.

"NO!"

The man raised his hands in defense. "I'm only joking." Naruto still looked ticked off.

Cloud smirked. "If you got the chance, you'd try anything."

"…" The scientist sighed. Then, he raised his head to meet Naruto's eyes. "Well, perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm professor Victor, and I'll be in charge of the SOLDIER procedure."

Naruto stared. "…WHAT IS ALL THIS STUFF?!" He shouted, causing more things to break. "MAKO, SLIDING DOORS, PROCEDURES, SOLDIER, WHAT IS IT ALL?!"

Cloud ran up behind him and covered his mouth. Naruto struggled to get out, but couldn't escape. "Fine, we'll tell you, but just stay quiet, okay?" Naruto nodded, and Cloud released him. "Good." He turned to professor Victor. "You'll be better at explaining it to him than me."

Professor Victor nodded, and held out a needle. "First, hold out your arm." Naruto obeyed dumbly and Victor stuck it in, injecting the contents into Naruto's bloodstream. "

Naruto didn't feel anything. "I don't get it. What was that stuff?"

Victor was applying something to the area where he stuck the needle in. "A sleeping formula. It puts you to sleep, but takes some time to take affect. I'll explain these things while we wait."

"Sooo…I gotta go back to sleep?"

Victor nodded. "Yes. It's the safest way to begin the SOLDIER procedure. Now, take this." He handed Naruto a pill, and told Naruto to eat it. Naruto ate it, and Victor handed him a glass of water to wash it down.

"Well, I'd better start explaining. Let's start with Mako. Mako is spiritual energy from inside the planet that rises to the surface and condenses into a liquid. You can see it in the giant tube over there." Naruto looked again and saw the same clear-blue liquid. "Once you fall asleep, you'll be placed in that, and that will control the Jenova cells inside of you." Naruto made a move to shout, but Cloud covered his mouth.

"Jenova cells come from an ancient calamity that fell from the sky, an alien would be the common word. By having cell inside of you, you gain some of Jenova's strength and his abilities. That's it, at least as simply as I can put it. But that's what's odd. Noarmally, the cells are injected while inside the Mako chamber, but you've somehow obtained them. The most probable scenario is that you came in contact with the lifestream, and the lifestream passed the cells onto you. But that doesn't explain the eye, or how the demon fox inside of you has been protecting you all of your life."

"Finally, the SOLDIER procedure. The SOLDIER procedure normally begins by injecting Jenova cells into specific areas of the body, but your body has already absorbed Jenova cells, somehow. Now, after the cells have been injected, the SOLDIER candidate is placed inside a test tube filled with Mako, and the Mako is infused with the body. The Mako acts within the body to control the Jenova cells, and grants certain effects as well. If there was no Mako, the cells could overtake your consciousness and reach their full potential. The Mako avoids complete control, and grants you a certain percentage of the cell's power, greatly increasing physical, cognitive, and overall performance."

Naruto finally broke free of Cloud's grip. "So I got an alien inside me?!"

Victor scratched his head in frustration. "Well, you could put it that way, but it's only some cells, not the alien itself."

Naruto folded his arms and nodded, trying to think. "Okay, I get that, but if I already have these cell things, why haven't I become more powerful already?"

Victor continued. "Well, it has. Do you remember feeling stronger when you needed it, like in the forest fighting the snake?" Naruto nodded. "At those times, your body released some of the power for a short time along with the fox's, only as long as necessary. The longer you use it, the more strain it puts on yourself without Mako, so you could only use it in short bursts securely. Then, there have been times where you completely lost control, and used 100 of Jenova's energy, but by sacrificing control over the power. I'm sure you remember that." Naruto dropped his gaze, ashamed at what he'd done. Victor saw this, and tried to cheer him up. "But that wasn't anything you could control. We can fix that."

Cloud walked up to Naruto and placed an arm on his shoulder. "Naruto, I need you to do something for me. Please, show me your right arm." Naruto stared. He'd completely forgotten about it. He hadn't even looked at it when he got out of the test tube. Slowly, he raised his right arm and for the first time in a week took a good look, and gasped. It was a graying mark, spread all across the upper part of his arm. Cloud nodded. "I thought so. Geostigma. Luckily, we have a cure."

Naruto looked up at Cloud. "What's Geostigma?"

"It's the result of the body fighting to hard to rid itself of Jenova cells, eventually resulting in its own destruction. Normally it's fatal." Naruto froze. "The signs are the grey, dead skin spreading, eyes having a glazed over, almost possessed look to them, hallucinations, large amounts of black pus, and rapid, sharp pain. I've seen you experience each of these."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…that vision…it seemed so real I could feel it." He looked up. "Were those two people real?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe, and maybe not, there are too few cases to observe in today's world. I had Geostigma once, and it did seem real, and maybe it was. But, back to more important things: we have a cure, mixed with the Mako."

Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Whew. That's good to hear." Suddenly, Naruto thought of something else. "Wait! How long will this take?" Suddenly, Naruto was starting to feel sleepy.

Cloud thought. "Well, it used to take at least two years to-"

"HEY! I AIN'T GOT TWO YEARS-" Cloud shoved his hand over Naruto's mouth, shutting him up.

"I said used to. This new procedure, if done correctly, should only take about two weeks. Then, we can train you in SOLDIER arts. This is because the Jenova cells have already settled inside your body." Cloud was getting tired of this already.

Naruto's eyes brightened with excitement. "So I get to learn that warp thing like you?!" Naruto was jumping up and down like a kid with an all-you-can-eat pass to a candy store.

"Uhh…yeah, once you get to that level, but first you've got to get in the tube."

Victor had one more important thing to say. "There's one more thing: we did some experiments on you while you were recovering." Naruto would have shouted, but Cloud, on reflex, covered his mouth. "You've got some illusion spells placed on you. We'll remove those during your procedure."

Naruto was allowed to speak. "Wait, if I got illusions on me, why hasn't anyone in Konoha noticed?"

Victor nodded. "Yes, that's a good question. The most logical explanation is that they're not ninja arts, or that you received them to hide yourself from enemies. We'll release them, though I doubt it's anything life-changing. Possibly just some illusion to slightly alter your appearance."

"O…kay…" Naruto didn't get it that well. Then again, he was having a hard time absorbing all this at once.

Cloud turned to Victor. "Have your men ge-" He was interrupted by a giant yawn coming from Naruto. Both looked at him, noticing he was starting to sway back and forth. "Well, the pill finally took effect."

Victor nodded. "Yes, and my colleagues have already fetched the necessary equipment. We're all ready to begin the procedure."

Cloud nodded. "Alright. Naruto, just let yourself fall asleep."

Naruto's eyes drooped, but stayed halfway open. "Why? Wuz gonna happen?" He started slurring his words before yawning again, before falling flat on his back with a loud thud!

Cloud stared. He didn't think it would be so instantaneous. He looked over at the professor. "…Just how much of the stuff was in that capsule?"

Victor tried to laugh it off, but failed miserably. "Ahahahaha…enough to knock out an elephant…?" Cloud twitched. He'd had that much once, and to say the least, it wasn't exactly a pleasant sleep.

Victor tried to defend himself. "Well, I was going to give him a lighter dose, but seeing as how he was so hyperactive…well…I figured this would be more efficient…"

Cloud smacked his head. This was going to be hard enough, but he let it go. "Fine. Just get him in the capsule, and check his vambraces for their properties. I want a full analysis on all abilities and equipment. I'm going to go have the defense designers prepare Naruto's new outfit." Cloud walked out, heading to the medical room for some aspirin.

Victor, on the other hand, got to work with two other scientists and removed his vambraces, leaving him in the outfit, and hooked up various tubes to Naruto, one attached to his mouth for breathing, a needle placed into his stomach to feed him a liquid paste, and attached a monitor collar around his neck. Then, they placed him in the tube by opening the top, and attaching all the chords to their proper outlet. Once he was locked in, they began the SOLDIER procedure, and the transformation began.

Hotaka, Michiko, and Yoko sighed. They were leaving the village for special training with their sensei. Today was their last day before they left on their ten-week training session. That wasn't so bad, but suddenly Sasuke and Naruto had gone missing, and their sensei wouldn't say a word about it they were waiting outside the gate for Ryuunosuke while he finished up some paper work.

Michiko turned to Yoko. "So, ya know where we're going? I heard we got permission to go to earth country."

Yoko shook her head. "No, Konoha is still on bad terms with the earth nation. They wouldn't let us go there. If we did leave fire country, we'd probably head to one of our neighboring nations."

Michiko nodded. "Yeah. We're probably gonna have to do something while we leave. It's not every day a team gets special permission to leave for training only."

Hotaka agreed. "Yeah. I heard a rumor while in the Hokage tower. Apparently, Sasuke may have been granted training outside of Konoha as well, and I heard the same rumor about team Asuma. They're only rumors, of course."

Michiko sighed. "Well, that would be expected from team Asuma. They're not too strong, and that would explain Sasuke's sudden disappearance, but has anyone heard about what happened to Naruto?" Michiko asked. Yoko shook her head.

Hotaka sighed and looked at the sky. "All we know is what's already been released: Naruto vanished from the hospital about a week ago, and anything else is classified. I'd guess he's either with an elite trainer, whose whereabouts have to be classified, or he got involved in something secret. I guess we'll just have to wait."

Yoko sensed the mood and tried to change the subject. "So, you guys know why we gotta leave the village? What kind of training are we performing?"

Michiko thought. "Wasn't it going to be some foreign arts?" She folded her arms and nodded, grinning. "Yup, that's it! We'll buy some new scrolls and train with foreign senseis! Yup, it all makes sense."

Hotaka shook his head. "No it doesn't. We wouldn't just leave the village to train. The Hokage's never been that lenient. It has to have another motive behind it." Michiko's head drooped.

Yoko thought, before snapping to attention. "I think…we may be bringing back what we learned. Konoha is always looking to add new ninjutsu to its library."

Hotaka nodded in agreement. "It would, but we can't let that be the end of our assumptions. I'm sure there would be other reasons."

"Then perhaps a spy mission?"

"They wouldn't send a genin group out to spy on a high-level mission, and since it's training time for the Chunin exam, they would send another team to let us train if it was a low-to-mid level mission. It's got to be something else." Hotaka said with his serious expression.

Michiko, already embarrassed at forgetting such a major detail, was getting annoyed at being left out. "Look, let's just forget about it until Ryuunosuke-sensei comes back, alright?" She fumed.

"Well well, as curious as ever, huh guys?" Ryuunosuke dropped down from on top of the gates, right in between the three of them. He had his usual outfit on, with a backpack over his shoulders. "Alright, let's go." And with that, he left, leaving his students scrambling to pick up their packs and lunches and chase after him.

"So sensei, what're we doing?" Michiko asked excitedly.

Ryuunosuke smiled. "Training, what else?"

Yoko shook her head. "It's more than that, you know we've already figured that out."

Hotaka nodded in agreement. "So, what's our mission?"

Ryuunosuke grinned evilly. "That, my students, is a secret." He chuckled lowly, sending the three genin the message that they had an interesting journey ahead of them.

"Breathing rate: 11 bpm. Heartbeat: stable. All conditions stable. No mutations present. Moving on to the next step of the project." A female voice spoke over the loudspeaker. The scientists were going about their various works when Cloud entered again.

Victor quit taking notes and walked over to Cloud. "Ah, back again, are we? Everything's going fine. In fact, the Mako injection is going half-a-day ahead of schedule. He should be done in four days time."

Cloud nodded and smirked. "Excellent. I should have expected such results from head of the scientific department." Victor grinned slightly from embarrassment, before continuing.

"We should continue. We're ahead of schedule, but it's already been five days. Have you decided on a training regime?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not yet. I've thought of some teaching styles, but nothing's final."

Victor nodded. "Alright, we still have time to decide. The special training area's already set up and closed off to the public. All preparations are nearly complete. We await your arrival to begin training."

Cloud nodded. "And who's in charge of the training grounds?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard Professor Martha Scott may have something to do with the training facility."

Cloud turned his head, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I've heard of her."

Victor smiled. "Oh well, that's no surprise. She's just recently moved up. She's an expert in Materia secondary uses and Mako properties, and I believe she's also had experience with time-space studies, but that's all I've heard."

Cloud sighed. "That's a lot more than I know. If she's as good as you say she is, there may be some hope left for us."

Just then, the door behind them opened, the swooshing sound filling their ears. They turned, and saw their supplier.

"Rufus, what're you doing here?" Cloud asked, not entirely pleased with his presence. Rufus was wearing his traditional white suit, and wearing a black undershirt. He had blonde hair and looked young, yet stern.

"I'm the one funding this organization. I find it fine for me to see that my donations are being put to good use." Rufus stepped up beside Cloud, and observed Naruto as he floated in the test tube of glowing blue Mako. "So this is the boy…"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, he'll be done in a few more days. Then we'll proceed to step 2."

"Professor Victor, I need you to look at these results." Another scientist said from across the room. Victor nodded and bid them farewell, leaving Cloud and Rufus to converse.

"You still don't trust me?" Rufus asked, turning to Cloud.

"Not a bit." Cloud said coldly.

Rufus sighed. He'd expected this. "Well, I can't say I blame you. After how-"

"How you planned to rule by fear? How you tried to revive Shinra!? How you-" Cloud stopped, trying to calm down. That'd come down a little harder than he wanted. "I'm…sorry. I didn't mean-"

Rufus interrupeted, shaking his head. "No, it's alright. Trust is difficult to obtain, and easy to lose. I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness."

"But you're the one who's trying to earn it. You've funded our entire organization, even this."

Rufus nodded, eyes still on the tube. "Merely repaying the debt I owe to the planet." He turned to Cloud, to meet his gaze. "Do you plan on continuing to call this program SOLDIER?"

"Is it up to me?" Cloud questioned.

Rufus gave a slight shrug. "If you'd like. People equate SOLDIERs with Shinra, which people tend to hold a grudge against in our time. It may be best to begin anew."

"Why?"

Rufus reached into his suit, pulling out a file marked 'Soldier' "When Shinra still reigned, SOLDIERs were a symbol of hope and security to the people, and an inspiration for troops on the battlefield. To their enemies, they were monsters, yet kind-hearted heroes to all else. If our organization plans to succeed, we need heroes like those, like Angeal…like Zack."

Cloud went silent, giving his late friend some thought. Rufus stopped conversing for a moment, sensing the soft spot he'd hit.

After a minute, Rufus decided to snap Cloud out of it with a change of subject. "What kind of training do you have in mind?"

Cloud looked up in surprise, acknowledging Rufus and introduced his plan. "First we have to teach him to concentrate, and control the Jenova cell's power. Then, I'll make him completely relearn hand-to-hand combat, and some sword fighting, and his sword's new functions. Then, if we get to it I'll teach him limit breaks, and finally I'll give him his final exam. If he passes, he'll be initiated. Nothing's final, but that's what I've got planned for now. If he succeeds, I'll give him some materia."

Rufus nodded. "That's quite a schedule. Then again, with our new invention, three months is all you'll need." He was met with more silence as they watched the tube. Naruto wasn't moving, his body floating freely in the tube. He looked so calm, a small true smile gracing his face.

"The Mako seems to comfort him." Cloud commented.

Rufus agreed. "Yes. Rare, when you think about it. Not many SOLDIERs enjoyed the Mako injection. Perhaps the Mako selection process improvement was worth researching after all."

Cloud nodded on reflex, before realizing he was still talking, and commented. "I wonder why he's under an illusion."

Rufus had been thinking about it as well. "Maybe it was for his protection. If someone noticed the resemblance, who knows what fate may have befallen him?"

Cloud was only half-listening. He was still looking at Naruto, smiling himself. "He looks just like him, same face, hairstyle, his body, and if it wasn't for the stigma, even his eyes have the same happy gleam.

"I thought they resembled his mothers, or perhaps only when showing deeper emotions."

Cloud gave Rufus a suspicious look. "And how would you know that?"

"I saw some pictures." Rufus said in his defense.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "So, you've ready his report?"

Rufus was silent, before asking "Do you really think this kid can be trained in the SOLDIER arts? Even the Shinra company never experimented with children so young."

Cloud signed. "I don't know anything. All I can do is try."

"Then what do you believe?"

Cloud looked back up at Naruto's unconscious form. He watched his body float up and down, and watched the geostigma slowly lighten back to his normal skin color. He watched the illusion on his body slowly being released. It was powerful, probably his mother's work. "What I believe…" He searched for the words. "Well, who knows? No one's never trained someone in SOLDIER quite like him. For now, lets just have him act as a representative of the W.R.O."

Rufus nodded in agreement. "If his report's accurate, I'd say we're in for some fun."

Cloud sighed. "I just hope surgery goes well." He turned to Cloud. "Ah. I just remembered. Our sage finished purifying your sword. They're ready to carve the runes. You've been invited to observe the ritual."

Cloud turned, shocked. "Well, that's unexpected. Do they normally allow people to watch?"

Rufus shook his head. "No, it's a great honor. I suggest you not let it go to waste."

Cloud nodded in agreement and turned to leave. "Alright, I'll admit I'm curious. Rituals like this are very sheltered. And…I'm sorry about lashing out before…" Cloud stopped, deciding to leave Rufus alone. He turned and left, heading out the door towards the elevator.

Rufus waved over his shoulder, losing himself to thought. 'If he really does hold a portion of that power, he'll surpass even Cloud, and perhaps even Angeal.'

Neither of them knew it, but Naruto was still drifting in and out of conciousness, despite the sleeping pill. His eyes slivered open, just forming a small slit, watching the two converse for under a minute, before drifting back into dreams. He didn't know what they had planned, or what he would face. All he cared about was the soft hand he felt sliding across his cheek, and the feeling of another lovingly on his shoulder.

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"For perhaps the first time in my life, I truly felt calm and at peace. I smelled flowers, and the tube was cool. I didn't know what Cloud and Rufus were talking about, and I didn't care. I was happier than the time I passed the genin exam, when I was accepted into the academy, or even when Sasuke said he wanted to fight me. At that moment, it was all about me. No Sasuke to get the attention, no fangirls to get in the way, no disease to make me sad. For the first time it was all about me, and I liked it."

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"We did it, Reeve!" Reno announced enthusiastically. After over a week of searching through Konoha, they found a place that had just gone on sale. It was the size of an average hotel complex, about eighty feet across and fifty feet back. It was slightly larger than what was wanted, but it would work.

Rude nodded. "It's perfect. The only problem is the village won't allow buildings over a hundred and ten feet with these dimensions."

"Then we'll go lower." Reno smirked. Rude just shook his head at his friend's antics as they walked inside. It was a small spring, placed right over a small spring line. It was an old hotel with the hot spring as a bonus attraction, but it was going out of business to the major Konoha hot spring. They walked inside and saw people taking things down. The man standing at the desk looked up when they entered, and walked around the desk to greet them. He was balding, and wore an aqua bath robe. He looked like he was making last-minute use of the hot springs.

He walked up to them with a small smile. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. How may I help you today?"

Reno decided to speak for the two of them. "Hello, my good man. We're interested in purchasing your facilities. Mind taking us to the owner?"

The man nodded with a smile. "Of course. I'll go fetch him for you two. Please, wait right here." The man walked into the back room. Reno and Rude took the time to admire the lobby. It was pretty nice, with traditional wooden walls and sliding doors. The lights were shining through small glass panels. There were a few bonsai trees on the tables, adding to the calm atmosphere.

Rude just shook his head. "Nice place. A shame we're gonna demolish it."

"Well, we may be able to sneak in a few hours of relaxation before we report?" Reno suggested. Rude shook his head at the suggestion, but hid his grin, but that didn't stop Reno. "Haha! Victory!"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, but snapped them shut at the blinding light. He could see the red through his eyelids, and waited for his eyes to adjust. Slowly, he opened his right eye, but kept his left shut until it adjusted. After a minute both eyes were open and taking in his surroundings.

He was in a hospital bed, once again in something white, but it wasn't a robe. It was soft and gentle, pleasant on the skin. It felt like it was floating, as compared to the heavier hospital robes from Konoha. His head was completely wrapped in a bandage, completely covering his forehead and above, and the sides of it, leaving only his face visible. He tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain in all the muscles he tried to use. He opted for just lying down, staring at the ceiling. "I hate this ceiling…"

"Well, finally awake? You look like a mummy." Said Cloud sitting next to him. Naruto rose with a start, only to fall back down with a yelp. Cloud shook his head. "I'd not advise that. You just got out of surgery an hour ago."

"…Surgery…?" Naruto asked. "When did I have surgery? Why?" He said lowly. It hurt to talk.

"A new part of the SOLDIER procedure. Wanna know what we did?" Cloud asked him. Naruto nodded, freeing a grunt, and Cloud continued. "Some things to enhance your body's performance. Nothing huge or anything, but a few small things. For one thing, your fingers." Naruto looked at his hands, and Cloud continued. "Usually, the ring and pinky fingers are connected by a few nerves, so if you move one, you move the other as well, if only slightly. We altered that for better hand control. They also injected chemicals to strengthen your bones, and added specific vitamins to increase eye strength, ear strength, and other senses."

Cloud stopped, watching as Naruto looked about ready to puke. "Well, you get the idea. It had some…painful after effects, to say the least, but you seem to have overcome the dangers of the SOLDIER Mako injection, and your recovery is going well."

"What dangers?" Naruto asked.

"…Mako poisoning, but you're out of that danger."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, or as well as he could. "What's that?"

"It's when your body is actually overcome by the Mako, and you lose your identity."

"How can it do that?" Naruto asked.

Cloud went silent. He would have said more, but thought it better to save his talk of the Lifestream for later. "A longer story for a later date. For now, here."

He tossed a datapad at Naruto, which fell on his chest. "YEOW!" Naruto screeched, feeling the small item fall on his chest, still very sensitive.

"Read that." Cloud told Naruto. Naruto picked it up, not knowing what to do. Cloud's head sank. He forgot that Naruto didn't have any idea what this stuff was. "It's a datapad. Activate it with the button on the side, and it uses a touch-screen. Just touch the screen at the bottom to scroll down, and at the top to scroll up. You'll be increasing your knowledge for today. Study, and learn. Touch the screen to decide on subjects you wish to study. Everything else, you can figure out. Got all that?" Naruto nodded, much to Cloud's relief. "Good, the operation was a complete success."

"I don't understand…" Naruto started, before coming to realization. "Wait! You said something about my cognitive abilities."

Cloud nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes. All of your cognitive abilities should have been enhanced, including thought speed, memory and awareness."

Naruto smiled. "So…I'm smarter?"

Cloud shook his head. "No." Naruto sighed. "What all that means is you can learn faster. Start with that. When you manage to finish memorizing what is already there, it will unlock the second archive of information. It will test you along the way. And if you complete that, you unlock the fun stuff, like battle formations and strategies, and how your future weapons work. Read that while in recovery." Naruto's eyes lit up, back to their usual sparkling blue, if not clearer and brighter, and he started up the datapad, his eyes darting in amazement at the technology. Of course, he yelped as he moved in such excitement, opting to move his bandaged hands slowly across the screen.

Cloud gave a small smile, and left Naruto to himself. He knew tempting him with something involving battle would be a good way to get him to learn the basics. Not that simple math and science wouldn't help him on his later missions. He left the small white hospital room, closing the curtains, and exited. The moment he closed the door and turned around, he met a pair of deep brown eyes.

"Hey Cloud." Tifa said happily. She was wearing her normal black outfit, and her pink ribbon on upper left arm. She had long brown hair, and was smiling. "So, how's he doing?"

"Okay, just a little bit of pain. Can you do me a favor and have the doctors give him some morphine to numb the pain?" Cloud asked.

Tifa nodded happily. "Okay, I'll tell the doctors on my way out. So, are you heading to the training grounds tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It's the ravine of the ancient last stand. It's secluded, and has all four elements nearby for practice. There's also a giant ravine nearby for the…final exam." Cloud gave a small evil grin. Tifa went silent. Cloud rarely gave expressions like that, and the last time he did, he wiped out a vital enemy terrorist communications relay. It had been a great victory for the W.R.O, but still, Tifa didn't like that look.

"Uhh…okay. You should go try to set that up with Reeve. He'll get you some transportation to the lake. I believe the training area is prepared and awaiting your arrival tomorrow."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "Good idea, and thanks for the update. I'll see what Reeve has for us. See you later Tifa."

Cloud left, leaving Tifa outside the door. She sighed. Ever since this all started, Cloud had been different. She already knew Naruto was like Cloud in a lot of ways, but still, Cloud has become so focused on him that he was beginning to ignore them. They always had to come to him to talk, and then he'd find an excuse to go concern himself with Naruto's plan. She had a theory, but that's all it was. She'd shared it with a few others, and they all agreed. They had to force him to take a break, and they had to do it fast.

"Aw man. Do we have to do it already?" Reno whined.

Rude nodded sadly. "Yes. The paperwork's done, and it's all set up. We do have our orders, and that we can't change."

Reno sighed. "Come on, we can relax for one more hour."

"Reno…no" Rude said to both Reno and himself. Reno sighed, and looked at the man in front of them and nodded. He nodded and turned around, looking at his fellow workers.

"Alright, blow it up." BAM!!! The old hot springs came crashing down after the supports broke in a pile of smoke and dust, leaving only a pile of rubble cloaked in thick smoke. Reno watched the scene, frowning as the comfy resort hit the ground. Rude didn't express his thoughts, but he shared his partner's opinion.

After the smoke was clear and the rubble could be seen, the man in charge ordered his workers to begin clearing out the rubble, with some hired ninjas using elemental jutsus to break down the larger pieces. The head worker turned back to Reno and Rude. "Alright, so are you sure you don't want to hire the Konoha building corporation to construct your facilities?"

Reno nodded. "Yeah, we're sure. We've already hired some out-of-towners to do the work. They're very efficient. It'll be up before you know it." Reno said trying his best to smile.

"Normally, those are our lines. Very well. If you change your mind, go ahead and contact us. We'll get you in touch with them. Have a nice day." The man said, leaving to go instruct the workers. Rude turned to Reno. "Does this area meet specifications?"

"Yeah; it's a little big, but that's nothing. They even said they've built in some hot spring baths in it. Damn that kid is lucky." Reno said jealously. He and Rude has been enjoying the hot springs when the hot springs arrived, and they knew they'd miss the free on-work vacation.

"You're right, but he's not the only one who'll be living there. I heard a rumor that Victor, Ashley, and Roland will be moving in with him." Rude told Reno.

Reno sighed deeply. "Great. They get the sweet life while we get stuck on the dirt road. Man, this job sucks sometimes."

Rude quickly slapped Reno across the head, keeping his own composure. "Be serious, Reno. Their job is just as important as ours. Don't forget that all of them have a special task to perform while staying in the village."

Reno nodded, rubbing the back of his head where he was hit. "Yeah yeah. I got it. So, when're they moving the house through the lifestream?"

"About three at night, by the village's time. We have to keep all others out of this general area. Tseng and Elena are arriving later to help us with that, and then they're heading to lightning village to guard some geographers."

Reno's eyes widened. "Oh yeah. We gotta guard that geographer guy going to the sand village after this, right?"

Rude nodded, turning to confirm that the workers were still removing the rubble. "Yes, and Ashley should be arriving to keep an eye on the building and finish all the appliance work in the house."

Reno put a hand on his chin in thought. "Oh. So Ashley's an electrician too? I thought she was only a mechanic." Suddenly his eyes were filled with hearts, with birds chirping in the distance. "Great, because I need someone to power up my lonely heart!"

Rude sighed. "She'll never say yes. You've asked her how many times?"

"Only six."

"And she rejects you at every turn. Reno, it's time to move on."

Reno just shrugged it off. "Whatever."

Naruto way laying in his bed, actually trying to learn whatever information the datapad had to offer. It sort of reminded him of a video game, and if he thought of it like that, it was easier to keep studying. Once he chose a subject, in order to choose another one he had to pass a test of the information in the area he chose, like a boss in a video game. He could even go back and relearn sections he already passed. If he thought about it like that, it was easier not to get bored, and then there was the battle information in the third set.

The odd thing was he actually remembered the things he learned. Long division, ionic and covalent bonding of atoms, geology, elements, and even some famous poems. He even memorized some proverbs offered in one of the sections. His favorites were 'The girl who can't dance says the band can't play,' and 'The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out,' 'The wolf loses his teeth, but not his inclinations,' but his favorite was 'Tomorrow is a new day.' Simple, but fitting.

Naruto had had morphine put in yesterday, but after some healers arrived to assist in the healing process he didn't need it anymore. His wounds had recovered nicely, and soon he could begin training. That was a relief, considering it'd almost been a month since the preliminaries.

Naruto was about to move on to definitions when Cloud stepped back in. "Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself. You make any progress?"

"Yeah! So when do I get to learn about the new weapons and stuff?"

"Patience. It'll take some time to heal from the surgery. So, we're taking you to a place to speed up the healing, literally."

"Huh? Where?!" Naruto asked, excited about being outdoors again. He was tired of laying in a hospital bed.

"Well, you'll have to get into that wheelchair." Cloud pointed at the chair. Naruto stared. It was a metal wheelchair with cushions for a seat, and a small stick with a ball on top on the right hand-rest.

Naruto pointed to the small joystick on the right, not experiencing as much pain as before. "What's that for?"

Cloud put his hand on the joystick and pushed it forward, and to Naruto's amazement the chair moved followed in suit. "It's electric, and can be moved by using the joystick. I'll be pushing you around until you get used to using it."

Naruto shook his head. "I can handle it by myself. It can't be that hard to point a stick where you want to go."

Cloud was hesitant, but allowed him. "Alright, I'll allow it. But first, I've got something of yours." Cloud reached into the bag behind the wheelchair and pulled out Naruto's gift from Kakashi: the Yondaime's vambraces.

"Ah! I was wondering where those were. Thanks spiky!"

Cloud sighed. "Please, let's keep it Cloud."

"Why?"

"Because I already got two people calling me spiky. I don't need a third. Besides, we'll be spending a lot of time together in the near future. I'd rather avoid spending all my money on aspirin."

"Alright." Naruto sighed. "You're no fun."

Cloud reached down and unhooked the vambraces, strapping them around Naruto's wrists. "Don't take these off. These are very special vambraces."

Naruto cocked his head in confusion. "How are they special?"

Cloud looked up. "These vambraces are made of pure mythril, among the hardest metals on earth." Naruto looked at the vambraces with glee. That would explain why they didn't have a scratch, at least according to the thing he learned about density…well, that's what he thought…he still wasn't very far in the datapad. "But that's not the real reason I want you to wear them."

Naruto didn't look up, but asked "Then why?"

"One of our tests concluded that these vambraces had healing properties. They feed off of your large supply of Chakra, and use that to heal your body. There are some powerful charms and spells placed on those vambraces. Keep them safe, and you'll recover much faster."

Without waiting, Naruto began channeling Chakra into his wrists for the vambraces to absorb, but Cloud whapped him over the head. "Idiot. Use your head. Those vambraces can only handle so much chakra, or mana as we call it, which is why they leech from your body overtime, and only when needed. Force chakra into them, and you could damage them, possibly destroy them."

Naruto thought of a scenario. "Then couldn't an enemy channel Chakra into them and damage them?"

"No. the vambraces only accept mana from the interior, and it becomes accustomed to a cerain mana overtime. Your mana must be similar to the previous owners if they immediately adapt to you. Consider yourself lucky."

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded. "Alright. I got it, but why do you call Chakra mana?"

"Naruto, we live on different worlds. Some things are going to be different, like certain words and levels of technology. The curious thing is that we both speak the same language."

"How did that happen?"

"Perhaps there were other people who traveled between our worlds, and they exchanged their languages, forming our current language. Of course, it would have been many years ago, and we don't have any documents or archaeological evidence to support it. For now, it's just another blank page in history." Cloud looked up, smiling. "But let's forget about history for a while and focus on the now. We're going to start your training soon."

Naruto nodded happily. "Okay, but should I call Chakra mana for now?"

"Go ahead. It makes no difference to me. They both refer to the same energy."

"Alright, I'll try calling it mana for now." Naruto went back to looking at his vambraces. He could actually feel a slight portion of his Chakra being absorbed into the metal, and calming his body. It was actually very soothing. "So this acts as a continuous healing jutsu?"

"Exactly. It extracts as much mana as is necessary. Now, are you ready to leave?" Cloud asked, pushing the wheelchair up to the bed.

Naruto nodded. "Yup! So, are we gonna train?"

Cloud shook his head, much to Naruto's confusion. "No, first you've gotta heal. We're taking you to a place to speed that up. So if you would kindly get up, we can leave." Naruto hesitated, slightly afraid of the pain, but he stood up shakidly and collapsed in the chair with Cloud's help. Cloud shook his head as he unplugged the morphine tube. "Sorry about that. Your muscles are tired, since your body is focusing so much on recovery. Anyway, let's go."

Cloud started pushing the chair out of the room, turning off the light and opening the door, revealing a white hospital hallway. They had a pleasant stroll to the end of the hall, before they reached another elevator. This elevator was also a half-circle, but it had a post coming to the middle of the front to the back top and two on the sides, two planes of glass covering the holes in between. Cloud pulled Naruto up to it, parked the wheelchair, and pressed the button sending them to the first floor.

As the elevator started to descend, Cloud chuckled. "Ah yes, you've never seen the main area of our base yet, have you?"

Naruto looked back at him. "Is it fancy like the Hokage tower?"

Cloud smirked. "Oh, it's much bigger than that."

Naruto pondered as to how it looked for a minute, before the descending elevator did it for him. He pushed his wheelchair to the front as they descended the last few levels, awed by the sight. It was a room filled with light, several stories tall and filled with people, some running, some in suits, some cleaning, people doing everything. There were levels on the sides of the room, and stairs leading to all levels on the sides. The elevator reached the bottom, and Naruto watched as the light shined off of the well-polished floor tiles.

The elevator came to a halt on the ground floor, and Cloud pushed Naruto out onto the smooth tile floor. Naruto was looking at everything his neck could see, datapad forgotten in his lap. He checked the architecture above, and beside him. Never before had he seen anything this big.

Cloud chuckled. "If you think this is big, wait until we get to the helicopter."

Naruto quit looking at a man showing off a piece of metal to look back at Cloud. "What's a helicopter?"

"You'll see." Cloud kept pushing Naruto to the large door, and as they passed thought, a large grey vehicle with a red cross on the side awaited outside, with four fan-like blades on the top and at the end. It had a round body, with a small part jutting out of the front made of glass.

But the helicopter could only hold Naruto's attention for so long. He soon noticed the tall buildings around him, many over forty stories high! He gazed in awe of the wondrous spectacle before him. There were architectures behind the helicopter, and huge walls on the sides. Even the air was alive. Various things he never even imagined were soaring through the sky. Strange swishing sounds whistled around his ears. It was amazing!

Cloud pushed Naruto's wheelchair up to the helicopter, where the pilot and co-pilot awaited him. One was a man had long black hair, what appeared to be a tilak in the middle of his forehead, and a stern look. The other was a young woman with short blonde hair, running down the right side of her face. Both were wearing black suits and stood stone still.

Cloud approached them, and flashed his I.D. "Tseng, Elena, you're the pilots?"

"Is that a problem?" Tseng asked.

Cloud shook his head. There was still some uneasiness between the Turks and former members of AVALANCHE, but it never seriously interfered with their work.

Naruto stopped looking at the sky and looked over the two Turks. "Who're you two?"

"My name is Tseng. A pleasure, Mr. Uzumaki." Tseng replied.

"And I'm Elena." Elena said, more happily than Tseng. She even reached out to shake Naruto's hand. After shaking his hand, Elena's eyes returned to Cloud. "The air ambulance is ready, sir. We can leave for Lake Sekit immediately."

Cloud nodded, and scooped Naruto out of the wheelchair and placed him over his shoulder. "Hey! What're you doing?!"

"We don't know if you can walk safely yet. It's just a safety precaution. And please, stop hitting me." Cloud said to the flailing Naruto.

"I'm not some helpless little kid, you know!" Naruto shouted. "I can take care of myself!"

"Shut up!" Cloud yelled, causing all three to freeze. Even Tseng stiffened from his voice. "From now on, I'm your teacher, and you will listen to every lesson I tell you, starting now!" Cloud calmed his voice, speaking in a lower tone. "When someone offers you help, remember that it isn't always out of pity. Worry, care, and love, all come into play. Don't be embarrassed or afraid to accept it."

Naruto didn't respond. He just nodded, and allowed Cloud to carry him into the helicopter, a small smile forming upon reflection of Cloud's words. When they were on, Tseng and Elena started up the helicopter, and carried Cloud and Naruto into a new adventure.

Next Time: Dedication

Notes

Alright, I've had some questions about the romance in this story and when it'll start. I'll be quite frank with you: I've got no idea how to write it! I'm afraid that if I write it, it'll be cheesy and fake, like a lot of other cheesy romantic stories I've read. Can someone give me a little advice on the subject? Real romance is one thing, but writing about it is something else. When I get around to it, it should start shortly after the Chunin exams, but Naruto's romance with Michiko will be a little while after that.

Now, I've also redone some of the chapters. Just some minor things in the prologue (it's now a little more ominous), the third chapter (corrections), and the eighth chapter (receiving the wolf's blessings and the final fight). This one was actually fairly boring to write, since there wasn't any fighting in it.

I got some offers to proofread my stories, but I don't think I'm going to have anyone proofread it. You see, whenever I finish a chapter, I just wanna get it up! No waiting, because I just spent a month writing this shit, and it's harder than it looks! At first I thought it was easy, but you can really burn yourself out. So, that's the reason, and if there're a few misspelled words, then so be it.

I'd also like to make an apology. I've said I hate yaoi/yuri, and I don't like them, but I don't mean to bash them. To each his own, and I'm going to stop shouting at people for being different. I really don't wanna end up like Bush.

Alright! Here are the Q&A!

RobotPirateNinja: yeah, I was inspired by that. It just fit so perfectly. I made some alteratios to it, so I hope that made it more original. It's hard to do anything original nowadays, since anime's done everything possible. I'm pretty sure my new fic is completely original, though.

CodeKyuubi: Yeah, everyone thought I kicked the bucket, but I'm back! About your –san comment. It's true that san is applied to people of equal status, but I thought I'd use master instead of san because while san shows they're equals, I like who don't know of suffixes to know that they're both still on the same level. And the reason why I didn't italicize the thoughts was because I used that for future Naruto's speech. But you're right, and it is hard to tell the difference, so I'm going to start doing that. Thanks for the help. (P.S. I haven't had time to check out your fic, but I know you updated. I'll read it when I can.)

Bouddica Aturia: Yeah, I got inspired by that fight. But I have tried to change it. I hope it worked.

G 52 goodman: Yup, that's the effect I was looking for. I'll explain it all in the next chapter. Glad to have your support!

Dragonlor562: I knew some people would pick up on Cloud. Maybe I made it a little too obvious…o well. Glad you liked it!

DeathGod666: Glad you liked my little inspiration I got from endless hours of Bleach. Great manga/anime. Anyway, I wont' get further into those guys's stories until later in the story, so sorry, but you'll have to wait a few chapters.

FF-loverHP1: Nope, no summoning materia (he's got the wolf contract), but he will get some new type of materia I've thought of later, and some normal material for now.

Zerodragon: Were you the one who said he thought he knew who he was? If you were, and even if you weren't, give yourself a pat on the back. I was wondering how many people thought that. And I'm glad you commented about the wolf summoning. I've seen too many fics where he gets a fox summoning, but the point of the story is to not make him look like the fox. Also, I just like to differ form the norm :)

Shujin no Kaze: Thanks. I'm glad to see you can enjoy this even if it's a crossover story. I hope I don't disappoint. I'm trying to tie everything from the past chapters into the future chapters, and I hope I don't forget anything.

Firecanburn: It'll take place all over the place, but for now it'll be training in Cloud's place, and then Naruto will be assigned to watch over his own world as a link between his world and the W.R.O. And another thing…does Cloud's world have a name? I can't remember.

star's dreams: You just made me realize something: I've been writing like a machine lately, not enjoying it as much as I used to, just like Sum 41 did. When you told me about how you thought I write, it made me realize I have to find myself again so I can write well again and have fun doing it. Thanks. This comment helped me a lot, especially when I learned that someone printed my story out like I do with my stories. I deeply thank you.

EarthAd3pt17: I checked out the stories you posted and they're pretty good. Haven't read all the way through, but I like what I see. Anyway, thanks for saying that. It's reviews like this that remind me why I write. I look forward to hearing from you again. Also, it's after Advent Children, but before DOC. Im gonna replace DOC with something else, but still involving Vincent.

Vegeta the 3rd: Actually, I've never played Kingdom hearts (well, I never got past the first part at least because I don't own a copy, my friend does). So, right now it's a FFVII crossover. Sorry to ruin that idea, but it was good. Maybe you should write one like that. I'd read it And yes, I too am disappointed by that, but I cant' do everything at once. It'd be insane! I'll get to it eventually. It will happen.

TrapedSoul: Sorry! It took me a while to get my rhythm back. I'm still getting it back, but I hope to be back to my normal self soon.

Ultimate Shinobi 1: Rasengan: yes. Shuriken Rasengan: nope. I got something better planned for the rasengan. Much better.

same.lame.name.: Don't worry about it. People got a lot to do. No problem.

shikamaru the nerd: Nope! He's not gonna get a clan house, and his connection will be revealed later. One reason for the no clan house thing is that his…clan is all dead!!! Sorry for some boring parts in the chapters, but sometimes its gotta happen. And it really isn't a bloodline, but the Jenova cells he somehow received. And yes, THERE WILL BE EVIL AND DEATH!!! I've seen too little of it! I love stories because there's evil and violence in them, which I oppose in real life, but get in stories. You seem to be that kind of person too. Actually visiting the power will be much later, for when he really unlocks it. I'm not just gonna hand it too him on a silver platter (like what usually happens to Sasuke…). And about the others not being killed…some will die later…some very cruelly…yeah…

Alright! That's all for now. I'll post a new chapter of Project Rebirth: Unit One and then I'll post the prologue of I Walk Alone. Leave a review, if you would be so kind!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama