To Mend the Severed Bonds

by IIVII

He made a promise; the promise of a lifetime. How was he supposed to know; how was anyone supposed to know that the price to be paid would actually be a life. At the Valley of the End, he's faced with a decision that will change his life forever. The question is... What awaits him in the path he chooses? M for violence and language

10. Chapter 9: I've Been Running II

Chapter 9: I've Been Running II

"Honestly, are all Konoha ninjas this thick headed and reckless? What is it with you people and hurting yourselves?"

"Ow! You're one to talk! What is it with you and explosive tag-rigged-ninja wire?"

"Hey, it was your fault for being careless, fuckbag. You're lucky I decided not to let you die."

After Naruto had dumbly walked into the Genjutsu concealed trap, Tayuya helped him up and took him back to the inn. Though it took some heavy convincing on the blonde boy's part, Tayuya finally agreed to help him dress the wounds; although, she never was any good at medical ninjutsu.

"Ow! Are you sure it should be done like that?"

"Shut up jackass! I already told you; I don't know how to do this shit. You're the one that kept insisting. I can't close wounds; I prefer creating them."

The last sentence had been said in such a nonchalant manner that the blonde boy couldn't help but laugh. Their bickering was cut short though, when Haruko entered the room looking adorably furious.

"Onee-chan! He just woke up from a coma, and you're already tearing him to shreds?! And you, Mr. Naruto; please, please be more careful with yourself. I mean, stabbing yourself with a knife?!"

"A kunai."

"Whatever! Are you having problems? Do you have issues? Because you can talk to us if you do. You don't have to keep hurting yourself. It's not the only way-"

"W-Wait, hold on here! I-I'm not suicidal!"

"Then quit acting like it!"

With that, she let out a victorious 'hmph' and aptly walked away, but not before yelling 'dinner's ready' to the two, who just stared dumbly each other. After a few more seconds, they burst out into laughter, before finally getting up and heading to the dining area. When they got there, their eyes widened the size of dinner plates; perhaps 'dinner' wasn't the proper term for it.

"… What's with the banquet Haruko?"

"Well, Mr. Naruto just woke up and he's okay now, so I thought that would be cause for celebration."

Naruto could do nothing but look sheepish. He wasn't used to it, after all; he wasn't used to anyone doing anything for him. After a few moments, Tayuya took her seat beside Haruko, and spoke up.

"Hey shithe—I-I mean, Naruto… sit down already."

Naruto's thoughts were suddenly derailed when he noticed the lack of profanity in her sentence. Deciding not to pay it any mind at the moment, he sat down, and reached for his chopsticks. Before he could even touch them though, he was stopped by the pout that Haruko had on her face.

"W-What's the matter."

"Dinner isn't complete yet."

"What do you mean? What more could you possibly add?"

"Well, I didn't mean to, but when I was cleaning Naruto-san's room, I saw his stash of instant ramen. So, I figured that to celebrate, I would make him some nice home-cooked ramen."

Naruto was yet again shocked by the gesture, and he couldn't help but respond.

"Ah, you know, you didn't have to do all this…"

"Well, I know I didn't have to, Uzumaki-san, but I wanted to. Like I said, we all want to celebrate your recovery, and besides, this is your home for as long as you want it to be. You are Nee-san's friend after all."

Naruto couldn't help but smile bitterly at the innocent little young girl's statement.

"Home, huh? No… I had a home, and it's in ashes now."

The smile lingered, if only for a second or two, but it stayed long enough for Tayuya to notice it. When the blonde boy brushed the expression off, he grinned wildly at Haruko, and spoke.

"Thank you, for everything."

The rosy-cheeked Haruko could only send a smile back. With a spring in her step, she hopped into the kitchen and returned holding a pot of Ramen.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's eat!"

While Naruto was hoping he would be able to stuff his face in silence, Haruko's curiosity forced him to pace himself, alternating between scarfing down food and answering her inquisitive questions.

"So, Uzumaki-san. How did you and Nee-san meet?"

Out of sheer surprise, Tayuya nearly choked on her food, but quickly recovered; at least enough to throw a death glare towards Naruto, saying that if he says anything the least bit untoward, she'll shove his own dick up his ass. The blonde boy, while he admits to being a bit dense at times, caught the glare, and took a swig of water to quell his sudden nervousness, before aptly answering.

"Uhh… Your sister and I met a couple of years ago. She visited my village to help out with some… reconstruction."

He couldn't help but smirk at his own cleverness, something that did not go unnoticed by the feisty red head. Tayuya raised an eyebrow at the boy, not entirely sure where he was going with his response. Before she could chime into the conversation though, Naruto glanced at her with a smug look on his face.

"Of course, she did take a few liberties with the architecture. Isn't that right, Nee-san?"

'Oh, he had done it now.' Tayuya thought to herself. He had started something, and she was going to finish it. She took a drink from her cup, smiled, and spoke.

"To be fair, it looked a hell of a lot better when I was through with it."

The snide comment caused Naruto to grit his teeth. He had the perfect comeback, but sadly, he was interrupted by Haruko's cheerful voice.

"Ohhh! Nee-san! You never told me you used to work construction!"

Tayuya could only smile hesitantly at his sister.

"I-I didn't want to brag about how s-strong I was."

As she said that, she caught a glimpse of the blonde shithead stifling his laughter from the corner of her eye. When he managed to regain his composure, Naruto once again spoke.

"That's strange. Well, I'm sure your sister was going to tell you about it one of these days. It is a funny story after all. Speaking of funny stories, hey Tayuya, do you remember that time when you tried to elope with my best friend?"

Haruko's eyes widened in shock and dismay, as she silently stared at her beloved Nee-san. In panic, Tayuya could only stare back at her.

"Nee-san… y-you tried to elope with someone…? I-I didn't know your past was so… colorful."

Naruto watched as Tayuya tried to come up with a cover story. He continued to scarf down his food, but was once again interrupted by Haruko's questioning. It seemed she had recovered from the shock.

"Uzumaki-san, what was it like? Your home, I mean."

Naruto was taken aback by the question. He stared silently at the floor for a few moments, before allowing a sad smile to pass over his countenance. He closed his eyes, not minding the inquisitive stare of Haruko and the death glares that Tayuya had been sending him. Before too long, Haruko once again spoke.

"I see… I-I'm sorry for asking."

"No. It's fine."

The blonde boy cut her off before she could change the topic. Without even opening his eyes to address Haruko, he spoke, with a clear vivid image in his mind.

"It was beautiful. It wasn't like the other villages. It was quiet there; peaceful. You'd think a place like that wouldn't exist in a world like this, right? The people… the people were always so nice, and hospitable. They were always smiling…"

Tayuya raised an eyebrow at the boy's words. That wasn't how she remembered Konoha. The place was sleazy as fuck. It was always too crowded; too noisy. Sure, a lot of the people were smiling, but it was all just a lie; a mask. Those people would just as easily stab you in the back if it benefited them; sell you out, as long as they stood to make a profit. That was what Orochimaru told her. The people were self-righteous; always 'holier-than-thou'. So she couldn't help but wonder; what the hell was the idiot talking about? Why lie about it? It wasn't like Haruko was too innocent and childish to know that there are parts of the world that are just too dark for the light to reach. She wanted to interrupt, but after thinking it through, she thought better of it, and decided to just listen.

"There was… there was this lake; near the village. The water was always just the right temperature, and if you waited there until sunset, you'd see the sun sinking into the horizon, dying the water in orange, almost as if it was dissolving into the lake. And…"

Naruto suddenly felt a dull pain on his right temple. He thought it was due to the wound he got when he hit his head, but when his hand reached to touch it, there was no blood. Choosing to ignore the pulsing pain, he spoke, albeit with great difficulty.

"And uhh… there's… there's this cave, and…"

Another wave of pain assaulted his senses, but this time, it wasn't a dull sensation, but that of a splitting headache.

"T-The cave… and… and bodies."

Without his notice, his voice had shrunk to a whisper.

"B-Bodies… blood, and fire.

The intensity of the ache rose sharply, forcing Naruto to grip the side of his head. They were flooding back again; all the memories, the pain. It slammed into the regret.

There was a scream.

It felt like a nail was being hammered straight through his skull.

A scream that couldn't be silenced.

The sensation was slowly becoming too much to bear, and just when Naruto felt like his consciousness was going to give out, he was pulled back into reality by the sound of Tayuya's voice. He could barely understand what she was saying at first, but after a few seconds, she repeated herself.

"Hey! I asked you if you were okay!"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. Just a headache."

Tayuya couldn't help but notice how shady the boy was acting.

"Uh, okay. Anyway, are you sure you were talking about Konoha? Because that's not how I remember it."

As the headache subsided, Naruto ran his hand through his hair, let out a slight laugh, and spoke.

"No… I suppose not."

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Haruko decided to break the ice.

"So, can you tell me about Konoha then, Uzumaki-san? Oh! I heard they had this big mountain with faces carved into it or something!"

The three of them chatted nonchalantly about the blonde boy's former village. When they had finished their meals, and when Haruko had finally run out of questions, Naruto assisted the two siblings in cleaning up the mess. At around midnight, when the busy village had fallen asleep, and when the hustle and bustle of the countless hot spring resorts had fallen silent, Tayuya snuck out and made her way to her hilltop. Before she could even begin to play her flute though, she heard a twig snapping a few meters behind her, and her combat reflexes took control. She immediately played a haunting melody on her flute.

"Mateki: Mugen Onsa."

Before her prey could react, metallic rope shot out from everywhere around him, and rendered him immobile. After a few seconds of struggling, he could only let out a slight laugh.

"Are we always going to greet each other like this?"

Tayuya turned around, only to be met with the smirking face of the dumb blonde.

"Why the hell do you keep following me here? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"What do you mean? Training's not over yet, right?"

"Training? You failed to escape a basic five-layered Genjutsu, walked straight into an explosion trap, and you still want to train?"

The smile on Naruto's face grew into a grin, as he replied.

"As far as I'm concerned, I haven't made any progress today. So, training's not over."

Tayuya stared at the persistent little shit for a few more moments, when suddenly, a thought came to mind. This would have been the perfect opportunity to get back at the shithead for the things that he said over dinner. She smiled sadistically when it had become clear to her just how screwed the boy was.

"… Tell you what, since you were feeling so mouthy a few hours ago, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. I want you to beg for my forgiveness, or else."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the threat.

"… Or else what?"

Suddenly, the ropes that had bound him tightened, eliciting a grunt of pain from the blonde.

"You know, not a lot of people have been able to get out of this. Your friend with the pineapple for a head even had to resort to hurting himself, just to snap out of it. So I'm wondering, how long will it take you? That is, if you can get out of it."

The sadistic devil sleeping in Tayuya's heart had awakened. The ropes tightened once more, putting Naruto's body through a garrote torture, tightening and loosening every few seconds or so. He didn't know what hurt more; the pain in his limbs when the blood flow was being cut off, or the pain when it was allowed to circulate again. Sweat trickled down his brow as numbness slowly crawled throughout his arms and legs.

"Shit. I have to focus… how do I get out of this…?"

After mulling it over for a few seconds, a thought came to mind. Naruto recalled his first encounter with the Kitsune; particularly, when he escaped.

"Alright; I have an idea. Kura-kun, remember what you did when we were in Giman no Tani? I need you to do it again."

"I'd rather not."

"The hell do you mean you'd rather not? I thought we were supposed to be partners? Helping each other out?"

"Come on Kit, you have to learn to figure this out on your own. The main reason that smug little Uchiha sent you here in the first place was to learn how to defend yourself from any attack, including Genjutsu. If you keep relying on my chakra to get the job done, we're bound to get caught. Use your head, fleshbag."

Although the bijuu's logic was sound, Naruto couldn't help but click his tongue at his partner's stubbornness. Before he could even continue his train of thought though, the ropes that bound him tightened once again, causing him to let a low grunt slip from his throat. Meanwhile, a wicked smile made its way on Tayuya's expression as she watched the blonde boy struggle. That same smile faltered though, when she felt her control over Naruto slip for half a second. She watched with suspicion as the blonde boy seemed to cease his struggle, when suddenly, it became increasingly difficult to control the boy's chakra flow, precisely because Naruto's chakra flow was out of control. It was like trying to rein in a wild bull.

"What the… when the hell did the shithead learn to do this?"

Contrary to Tayuya's belief, Naruto wasn't doing it on purpose. Itachi had once told the boy that in order to escape a Genjutsu, he would either have to disrupt his own chakra flow, or have someone else do it for him. Seeing as the latter wasn't possible at the moment, Naruto tried to suppress his chakra in an attempt to break the red-head's grip on his psyche. Unfortunately for him, his chakra control had only improved a little since he left Konoha, and he merely ended up randomly suppressing and flaring his chakra; and while he wasn't quite aware of it, the strange technique was actually starting to throw Tayuya off. She gritted her teeth, trying desperately to maintain her grip on the boy's chakra, but to no avail. With one last flare of raw power, Naruto shattered the illusion. The endeavor had exhausted him to a point that he immediately dropped to one knee. Tayuya smiled at the boy, and spoke.

"Alright, shithead. Color me impressed. You're a quick study, I'll give you that."

Naruto allowed a pained smile to flash across his expression. He stood up, and made his way to where the feisty red head was seated. When he sat beside her though, she smacked him on the side of his head with her flute.

"But you wasted too much energy, and that's exactly what your enemy would want, dumbass."

The Jinchuuriki scoffed at the girl's remark.

"What do you mean wasted too much energy? I had plenty to spare."

"Like hell you did. Do you honestly believe you'd be able to defend yourself from your opponent in the state you were in? Not just any opponent either; an opponent who was skilled enough to wear you down with a Genjutsu in the first place. I could've taken you out, if it wasn't for my…"

She had stopped herself so suddenly that the blonde boy couldn't help but notice. For the faintest of moments, Naruto thought he saw a distant and disconnected expression pass over her countenance. He stayed silent for a while; it was one of those moments when nothing really needed to be said. When he was sure of his words, he spoke up.

"… What happened?"

The question snapped Tayuya out of her daze, and she managed to scowl the boy beside her.

"It's none of you business, shit-face."

Naruto stared at her sternly for a while. When she noticed, she shot him yet another death glare.

"What is it now?"

"I get it. You don't trust me. I understand that much and I can't say you'd be wrong to not trust me. You're tough. You don't take shit from anybody, and you certainly don't need anybody else to survive. I get it already. So please, for your sake, just drop it already. You don't need to convince me."

Tayuya raised an eyebrow at the boy's presumptuousness.

"What the hell do you mean 'drop it'? For my sake? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Naruto sensed the slight vehemence in her tone, and decided to be a bit more delicate with his words. With a weary sigh, he spoke.

"You've got a knife in your back, and until you get the blade out, you're not going to be able to breathe easy. These… these things that you're keeping to yourself, they're going to weigh you down. Believe me."

"So what are you saying? That I should unload it all? That I should confide in you?" the red head scoffed in a mocking manner. "I'm not that desperate."

Naruto frowned at the remark.

"Well why not me? I mean, worst case scenario, we part ways after my training, and you never see or hear from me again. Who better to confide in?"

"The only assurance I have of that is if you die doing whatever it is you plan on fucking doing."

"Well that's not too farfetched though."

The statement caught Tayuya's attention, and urged her to raise an eyebrow at the blonde boy; something that only made Naruto laugh.

"What? I'm just saying. A lot of people have counted me out before, and I love proving them wrong, but this time… even I would think twice about betting on myself."

Sensing the tension in the atmosphere, Naruto quickly shot her his foxy grin, and changed the subject.

"So… you still haven't told me about what happened."

Although she was aware that he was trying to avoid the subject, Tayuya decided not to prod. After all, if she was going to ask him to mind his own business, it would only be right if she minded hers.

"I'm not going to talk about this. Besides, it's a long story, and I've already told two people about what happened. That's more than enough."

"Two people? Let me guess: Haruko and…"

"… Kaa-san."

Naruto immediately picked up on the softness in her voice when she mentioned Haruko's mother; it was a softness that was very much unlike the girl.

"You seem to look up to her. You know, you still haven't told me your full story."

"I'm not obliged to. Why are you so nosy anyway?"

Tayuya ran her hand through her hair in frustration; something that Naruto chuckled at.

"Because you're my Genjutsu mentor, and I'm your student. I think that we need to be able to tell each other certain things without fear of being judged. We need to trust each other, isn't that right?"

"Oh you're one to talk. What the fuck was up with you earlier? I know for a fact that you weren't talking about that shithole Village you used to live in; at least not at first. So what were you talking about?"

A pensive look immediately dawned on the boy's face.

"It's a long story."

"You tell me yours, and maybe I'll tell you mine."

Naruto shot her a dubious smile.

"Would you really?"

"Eh, probably not." She shrugged as she spoke. "But it's worth a shot, right?"

Naruto grimaced at the girl before aptly replying.

"There isn't really anything interesting about me. After my fight with Sasuke-teme at the Valley of the End, I sort of… just walked away from it all. And I've been walking ever since."

Naruto only barely managed to hide his nervousness. He didn't like lying; especially not after preaching about how she should trust him, but he figured it would have been best to keep his time in Nagarerunamida a secret for now.

"You're telling me you've been on the run for over a year and a half?"

"Is it really that hard to believe?"

"I don't know. The last time I was there, it just seemed like… you know… like you really liked the place. What convinced you to leave?"

Naruto smiled knowingly, and replied.

"A friend. Besides, I wasn't needed there. I think I've known that for a long time; even before the whole 'destruction of the Leaf'. I think I wasted a lot of time trying to convince myself that it was my home, when it actually wasn't."

Tayuya couldn't help but look away and curse inwardly at herself for being able to relate. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew what that felt like, and it irked her to think that maybe the idea of them understanding each other wasn't so farfetched after all. After her brief moment of rumination, she spoke up, surprising herself with the next few wrds that came out of her mouth.

"Tell you what; I'll tell you what happened to me."

Naruto's eyes widened at the girl's sudden willingness to open up.

"Really?!"

"But only if you manage to dispel 100 Genjutsus. Deal?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, before giving a nod of agreement to her terms. When Tayuya saw him nod, she grabbed her flute, albeit half-heartedly, and told Naruto to stand a few feet away from her and get ready.

"Wait, we're starting right now? But we just finished earlier. That's hardly fair."

Tayuya's reply to the blonde boy's whining was to slap him across the face, eliciting a slight whimper from Naruto.

"Act like a bitch, get slapped like a bitch. Now, go."

And so they trained until midnight; the two of them, wrestling for control of Naruto's psyche. When they had finished, Naruto had successfully dispelled 11 Genjutsus, and both of them were visibly exhausted, yet smiling at one another. Even though Tayuya had expended a large amount of chakra in her Genjutsus, and even though she had invested even more so in trying to keep Naruto from shaking off the illusions, she wasn't nearly as worn out as the boy was, and was still able to speak.

"I got to hand it to you shithead. That was pretty good. I haven't had a good fight like that in ages."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Tayuya smirked at her blonde prey.

"Aw, what's the matter? Was I more than you could handle?"

The words shocked the two of them as soon as they were said. There was a hint of flirtatiousness that lingered in the words; something that Tayuya had not intended. Fortunately for her, Naruto looked away sheepishly, scratched the back of his head, and changed the subject.

"Well I don't particularly revel in getting my ass handed to me. Say… it's getting pretty late now. Think we should head back?"

"Ah… yeah. Haruko might worry…"

With that, they two walked back to Kurosuna Onsen. Tayuya kept her distance, letting Naruto lead by a few feet, inwardly berating herself for being so careless with her words. It had never been a problem with her before; she always knew what she wanted to say and how she would say it, but for some reason, ever since the little dumbshit came into her life, she found herself slipping up on her words a bit more often. Before she knew it, they had arrived at the resort. They snuck in as quietly as they could, being careful not to wake Haruko. When she was infront of her room, Tayuya opened the door and, just as she was about to shut it, she caught Naruto staring at her.

"…What?"

"Ah! Oh, uhm, thanks for today. You know, with the whole training thing."

Tayuya couldn't help but awkwardly look away. It felt wrong to be thanked by someone she had tried to destroy; someone she had tried to take everything from, yet here he was, doing just that. She had no idea how it was possible for anyone to be as understanding as he was; how he could just brush off everything that had happened between them before, as if everything was all okay just because he found out that she had a rough childhood just like him. The fact that she couldn't understand how easily the boy managed to identify someone else, even if that someone else was a stranger or worse, an enemy, deeply disturbed her. Before her train of thought could turn into a runaway train though, she had noticed that a few minutes had already passed, and Naruto was still standing in front of her door, waiting for her to acknowledge his 'thank you'. Without even bothering to think her words through, Tayuya ran her hand through her hair, and spoke.

"… Whatever dipshit. You better be fucking prepared, because that shit where you waste your energy trying to dispel a Genjutsu won't fly anymore. I'm going to ride you harder from now on."

Yet again, Tayuya's eyes widened in shock and awe when she realized the potential double meaning lingering in her words. Her hands immediately shot up to cover her mouth, and she was left silently staring at Naruto, whose gaze could do nothing but linger on her, silently applauding her boldness. After a few more awkward seconds that seemed like hours, Naruto started slowly making his way to his room with the ghost of a smirk still on his face.

"I'll try to do better sensei, so you can just ride me as hard as you can. I can handle you."

With that, Naruto turned around to look Tayuya in the eye; a smug smile donned on his countenance.

"Goodnight, Tayuya."

"Fuck you!"

Tayuya slammed the door, leaned against it, and let her body slide down. As she sat on the floor with her back to the door, her hands slowly made its way to her cheeks that were now flushed with an emotion she had yet to be acquainted with, but mistook for rage.

"The nerve of that little motherfucker! Who the fuck does he think he is; Humphrey fucking Bogart?! What in the blue hell makes him think that he can pull that shit on me and get away with it? I'll get that cocksucking fuck-slug back if it's the last thing I do goddammit!"

Tayuya ran a hand through her hair in frustration, and allowed her sights to wonder, out her window, way out into the night sky. And as she stared at the calm peaceful night, she was left wondering; wondering what it was that made her heart beat so fast.

---

How many minutes had it been? How many minutes had he been standing in that hallway, wondering why the hell he just said the things that he did. After a few more seconds, he slapped his self upside the head.

"The hell was I thinking? Now things are going to be more awkward between us… I wouldn't be surprised if she changes her mind with regard to training me."

"What are you talking about Kit? I think that went pretty well. Besides, what harm would a little flirting do? She's already seen your boner."

"You know, you're not helping you vulgar son of a—"

"Wait."

Naruto was cut off by his partner's sudden change in mood.

"What is it?"

"… There's someone in your room."

Naruto immediately took out the kila dagger he had tucked in his sleeve. Although the basic ninja kunai was not without its benefits, he decided to ditch the old weapon in exchange for something more practical and easily hidden that he had swiped from the treasury on his way out of the monastery in Iwa and Taki. His kila dagger was made of obsidian, and it had a hook-like protrusion in between the handle and the blade that was useful for parrying. He gripped the dagger tightly, and silently made his way to his door. Just as he was about to open the shoji screen, he heard an unknown man's voice from within.

"You can come in. I'm unarmed, and I just want to speak."

Naruto refused to let his guard down. He slowly opened the door, and was greeted by the sight of a man in a kimono, witting on his windowsill, smoking a pipe. The mysterious man turned to him, and almost immediately did he frown.

"… So young. That's a crying shame."

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"Like I said: I want to talk."

"Then talk."

Upon saying this, Naruto gripped his Kila tighter and shot a death glare at the man, something that his strange visitor merely laughed at.

"You're one angry little boy aren't you? No wonder I sensed all that malice from your Bijuu."

Naruto's eyes widened upon hearing the word Bijuu. He slowly slipped into his defensive stance, and held the kila in a reverse grip.

"Just try and take me."

Finally, the man's smile disappeared, and a disappointed frown took its place.

"… I see. You're no different eh?"

"… What do you mean?"

"You're no different; from me, from all the others."

In a clearly annoyed tone, Naruto spoke.

"You have ten seconds to explain exactly who you are, what you're doing in my room, and what the hell you're talking about."

"We're all just trying to get by, aren't we; trying to keep ourselves from getting hurt. In that sense, you're no different from me, or any of the others that are undoubtedly out there. We're all just trying to survive in a world that has no place for us."

In that moment, Naruto quickly put two and two together.

"Are you…?"

His voice trailed off; off into a silence; a silence where words vanished into when they needn't be said. The man blew into his pipe, and slowly, a small bubble came out. The bubble made its way to Naruto, closing the distance between the two strangers. When it made contact with Naruto, it popped. As soon as it did, Naruto found himself in a dark, empty room. There was a giant stone table surrounded by equally large rock formations. What shocked him most though, was the sudden emergence of a slug-like entity from underneath the stone table. Naruto quickly slipped into his fighting stance, and activated his Bijuu cloak. Just as the boy was primed to attack, he was stopped by his partner.

"Wait, Naruto! Let me handle this."

"Uhh okay? What are you planning?"

"Quiet."

Suddenly, Kurama's cage appeared behind Naruto.

"Hello sister. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Kurama? It has been a while. Too long if you ask me. I see you've found a Jinchuuriki of your own."

"It was a choice made for me, I assure you."

Suddenly, Saiken tilted her head, and moved closer.

"There's something different about you, brother. You seem a bit less… angry. Do not tell me that the mighty Kyuubi No Youko; the self-proclaimed strongest Bijuu of all time, has finally found a friend?"

Bothe Kurama and Naruto simultaneously spoke up; with the blonde boy yelling 'Hai' and Kurama loudly saying 'No'. Saiken couldn't help but find the relationship of the two to be quite humorous. The pleasantries were cut short, however, by the sudden appearance of the stranger. When Naruto saw him, he asked the question that had been haunting him.

"…Who are you?

Not even bothering to answer the boy, the mystery man approached Naruto, and stuck out his hand, as if extending an invitation for a handshake. When Naruto moved to oblige, the mystery man suddenly grabbed Naruto's wrist with his extended hand, almost instantly was the connection established. He plowed through every dark corner of the boy's mind, peered through every memory. He felt every ounce of emotion that the boy ever felt. He saw everything; from Konoha, to the fall of Nagarerunamida, up until the sensations brought about by the fast-paced beating of the boy's heart when he had spontaneously flirted with the red haired girl. Just as he was about to release the connection, Naruto grabbed his wrist as well, and took in all his memories. After a while, they released each other's wrist, and fell to the ground, panting. There was a silence; a silence that could not be broken. A few moments passed. The silence lingered, and the two Bijuu could do nothing but worriedly spectate. Suddenly, Naruto dared to speak.

"… Utakata."

"… Naruto."

Naruto let out a slight laugh that caught Utakata's attention.

"You too, huh?"

"… Yeah. We Jinchuuriki have the worst luck."

"Tell me about it."

"By the way, this is Saiken. The Rokubi."

"It's nice to meet you Saiken."

"The pleasure is mine, Naruto-san."

"And this is Kurama, the Kyuubi."

"Hello there. You were the one I sensed a couple nights ago. Your chakra is truly frightening."

"Ha. That's was but a small fraction of it. This dunce of a ninja still doesn't have the capability to unleash my true potential."

"Watch it furball."

"Suck it, fleshbag."

Utakata couldn't help but smile at the two. When their bickering had stopped, he decided it was time to bring up the elephant in the room.

"… I'm sorry about what happened to her."

Naruto's smiling facade immediately disappeared, and was replaced by an expression completely devoid of all emotion. Utakata, chuckled to himself.

"… I see that Kitsune mask isn't your only mask."

Deciding that it would be best to change the topic, Naruto looked Utakata in the eye, and spoke.

"… You know, I think you're wrong about him."

Utakata raised his eyebrow at the boy. The only reason he decided to establish the link between them in the first place was so they could better understand each other, and here he was, telling him that he was wrong? That his master hadn't tried to betray him in order to gain power?

"It's you who's wrong. This is precisely why it's such a crying shame to make a Jinchuuriki at such a young age."

"… What do you mean by that?"

"You're too young to understand anything about how this world works. You're too naïve."

"Like hell I am! It's clear that your master cared about you. I saw it. As unfortunate as my life was, I had someone like that too. I had a master that was always looking out for me, and he had the same look in his eyes. I know what I'm talking about."

Suddenly Saiken cut in.

"Utakata-san, please listen to Naruto-san. I agree with him. Harusame was only trying to-"

"What neither of you seem to understand is that everyone in this world; every single human being, is only looking out for themselves. No one acts without the promise of a reward or the fear of penalty against inaction. Take your Village as an example; in fact, take all the Villages as an example. Why do they seal the Bijuu into a Jinchuuriki in the first place? To protect themselves; because they're afraid of what might happen if they don't. Then, they mistreat the Jinchuuriki because they can; because they can get away with it. And when the Jinchuuriki is of age, he or she is forced to train as a ninja so that he or she can 'gain the respect of others'. They're spoon-fed the idea that ninjas are loved and adored, and it's the very lack of those things that drives us to become ninjas. It's what drove you, isn't it?"

Naruto looked away, painfully admitting in his head that Utakata was right.

"But the only reason they want us to become ninjas in the first place is so they have a valid claim on us; on our lives. So that when we try to leave, they have good reason to take us back and keep us there."

Naruto could hear the bitterness and vehemence dripping from his voice.

"We are bred to be nothing more than weapons; tools. That's all we are. In fact, that's all anybody ever is to each other…"

Utakata's voice trailed off as a distant look slowly donned on his countenance.

"… That's all I ever was to Harusame. I was a pawn, and when the time was right, he was more than willing to sacrifice me. In this world, it's better to trust no one but yourself, and that's something that, unlike you, I understand perfectly. I don't need anyone but myself. That way, I can be sure that no one can stick a knife in my back."

After a while of silence, the scene around them faded, and the both of them soon found themselves back in the real world. Utakata, turned to leave, but just as he was about to jump out of the window, he heard a bitter laugh coming from behind him.

"… What's so funny?"

"… You."

Utakata turned to look at Naruto with resentment clear in his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"This whole philosophy of yours… while I admit that there's some truth to it, I find it funny how you can say all that but not even believe a word of it. I mean, it sounded like you were trying to convince yourself. And maybe it's because you're afraid; afraid to admit that maybe this Harusame guy wasn't as bad as you make him out to be. That maybe he was trying to extract the Bijuu from for your own good, and that you feel guilty about his death, but you rationalize that he had it coming and that you shouldn't feel bad because he was just using you all along." Naruto allowed yet another chuckle to escape his throat. "Maybe you're just running away from the pain."

He knew he struck a nerve. He knew he was right. Naruto knew that the things they said, while they were admittedly harsh, were things that he needed to hear; things Utakata needed to come to terms with. Suddenly, Utakata let out a laugh as well.

"… You know what else is funny? You're doing the exact same thing, and you don't even know it. Don't lecture me about running away, when it's the only thing you've done. Only hypocrites do that, and you don't strike me as a hypocrite, Uzumaki Naruto."

And with that, Utakata promptly jumped out of the window, leaving behind a confused Naruto.

"…What the hell was he talking about…? I'm not running away from anything!"

Kurama let out an exhausted sigh from inside his cage.

"Just… don't think about it for now. Focus on your training."

Naruto proceeded to relax on his bed, and allow sleep to slowly overcome him. Unbeknownst to him, somewhere along the border of Yugakure, two dark figures silently walked towards the village, bickering the whole while.

---

"Focus; I have to focus. Can't afford to slip up. Not even for a minute. Focus. Focus…"

Suddenly, an image of a half naked Naruto appeared before her, wearing a hula skirt and dancing the Macarena.

"Shit!"

Before she knew it, she was surrounded by hundreds of Narutos, all dancing the Macarena in perfect synchronization. With an exasperated sigh, Tayuya let her shoulders slump in defeat and frustration, and disrupted her chakra flow, effectively dispelling the illusion.

"That makes a hundred. I got to hand it to you, when I made the deal, I honestly didn't think you had it in you to even make it to 50. I stand corrected, dickbag."

"You should know better than to underestimate me, Tayuya. If you keep doing so, then I'll keep catching you with my special Genjutsu."

It had been exactly three weeks since they had made the blonde boy decided to take up the 100-Genjutsu challenge. In that time, Naruto's growth had far surpassed Tayuya's expectations, as the Jinchuuriki was now not only able to dispel her Genjutsu, he was also able to counter with a Genjutsu of his own, albeit with great effort on the boy's part. She would have been more impressed however, if only the one Genjutsu that he knew wasn't so useless.

"I don't fucking get why you're so proud of that piece of shit trick. It's useless!"

"You're just mad because you got Macarena'd. So…"

"So…"

Naruto suddenly started walking back to the hotel. After a while, Tayuya followed suit.

"You know, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"… It's fine. A deal's a deal. Besides, it's been three weeks. I figured it's about time that we got some answers from each other."

Naruto smiled skeptically at the Tayuya.

"… Are you okay? What happened to that 'you mind your business, I'll mind mine' attitude of yours?"

Naruto's remark was met with a rather unladylike grunt from the girl, followed by a glare that could make the Devil shit his pants.

"If you're not careful, I'll break my crutch up your ass. I trust you still remember what happened the first time you decided to fuck with me?"

---

Naruto shivered as he recalled the day that followed Utakata's visit. The moment he exited his room, he slipped on something and banged his head on the door frame. He dropped down on all fours and groggily tried to regain his bearings. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a wire being tripped. He unsuspectingly looked behind him, only to see an impromptu slingshot loaded with a pair of chopsticks. He had no time to react. The slingshot launched the projectiles. Naruto closed his eyes and braced for impact. It truly was a thousand years of pain.

---

Ever since the… incident, Naruto and Tayuya had been at each other non-stop with their ridiculously intricate pranks. The only reason Haruko allowed it to go on was because the two obviously enjoyed each other's antics, although they avidly denied it. Naruto's flashback was cut short though, when Tayuya poked the back of his head with her crutch.

"Hey. Shithead. Are you listening?"

"Huh?"

"I said Haruko asked me to tell you to help her in the storage room."

"Oh? But what about…"

"Don't worry."

Tayuya cut the boy off. She knew what he was about to say. Without meaning to, Tayuya allowed a worried expression pass over her countenance; something that did not go unnoticed by the boy.

"Come back to the hill later tonight. We'll talk then."

"… Alright. I'll see you later, then."

Without so much as another word, Tayuya walked away with a distant look on her face. Naruto thought about asking her what was wrong, but soon realized that she would dismiss him like she always did. With hesitation slowly digging its claws deep into the boy's consciousness, Naruto walked towards the storeroom.

When he arrived, the sight that greeted him looked as if it was taken straight out of a sitcom. The room was filled with clutter, and on the far corner, Haruko's head was popping out of a pile of junk. With a proud smirk on his face, Naruto spoke.

"I see you're busy swimming in memories."

Haruko frowned at the boy for his bad pun, but just as soon as he stopped patting himself on the back for it, did she emerge from the pile of clutter that she had been buried in.

"Great timing Naruto-kun! I need you to do that sealing magic thing that you showed me once! We need to clear up space. As you can see, my sister and I can be quite the hoarder at times."

"I can see that."

Naruto took a good look around. The room was filled with newspapers and stuffed toys; things you would usually see in the storage room of a family. The only things that were out of the ordinary were the ninja tools that had been mixed with some of the clutter. The boy let his gaze wander for a while. Every now and then his eyes would catch sight of a random kunai or a roll of explosive tags. When he was done surveying his surroundings, he turned to Haruko, and spoke.

"Well, let's get started then."

Naruto proceeded to take out his sealing kit. Ever since that night when Utakata visited him, he decided to think of nothing but his training. He had already learned an awful lot of his Clan's history, and using the other scrolls that Itachi helped him 'procure'; he managed to learn more about Fūinjutsu. While he wasn't a master of the art yet, he had become proficient in creating different types of seals such as Chakra Draining Seals and Restriction Seals. Much of his progress was due to his constant practice of the storage seal; once he had mastered how to create and use storage seals, for some reason, everything else came easily, but he had chalked it off to his being an Uzumaki. After a few minutes, Naruto had already managed to seal a great deal of the objects into various scrolls that were now arranged in a neat pile beside him.

"Wow Naruto-kun! It must be so amazing to be a ninja huh? To be able to do all that… it's almost like magic!"

Naruto allowed a gentle laugh to slip his throat.

"Trust me; it's not all that great. It has its ups and downs."

"That can't be true! I bet Naruto-kun is just trying to be modest!"

Naruto cringed at the playful tone that Haruko had taken, but did very well to hide it. It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable around the girl. It was just that seeing her act that way and hearing her talk that way brought out a longing inside the boy that he just couldn't explain. It felt as if something would try to claw its way out, and the only way he could quell it, is to cringe and look away.

"… Say, Haruko…?"

"Mm?"

"Why do you look up to ninjas so much? I mean, I've seen how you get when Tayuya tells you stories of her ninja days. What's with all the adoration?"

"Well, Otou-san was a ninja, so of course I'd look up to ninjas. Otou-san was the bravest person I've ever met, so I guess all ninjas have to be brave like him."

Naruto's eyes widened upon taking in the new bit of information.

"Really? How come I've never heard of this before?"

Haruko smiled sheepishly at the boy, and spoke.

"Nee-san doesn't really like to talk about these things."

"That makes sense, but where is he now?"

A sad longing smile suddenly appeared Haruko's face.

"With Kaa-san…"

Naruto inwardly beat himself up for having been so insensitive.

"I… I'm sorry."

"Not, it's okay. They're happy now… Kaa-san is happy now…"

Naruto stared at her for a while, before gently placing his hand on her shoulder. After a few seconds of silence, Haruko began rummaging through a pile of clutter beside her. She suddenly took out a brown box with various designs engraved onto the wood.

"This was my mother's. She would always sing me to sleep with this. Otou-san was a ninja. He had to go to fight the rebels. He had to; for us, to keep us safe. He did what he had to do to put a roof over our heads and food in our stomach. I was just 4 when Otou-san was fighting in against the insurgents. Yugakure used to be in turmoil. Half of the country wanted to stick to the ninja way. The other half wanted to abolish it altogether. There was a lot of infighting, and Otou-san had to go out every day to try and keep peace. He was far away… and Kaa-san was lonely."

A tear threatened to fall from her eyes, but before it could do so, she steeled herself, and smiled.

"The letters came less and less frequently; so did the money. Kaa-san was lonely. Her other female friends kept putting ideas in her head; they kept saying that Otou-san had probably found some other woman and ran off. After a while, Kaa-san started to believe them. I couldn't blame her; she was given no reason to believe otherwise. So, to support our family, Kaa-san found someone else. He kept telling me to call him 'Papa', but he wasn't my papa. Kaa-san never replied to Otou-san's letters after that. She never even opened them. A year later, we got a note from one of Otou-san's friends. I remember how much Kaa-san cried when she read it. It said that every night, Otou-san would apparently sneak past enemy lines just to mail the letters and the money, but when fighting worsened, security tightened and Otou-san couldn't sneak in as often. The letter ended saying that they had found Otou-san that morning, dead."

Haruko opened the box, and a hauntingly beautiful melody slowly filled the silence of the storeroom. Naruto recognized the melody; he used to hear it whenever he would pass by the foreign antique shop in Konoha. He was just a child back then, but he could still remember the melody, and the shopkeeper's description of it. It was a melody composed by some foreigner in some other land. What was the song called…?

"Kaa-san left the man after that. We moved to this part of Yugakure and she opened this hotel. She worked so hard…"

Yet another tear threatened to fall, but she wouldn't let it. She would be strong.

"I remember the people who used to stay here back then were outsiders who often got drunk and rowdy. Kaa-san worked so hard to clean after them. She had to deal with them, and raise me, all alone."

"Oh, that's right." Naruto thought to himself. He had remembered what the song was called.

Songs my mother taught me, in the days long vanished;

"Kaa-san never forgot Otou-san and everything he did for us, and she was angry at herself for what she did to him. She thought I was angry at her too… I wasn't. I just wanted to see her happy again, like she was with Otou-san. Like she was when we were a family. I could tell that she wanted to cry, but she never did. She was always being strong for the both of us. She just wanted me to be happy, even if she wasn't. I just wanted her to smile again."

Seldom from her eyelids, were the teardrops banished.

"When she was gone… when she was gone I was so sad. She disappeared without letting me see the smile that she once had, when we were a real family; not the smile she always wore, her real smile. But Tayuya-chan taught me that Kaa-san was finally happy now. Nee-san taught me how strong my mother really was, and that by being happy, I could make Kaa-san, wherever she may be, happy too. I finally understood. A daughter's happiness is the mother's happiness as well. Nee-san taught me that I shouldn't be sad, and instead I should live on and be happy, for Kaa-san's sake… for Otou-san's sake… and for my sake. I finally understood that someday, I'll be a mother too, and when that happens, I can only hope that I'll be as strong as Kaa-san…"

Now I teach my children, each melodious measure.

Oft the tears are flowing; oft they flow from my memory's treasure.

Haruko slowly closed the lid of the box, and once again, silence filled the room. It wasn't the same silence as before, though. This silence was full; thick with admiration and awe. Naruto smiled at the young woman before him, obviously proud to have been there to hear her words. He slowly put his hand on her head and petted her, making her giggle.

"She would have been proud of you. He would have been, as well. I know I am."

Naruto's words had rendered her speechless for all but a few moments. When she had gathered enough strength to speak, she spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun…"

---

"What took you so long?"

"This crutch isn't exactly the ideal form of transportation, shithead."

"Oh, sorry."

Naruto had been waiting for four full hours at the hill, doing nothing but meditating. As instructed, he arrived at the meeting place at night, but since Tayuya never actually gave a specific time, he was forced to sit there and wait. Now that she was here, sitting beside him, though, perhaps he was finally going to get some answers. Perhaps both of them were.

"So…"

"So… I'll go first. Why did you really leave the Leaf?"

Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"We've gone over this haven't we?"

"Yes, we have, but there's something you aren't telling me. I don't think you're the type of person who would just up and leave home because he's not wanted there; you're too stupid for that."

"Fair enough… I wanted to get stronger."

"… That's it?"

"Yeah… I mean, no… When I was fighting Sasuke, I realized something… I was still weak. I think part of me knew that as long as I held on to something like the Leaf, I'd always be weak. So, I decided I'd rather be a wild fox than a dog on a leash."

"… Still."

"What now?"

"There had to be something that kept you there. I mean, if there wasn't, why would you stay there for so long?"

Naruto gazed up at the night sky, where he knew his former guardian was, silently watching over him.

"I suppose I do… You remember what you said about Orochimaru…? About him being your way out?"

"… Yeah, what about it?"

"I had a way out too. I had someone who acknowledged me and gave me even a sliver of respect; someone that kept me from going over the edge all those years."

With hesitation hanging in her throat, Tayuya dared to ask the question she knew she would regret.

"Who?"

"… The Third Hokage."

And there it was; the wave of regret, the assault of guilt, and the rush of pain. She bit her lower lip, as if she wanted to say something; an apology, an excuse, anything. She had taken someone that the boy loved, or at least had a hand in his taking. And yet, she didn't know why it had affected her so much. Why did it matter? It wasn't like she hadn't taken someone's brother before, or someone's sister, or daughter. It wasn't like her to feel guilt; she did what she had to do to survive. That was how the world worked. So why was she left there fiddling with the fabric of her shirt, guilt seeping through her pores? She took something from Naruto; something that she couldn't give back, and the fact that she couldn't even explain why it bothered her so much, ate at her.

"Its fine, you know."

"What?"

"I don't blame you."

"Bullshit."

"I know you were there, and I know you helped create that barrier… but I don't think it's your fault that he died."

"You can't even see the fucking holes in your own logic can you?"

"I know that you were just doing what you had to do… I understand that Orochimaru gave you something; something that you wanted to hold on to. He took away your loneliness. And in order to keep what he gave you, you had to do what he wanted. He used you as his tool, and you can't blame the knife if a person is stabbed."

"… This is stupid. You're stupid. Are you for real? You can't be real. How could someone so fucking stupid be real?"

But stupid wasn't the word she wanted to use.

"How can someone be so… considerate; so understanding?"

"So like I said, I don't blame you. In fact, I think I've come to forgive you. For everything."

She looked away, and after a moment or two, she spoke.

"After my fight… after my fight with that pineapple-headed friend of yours and his little bitch, they found me."

"… They?"

"They; Orochimaru and his little bitch. They took me back to their base. I remember not being able to feel my legs. I think the tree that fell on me crushed them. They took me to some operating room and put me to sleep. When I woke up, I could feel them again."

Her voice started to crack. She tried her best to keep herself from faltering, but sadly, she found little success in the endeavor.

"Next thing I know, Orochimaru tells his guards to take me to the main chamber, where he kept all the other kids…"

---

"Where are we going, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Quiet… I want to hear the silence…"

Once we reached the main chamber, the silence that the pedo-fuck was talking about quickly disappeared. I couldn't hear anything aside from the noise and chatter of the useless fuck-slugs all around me.

"Pathetic… they're all tools, and they don't even know it yet."

I should have known better. I should have tried to escape. I forgot for a moment that to Orochimaru, I was just as disposable as all these other kids.

"Silence, my children! I want you all to feast your eyes upon this creature beside me!"

One of the guards suddenly shoved me forward so that I was standing right beside Orochimaru. They're hollow, prying eyes seemed to, for a moment, see right through me. Every single person was staring at me, all on one son of a bitch's command. They stood there in silence for a few moments, hanging on Orochimaru's next words.

"Behold young children! I present to you the one thing I will not tolerate in my presence; Failure."

I felt something blunt hid the back of my head. I fell to my knees in an instant.

"In Otogakure, failure is not an option! I have no use for weaklings. Failures like her must be made into examples so all of you will know what happens if you don't carry your own weight!"

The spineless little shits could do nothing but nod in agreement. It wasn't their life that was on the line, so they were more than happy to just blindly accept Orochimaru's maxims. Suddenly, I felt something sharp make contact with the nape of my neck.

"Beheading, huh?"

I didn't have much time. Orochimaru was never one to dilly-dally with his plans. I had to do something, and I only had one opportunity.

"Time to make it count."

"Wait! I have something to say!"

The executioner behind me gave a grunt of disapproval when Orochimaru nodded at my request.

"I was just like you once… just like all of you. I used to do grunt work; I used to fight in the front lines too. I had this idea that maybe if I did a good enough job, I'd get promoted, and I'd start to earn some respect and admiration. I'm sure you all hold that same idea right?"

They all nodded, like I knew they would. It was too easy.

"And eventually, I did rise up. I became a part of the Sound Four; Orochimaru's personal bodyguards. He gave me power… he gave me this power."

I allowed the final form of my curse mark to take over, shocking everyone in the room. They all just silently stared at me, obviously amazed at the raw power emanating from me.

"He gave me this power; a power that he has kept hidden from you and in the end I was just a tool to him. A tool that could be easily disposed of when no longer needed! If he could do that to me; someone who has worked to the bone to be this strong, someone who has earned his favor, then he sure as hell can do it to any one of you!"

They were starting to talk amongst themselves now. I could see the furious look on Orochimaru's face; I had him by the balls that he didn't have. He knew that if he killed me now, he'd only be affirming my words, and he'd have to deal with the civil unrest. His only choice was to let me finish and hope that they disagree with me on their own terms. But I wouldn't give him that hope.

"I'm a perfect example here! Are you going to be like me?! Are you going to let him work you to the bone; let him use you till you're useless, and then betray you in the end? Is that really someone worth following?!"

I hear someone yell out 'no'. This was it; no turning back.

"I say betray him before he betrays you!"

With all the strength I had, I broke the chains that bound me. Just as soon as I did, they all went crazy.

"And so it starts."

I ran right into the rioting crowd. The smell of blood was heavy in the atmosphere. The fighting turned bloody almost immediately. I couldn't care less for these people. They were all going to die either way; better they die for the sake of my freedom than for Orochimaru. At least then what they're fighting for would be worth something. I expertly made my way through the rioting crown, weaving and ducking under punches and kicks that weren't aimed at me. I could feel someone following me; if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it was Orochimaru's right nut-sucker Kabuto. I could probably take him in a fight, but I'm not going to risk Orochimaru catching up with me. Once I was clear of the crowd, I ran straight into one of the corridors. One advantage I had over Kabuto; I knew this place like the back of my hand. I had spent enough time here to memorize every turn, every corner I need to round, and every path I needed to take. I stopped by the armory to grab my flute and a few other things, but the pit stop took no longer than 5 seconds. Someone was after me, that much I was sure of. When I had reached my destination, I heard a voice that sent chills up and down my spine.

"Dead end, hmm?"

"… Orochimaru."

"And here I thought you had this place memorized. Such a shame."

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

I summoned all three of my Doki and created a clone. I had to keep him busy.

"Mateki: Genbusō Kyoku."

As soon as I started playing the flute, the three Doki charged at Orochimaru. The slippery bastard ducked and weaved under all my attacks. It only took a mere 15 seconds for him to dispel all three of my Doki, but 15 seconds was more than I needed.

"Is that it? And here I thought you'd make a good vessel if in case this whole thing with Sasuke-kun doesn't work out."

"Good luck with that. It's too bad I won't be here to see it."

Orochimaru's eyes widened when he saw the explosive tags that I had put on the wall behind me. I detonated them, and as I predicted, it opened up a small hole a few hundred feet above a deep river. The explosion destabilized the entire corridor, and just as the roof of the corridor between Orochimaru and I was about to collapse, the bastard spat out a snake that managed to slip through the debris. I was about to jump when the little fucker bit me; on my right calf. I killed the snake and threw it out the hole, but I still had the venom in me. I had no medical knowledge whatsoever; all I had was a knife and one small explosive tag.

---

It was quiet for a while; Naruto could almost hear the whistling of the wind.

"… I did what I had to… it was my leg or my life…"

"… I know. But you know what? I've been reading up on my family's history…"

Tayuya raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"One of the scrolls mentioned that the Uzumaki clan was actually considered an expert at Kintsukuroi."

"… Which means?"

Tayuya gave him a dubious look, as if to ask 'what does that have to do with anything?'

"It means to mend with gold. It's the art of repairing broken ceramics with gold or silver lacquer, and the art of understanding that the piece is more beautiful, for having been broken."

A small sad smile crawled onto Naruto's expression, as he unthinkingly rested his hand on top of Tayuya's in a comforting manner. With shock evident on her face, Tayuya stared at Naruto for a few seconds, before letting just one tear fall. Naruto felt a sudden pang in his chest, and he unconsciously removed his hand. When he did so, for a moment there, he thought he saw a hint of disappointment in Tayuya's eyes.

"You know what I really miss though?"

"What?"

"Feeling the wind in my hair. You know, when you're out there, doing all that stuff, you forget how important the little things are. You start to take them for granted. But now… now I just miss running; running so fast that the wind blows against you as if it was trying to stop you, you know?"

Naruto smiled at her for a few seconds. Then, the smile turned into a grin, and he stood up all of a sudden.

"What are you—Wait, what the hell?! Hey!"

Naruto picked Tayuya up in a piggyback fashion. When the red head tried to protest, Naruto's only answer was to run. He ran as fast as he could across the plain. He jumped up into the trees, leaping from branch to branch. The two were a blur in the dark forest.

"What are you doing?! Put me down!"

"You said you wanted to feel the wind in your hair right? Feel it!"

In that moment, Naruto felt yet another pang in his chest; something was sinking its fangs into Naruto's heart. Something was trying to tell him that he was forgetting something, but he paid no mind to it at the moment. Naruto jumped out of the forest and up onto a mountain path. He ran up the path as fast as he could. Tayuya felt her hair being swept back by the wind; she felt the same sensations that she had longed for. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was magic. She, for once in what seemed like a very long time, allowed a small, genuine smile to pass over her countenance, as she gently nuzzled into Naruto's back. The blonde boy stopped when they had reached a precipice on the tip of the mountain path. They stood there for a few seconds, not speaking to one another, but staring out into the view. The moon seemed so large and so close that you could almost touch it. After a while of biting her lower lip, Tayuya spoke

"… Thanks shithead. You're not so bad."

"… "You're welcome, Tayuya."

With that said, Naruto ran once again, this time, all the way back to Kurosuna Onsen.

---

The next day, Naruto took a trip to the outskirts of the Village. He had gotten a message from Itachi a few days ago saying that the raven haired Uchiha would come by to check on his progress. He had been excited to show off his prowess in dispelling Genjutsu and in Fūnjutsu at first, but now, he had found a topic that he wanted to run by the Uchiha. Now, he was a child asking for permission.

"I trust you're getting along well with the sensei I arranged for you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grimaced, and turned around to greet his mentor.

"Cut the crap; you didn't arrange shit and you know it."

"My, nothing gets by you now does it?"

Naruto could do nothing but grimace once again at the sarcasm dripping from Itachi's voice.

"So, how is the training going?"

"I've gotten pretty good at dispelling Genjutsu. Also, I've started my contract with the Kitsune and I'm currently training to be a sage. And on top of all that, I've learned how to use Fūinjutsu."

Itachi almost showed a hint of pride in his student. He had only given the boy a month, and already Naruto managed to accomplish so much. It was almost enough to elicit emotion from the Uchiha.

"I must admit, I'm quite impressed with your progress. Keep up the good work. If that's all, I'll be back in a few days to take over your training once again. I'll see you then."

"Wait!"

Itachi was stopped dead in his tracks.

"… Yes?"

"I… had something to ask."

"Then ask."

"You know… I've been thinking… I've spent a lot of time here and I guess what I'm trying to say is… Is it really so bad?"

Itachi knew where the boy was going with this. To be frank, he was aware that this might be an outcome, but he was prepared to deal with it.

"What do you mean?"

He would play coy; at least for now.

"You told me that what we're doing is to make the world a better place but… is it really so bad? I mean… With Tayuya-chan here and Haruko… I think I've found peace… I'm… I guess I'm asking for you permission to stay here, instead. To live a life here, where I can't hurt anyone anymore… where I can't get anyone killed anymore."

Itachi stared blankly at the boy. After a while, he spoke.

"… I see how it is."

Then, Naruto made one crucial mistake; he made eye contact.

"Tsukoyomi."

Three seconds; for three seconds, Nanami danced around inside Naruto's mind; the torture, the blood, the screaming, and the pain, all running amok inside his head. Naruto collapsed, breathing heavily. He was clutching the sides of his head. It had only been three seconds, yet he was lucky he didn't lose what was left of his mind

"… I promise that as long as I'm here, I won't ever let anyone hurt you, believe it!"

"I promise…" … It's all my fault…

Promise…. I broke it… …Blood… … Dead…

Lies…. … My fault…

… She's gone…

… I killed her…

He was shivering. With shaking hands, he tried desperately to steady himself and to look at Itachi. He was sweating intensely as he did so.

"I see how it is, Naruto."

Itachi pointed a finger at the blonde boy.

"…You've gotten weak."

"… What…?"

"You've forgotten what you were doing this for. You've forgotten what you were fighting for in the first place."

Itachi stared sternly at Naruto'a pathetic shivering form.

"You forgot all about Nanami."

Naruto felt a wave of guilt assault his senses. He was right… he had forgotten.

"And to think I was the only one who could remember… if I don't remember her, then no one else will… I forgot to hold on to her. I really am useless."

"Why did you decide to do this in the first place Naruto?"

The question fell on deaf ears.

"Why did you do this?"

Itachi raised his voice, clearly irritated at Naruto's lack of spirit.

"… I don't know."

"That's not an answer. Why did you do this?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Itachi stared at him with a disappointed glaze in his eyes.

"… Then you better find out."

With that, Itachi calmly walked away.

"I'll be back in a few days. Be sure to have an answer to the question by then."

Just like that, he left. Without so much as a farewell, he left the blonde boy there, clinging to what was left of his sanity. When it had gotten dark, Naruto stood up, and silently walked back into the Village. When he was halfway home, he was stopped by a red bearded man.

"Oh, excuse me son, I'm a bit lost."

Naruto was shaken out of his stupor by the man's politeness.

"I'm looking for somewhere peaceful. You see, this Village is nice and all, but it's just so noisy. I was hoping you'd know a place where an old man like me could find some peace and quiet."

Without even thinking, Naruto nodded and lead the man to the precipice that he had discovered the night before with Tayuya. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived.

"Well… now isn't this quite the view. Tell me, how did someone so young manage to find a place like this?"

"… I found it while helping out a friend."

Naruto's reply was dry, and he tried his best to mask his inner turmoil with his smile, but to no avail. The man saw down near the edge, and gestured for Naruto to do the same. When both of them were seated, the man spoke.

"So, what seems to be bothering you?"

"Hmm?"

"No need to play coy. I think I know a troubled heart when I see one."

Naruto smiled. Why not, right? What harm could come of it, if he told one more person? And so, he proceeded to tell the man all about Nanami, being careful to leave out all the bloody parts, and mentioning only that he lost her. Much to his surprise, a sad frown made its way on the man's face.

"… How did you lose her?

"… I'd rather not say."

The man laughed to himself.

"I can respect that."

There was a silence between the two of them for but a few moments. Suddenly, the man spoke.

"You know, when I was a young man, I had this… house; my little house, sitting on a precipice, just like this one. I loved everything about that house. Right from the start, I knew that that was the house I was going to grow old with. Then… then there was the war."

Naruto felt the atmosphere suddenly get tense.

"I was… I was young. The novelty of war seemed so amazing to me; so exciting. I was so eager to prove myself in battle. I fought for my country, but even when the fighting had died down, people were still hurting other people. One night I… one night I came home, and the sky was red."

The man gritted his teeth, trying his best to suppress his rage.

"They burned her down. They burned down my entire life. So… I think I know how you feel, in a way."

Naruto stared at the man. There was yet another silence that pervaded the air. The chirping of the crickets echoed loudly into the night.

"… Did you ever catch them?"

"Hmm?"

"The men who burned down your house; did you ever catch them?"

The man gave Naruto a knowing smile, and stared off into the view.

"We can't bring them back."

"… So what now?"

"Now? Now I'm looking for a new life. Now I'm looking for peace; and if I'm lucky, I might even find a new house."

"Just like that? What about your old house? Are you just going to up and forget about it? I mean, if you don't hold on to the memory of your house; if you don't remember your house, who else will? If no one holds on to it, then it'll be like it never even existed right?"

The man sighed and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"It's not that simple. The past is such a tedious, anxious place. If you keep hanging on to it, you're never going to find peace. There's nothing wrong with living, but in order to live you have to keep moving and there's a big difference between moving on, and forgetting. The more you linger on it, the harder it will be to move forward; onward. There's nothing wrong with reliving the past every now and then, but sometimes, you have to know when it's time to put the past away."

Naruto took the stranger's words to heart. After a few moments, he stood up, and bowed.

"It was nice to meet you. I have to get going now, though."

The man smiled at Naruto, and spoke.

"I never got your name, boy."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Well it's nice to meet you too. My name is Rōshi. Thank you for showing me this place. Perhaps I'll find peace here."

As he was leaving, the old man called out to him yet again.

"Oh, and Naruto? Don't feed your demons; they're strong enough as it is."

And with that, the two of them parted ways. Naruto somberly walked back to the hotel; he had a lot to think about.

---

Earlier that day

"Nee-san, where's Naruto-kun?"

"He went out. He said he had to run an errand or something."

"Oh, then I guess that just leaves you and me…"

A mischievous smile immediately made its way to Haruko's face.

"So Nee-san. You, and Naruto-kun. Spill."

Tayuya almost choked on the tea that she had been drinking. When she managed to gather her wits, she raised an eyebrow at the assuming girl, and spoke.

"What in the world are you getting on about now, Haruko?"

"Oh don't give me that! Don't think I don't notice the two of you sneaking out at night!"

"That was for t-training!"

Tayuya was about to lost it. She was telling the truth, and she knew it too, but what she didn't know was why in the world she was stammering.

"And last night, when you two came home, Nee-san's hair was all disheveled! Now, what could a poor, innocent, unassuming little girl like me deduce from that…? Hmmm."

Tayuya was too flustered to say anything. She knew full well what the girl was insinuating but for some reason, she couldn't find the words to refute her claims. Before Tayuya could even utter a word, the playful, childish demeanor that Haruko so expertly wore disappeared, and was replaced by an air of calm maturity.

"You know Nee-san, I can see pretty clearly. I think you can too. Naruto-kun is special to you. And its okay, because I think Nee-san is special to Naruto-kun as well."

"Now hold on a minute-"

"No, Nee-san. No more. You were always good with words. You could rationalize anything. You could talk your way out of a labyrinth, but no more. I won't let you try to talk yourself out of your feelings. For so long, Nee-san has been strong; strong for Kaa-san, and strong for me. Everyone gets lonely sometimes. Nee-san has been working so hard for so long, and she's been working all alone; I know that you're a bit lonely too. I think Nee-san deserves to be happy."

Tayuya looked straight into Haruko's loving eyes, and she knew for sure; her little sister had grown up. Her words were sickly sweet and overflowing with sincerity that Tayuya couldn't help but think how Haruko was too good for the world. Suddenly, Haruko embraced Tayuya.

"I want to see you smile too, Nee-san."

Tayuya remembered that one moment when she had actually let herself go, and smiled. The wind was rushing against her face. Her hair was racing behind her. She felt free. She felt safe. And it was all because of one person. Tayuya returned her sister's embrace, and spoke.

"I'll try."

---

Naruto entered his room through the window. The darkness made it difficult to move around the hotel without breaking anything, but not impossible. Naruto expertly maneuvered over all the cluttered scrolls, and exited his room. As soon as he did though, he ran straight into a flustered Tayuya. Naruto stared at the shocked girl for a moment, before realizing that he had unwittingly taken his shirt off before he left his room, and was now exposing his upper body; something that happened a lot recently. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel like an exhibitionist.

"Uh, hey."

"Hey."

"So uhh… bathroom's this way. Bye."

Naruto quickly turned on his heels, but was stopped when he felt something grab his left wrist. He stared at the wide eyed girl for a few seconds before she quickly released her hold.

"There was… there was something I wanted to tell you, shithead."

"You know, I'm actually starting to get used to that nickname. What is it?"

"I was wondering if we could talk… about us…"

Suddenly, everything became clear to him; Tayuya's strange behavior, the pangs that he had been feeling deep in his heart. He knew where this road was leading them; to a place where there was no turning back. He felt another pang in his chest; another reminder.

"Don't worry. I won't forget."

The sensation quelled. He couldn't let himself go down that road. If he did, then he would forget about Nanami, and then it'd be as if she never existed in the first place, and he couldn't let that happen; not to her. She meant too much to him. She was his home, and he couldn't let his home burn down; not for a second time.

"I… think I know what this is about…"

"… Really?"

"Yeah… and I don't think it'd be a good idea."

There it was. It had to be said. It was for the best. Naruto repeated these things over and over again in his head. He rationalized. If he was happy, then he'd forget all the pain, and if he forgot the pain, he'd forget her. Then, she'd be gone, forever. It was for the best.

And yet, Naruto couldn't decide if that last sentence would be punctuated with a period or a question mark. Suddenly, the red haired girl smiled at him.

"Alright, cool. I'll see you tomorrow then. G'night fucker."

He watched as she silently retreated to her room. He listened to the echoing of the sliding door being shut. He waited for the sound that he thought would come; the sobbing. There was none. Tayuya leaned against the door. She ran a shivering hand through her hair. She was angry; angry that she had let it go just like that; angry that she hadn't the guts to fight for what she wanted; to fight for herself and her own happiness.

"Coward."

---

Naruto returned to his room, and let his body slump against the wall. He slid down to the floor and, with and, exasperated sigh, slipped into his mindscape.

There's a scream… a scream that can't be silenced

"Kit…"

"It's tough, Kura-kun, but it had to be done right?"

Kurama furrowed his brows at the boy.

"… Do you think it had to be done?"

It was gnawing; eating away at his core.

"I can't…"

Naruto let out yet another sigh.

"I can't be with Tayuya. When I'm with Tayuya, I get this feeling in my chest. It's the same feeling I used to get with Nanami. I can tell. I feel awake, and alive, and happy again, and when I feel that way, I forget about everything else; about all the pain, all the problems, and all the heartache. I can't forget. I owe it to her not to forget! I have to hold on to her, even at times when it hurts because if I do, then she'll always be with me. She won't disappear. I can't be with Tayuya because she makes me forget all the pain…"

The feeling of her skin brushing against mine still lingers on my mind.

Kurama stared at the boy. As much as he resented humanity for their weakness, he couldn't take seeing the boy so vulnerable. And as much as he wished his pride would keep him from feeling it, Kurama felt slightly guilty. The boy was dealing with such a huge problem, and he had done nothing but sleep. And to think they were supposed to be partners… partners were supposed to be able to rely on each other when they need to, and he couldn't help but feel like he had let the boy down. After a while, Kurama nudged the boy with one of his tails, and spoke in a strong but gentle voice.

"Kit, why do we break?"

I had broken my promise. I couldn't protect her.

"Huh…?"

"Why do we break?"

"…"

"So we can learn how to heal; how to put ourselves back together again."

And now she's gone. I can't find her anymore. I yell and scream for her, but there's nothing.

"…"

She was dead. She was gone.

"I know it hurts when you lost her. The scar isn't fresh anymore, but it hasn't healed yet either. But you can't turn other things away just to hold on to something that isn't there anymore. You can't put someone else's death over your life and think that that counts as love. It doesn't work that way Kit. She's dead. She's gone."

Kurama looked away for a few seconds; his own words were hitting close to home.

"But you can't let her ghost haunt you forever. The loss is difficult, I know… but don't you think there's value in having had her in the first place?"

Naruto froze up; his partner's words were starting to get through to him.

"And that she's more important to you now; more valuable, for having been lost at all? Tell me, why did we start this little quest in the first place?"

"… To get stronger."

"Exactly. But being strong is never about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit, and still bite back. The past can be a brutal paralytic; don't let it cripple you. Keep moving. For yourself. For Nanami. Keep moving so you can find the happiness that the two of you dreamed of, and so you can share it with the rest of this godforsaken world. You have to keep moving forward, but you can't do that if you're shackled to the past, Kit."

Naruto's expression turned from emotionless to that of a pensive one.

"Do you understand?"

Naruto was still for a moment, but then, he nodded. Things were clearer to him now. He looked up at his partner, and smiled.

"I think I do. I guess it's time to put the past away."

Naruto slowly got up, and brushed the dirt off his clothes.

"Thanks Kura-kun. So… what's her name?"

Kurama's eyes shot open with shock evident in their very glaze. He tried to act like he didn't know what the blonde boy was talking about, but it was no use. He let his mind wander to a memory that seemed so far off.

---

"If you use your power, only hatred will come from it. Stay tranquil deep inside me."

She was right; only hatred will come of it. Kurama could still remember it clearly. He was young, and angry and violent. He was angry at the world; angry that the Sage of the Six Paths had to die. He was angry at the very thought of the loss. That was when he was told to stay tranquil inside a weak woman that he couldn't care less about. Time passed, and he remained tranquil; silent, inside her. Until one day, when she dared to disturb his sleep.

"The world is full of hatred, is it not?"

He chose to ignore her. What good would speaking to this pathetic human do anyway?

"It must be difficult for you…"

His eyes shot open, and he glared at the woman who stood unflinching in his gaze.

"The world has so much hatred… all pent up inside them, just begging to get out. And they use your kind as scapegoats. They hate you, and in turn, you grow to hate them."

The fleshbag was pushing her luck. Kurama prepared to send a wave of his chakra through her system; it wouldn't be enough to kill her as the seal kept him from doing so, but it would be enough to send an incredible amount of pain surging through her body. Yet, just as he was about to release it, she spoke once more.

"But I don't want the world to hate you, and I don't want you to hate the world. I think you deserve better than that. So for now, all I can do is ask you to stay calm inside me, until all the hate dies down. Until then, I'll protect you from their hatred."

He dispelled the chakra that he was charging, and let out a frazzled snarl.

The memory seemed so long ago. Immortality came with the cost of having too much time; things such as realizations and epiphanies often come centuries too late. Kurama had been alive for thousands of years, but it had only been recently when he learned that his hatred of human beings may have been misplaced, and it was only a few decades after her death, did he realize that he had learned to love the woman.

---

"So, what was her name?"

Kurama looked away.

"… Mito."

Naruto smiled at his partner knowingly. After a while, he started laughing.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just… I've been running, haven't I, Kura-kun?"

Kyuubi smiled at his partner,

"You're not the only one."

---

By the time Naruto returned to the real world, someone was already knocking at his door. He opened it, only to find a frantic and panicking Haruko.

"Naruto-kun! You have to help! Nee-san just walked out and wouldn't tell me where she was going. I thought she'd come back, but she's been gone for three hours already. I don't know what might have happened, but it's dangerous out in the forests at night. There are countryside bandits that use those places for hideouts."

Naruto knew that it was no big deal; Tayuya could handle herself, and he higly doubted that a band of bandits could take her on. But still, something was telling Naruto to grab his gear and run; as fast as he could. And so he did. He put on his fishnet shirt and black coat. He decided to bring his Kitsune mask with him just in case he needed it. Haruko had gone off and conducted a search of her own. Once Naruto was all set, he jumped off into the trees. The forest was deathly quiet, and with his sharpened senses, Naruto could hear almost everything. When he heard the sound of chatter, Naruto stopped moving and peeked through the leaves; it was Utakata. He was talking to three ninjas who looked like they were from Kiri. Before he could listen in on their conversation though, he heard the sound of a metal object being thrown coming from his right, and he was forced to dodge it. Unfortunately, the shuriken that was aimed at Naruto kept going until it hit one of the Kiri ninjas straight in the face.

"What the?! Utakata! You traitorous scum! Seize him!"

Suddenly, Kiri hunter nin leapt out of the bushes and surrounded Utakata.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

Before he knew it, Utakata was enveloped in a thick mist that was almost impossible to see in. Naruto gritted his teeth; he had to make a choice and he had to make it now. Either he would continue his search for Tayuya, or he would help a fellow Jinchuuriki in need. Deciding that Utakata needed his help more, he pumped chakra into his palms and jum ped into the fray. When he was near enough, he slammed his Rasengan on the ground. The explosion effectively dispelled the mist surrounding them. When the dust finally settled down, Naruto stood back to back with Utakata.

"… What are you doing here?"

"Helping out a friend."

Utakata clicked his tongue at the cliché answer. Before he could continue their nconversation, the hunter nins attacked. His first assailant charged in with a spinning back kick that Utakata expertly parried. With one quick chop to the back of the neck, Utakata incapacitated the hunter nin and proceeded to take out his pipe.

"Shabondama no Ninjutsu."

Bubble of different sizes suddenly rose out of his pipe. Upon making contact with two of the hunter nins, they proceeded to envelope their head and effectively drown their prey. Naruto on the other hand was making quick work of his opponents. The last three hunter nins came at him with full intent to kill. He ducked under the first attacker's punch, and landed three of his own in his opponent's midsection, effectively breaking a few ribs. He then created a clone behind his first opponent. The said clone then grabbed hold of the hunter nin, and German suplexed the man. Naruto raised his left hand to cover the right part of his face as if anticipating something, and as soon as he did, he caught the second hunter nin's punch that was aimed at his temple. He flipped the man over, slammed him on the ground, and landed a clean hit on the man's jaw, knocking him out cold. Naruto then took out a shuriken and threw it straight at the third hunter nin. It landed squarely on the man's chest, and he collapsed to the ground. Naruto stood up and jumped a few meters backwards and once again, he found himself standing back to back with Utakata. The man let out an annoyed grunt.

"Don't stand behind me."

Suddenly, three more men jumped out of the dark forestry and into their line of sight. They were wearing black cloaks and strange masks on their faces and if Naruto didn't know any better, he would have guessed they were ANBU. Finally, one of the men stepped forward, and spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Danzo and Mr. H send their regards."

And that's when he knew; while he had no idea who this Mr. H was, he knew full well who Danzo was. He slipped into a defensive stance.

"Kit, you realize what'll happen if they manage to get back to Konoha right?"

"I know Kura-kun. Don't worry."

A twisted smile soon appeared under Naruto's mask.

"I'll leave no survivors."

Suddenly, one of the ANBU breezed through a few hand seals and spoke.

"Katon: Karyū Endan!"

A huge flaming dragon suddenly charged at Naruto and Utakate. The two managed to doge the attack by jumping to the side, but as soon as Naruto landed, another ANBU member landed a kick on the back of his head, sending him flying into Utakata. When they both got up, Utakata glared at the boy.

"I told you not to stand behind me! I can't protect you if I can't see you."

Utakata stood up and readied his pipe. He was caught off-guard though when he heard Naruto laughing from behind him

"You know… I've been thinking lately. You were right. You were right all along. I have been running."

Naruto got up and charged at one of the ANBU. He ducked under his opponent's jab, and landed a palm strike on the man's solar plexus. When the ANBU doubled over in pain, Naruto threw a brutal knee to the man's face, sending him reeling backwards.

"I was running away from the pain. I was running away from life. And you know what? I'm done. I'm done running."

Naruto followed up the attack with a 1-2-combo and finished the man off by grabbing the man's wrist, pulling it to the side, catching the man in a dragon sleeper hold, and breaking his neck.

"So I was thinking… I have to face life; to keep moving forward. And the first step I want to take is to be your friend.

Utakata, dodged the punch that was aimed at his head. He expertly parried and weaved under his attacker's relentless assault. When the man showed signs of slowing down, Utakata caught him with a sickening elbow to the temple, and threw a crippling knee to the man's sides.

"Tch. I don't need friends. What good are they? They're just people, and people only do things for their own gain. They're weak, and they'd only drag me down."

Utakata then kicked down on the man's leg causing his knee to hyperextend, and threw yet another elbow at the man's jaw.

"People will lie to you, and use you, and then, when you're worthless to them, they just throw you away. They selfishly leave you."

---

"Your mission was to track and locate the scroll, not retrieve it!"

"I… I'm sorry master…"

"Utakata…"

Harusame let out a long sigh.

"Your life is precious, Utakata. You should cherish it, the way I do. While a ninja should never run away from conflict, he or she should not involve themselves in unnecessary battles either. Do you understand?"

"I-I understand Master."

---

"I'm sorry Utakata… your master…. Harusame died when you were unconscious. He tried to take the Rokubi's power from you, but he was consumed and destroyed by it."

"What…? No…"

"You should be thankful he did not succeed. If he had, it would have been you who would have died."

"No…"

---

Utakata then took out a kunai from his opponent's holster and slit the man's throat.

"… When I'm with other people, I have to worry about what happens behind my back, and I can't fight my own battles properly."

Suddenly, Utakata felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Who the hell said I'd stand behind you?"

Utakata turned to look at the boy, only to find him standing right next to him.

"I'll stand with you."

Naruto shot the man his trademark foxy grin, before finishing off the last ANBU.

---

"We should not be here. We're wasting time, and time is gold."

"Ah shut up you miserly old fart! I told you I have to send a prayer to Jashin. He requires the blood of a virgin this time, and I think this one would do nicely."

Hidan eagerly licked his lips at the thought of sacrificing this poor innocent girl to his God of Evil.

"You're lucky I put up with you and your stupid religion."

"What the fuck did you say about Jashin?!"

Their argument was cut short when they were approached by a short, brown haired young woman. Hidan eyed the girl curiously, and raised an eyebrow.

"… Can I help you?"

"O… Onee-san…"

The girl pointed to the body that was lying on the ground beside hidan.

"Onee-san? Oh… Say little girl, what's your name?"

"I-If I tell you… will you give back Onee-san?"

"Sure! Of course I will! We're all friends here right?"

"… Haruko."

Hidan licked his lips once again.

"Well, Haruko, it seems Jashin is going to have a ball tonight."

There was a scream that echoed out into the night.

---

Naruto and Utakata heard the scream as they were wrapping up with their prey. Naruto's eyes widened the size of dinner plates.

"Haruko…"

Naruto threw a glance at Utakata, who only nodded as if to say 'Go, I'll take care of things here'. With fear evident in every movement, Naruto jumped into the forest. The scream came from a place that he knew all too well; the hill.

Utakata stared at the direction that the boy had gone for a few more seconds with a smile in his expression.

"… He's something else, isn't he?"

Utakata didn't even need to turn to the source of the words.

"Rōshi. You didn't tell me you'd be in town."

"You didn't tell me there was another one here."

"I thought you'd figure it out by yourself."

"I had to find out from him. You know how much I hate owing that ape favors."

Utakata couldn't help but laugh at the dysfunctional relationship of Rōshi and his Bijuu.

"I know. Still… you've been with him. You talked to him. Seeing him and his Bijuu… the way they understand each other… doesn't that make you want to change things somehow…?"

Rōshi smiled at his old friend. It seemed the blonde boy had gotten through to him after all, and to be brutally honest, the boy had done enough to convince the old man himself. Perhaps there was hope for the new generation; for the world, yet. Utakata chuckled to himself, and spoke.

"Truth be told, I envy them."

---

Naruto arrived at the clearing, only to be met with a gruesome sight. Tayuya and Haruko were out cold, and on the ground they were lying down on, was a strange symbol. Behind them, a white haired man was chanting incantations and in the far corner of the field, a tanned muscular man was seated down and counting money. The first thing he noticed however, were their cloaks.

"Shit… Akatsuki…"

Suddenly, an image of Nanami being sacrificed flashed in Naruto's mind.

"No… it's happening again…"

Naruto gritted his teeth, and allowed his kila dagger to slide out of his sleeve."

"… Not again!"

Without warning, he charged at the white haired man at full speed. He was hoping to land a preemptive strike; to draw first blood, but he had underestimated his opponent, Hidan immediately blocked the kick with the shaft of his scythe. Deciding that getting Tayuya and Haruko to safety was his top priority, he grabbed the two girls, and kicked off against Hidan's schyte, causing the man to stumble backwards. Naruto propelled himself and the two girls a good distance away from Hidan.

"What the… Hey! Who the fuck are you?! How dare you disrupt my tribute to Jashin you fucking evildoer!"

Naruto didn't dignify the obviously delirious man with an answer. Instead, he checked to see if the two girls were okay. Aside from a deep gash on Tayuya's shoulder, it seemed that the two girls weren't harmed.

"Oh, I get it. Someone's trying to play hero. Well I fucking hate heroes! Oh Jashin, bless me with a bountiful kill tonight!"

Hidan rushed Naruto, scythe in hand. The blonde boy decided that it was best to take the fight as far away from the two girls as possible, so he jumped to the side. It wasn't long before Hidan followed suit. The engaged each other in an all-out Taijutsu battle. At first, it seemed dead-even, that is, until Naruto managed to duck under Hidan's horizontal scythe slash and run his kila dagger straight through Hidan's throat. Suspicion immediately dawned on the boy's face; when was it ever easy to kill an Akatsuki member? He steeled himself for whatever could happen next, but no amount of preparation would have been enough. Hidan kicked him away and jumped backwards. With the dagger still shove in his neck, the white-haired demon spoke.

"Kuh, pretty good motherfucker. But not good enough."

Hidan slowly pulled the dagger out of his neck. Naruto cringed as he saw blood pour out of the open wound and drip down onto the floor. He threw the dagger to the side, and stared at Tayuya, who was now starting to stir. Naruto rushed to Tayuya's side, and when she was conscious, she immediately doted on Haruko.

"Haruko. Wait. What's happening? Shithead? Naruto? What's happening?"

"Shh. Calm down. Tayuya, listen to me. I need you to take Haruko, and run as far away as you can okay? Run as far away as you can, and don't even look back, go."

"Jujustu: Shiji Hyōketsu!"

"Wait what's happe—kuh!"

Tayuya cringed in pain. She immediately gripped her right shoulder, which was now bleeding. Naruto's eyes widened in shock he immediately turned to his opponent, whose skin was now covered in black and white markings. Rage was filling every fiber of his body.

"Surprised? That's right. This is my special skill; yeah, I guess you could call it that. It hurts so good, doesn't it?! I'll leave it to you to figure out how I do it."

Hidan let out a maniacal laugh; something that only served to enrage Naruto even more. Just as he was about to charge, Hidan drew out a retractable spear and pointed it at his heart.

"Eh? I wouldn't do that if I were you. Wouldn't want your little lady friend to have a… heart attack, now would we?"

And that was when he noticed it. During his time as Itachi's student, his mentor practically drilled into his head how a real ninja should fight with his brain, not just with his fists. He was taught how to be sharper, and more deductive, and it was at times like this that he was glad he listened.

"Alright… think… think…"

Naruto's eyes caught sight of the stab wound on Hidan's right shoulder.

"… Stab wound on right shoulder. The scar is fresh. I didn't deal it, and it looks like it was pierced with that same retractable spear in his left hand. It's in the exact same place as Tayuya's wound, so does that mean whatever he does to himself, he does to his opponent? What kind of sick, sadistic, and masochistic jutsu is that?! It's almost like he doesn't care whether he lives or dies; unless he has some sort of superhuman healing ability… which would only apply to him, and not his opponent. Alright. So whatever he does to himself, he does to his target. But how does he determine who his target is? Why threaten to stab Tayuya's heart? Why not just stab mine? He obviously needed her for some sort of ritual… think… wait…"

Naruto suddenly noticed the markings on the ground that he was standing on.

"Is that… blood? So… whatever this jutsu is, it has something to do with blood. And that seal. So if I destroy the seal…"

Naruto then proceeded to create two clones. While the other two Naruto were busy charging a Rasengan, the original turned to Tayuya and spoke.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Don't be a fucking idiot. I can take this. Just go and kill that guy already."

Naruto nodded. Nothing else needed to be said, so he nodded.

"Hey."

Naruto turned his attention once again to Tayuya, who had called him.

"Don't let him hurt Haruko."

Naruto shot her his trademark foxy grin.

"… Do you trust me?"

Hidan didn't like being ignored, so he made the one mistake that could possibly cost him the fight; he let his guard down.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, motherfucker!"

Without even waiting for Tayuya's answer, Naruto threw his clone at Hidan, and charged in himself. It was a race; the question wasn't whether or not Naruto would make it; it was what would reach its destination first. Naruto's Rasengan or Hidan's spear?

Tayuya smiled at the image of the blonde boy charged into battle.

… I trust you.

A split-second; a mere split-second was the difference. The Rasengan slammed into the ground, destroying the symbol of Jashin, a split second before Hidan's spear pierced his chest. The impact of the explosion propelled Hidan a great distance backwards and caused him to land on his back. When he got up, Hidan spat out a good amount of blood, and turned to his partner.

"Hey! What are you doing just sitting there counting money? I could use some help here!"

"I'd rather not. You need to learn your lesson. You keep charging in without thinking about your opponent. Now, you have to face the consequences."

"You useless piece of—"

His insult was cut short though when he received a nice firm fist to the face, courtesy of Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto followed the attack through with a roundhouse kick to Hidan's sides, and finally, with a sickening knee to Hidan's solar plexus. Naruto was about to finish it off with a heel kick to the back of Hidan's head, but the latter managed to dodge the attack and retaliate with a flurry of slash attacks using his scythe. Naruto barely managed to avoid all of them, and just as he was about to lose his footing, he back flipped away from his adversary. When he landed, he continued to flip backwards until he was beside Tayuya and a now-conscious Haruko.

"Tayuya! Haruko! The two of you have to—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Hidan threw his scythe at Tayuya. In a fit of shock and panic, Haruko tackled Tayuya, causing the scythe to miss Tayuya but graze Haruko instead. With a flick of his wrist, the scythe made its way back to its owner and, when Hidan caught it, he immediately licked the blood at the end of the blade. He then proceeded to draw the symbol of Jashin with his own blood on the ground beneath him.

"Looks like little Haruko's going to have to say good bye to her Nee-san earlier than she expected!"

As Hidan slowly ran the tip of the retractable spear against his cheek, a small cut appeared on Haruko's. Suddenly, Naruto pieced it all together.

"It was the blood… his Jutsu requires him to ingest the person's blood! It makes sense; even his weapon is designed to maximize the probability of drawing blood! And he has to stay inside the circle for it to work! Shit, why didn't I figure this out earlier?!"

But by the time Naruto had realized it, it was too late. Hidan was about to run the spear through his heart. Tayuya's scream reverberated throughout the forest. Haruko closed her eyes in anticipation for the pain that was to come.

But it never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw two strangers beside the white-haired man. Naruto smiled, and spoke.

"I was wondering when you two were going to arrive, Utakata, Rōshi."

Utakata smiled wryly and responded.

"We had to take care of the bodies."

Rōshi smiled at the boy, and Naruto nodded at the older man, as if to say 'It's been put away'.

"It's good to see you Naruto."

"You too, Rōshi."

Hidan struggled against his captors. Utakata had his left arm trapped in a standing kimura while Rōshi managed to disarm him and trap his right arm in a standing wristlock.

"What the fuck is this?!"

Naruto smiled; Utakata and Rōshi had bought him just enough time to prep for his plan. Without another word, he charged in. the two older men knew exactly what the blonde boy was planning, and just before Naruto was within attacking range, they pulled Hidan out of the Jashin circle. Naruto's fist landed flush on Hidan's mouth. Rōshi immediately jumped to where Tayuya and Haruko were while Utakata dashed towards Naruto's kila dagger. When he grabbed hold of it, he tossed it to Naruto. Naruto caught the dagger, and proceeded to cut his palm. Before Hidan could recover, Naruto vaulted over him, grabbed the man's hair, pulled his head back, and shoved the dagger down Hidan's throat. Naruto could hear the sound of gurgling; the sound of his enemy, drowning in his own blood. He twisted the kila around, making sure to deal as much damage as possible. Blood squirted and spluttered everywhere, yet despite all the gore, Naruto was smiling.

Kakuzu merely watched as his partner suffered. As horrible as it may sound, he was actually deeply enjoying himself. He had lost count of how many times he had wanted to do such things to Hidan himself, and to see his partner suffer at the hands of an opponent who was capable brought him a great deal of satisfaction.

Hidan struggled and whipped around wildly, but the more he resisted, the deeper Naruto plunged the blade. After a while, Hidan stopped moving entirely. Naruto pulled the blade out of the bloody carcass, and walked back to Tayuya and Haruko. With ragged breaths, he spoke.

"Are you… are you two… okay?"

Haruko remained silent; shock still evident on her shivering frame. Tayuya looked at the blonde boy, and spoke.

"We're fine. Are you?"

"Yeah…"

But then, something none of them were expecting happened; Hidan got up. The religious fanatic picked up the retractable spear, drew Jashin's symbol on the ground, and spoke in a deep raspy tone.

"You… You ruined my voice, you motherfucker. You're going to pay. I'm going to sacrifice you to fucking Jashin!"

Hidan suddenly plunged the spear into his left chest, just a little above the heart. Naruto's entire frame stiffened. For a few seconds, he felt as if he were floating. Hot liquid trickled down his chest. Then, the crippling pain washed over his entire consciousness. Naruto clutched the wound, and let out a low growl of pain. Hidan, on the other hand, stood confused; obviously expecting Haruko to be the one in pain.

"… Ah, I get it. When you cut your palm, you basically force-fed me your blood. Are you that desperate to protect those two?"

For some reason, the feeling was nostalgic. 'I remember this feeling.' Naruto thought to himself.

Hidan wasn't done toying with his prey. Without even any hesitation in his eyes, he plunged the spear deep into his left thigh. Naruto felt yet another pang bite into his body, this time, from his left thigh. The boy fell to his knees, lost in his own thoughts, and unaware of what was going on around him.

"This is bad… I can't move. He's saying something. I can't tell what."

"That's right! On your fucking knees! Beg you pathetic mortal! Jashin smites down those who don't believe!"

---

Haruko clung to her sister as tightly as she could. She looked up at the two men who had immobilized the white haired demon just a little while ago.

"What are you two doing?! Go help Naruto-kun!"

Utakata looked away with a grim expression on his face.

"I can't…"

Rōshi stared solemnly at the boy.

"This is his fight."

The old man gritted his teeth, inwardly cheering the boy on.

"Come on son, show us; show us how strong you are."

---

Naruto closed his eyes, and allowed the pain to consume him.

"I can't move…Wait, I can't move… that's right…"

Without moving a muscle, he followed the instructions of the Kitsune.

"Breathe… focus…"

---

Naruto felt the calm slowly sweep away all the pain and, settling in the warmest parts of his psyche. He heard every little sound and picked up every little scent. At first, there was nothingess. He felt completely detached; a being-outside-the-world-of-beings. His skin slowly became hot, and he could feel strength pouring into him. Then, the memories resurfaced. All the horror of Nagarerunamida flashed before his eyes. He watched the masked man shove a dagger into Nanami's throat. He watched as Old man Tatsu was crushed by his own house. He could still hear the screaming of the villagers who were mercilessly burned alive… but most of all, he saw her; he saw Nanami, smiling, smiling at him. Beckoning him to stay with her, and mouthing flowery words and I love you's.

And suddenly, he did something that for so long, he thought he couldn't do. He let go. He had been so angry; so spiteful for so long, he failed to realize that he was holding onto something that was gone.

I broke my promise to you, Nanami. I couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry…

A stray tear rolled down the blonde boy's face.

I've been blind; I was blindly running away from everything. I didn't want to lose you, and so I blindly hung on to my memories of you. I didn't want to accept the fact…

… The fact that you're gone. I can't bring you back…

But I can change this world to be just like the one you wished it would be.

… A world where the good aren't trampled on.

… I can still be happy. For you, and for me. I can live, for the both of us.

Memories and images danced around his mind; images of Utakata, of Rōshi, of Haruko… and of Tayuya. A smile slowly made its way on his face.

I wish I could see you again, Nanami. If only to tell you…

It was starting to rain.

I think… I think I'm happy now…

---

The tear that lingered along his jaw line, fell, and the moment it hit the ground, Naruto's eyes shot open. His pupils were now slit, very much like the form they would take when he was using the Kyuubi's chakra, but he wasn't using the Kyuubi's chakra; not this time. His irises were now in a deep hazel hue, and black pigmentation appeared around his eyes. His whisker-like scars were replaced by thick black lines, and his features were sharper and a bit more feral than usual.

Kakuzu eyed the boy cuiriously; there was something different about him for sure. His entire aura drastically changed in just a few seconds. One moment, he was deathly still, and the next, raw power was emanating from his very pores. Kakuzu narrowed his eyes; it seems the fight would be much more interesting than he thought.

Naruto stood up, and stared blankly at Hidan, who merely raised an eyebrow at the boy, and spoke.

"Oh, so you aren't dead. Good, that means I can still have my fun."

"Hurry it up."

Kakuzu chimed in. He wanted Hidan to rush in; he wanted him to underestimate his opponent.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright!" Hidan primed his scythe. "Let's get this started, shall we?"

It was raining heavily. Utakata and Rōshi were standing near Tayuya and Haruko, keeping them safe from harm. Hidan was crouched in his battle stance, ready to pounce at any moment. Naruto, on the other hand, was stood casually eyeing his opponent.

"… Let's finish this. Focus… he fights with complete disregard for his own safety, probably because he's overconfident in his healing ability. He just charges in without a plan… like a Wild Boar."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, and slipped into his fighting stance, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and leg.

"Let's go hunting. First, spot your target."

Naruto's eyes were sweeping over Hidan's form, searching for any weaknesses or tells, when finally, he saw one. His hands went up to briefly touch his own neck.

"… Stalk your prey.

Naruto moved with such speed that it almost seemed as if he disappeared and reappeared in front of Hidan. The latter, in shock and panic, started swinging wildly with his scythe. Naruto bobbed and weaved under all of the attacks, never taking his eyes off of Hidan all the while. Hidan threw a straight left. Naruto moved his head to the side. Hidan followed up with a horizontal slash which Naruto ducked under. Hidan threw a kick upwards, which Naruto dodged by mere millimeters when he flipped backwards. As soon as he landed, Hidan threw his scythe at Naruto. The blonde boy avoided the attack by jumping to the side, but when Hidan flicked his wrist, the scythe flew straight towards him. Naruto expertly rolled to the side; aside from the scratch on his cloak, the blade missed him entirely. In a fit of panic, Hidan ran the spear through his leg, but was surprised to see that Naruto was unaffected by it. His eyes dropped down to the symbol on the ground; it had been ruined. That was when he realized; during their scuffle, the blonde bastard wasn't just trying to dodge, he was also smudging the symbol with his feet. Naruto, on the other hand, just smiled.

"… It looks like he's caught on. He's more unpredictable at long-range. I need to close the distance, and start a good old fashioned fistfight."

Naruto dashed as fast as he could towards Hidan. Within seconds, he had closed the distance, and they were back at square one, with Hidan attacking, and Naruto dodging. Hidan threw a spinning back kick which Naruto parried, and followed it up with a vertical slash. Fatigue was already showing on the face of Hidan; the scythe wasn't all that light, and with his constant attacking and slashing, it was only natural for him to get winded. Naruto saw the opening and, as the blades of the scythe were coming down on him, he dodged to the right and used his left hand to force the shaft of the weapon down. The blades dug themselves deep into the earth. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"… Blind the Boar."

Naruto scooped up the muddy earth, and threw it straight into Hidan's face.

"Break the tusks."

The blonde boy then proceeded to stomp down on scythe, effectively breaking it in half. He took the half with the blades, pulled it out of the earth, and back flipped over Hidan, taking the man's back. He then kicked the side of Hidan's left knee downward, breaking the joint and tearing the ligaments. The man collapsed to one knee.

"Immobilize the animal. Next…"

Naruto placed the blades of the scythe against Hidan's throat and positioned his right foot on the man's back.

"… Mount the head on a wall."

With one quick pull, Hidan's head fell to the ground. Blood squirted everywhere, even spluttering on the boy's face. Naruto looked up at the stormy skies; the rain washed away all the blood, all the pain. In a whispered voice, he spoke.

"… This is what being a Sage feels like eh?"

The black marks disappeared as did the black pigmentation around his eyes, and his pupils returned to normal. His irises returned to their dull cerulean blue. A dark smile slowly crept its way onto his face.

"… I like it."

"You. Piece. Of. Shit."

Naruto's entire body froze in place. He turned to the source of the sound; Hidan's head.

"Do you have any idea how much that fucking hurt? You're a fucking runt, you know that? Hey Kakuzu! Put my head back on my body and I'll show them what's what!"

Kakuzu, who had been a silent spectator up until now, stood up slowly. Utakata and Rōshi slipped ever so subtly into their fighting stance, ready to jump into the fray if ever the mysterious partner interfered. The tall, masked man walked over to Hidan's rolling head, and gently placed his foot on it.

"Enough. We're done here."

With that said, he picked up Hidan's head and body, and calmly walked away.

"What the hell do you mean 'we're done here'?! I haven't sacrificed anyone yet!"

Ignoring his partner completely, Kakuzu turned to the masked blonde.

"You… I'll remember you."

Then, they left, with Hidan yelling profanities and swearing to Jashin all the while. With what little strength he had left, Naruto walked over to where the others were. When he reached them, he fell to his knees; the wounds were starting to take their toll. He closed his eyes in anticipation for the impact; he expected to eat a mouthful of mud, but instead, he felt two pairs of hands grab his arms and support him.

"Now how can I expect you to stand with me, if you can't even stand?"

He looked to his left, and saw Utakata, smiling approvingly.

"You're something else, you know that kid?"

He looked to his right, and saw Rōshi. The bearded man grinned at the boy, and ruffled his hair.

"Hey shithead."

He looked in front of him, and there she was, all along. Tayuya was standing beside her sister, staring at the boy. She gave him a warm smile; the same smile she had that night, and spoke.

"Let's go home."

---

"So this is it, eh?"

Rōshi let out a sigh. He never did like goodbyes.

"And to think we just met."

Naruto smiled at the old man.

"It's not permanent, trust me. In fact, I need you to meet me at the Valley of The End in about five months."

Utakata, raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What for?"

"I can't really explain it right now, but let's just say I'm holding a little get together for people… like us."

Both men immediately understood what he meant and gave a solemn nod.

"Naruto-kun!"

Haruko ran up to him, with Tayuya following not too far away.

"I'm going to miss you Naruto-kun!" Haruko then made a gesture as if whispering a secret. "Though I'm sure I'm not the only one."

As soon as she said that, Tayuya gently smacked her on the back of the head, eliciting a girly 'eep' from her. When she had finished sulking, she turned to Naruto once again.

"Naruto-kun, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for out there. And please remember, no matter what, you'll always have a home here."

Haruko bowed.

"It was a pleasure to have you stay at Kurosuna Onsen."

Naruto smiled awkwardly at the girl.

"That's not really necessary."

"Mm. Kaa-san always said it's important to send a guest off on a good note. Now if you don't mind, I have things to do, and I need help with them so, Rōshi-san and Utakata-san, come with me!"

She turned on her heels and skipped over to the two, making sure to wink at her sister as she passed her. She then began nudging the two inside the house. Utakata lightly tapped the girl on the head with his pipe.

"Don't push me, little girl."

"Now, now, Utakata, no need to be like that with the poor thing."

"Rōshi-san is right Utakata-san! How could you do such a thing to poor innocent me?"

Haruko shot him her all powerful puppy dog eyes, but Utakata merely rolled his eyes at her, and went inside. Rōshi followed soon afterwards, leaving only Naruto and Tayuya.

"So…"

"So…"

There was an awkward silence between the two. They didn't know what to say to one another; they didn't even know if there was anything left to say to each other.

"Listen… Tayuya, about the other night…"

"It's fine. Let's just not talk about it."

"No, what I'm trying to say is—"

"It's fine! I get it, okay?"

Naruto frowned at the girl's stubbornness. He let out a long sigh, and decided that the only way to beat her stubborn was with his stubborn. He leaned in, and planted the softest of kisses on her lips. When he pulled back by just a little bit, he whispered into her mouth.

"… I don't think you do."

Finally, he pulled away, leaving the girl wide-eyed and speechless. He had disarmed her yet again, and this time, he knew it too.

"Listen… I'm sorry about the other night. I have to tell you though… when I left Konoha, something happened. There was—"

He was immediately silenced when Tayuya's finger fell on his lips. She playfully slapped the boy on the cheek. She was smiling.

"Tell me when you get back."

Naruto nodded, and smiled back, with a goodbye hanging on the tip of his tongue. Before he could let it loose, Tayuya spoke.

"There's this festival… its tonight."

"Tayuya… I wish I could—"

"No, I know. What I'm saying is… three years from now. That should be long enough, right? Three years from now, right here."

Naruto smiled.

"It's a date."

And with that, he walked away.

---

When he arrived at the Village's outskirts Itachi and another strange man were already waiting for him. He approached the two, and as soon as he did, Itachi turned to the strange man.

"This is my apprentice. He'll be travelling with us for a while. Do you have any problem with this?"

The large man simply lifted his strange looking sword and rested it on his shoulders; a nonchalant look clear on his face.

"As long as he doesn't get in my way, I don't see why it would be a problem."

The strange man turned to the masked boy.

"Oi. The name's Kisame Hoshigaki. What's yours?"

"Kurama."

Suddenly, the blonde boy's entire body went rigid, and remained motionless. Kisame approached Kurama with a curious look on his face. He waved his hands a few times in front of the boy, as if checking for consciousness, and when he received no reply, he let out a hearty laugh, and spoke.

"Gone already. Hasn't even been ten seconds. Oi, Itachi, I know you said you were going to test the boy, but if your 'apprentice' is this weak, then maybe I have good reason to believe that you aren't a good judge of character after all."

Kisame raised an eyebrow at Itachi's stern, emotionless expression. With one swift movement, he brought his sword to the boy's neck, and smirked.

"Weaklings have no place in Akatsuki… isn't that right?"

Again, he received no response. Kisame clicked his tongue at his partner's indifference, and drew his blade back. In one deathly quick motion, he lopped the boy's head clean off. Much to his surprise, the head and carcass disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"A shadow clone…?"

"Looks like the old dog needs to learn some new tricks."

Kisame immediately turned to the source of the sentence. He soon found Kurama, nonchalantly sitting on a tree branch, looking down at the two of them. He allowed a chuckle to slip from his throat.

"Heh. I think I'm going to like this kid."

Without another word, Kurama jumped down, and looked Itachi straight in the eye. While the man's stern and piercingly cold gaze would have intimidated anybody else, there wasn't an ounce of fear in Kurama's body. There was a long silence between the two, but then, Kurama spoke.

"I'm doing this so that no one else has to; so that no one else ends up like me. I'm doing this so that no one else has to lose their Nanami."

A ghost of a smirk appeared on the Uchiha's face, as he turned around and started walking. Kurama followed suit, with Kisame walking beside him.

"What was that? Some kind of code?"

Kurama smiled beneath his mask.

"You could say that."

Kurama heard a low grumbling coming from what seemed to be the strange sword on Kisame's back.

"… What was that?"

Kisame touched the handle of his sword and closed his eyes, as if listening to something. After a while, a dark smile crossed his countenance.

"Hmm. It seems Samehada likes you."

---

"Stop!"

He had it; he had something. He was sure of it. He checked the ground's moisture. He checked the humidity of the air. He picked up on something; something that was inevitably what they were looking for. Kiba turned to the rest of their search party.

"He's close."

---

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

How's that for a quick update? I bet none of you expected this. Expectations. Shattered.

On another note, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. much more action in the next ones. And please, do feel free to review. I still have much to learn, and any feedback is appreciated.

Guest - I'm sorry if Itachi ruined it for you. Do feel free to keep reading though. Who knows, you might enjoy it later on.

bloodlinenaruto - Here you go. You weren't expecting that, were you? High Five.

The Failing Shadow - Thank you for that, really. It's what i was trying to go for, and I'm glad that the message got through.

El Frijolero - And all I have to say is thank you for the praise, my good man/woman! (I wasn't sure which one. It's not an insult)

The Burdened Muse - I hope this update doesn't disappoint. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, my friend.

Coolkid93 - That's a... cool name you got there! High Five! Thank you for the review, and I hope you like the way I'm going about Naruto's story. I'm planning to take some crazy twists and turns, but I'll still try to keep it real, yo.

angel11xpr - You flatter me. Thank you, by the way! I was hoping someone would pick up on that. It just seemed like a good way really meaningful way to lose someone, you know?

sasukelikesthed - First of all, I like your name. Secondly, I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm trying to do better, and if you had any thoughts you wanted to share, please, don't hesitate. As I said, I still have a lot to learn. I hope I can change your mind with the future chapters though.

I notice I use the word 'hope' a lot. Which is ironic, because I'm not really a 'hopeful' guy. In fact, I'm actually quite the 'hopeless' individual. Enjoy the chapter, review if you want to.