It's hard to believe just how much time I had once I finished writing this. It was almost TOO easy to reach my minimum limit. Then again, rather than stretching what happened over the course of a few chapters, I fit it all into one, so I guess it makes sense. I'm just back from taking the puppy to get his second vaccination, and within a week he'll by my uncle's akita's new chew toy! I can't wait, the little bastard outright refuses to do the toilet anywhere but on the floor!

Disclaimer: Anyone else feeling cautious of the next Naruto chapter?

Casting shadows where the dark can't reach

In the north, there is a place where the hills are many and large, the valley between them owning jungles that allowed no ground to be seen wherever you stood. The clouds dozed by lazily, almost brushing the surface of these hills as they passed like a thousand dandelion seeds carried by the wind. The sun had already reached its highest point, and was remaining there in a rather indecisive manner. The lull cast over this place was fixed, as strong as any midnight.

These hills however, were not ordinary by any meaning of the word. Every one of them was missing their peak, given instead a flat surface as if the summits themselves had been cut away. On these unnatural plateaus sat small communities surrounded by walls, occupying these hills and giving them purpose. There were around five of these little villages, all held on hills that were close together, suggesting a settlement that was too large for one place, or that had perhaps divided over time.

One of the quieter settlements closer to the south was a community filled with people of similar appearance. People with dark hair, a brown that was almost black, moved around in their dark clothes with clear destinations in mind. They were all slim in build, with pointed faces and narrow eyes that seemed almost passive to the less observant. But to those who paid closer attention, they would see though these seemed a destitute people, their bodies were in peak physical condition. A disagreement with those who lived here, would soon end in a quick departure for the stranger involved.

That wasn't such a worry however, if one didn't intend to cause any troubles. It was for that reason that this person could lay easy, resting in the branches of a tree inside the compound of this settlement. Utakata looked lazily around, undisturbed by the inhabitants who looked his way. Though he was an unfamiliar face, it seemed his features matched theirs enough that he could remain unbothered by those who really belonged. A fortunate thing, since the relaxing atmosphere here suited him well.

Unfortunately however his peace was not to last, as a young kimono clad girl ran over to the tree he rested in. Utakata couldn't help notice how this girl's eyes were the same as everyone else, making her look remarkably more mature than her actions would have him believe. "Oniisan, ojiisan says he'll see you now!" she called up, before turning around and running off now that her job was done. Utakata let out a smooth exhale, twirling his bubble blower in his fingers before sliding off the branch and heading towards his meeting.

He had left the temple just a day ago, in search of this place ahead. It hadn't been too difficult to find, such a place was hardly well hidden. When he arrived here, he was greeted well by the younger ones, believing him to be a member of the clan, while the older ones regarded him carefully. As he stepped into the home of one of the oldest residents of this place, he was prepared to be treated with great suspicion.

Reaching the room he knew to be his destination, he nodded gratefully to the two young women who waited outside for him. They slid the door open and bowed him into the room, a small place with little more than tatami mats, a table and a view of a nice garden. Utakata wasn't the only one here however, down by the table knelt and old man smoking a long and thin pipe. "I apologise for the intrusion." said the foreign nin, as he stood at the other side of the table.

The old man regarded Utakata for several moments, clearly taking in the boy's features and noticing what his daughters had been speaking of earlier. With a half hearted hand, he gestured for Utakata to take a seat, which the bubble nin did thankfully. The two knelt there in silence for quite a while, looking at each other indiscriminately. The old man was clearly the leader of this place, judging by his very shogunesque style clothing. Whether this was tradition, or signs of an ego as broad as the sleeves of his jacket wasn't quite clear at this time.

As was the etiquette, Utakata awaited the head of the household to be the first to speak. The scrutiny placed on him then, meant that it was quite a while before they set to talking. "From what my daughters tell me, you have a proposition for our clan that would be mutually beneficial." the old man said, speaking in no questions, but all the same looking for answers. A very bold manner, Utakata had to note. "But it is natural that I would doubt your words, since you are one so young. You appear to be representative of someone else, since I can see no other reason for sending such a fresh face."

Utakata politely bowed his head, showing the respect he felt the old man thought he deserved. He had yet to see reason if that was the case, but manners held their own reward after all. "I'm afraid you're mistaken there, the leader of my group is in fact one younger than I." he said, knowing this titbit would not work in his favour, but that hiding it would be even less helpful. "However, it is because of that that I feel our two groups can help one another."

The clan head took a long inhale on his pipe, releasing a slow cloud of smoke from his nostrils that seemed to turn his thick grey beard pastille for a moment. He closed his eyes and held his pipe aside, bowing his head in a sagely manner. "I see." he said, with a gruff, yet understanding tone. "Then it makes sense to believe that rather than manpower, it is experience that you are looking for. If that's the case, then you would have the power, or the finance to meet with what we can offer."

Utakata smiled back at the old chief, realising that what had first seemed as a wise tone was in fact overly presumptuous. That worked out quite favourably in some sense; that this man was really so prideful. "Actually, I'm afraid that's not quite right either." he said, drawing the old man's sharp eyes and knowing he wasn't pleasing this person in the slightest. "While experience can be useful, it is the manpower we search for. The wisdom you can offer, while great I'm sure, is not what we need. All we require from you are the forces with which to give our side a proper standing, means to become a much more prominent force."

The old man stopped, his pipe halfway back to his mouth. Deciding against the inhale of nicotine he had been planning, he set his pipe aside on the table and leant forward with a clear frown on his wrinkled face. "Few ninja organisations seek to become "prominent"." he said, his hard eyes delving deep into Utakata's with an enquiry he hadn't bothered with before. "For you to seek such an end, that can only mean you have intentions that are currently far outside your station."

This time Utakata's grin was sincere; the man had finally gotten one right. And what was more, he was curious. Taking this fact into account, Utakata shifted from his knees to his rear, sitting with one arm draped over his crooked leg while the other supported his weight. "That's a pretty fair way of putting it, I'll have to say." he admitted, looking out into the garden peacefully. The sozuu in the pond made its sound, clanking to scare away any birds coming to roost. Though the company wasn't the best, the setting was certainly nice. "However, it does move to the point that benefits your clan."

The head of the household narrowed his already slim eyes, disliking Utakata's sudden change of demeanour. But the boy spoke in such a way, and acted along with it, that he couldn't rid himself of his own curiosity. That was why when Utakata looked him right in the eye, his attention couldn't help focusing to its highest. "The Hizuma clan was once pretty formidable in Kusagakure, back before the third great war." the Rokubi Jinchuuriki said, his smile becoming slightly crooked as he watched the clan chief's reaction. "But their slip up caused Iwa to gain a foothold, and even cost Kusa the Kannabi bridge. All that honour disappeared pretty quickly, didn't it?"

Not wanting to appear sinister, Utakata moved his attention away at this time. The clansman was silently grateful for this, for it allowed him to ease up on his rising tension a little. Had his clothes been mad of concrete, they would have surely shattered under the strength of his grip. "Shunned from Kusa, the Hizuma clan was forced to find a new place to call home." Utakata continued, in his quietly whimsical manner. "And there they found this place. A settlement consisting of small agricultural communities, with just enough money to hire the clan as guards. It's a nice living, but nothing compared to what the clan had back then, am I right?"

The head of the Hizuma clan let out a deep, heavy exhale as he regretfully accepted Utakata's words. It was true that his ancestors would condemn him for what their once noble family had become. Though he hated being spoken to in a manner, it looked like he no longer had place to be as pretentious as he had once possessed the right to. So with a reluctant manner, he raised his head and met his eyes with Utakata. "What… are your intentions?" he asked, making his very first question.

"Well, they're not really my intentions I have to say, but they are some interesting ones." Utakata began, taking on a more formal sitting position as business went underway. He felt like playing with the old man a little more, but knew that it would be better if he would just get on with things. "Yoinokuchi, or rather the leader of Yoinokuchi wants to create a hidden village that welcomes all ninja who were shunned from their homes. It will be a safe haven for some, and a means for becoming stronger in others. However, in your case, it would be a chance to finally give back what your clan had not so long ago."

The clan head scratched his beard and creased his brow, contemplating what he had just been told. This was far from the first time he had heard young people speak of grandiose dreams like that, many of those dreams he himself had shut down. "It seems you really are having thoughts far outside your station." he replied, crossing his arms with a deep and discriminating look. "Yet from what I hear, you lack finances, experience and manpower to be the slightest bit formidable. If anything, you sound like little more than a band of rogues trying to make a name for themselves. If you want our help, you'll need proof that you are worth-"

"OJIISAN!"

The old man and Utakata looked suddenly to the hall as they heard a crashing sound. The attending women in the hall cried out in shock as a short, shadowy form darted in front of the screen. Without waiting for invitation, the door was thrown open to reveal one of the younger Shinobi, Hizuma Chita, who was panting and puffing where he stood. "O… jii… san!" the boy gasped, his hand on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "I found a guy… who can get rid of the Mizuma!"

Utakata glanced at the clans head with a half frown, wondering just what this boy was getting at. The Mizuma was a second clan of Shinobi, residing just on the neighbouring hill. If what he heard was right, then the two clans were under a slight feud of territory, the right to protect the settlements on the other hills. But in cases like these, it was customary that the clans use only their own power to compete with each other, not borrowed power from wandering ninja. "Looks like that pride is going to sink even-"

"So where's this harem?"

The bubble nin froze, his ears pricking up and his skin fading a shade paler. His eyes locked onto the paper screens, watching as the form of a young man with spiky hair and a huge sword stepped on by. His horrified feeling was confirmed, as Uzumaki Naruto stepped into view, looking more relaxed than anyone else in the vicinity felt. This feeling of peace was soon to end however, as the two Jinchuuriki set eyes on each other. "EH?" Naruto exclaimed, as Utakata shot to his feet. With the taller boy's fist sinking into the blond one's stomach, it was simple to force his leader to his knees. "Eh…"

For nearly two days now, Gaara had remained in his own world. He wasn't the sort to do anything in small scale, and so was scouring the desert Kumogakure with near limitless vigilance. He was steadily coming up with an idea on the best moves to make, but his time was running short. His energy consumption was greater than most, since he never slept, and so he was moving close to the point that would be much too difficult to continue.

He walked through one of the many high buildings, several unusual mounds of sand left behind him. His hand was tensed more so than usual, highlighting the stress he was feeling here. Another con to remaining in this world for too long was that certain elements grew smarter the more they learned about him. It had gotten to the point where he was being attacked in waves, and progress was almost zero.

It was of little concern to him then, when he heard a distant door open and felt a breeze that shouldn't exist in this climateless place. His eyes opened to see the silhouette of a girl in the light from beyond. With all the gathered candles burnt out, only the small flame from the lantern this girl carried told him that it was Rei who interrupted him. "Sorry for intruding." she softly said, stepping inside while carefully avoiding the candles. Gaara watched her silently as she carried in a tray bearing something that steamed. "I thought you could use something to eat, since you've been down here for so long."

Gaara followed the tray with his eyes as Rei set it down, realising what she was giving him was a bowl of golden coloured soup and a small loaf of bread. The soup smelled delicious, though anything other than the mustiness of this room was most welcome. "Back then… years ago…" Rei began, forcing a smile onto her uneasy face. "You and Naruto-san did something like this for me, right?"

The red haired nin stopped with his hand halfway to the bread, his attention sharply turning back to Rei. His eyes were locked onto hers as she placed the lantern down for him to see, revealing the suspicion set into his expression. "You shouldn't be thinking about that time." he said, as he picked the loaf up and tore it in half. He dipped one of those halves into the soup, allowing the bread to absorb the juices, before raising it to his lips. "It's dangerous."

Rei nodded with a sad smile, recalling the time when Gaara had told her the same, but not in such nice terms. In truth, she was still nervous about being around this cold blooded person, but right now she couldn't help it. "I remember what you told me, and I won't say anything." she replied, crouching down and resting her chin on her folded arms. "It's just that touchan has been asking me about what happened during that time… and I don't know what to tell him."

Gaara chewed his soup stained bread lightly, studying the face of the girl kind enough to bring him this meal. He could see well that for a long time, her eyes had been similar to his. But where he had sought to cling to his existence, she had been almost desperate to give it away. That had been his understanding, at the very least. Putting his bread aside, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, feeling slightly displeased that this was turning into a conversation. "It won't be good for anyone if you carry the burden of that time." he said, opening his eyes again to look deep into Rei's. "When you speak to Han about that time, say nothing of Naruto, myself, or any missions Kirai took on. Unless I am mistaken, those details would mean less to him, compared to what you went through in any case."

As a clear indicator that he felt nothing more was to be said, he continued on eating without giving Rei time to respond. The girl with the icy eyes looked at Gaara in surprise, his unexpected leniency catching her off guard. Knowing she shouldn't disturb him any further, she rose to her feet and gave a slight bow, before turning away and leaving the room. Gaara lifted his eyes to the closed door, and realised that it had probably been best that he stopped at that. But then he paid it no more thought, and went on with his meal silently.

"Who's Kirai?"

Gaara tensed, dropping his bread back onto the tray. Slowly he turned his head behind him, casting a murderous gaze upon the person who had snuck up on him. Fuu was crouched just a metre away, her chin resting in her cupped hands as she gave Gaara a questioning smile. Fortunately for her, the lack of lighting masked the look she was given, and she wasn't that good at detecting killer intent. "Yagura-kun told me to practice my stealth Jutsu." she said, explaining her presence without having to be asked. Or rather, even though she wasn't asked. "I figured you'd be the easiest to sneak up on. And I was right!"

Fuu had made several mistakes there. The first was disturbing Gaara while he was busy, something she had been told not to do. The second was sneaking up on Gaara, something no one would do. Third went for being a nuisance while he was eating, and fourth was for insulting his capabilities. These all gathered together to make for a very grumpy Gaara. It wasn't until Fuu heard the sand rising behind her, that she too learned that she had made a grievous error.

Utakata and Naruto both knelt before the Hizuma clan head, staring at the old man in shock. A lady attendant appeared from the still open hall door, carrying with her a tray of tea and three cups. While she set to providing everyone with drinks, the males in the room remained forcefully silent. But when the lady left, it was Utakata who broke the silence, before Naruto could do so in a louder tone. "Could you repeat that?" he asked, leaning forward just a little as he awaited the old man's reply.

The Hizuma gave a nod that seemed to take forever to pass, unbeknown that he was antagonising the less patient "guest" beside the one who had actually been allowed in. "When the Hizuma clan was thrown from Kusa, our banishment was not just." he said, the tightening of his jaw and his closed eyes showing signs of stress. "The fault lied not with the entire clan, but with one member in particular. Hizuma Saihen is the one who cost our village the Kannabi bridge. And what is more, he conspired to turn the clan against the main household once we had been banished!"

By the looks on the two boy's faces, he could see this information was outside the scope of their knowledge. Though this was unsurprising, he himself had worked hard to keep the treason of his fellow clansman from becoming common knowledge. "For these past few years, our clans have been warring under the guise of protecting these farmlands." he continued, sitting back with his back as straight as his age would allow. "In actual fact, we stand to gain little from this place. Our true goal lies not in the murder of our clan, but bringing that man to justice. If you can help us with this, then you will have your alliance."

Utakata folded his arms, the slight glint from before sneaking into his eyes. It seemed that nobility wasn't this clan's goal after all, but simply vengeance. That was good, since it was something that could work in their favour. "Yo, so these are the guys you were talking about?" Naruto asked, giving a slight tug to Utakata's sleeve. When the dark haired boy gave a nod in reply, Naruto met it with a more vigorous one. "Yosh! Hey ojiisan, so what's this guy look like?"

The old Hizuma frowned as Naruto got to his feet, stretching his arms high and wide. The blond boy then made his way to the garden, while Utakata rose up to follow him. Where he had thought he would convince these two to do a dangerous mission, it seemed this boy was actually offering his services. With a hasty snap of his fingers, he gave an order to one of his daughters, sending him to collect a photograph. Meanwhile he joined Naruto and Utakata in his garden, checking to make sure he had gotten it right.

"As a member of the Hizuma clan that Saihen is a proficient user of Katon and barrier Jutsu." he said, half wondering why he was alerting Naruto of this. As his daughter reappeared by his side with a picture in hand, Naruto beat him in taking it and studied it thoroughly, before handing it back to the attendant with a word of thanks. "It will take more than the two of you to defeat him and the forces that guard him."

Ignoring the old man, Naruto leapt up onto the wall of the garden and gripped the hilt of the Ekokaeten. Looking over for the hill designated to the Mizuma clan, he quickly found it and glanced back at Utakata. "Hey, think you can give me a foothold?" he asked, with a half expectant look. Utakata smirked in reply, procuring his bubble blower and solution. In seconds, the air was filled with large bubbles that drifted lazily towards the Mizuma hill. "Thanks, you wanna take care of things over here?"

Utakata waved as Naruto leapt up, using the bubbles as stepping stones to make his way over to Mizuma hill. When his leader was out of sight, he then turned around to face the clan head with his peaceful smile once again. The Hizuma clan leader was still looking to where Naruto had been, his attention only returning to his guest when said person slipped his hands into his sleeves. "Now, at the moment we don't possess the means to support your entire clan." the rather impertinent ninja said, without awaiting results from his hyperactive comrade. "So what we'll do is take twelve of your most hot blooded young Shinobi. As long as they have skill of course."

The old man was at a loss for words, suddenly unsure if Utakata was arrogant or knew something he clearly didn't. He maintained himself however; the only thing that had impressed him so far was this boy's resourcefulness and that other boy's strength. "My most hot blooded young Shinobi..." he repeated slowly, with a furrowed brow. This guest of his was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Asking for such basic things, making big promises, and then acting as if he could fulfil them, all for the promise of the least ninja like Shinobi he possessed? "With this war, there are a fair number of those. But they will definitely not accept leaving until they have seen Saihen's head roll. They desire that perhaps more than I-"

"YO, UTAKATA!"

Utakata raised his hand, begging a moment of interruption from the clan head. He turned around and hopped up onto the wall, looking far out to the distance. There he could see a tiny Naruto, standing on a wall with a large broken segment not far from him. The blond boy raised his hand, revealing a man he held by the collar. "IS THIS THE GUY?" he asked, his voice distant and just barely decipherable with his already harsh voice.

Utakata began to squint to see who it was, but found out it was unnecessary. Not too far beside him, one of the old man's daughters had hopped up to the wall just as neatly as he had himself, procuring a telescope from the folds of her flowing kimono. Looking through the glass, she focused her sight on the yelling boy up ahead. With a gasp and a nod, she confirmed Utakata's thoughts. "YEAH, THAT'S HIM!" the bubble nin yelled back, his hands placed on either side of his face.

Down below, the old man was staring up with a look almost of terror. His ears were surely betraying him; it had not been two minutes since that boy had left! "This couldn't possibly be so!" he breathed, before wincing in shock. For four long years his clan had fought against the Mizuma with absolutely no progress. But then, an enemy who employed the exact same methods was hardly a good match up. Before the old man could move to investigate further, he flinched at the sound of an explosion.

"AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The head of the clan and all his daughters froze in shock as just a few metres to his right, dust and dirt erupted. Naruto had somehow crossed that insane gap in a single leap, with his prisoner close in tow. Even Utakata was faintly impressed, as he turned around and dropped from the wall. "Looks like his Fuuton Jutsu has reached an incredible level." he thought to himself, as he approached his leader and the half conscious Saihen. From the look of the wavy brown hair and the weasely features, this was the very same guy as in the picture he had gained a fleeting look at. He turned attention back to his host with an even wider smile, sure this level of work had done the trick. "We'll take those ninja as soon as you're done with this person."

All of the Hizuma gathered around stared in shock at Hizuma Saihen, who lay in a broken and bloody pulp on the ground. Barely anyone noticed as Naruto and Utakata stepped through the hall, quietly bumping fists as they departed the household for the time being. As they silently made their leave, the head of household and each of his daughters convened on Saihen, not one among them wearing the slightest look of mercy.

It wasn't until two days later, given time for a public execution and more for the chosen ninja to pack up, but eventually Naruto and Utakata made their leisurely way back towards the place they called home, with fourteen ninja following them from behind. As requested, the ninja were all young, roughly Naruto's age with some older and younger. The group consisted of mostly Shinobi, with about four rather merciless Kunoichi amongst them. Neither of the Yoinokuchi members had made time to learn names yet, as none of these Hizuma members even knew why they were being so suddenly deported. But one thing had to be said; they certainly were a hot blooded bunch.

Once more Naruto looked over his shoulder, noticing that in a village full of narrow eyed and suspicion filled people, this group was all either wide eyed or lazy eyed. Though they all had their visual similarities, Naruto could notice the differences better than most. The auras these people exuded weren't too impressive, but at the same time they weren't exactly civilian level either. What made him keen on them though were not their appearances, or abilities, but that there wasn't a single soul amongst them that seemed the least bit soft. This was most definitely going to be a fun-

Naruto suddenly stopped, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping. The procession behind, including Utakata, came to a stop with him and looked on curiously. The blond leader remained still for several long seconds, before suddenly throwing his hands to his head and opening his mouth wide to the sky. "GA-AGH!" he cried out, voicing his displeasure loud and clear. "DAMN IT, I FORGOT ABOUT THE HAREM!"

Amidst the mutterings coming from behind, Utakata noticed a sudden decline in morale. To exclaim such a perverted thing, at such an unsuitable time, was beyond even what he had expected from this person. "Uh… Naruto?" he asked, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder to get his attention. "Are you saying you came all this way… because of a harem?"

Naruto's hands dropped to his side, and he looked over his shoulder with obvious despair. This took the effect even further; Utakata had never known Naruto to really have such tendencies. "Well yeah…" the blond boy replied, as tears streamed down his closed eyes. Then, without warning, he grabbed Utakata by the shoulder, before announcing. "How was I supposed to turn down the promise of free food?"

The group suddenly adopted an eerie silence, all eyes that were on Naruto suddenly narrowing in confusion. Utakata was no exception to this, as he for a moment was taken aback by the next link in this peculiar development. "Naruto…" he asked, his brow slowly creasing as a light in his head began to faintly shine. "What do you think a harem is?"

Naruto blinked at Utakata, his expression matching that of everyone else in the vicinity. He let go of his fellow Jinchuuriki and gripped his chin with one hand, suddenly getting the feeling he had gotten something quite wrong. "Well… from the pictures I've seen." he began, before raising his hand in a somewhat informative and intellectual manner. "It's a place where lots of waitresses bring you food and stuff, right?"

If he had expected a quick answer, he was in for disappointment. What he got instead was an odd visual effect of what may happen if gravity increased tenfold. Every single person around him had fallen flat on their faces, while he himself remained perfectly fine. Looking around the masses, his eyes narrowed confusedly, and his jaw jutted in an offended way. "Well you don't have to go that far." he thought, as he felt sure he was being made fun of.