A/N: Hey guys again I forgot this in the last chapter but I'd like to also give a shout out to BigBossVince, Midnightsince, Mrfox225, Orchestra of Order, THDL, and mantoniolealt for following this story, and a special thanks to dragma for favoriting it.

Chapter 10

Naruto's nerves were on edge as he approached the jinchuriki known as Gaara. He was the son of the Kazekage, and therefore his death would be a large political blow to both Suna and Konoha. However, Naruto's intentions did not lay in causing harm to the boy. He knew that if the boy perished the beast he held would be given the chance to reform at a later time, without them being able to pinpoint its location.

That would be disastrous, so in order to prevent the situation from going belly up, he decided that diplomacy combined with a bit of espionage would be the best course of action. His observations of the boy gave him little doubt of some kind of mental instability, and a murderous rage that accompanied it.

Strangely he was detached from it, taking lives, not for himself or some petty feelings of power, or pride, or any other emotion that usually led to such episodes. He simply killed, or so it seemed at first glance. Through more thorough investigation, and tailing he came to a far different, and more dangerous conclusion.

The Ichibi was able to communicate with the boy in some way and managed to convince him that it was his mother. The lack of love and care displayed by his brother and sister and the cold distance that his sensei gave off was an indicator that they had long since stopped caring.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked from his perch in a tree overlooking a small stream and several houses in the distance. The night was cool and crisp, and the smell of dried blood wafting from Gaara's gourd was thick in the air. If Naruto had been a normal person he would have feared for his life, but the child was no threat to him.

A smile made its way onto the face Naruto wore. He decided to take the angle of an experienced old man who knew of his burden and was willing to help him through it. The graying hair and wrinkled skin were in line with the expectation of such a man, Naruto's acting would have to sell it though.

"Name's Nanashi kid." His gruff voice echoed through the night air.

Gaara turned around, settling his eyes on the newcomer, "Leave," he said plainly.

Naruto chuckled. "Now I can't leave a kid out here alone in the middle of the night now can I?"

"I do not need help, leave now or I'll kill you,"

Again Naruto laughed, and in mere moments the gourd crumbled into sand rushing forward, scooping Naruto up and compacting around him. Gaara returned to watching the people below him as he did every night while others enjoyed their undisturbed nights of rest. He envied them.

"That was rude," The old man was still alive. He was unmolested excluding the sand that clung to him in large clumps.

Feeling his mother's anger spike Gaara stood stretching his arm out and silently commanding his sand to attack. To his frustration, the man vanished from his spot one moment and reappeared next to him. No one had been that close to Gaara in a long time, and his natural defense panicked. His sand armor exploded from his body trying in vain to smother the interloper.

Nothing worked. The man was far too agile, dodging this way and that with an unseen rhythm. He tried, again and again, to pin down his aggravating prey to no avail.

"WHY WON"T YOU DIE?!" Gaara screamed out. He poured as much chakra as he could into his sand he sent it out again, this time in a roaring wave that crash and swallowed all in its path.

Gaara fell to one knee. His breathing was heavy, his vision blurred, and his body shook. He tried to get to his feet, managing to get onto one knee before collapsing onto the ground.

The chakra infused sentient weapon of his continued to thrash and crush all it could, creating a small sandstorm that left the entire area resembling the desert of his homeland. The wasteful expenditure of energy left him exhausted and unable to move. He allowed himself to fall onto his back, closing his eyes as the voice of his mother faded.

"I wasn't going to kill you," Naruto said after he managed to haul himself free from a sand dune. "I really wasn't, but you're beyond saving right now. It's better this way."

Gaara's eyes opened once more staring up weakly. Never had he felt this tired, lacking the constant murmuring of his mother. He felt cold as he watched his soon-to-be killer. "Why?" he choked out through the pain in his chest.

"I told you I didn't want to kill you, but you're beyond saving," Naruto whispered back. He truly had desired to avoid this course of action. They shared the same burden, the same pain, and they were the separate outcomes of it.

What if he had become the same type of monster as this child? A beast, brutish and skillful solely in the art of carnage, reveling in the gore of it all. A terrifying concept that strengthened his resolve.

In the past, the threat of death always rang hollow. Now he knew the fear of it. "I don't want to die!" he screamed out.

He tried to crawl, to find egress, knowing that there was none, just as there had been none for his victims. How many pleaded for their lives as he stood over them? How many tried to flee? How many did not deserve their fate? Perhaps this was his fate, a punishment for his sins.

Hands wrapped around his throat and he screamed struggling with the last of his strength. The eternal abyss encroached further and further upon him, filling his world with crushing darkness as he crossed its threshold.

IGSL

"Are these reports correct?" Hiruzen massaged his temples as he listened to reports from his ANBU of a suspected battle that supposedly took place just on the outskirts of the residential district. The damage caused by whatever unknown factions fought there was not great in any sense of the word to him and his shinobi (the genin would say otherwise as they were cleaning the mess), if the sightings of the Kazekage's youngest son in the midst of the battle rang true, it would not have to be.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. We do not know the outcome of the battle nor have we found any of its participants, however, we have already issued orders for tighter guards on foreign examinees and stringent restrictions on where they are allowed to go." ANBU captain Tiger was by and far his most efficient soldier, a grand ally to have in advanced age.

"Is the Kaazekage's son missing?" Danzo asked.

The Council was in session deliberating on a strategy to deal with the complications that were fast arising. Hiruzen envied his predecessors. It was his will to create the Council as a means to balance the power of the Hokage and ensure the people were truly represented. He regretted the decision from the beginning.

The seat of Hokage ceased to be of use to Danzo after he was allowed the position of elder and the power that followed it. The backstabbing began at the onset of his ascension. His actions in Ame with his ROOT was the cause of an international incident that left the small nation crippled for years, less than a decade postponed from the destruction that was the Second Great Shinobi War, and the betrayal of his vow to lend men to Uzu should they ever need it cost them their greatest ally and a good portion of the world's knowledge of seals.

All of this madness and loss, all due to a man who knew no true loyalty- for a foul creature who's heart shone as black as the void from whence he came. As unenviable as the situation Hiruzen found himself in, if as his own foolhardy choice to trust the bastard then, and it was his torment now.

"He is, however his team reports that he often leaves for hours on end to meditate away from others," Hawk, second in command of Tiger's team answer Danzo's hanging question.

Hiruzen coughed and drew his pipe. He lit it with a quick fire jutsu. The pungent aroma calming his nerves. "It matters little whether or not he is truly missing. Find him so that relationship between our villages does not become more frigid than they already are."

Hawk wasted no time, the after-image of his body flicker fading a mere moment after the order was given.

"I do not see why we try so hard to keep relations with Suna Hiruzen," his former teammate and Councillor Mitokado spoke up after the ANBU were gone.

Utatane Koharu, the last member of the Council and last teammate nodded in agreement. How he allowed himself to become surrounded by War Hawks was beyond him.

Sighing he mentally prepared himself for a headache that was to ensue.

IGSL

The day of the exams finally came, bringing about a feeling a dread within Kakashi. He crushed the emotion. The conspiracy derived by his students left a bitter taste in his mouth. In his youth, such talk, even in absence of any true action, was intolerable. Now he was on the other end of the spectrum. He was not attempting to track down leads and root out the rabble that deigned to paltry attempts that challenged the reign of his beloved village. He was that scum plotting in the night.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth. He protected this land with his body and soul for as long as his memory served him. Through war, death, and madness he stayed resolute in his work- taking pride in it, lapping up the praise of his superiors. Outwardly he was uncaring, inwardly he cared too much.

He learned when his father took his own life how much the pain of loving and losing hurt than never having at all. The crippling sadness and loneliness, the throbbing ache that grew and grew. It was a weakness- he needed no one, or at least that was what he told himself.

It was untrue as all else in his mess of a life. The crueler irony of it was that they all died protecting him. Obito saved him from being crushed to death, and both Rin and Minato sacrificed themselves for the good of the village. He lived shallowed by the guilt of living.

When he was first given charge of team seven he wanted to fail them regardless of the consequences, they reminded him far too much of his old squad. He avoided training them and tried his damnedest to stay distant. Naruto was far too persistent for it to work.

The joy he displayed on a constant basis was infectious, so much so that Kakashi smiled more in his time with his team than he had in his entire life. He grew attached, attracted by Naruto's uncanny ability to unintentionally say just what people needed to hear. It was awe-inducing to witness him talk Zabuza into admitting his true feelings in regards to his apprentice, and into fighting Gato and all his men, not to mention how he was able to get Inari to see that at some point you had to say 'enough is enough'.

Then death visited Kakashi's life once more taking with him the last bit of joy in Kakashi's life. It was a debilitating blow. Unlike the other deaths that haunted him there was no more he could have done than he already did. He was powerless to stop it.

When Sasuke claimed that Naruto rose from the grave he had half a mind to take the boy to T&I- a quick flash of the Sharingan dissuaded the notion, forcing him to agree to meet with what he could only assume was an imposter of some sort. It was not, the boy was the real deal, and that left Kakashi in a more conflicted situation.

On one hand, Naruto was declared dead by the village (as he was, in fact, dead), and therefore was no longer a Shinobi of Konoha, and on the other, he was plotting something- what Kakashi was not sure. H needed to carefully mull over the situation before taking action.

IGSL

The Chunin Exams were upon them and Sai was as prepared as he would ever be. Danzo-sama decided it was time for him to eliminate Uchiha Sasuke. With intelligence suggesting Orochimaru would likely infiltrate the village sometime during the event, the best course of action was to make certain that he could not gain access to the Sharingan.

Of course no one knew of Sai's mission outside of himself and Danzo, because rather than allow the information he gathered to be made known among the intelligence community of Konoha he hoarded it, knowing that Orochimaru would not be able to resist taking a stab at Hiruzen and if the old fool fell in battle the only choice to replace him would be Danzo.

He might have already obtained great power when he duped the old goat into creating the council and giving seats to those who would be most sympathetic to his cause, yet his greed and ambition knew no bounds. He would stop at nothing to have total control.

Sai knew this, having seen it first hand when Shin died, and when his innocence was taken from him.

He wanted Danzo to pay for what he had done- his blood sang for retribution, but he tempered the feeling as he was taught to do with all his emotions. He was not ready to take such a challenge, he would bide his time.

He smiled a genuine smile to himself as he sat in the low light of his room sharpening his weapon, preparing for the long road ahead.

IGSL

"Hanabi-chan, I'm glad that you could make it," The Sandiame greeted her as she slipped into his office.

She bowed to him, "It's a pleasure to meet you in person Hokage-sama," she said as her head came up.

"No need for such formalities, even if we are meeting in our official capacity we can at least find a small bit of joy in such an interaction,"

"I suppose," Hanabi replied, "I'm used to dealing with my father, and he is a stickler for the rules."

"Oh, yes I know," Hiruzen chuckled. "He can be quite the stick in the mud, but I digress, I have another meeting shortly that only just came up, so you might be correct in wanting to cut to the chase. Simply, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon will be participating in the exam. I know before I said they would not be allowed to do so, I believe I was far too quick to render judgment. After reading over mission reports and client surveys I am sure that they will do well. You will pretend to be their jonin sensei, and if all three of them make it to the finals or one of them is promoted you will be promoted."

That was most unexpected. Not for a moment did any of them think it possible that the old man's mind would be changed, it was an opportunity they could not afford to let pass. If any of them were to be promoted it would allow them more freedom to begin spreading their influence.

'She bowed again, "Thank you for the honor Hokage-sama,"

"You're welcome," he waved her off and she left feeling giddy.

IGSL

It was time for the exams to begin. All of the jonin of the village who were not on mission or needed to keep an eye on their more unscrupulous guests were seated in the jonin lounge, a breakroom area located in the Hokage Tower.

Kakashi was seated next to Kurenai and Asuma, and another woman. Her real identity was Hyuga Hanabi, for the day, however, she was Mirai jonin of Konoha.

"How do you think your students will do Kakashi?" Asuma asked in a jovial tone.

Kakashi decided that a bit of banter would do no harm. "I think Sasuke and Sakura have a great chance of reaching the finals, I don't know about getting promoted. What about yours?"

Asuma leaned back, he wished he could have a cigarrette. "They aren't ready, at least not all of them. I think Shikamaru has a chance, Ino and Choji lack too many of the core skills that they're looking for."

"My team isn't ready either," Mirai spoke softly. "Konohamaru and Moegi are rash, and Udon is soft-spoken. I believe they have the skills to advance but not the discipline."

"They're younger than the others, it'll come with time." Kurenai offered.

"I know, but if they made it I could rub it in your faces!" She snickered back.

Kurenai looked down dejectedly "You're a brat,"

"What? Can't take a little competition?"

The two dissolved into a small play fight, and the other jonin stared at them. It was not an act, not a moment coerced for the sake of gaining intelligence, or some other covert thing. Kurenai and Hanabi were truly friends, mostly in thanks to Hinata.

The girl introduced them formally when her father brought Hanabi along with him to crash one of Hinata's training sessions. It came to light that Hiashi was not unaware of his daughter's learning, he simply no longer cared. It was decided by the elders of the clan that following the conclusion of the Chunin Exams Hinata would be branded with the damnable seal.

A prognostication of ill portent if there ever was one. This sped up their timeframe for their own plans and forced Hanabi and Kurenai to meet. They hit it off rather well.

While it was not visible to the naked eye none of the four jonin felt the clam they displayed. They were afraid of the coming days, for whether by their own hands or the hands of others the world was changing. There were machinations abound, ready to be sprung and drag the world into the crevase.

For all of them, their sole reason for soldiering on in spite of what they saw over the horizon were their students. they care for the young boys and girls they spent the last nine months training, and now their resolve was being tested.

Kakashi for one was the most nervous, as he had the most to lose. HIs students were the leaders of the rebellion that was brewing beneath their own feet, and if the story of Itachi indeed had any basis in reality, the consequences of discovery would not be pleasant.

That was another driving force in their steadfast stance of aiding their students. The information that they were now able to gather now gave insight into situations and circumstances that many did not even know came to pass. Thee were answers to questions, and more questions to be answered, in the end, it all pointed to a chilling revelation.

The Hokage or Kage, in general, were not what they seemed to be. They were at their core me who fought for peace, though not for the entirety of the Nations of the world, simply for Konoha, and they would do whatever it took to achieve that goal.

It was an easy sentiment to believe. The men who took up the mantle of Hokage were looked upon as the protectors of their peoples, and if eliminating factions who's view did not coincide, or outright contradicted the doctrine of the village was not a show of how willing they were to do whatever it took to keep their people safe, then nothing could.

Attacking villages that were home to their enemies was not a point of contention, the countless documents that pointed to the use of shinobi working under the guise of bandits in order to incite fear in the civilian population and force the Daimyo to give them more funding.

In addition, there were other records that suggested Danzo's involvement in the Orochimaru incident, and several cases of supposed interventions in other countries.

There was much to fear if it were discovered they knew any of the information they found. The cover-up of it all ran all the way back to the Nidiame, who according to records began human experimentation on prisoners of the First Great Shinobi War, and it was this that led to the creation of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and a forbidden jutsu called Impure World Resurrection, the latter of which was capable of raising the dead to fight for the living.

It was becoming increasingly evident as well that very few knew of the documents, and those that did would prefer they were forgotten in the annals of time. How had it even come to the point that such things would have needed to happen? Konoha was supposed to have been built on the belief of peace, that one day men and women from all over the world would be able to live together in Harmony, yet no matter what one does to cultivate such it never comes to fruition due to the greed of others.

Now they stood in Hashirama's seat, attempting to once again create Konoha in the image he intended.

"You alright Kakashi?" Asuma asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Huh, yea I'm uh fine," Kakashi replied awkwardly.

"Doesn't look like it to me." Asuma retorted.

"Got lost in my thoughts," Kakashi waved off his concern.

"That looked like a lot more than just lost in thoughts Kakashi,"

Seeing that Asuma would not be deterred Kakashi decided to indulge the man. He leaned close enough so that only their group would be able to hear any of what he was saying. "Do you think they'll succeed?"

Asuma was not quite expecting that straightforward of a question. it tumped him for a moment, and then he regained his wits, "I think they can, but we have to do our parts as well,"

"Do you truly want to know the truth? What is all of this is the truth? Are you prepared for that?"

Asuma eyed Kakashi worryingly. "We need the truth. We can't hide forever."

"I know, but if we make any mistakes, its all over, and I've lost so many that I loved and cared for, I can't handle it again,"

Kurenai and Mirai looked on at the scene before them. Kakashi was always the kind of person who seemed to have complete control of his emotions, and now he was looking vulnerable for the first time. His voice carried the feeling of his mistakes and burdens that held him down. HIs soul was scarred by the pain of his cherished ones leaving him alone.

'They'll make it, they're strong," Asuma tried.

"They are, however, look at who's lurking around in this village lately. It's only luck that the rampage of the Ichibi Jinchuriki happened in an area without people. It makes me think we're playing with fire."

"We're shinobi Kakashi, we are playing with fire," Asuma shot back. "Each one of us is more dangerous than we seem, and we all kill. We can't be afraid of dying."

'I'm not afraid of dying," Kakashi retorted. "I just want my students to be safe."

Kurenai finally chose that moment to get in on the conversation (after casting a subtle genjutsu that would make it look and sound as if they were talking about a completely unrelated topic. "They chose their own path, all we can do is choose to help or not,"

"They're too young and inexperienced," he growled. "Orochimaru will be in that forest looking for Sasuke, how do you expect me not to worry?"

"I don't," she replied in a soft tone. "I worry just as much as you do. I know my students are not in direct danger, at least not from that animal, but there are other dangers that lurk everywhere. They are shinobi and kunoichi just like us, and at one point they have to be allowed to make their own choices, and fight their own battles,"

"Even if they have to take on an S-rank nukenin," Hanabi added

Kakashi let out a sigh and ran his hands through his hair. "I know thinking about it will do no good, but after what happened to Naruto can you blame me?"

"No I can't," Asuma replied. "If anything happened to one of my students I don't know if I could continue on."

"I feel the same," Kurenai touched a small necklace that Hinata gave her right before she left to go start the first portion of the exams. "They mean the world to me, even if Kiba and Shino don't know it."

"Kono-kun, Moegi-chan, and Udon-kun are three very brave children, and they have proven to me time and time again that they can handle whatever the world throws their way. I want them to be safe and prosper, just like you all want for your students. We can't coddle them even in a moment like this. If they say they have a plan, trust them."

Those wise words coming from the young Hanabi was what they needed to hear. Fear would yield them no success, it was not as if their students were unable to defend themselves, and if they ran into trouble that they could not handle they were not alone. Naruto was there to help them, though only team seven and team Hanabi knew of his presence among the living.

"You're right, we have to trust them." Kakashi agreed.

IGSL

"It's almost time Sasuke," Sakura spoke softly as she checked her gear.

"It is, and I spoke to Naruto about our next course of action," Sasuke replied, "We will create our own village, one that will protect the people regardless of their affiliations."

"Are you sure? Setting a village up will take time, and if we want to find Itachi and avoid being found out by Konoha we won't be able to leave."

"I know. Naruto and Umi will be the ones doing the legwork. They have the freedom of movement, and the ideal location."

The days of the rule of the five great nations was at an end in Sasuke's eyes. The continued betrayal of the people by those they looked to for protection. The seeds of rebellion were scattered all throughout the world, and the villages would reap their reward. Betrayal begets betrayal. It is a cycle that will not be stopped.

Destruction was to be the force by which they would cleanse the world that its infection. The ways of the Shinobi could not be allowed to stand as it was. The powerful preying upon the weak who prostrate themselves in an effort to escape the savagery that followed them.

They did not know better. They could not comprehend what they were allowing to become of themselves. They were sheep out of necessity and not a choice. When being anything other leads to death how can one claim to have given you the right to choose your own destiny?

Fight or die, that was the all that could be done when the odds lay in the enemies favor. It was likely that they would perish in pursuit of their insurmountable task, but they would attempt it. they were chief among the few who could act, who could protect, who could fight.

"Sakura, we all live and die, whether we do so now or then does not matter. Death will greet us and we will greet it back one day, but I plan that day to be on my own terms."

Sakura nodded and went back to checking her supplies and provisions. The various medical concoctions she was taught by Kabuto filling up her pouches. The cost of preparedness greatly outweighed the consequences of its opposite. She was not sure if it would be enough.

Their training brought them leaps and bounds above where they had been, giving them confidence, and they knew it would not be enough. Their opponent had decades of experience over them and was not above using any means at his disposal to claim his prize.

She wished they could return to the days before Naruto died, to the time when they were ignorant of the happenings around, it was far too late for such thoughts to implant themselves, for even if they could return they would only be unprepared for this battle. It was better this way.

She stood when the last of her packs was inspected, and she sealed them in a scroll. In a matter of hours, they would be letting and shedding blood together. the shadow was upon them, and there was a good chance this would be their end. Her hands trembled as she let the thought washed over her, and she ruthlessly crushed it. They had no need for distractions. They were about to face down the beast.

A/N: Guys I wanted you all to know that I have a book out on Amazon called Beyond the Ethereal: the First Orbital and I would appreciate it if you checked it out.