Inherent Demons

by Crenshinibon

Developed by his experiences, and in achieving true unison with the beast imbued to him by birth, Uzumaki Naruto, along with those he holds dear, must work against the Inherent Demons; those of war, love, mentality and nature… wherein dichotomy is intrinsic. As a Shinobi who believes in heart, it is unlikely that survival will come without sacrifice. Co-author LFx

11. The Beginnings of a Journey

A/N:

Afternoon everyone, life has been getting rather complicated as of late, though, much of it has nothing to do with me, just those around me. Still looking forward to new job opportunities while I scrounge out some kind of living for myself, but seeing you guys enjoying our story helps to keep me going and finding the time in my schedule to keep pumping out chapters. This most recent chapter, we've noticed a rather nice increase in flow, which is awesome to see. But, I'm not gonna drone on, there is, however, a point that I would like to address that SilentSambo88 has brought up, so I shall do my best to assuage any... misconceptions.

Aeron, while being an OC and something that we've only just started getting into heavily, isn't someone who should turn readers away. While much hasn't been stated about who he is, where he's from, or much about him in general, rest assured that all of these facts have already been planned out, written and will be revealed in time.

While it can be assumed that from the red chakra that Aeron is a Jinchūriki, we have come up with a logical backstory that can perfectly explain how he came to be such a thing as well as not throwing the entire Naruto universe as a whole onto its head. Aeron's status as a jinchūriki is slowly being established, given much is unknown about him, that so easily dismissing the possibility of his inclusion is ignorant.

As for his non-canon nature manipulation, in a universe strictly divergent from canon (even though it has been based in canon), in a world that everything is created through the use of chakra, such a thing as steam is a very feasible possibility. While we haven't quite yet explained how, rest assured we shall soon enough and lay to rest all of your worries and doubts.

To assume that he is a Gary Stu character, after only a short inclusion, is jumping the gun a little too quick. Though much evidence hasn't been given (other than in this segment) to dissuade you from this way of thinking, all will be revealed in good time to help put all your collective minds at ease.

With that being said, we would like to congratulate Ayrmed for going the distance on the Shogi reference and understanding it. Nice work!

One last thing before I let you go, something that we've tossed around for a bit and finally agreed to do is Omake's. While they won't be every single chapter, they will be scattered throughout the story and will still tie into the rest of the plot, but we figured we add a little more fun into the rather serious tone of this story. The first will be written sometime this month.

That's all folks, enjoy the read, and as always, don't forget to let us know what you think.

---

Inherent Demons - Book One - Arc Three

Chapter 10

The Beginnings of a Journey

---

'Neji, I only have a short amount of time left, but... there is something I want to tell you with that limited time...'

Neji lifted his gaze to the clock that rhythmically ticked away, marking that it was 8:03 a.m.. With a slow shift of his head, he glanced over to his teammate, noting the gentle, somnolent rise and fall of her chest as she peacefully slept. Despite his injuries, he moved as slowly and quietly as he could, not making the slightest noise as he pushed himself into a sitting position, bringing his body, pained and stiff, to hang with his legs over the side of the bed. Tentatively, he pressed his feet against the cold tile, wincing against the pain that shot up his leg from the burn that was slow to heal over the other wounds. He reached over and, ensuring that they didn't clack together too much, grabbed the crutches given to him, situating them under his arms, adjusting himself inch-wise until he stood almost upright. As he began to propel himself forward to the soft tack of his wooden crutches, a sudden pull on his arm, followed by the small squeak that accompanied the rolling of little wheels reminded him of the IV that was still attached to him. Removing one of the crutches, he grabbed onto the IV's stand and dragged it with him towards the door, looking back once more at the girl that he shared a room with. Turning back he grabbed the nob and, as silently as he could, pulled open the door, exited, and gently closed it behind him.

…

'Kumogakure's head ninja, who tried to kidnap Hinata-sama, was killed by Hiashi-sama... but, Kumogakure did not admit that the kidnapping took place. They focused only on the fact that their head ninja was killed, and demanded unreasonable compensation...'

He sat down on the solitary wooden bench, cozily placed within the garden under the tree's protective shade. His mind traveled down the various avenues that were presented to him, realizing that with each one, fate seemed to speak in different tones… it beguilingly painted with eclectic strokes; a shade of blue would dash hardly over the sky, making it rain on the one hand… the previously unbeknownst kidnapping of his cousin… or smolder red at the sunlight that…. Nothing seemed as it should anymore; the resentment he had against the Main House was misplaced—and because of that the life he had led seemed to have been a lie, the way he had been acting had been misguided. For the life of him his senses couldn't rest, and he was too on edge while birds chirped above him, bringing his gaze skyward; and he stared, watching as they bounced back and forth across the trees' branches. His impassive stare softened slightly as he continued to watch, the birds eventually flying off into the distance, free from the bounds that held them to this earth. As he held his sight, he gauged the position of the sun; it was almost noon.

…

'They wanted the body of a Hyūga... namely Hiashi's, for what we could only assume was for the Byakugan...'

The leaning tack of his crutch echoed throughout the acoustic, tiled hall, followed by the consistent rolling of his IV stand. Why his hair was still tied back, but unkempt: the noises being his only company on his sojourn. He contemplated all the wrongs that he had committed, all the people he had hurt... and the one who had stopped him. The image of the blond became burned into his mind, those damning eyes, blaming him for all of their pain and suffering. He imagined the long and troubled road that he had traveled, the obstacles that he had faced, and yet, he never seemed to give up... Neji glanced over the receptionist's desk, empty, though papers were neatly piled on its surface, the clock that hung by an iron hook behind it read 1:18.

…

'I agreed... wanted, to take his place, sacrificing myself so that he could live on; I did it not for the Main House, I did it because he was my older brother. With my death... it was the first thing I have chosen to do myself that wasn't guided by the hands of the Main House...'

He stared at the closed portal before him, dreading this moment more than any other. Out of all of those he had wronged, she had been there for him from the beginning and he had mistreated her. Before, he had neglected her feelings, setting them last behind his own ambitions. He slowly reached for the cold knob with a trembling hand, gingerly touching his fingers against the smooth, spherical protrusion. With a twist of his wrist and a stuttered push forward, he opened the door, shuffling his way inside, turning so that he faced the door, closing it once he fully entered.

'I chose death with my own free will to protect you, my siblings and family, and the village. I chose my own destiny...'

He haltingly turned, finding her staring at him, both inquisitive and hateful, sorrowful, yet understanding, though she said not a word. She stared intently into his eyes as he did to hers, both seeking the answers to the questions neither could bring themselves to ask. After an eternity, her countenance softened... and she smiled. He opened his mouth in an attempt to speak, but she shook her head, having already found the answers she sought. Unsure of how to proceed, he made his way to his bed, sitting down upon reaching its side and managed his way back under its covers, placing both his crutch and IV stand in their proper places before doing so. He stared at the ceiling, accepting whatever fate deemed worthy of him as he closed his eyes, resigning himself to fate's will.

'Overcome destiny, Neji. Destiny... has to be taken in your own hands...'

---

After visiting the Hyūga compound and gathering what she would need, Hinata, along with Naruto and Jiraiya, made her way through the busy streets of Konoha and out its enormous front gate, marking the beginning of their journey. Though the three were together, Jiraiya was content to hang in the back and watch the two young kids converse. Since he hadn't spent a great length of time with the boy, this new side of Naruto was a sight to behold; through their training, Naruto had constantly pestered him for tips and every little resulting success was gold in the boy's eyes, and now, here he stood, possibly even more overjoyed than that, talking to the young girl who seemed to be equally as content in his company. The Toad Sage smiled as he heard the two talk, catching up on past events, about future training and even about the mission that they currently found themselves on. He lifted his gaze from the two kids, looking down the long, empty road before them, thinking that perhaps it was a good thing he brought along the lavender-eyed girl.

Distracted with his own thoughts, he was oblivious to the fact that Naruto had turned around, walking backwards, as he attempted to call for his attention.

"Ero-Sennin," Naruto called for the third time, growing slightly annoyed with the emptily indisposed sage. "Ero-Sennin!"

Jiraiya shook his head slightly as he became aware of the blond's call, giving him a inquisitive look. "Hmm?"

"When are we going to continue my training?" Naruto questioned, giving the man a knowing glare.

"Who said anything about training?" Jiraiya half-heartedly replied as he looked back down the road.

"You left me high and dry before the Chūnin exams, so you owe me!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the man.

The Toad Sage continued to stare ahead of him, seemingly ignoring the pint-sized blond before him. Though he knew Naruto was right, there were several important matters that he had to attend during the week lapse, but he didn't need to bother the boy with the details. He lowered his gaze and watched as the boy continued to walk backwards, looking at him with an adamant stare, unmoving and unbending in what he wanted. A smile grew on the old man's face. 'He's a lot like his parents...'

Noting the smile, Naruto stopped in his tracks, bringing the entourage to a halt as "student and master" stared one another down. Though the two said nothing, Hinata could feel the intensity between the two, wisely stepping away, unsure of what she could do in the context at hand. Gradually, Naruto crossed his arms across his chest, stubbornly awaiting the sage's answer.

"Alright, you don't have to brow beat me," he exaggeratedly conceded. In truth, he had always planned on training the boy further, but he didn't need to know that.

At the news of training, Naruto's grim demeanor erupted into a joy that he was unable to contain that wound him up and loosed him around the area and ahead of them, jumping and shouting his excitement splendiferously. Hinata and Jiraiya watched the spectacle, both finding the boy's antics amusing, and easing into the warm, sprightly tone he set for them; they continued their walk, following after the over-excited youth.

---

Sakura rubbed absently at her still stinging cheek, aimlessly wandering, as seemed the norm since things had begun to change to quickly. She had considered a multitude of things that she could possibly be doing besides walking around the village, but frankly, what was there that she could do? She knew she lacked the strength Naruto and Sasuke had to get them through the difficult choices that they had been making, all the while, she felt useless and inept, unable to help. Her thoughts carouseled back to their awry mission… in the Land of Waves, while the others fought against the Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza, and his Hyōton using partner, Haku, Sakura could do nothing but attempt at protecting Tazuna, no matter how much she wanted to help the others. Another such time was during the Chūnin exams. Not only when she could do nothing against Orochimaru, who easily dismissed both Naruto and Sasuke—but not before implanting the curse mark on Sasuke—but, again when the Oto ninja arrived for Sasuke. Had Ino's team not arrived when they did...

Tears flowed, unabated, down her scarlet cheeks, forcing her to a lonely standstill in the empty avenue's four-way conjunction. From all sides, there wasn't a single memory that could operate in her defense, and she came to the conclusion that had long since plagued her: she was a detriment to the team...

"Sakura, are you alright?" came the voice of her mentor, causing Sakura to brusquely wipe the moisture from her eyes and turn towards the origin of the voice.

"Kakashi-sensei," she said with a slight tremble in her voice, "what brings you here?"

"I finished my previous engagements a bit earlier than expected and went to find you and Sasuke to resume our training, when I found you by yourself," he explained coming from a conjoining road. He made no outward gestures of being aware that something was the matter, as he stood in a very casual manner upon reaching the young girl. "Mind if I accompany you?" he questioned with a slight joyful inflection to his voice.

"O-Of course," she replied, turning away after rubbing at her eyes a few more times and resumed walking with the lazy-eyed Jōnin beside her.

---

"Hehe, I can't wait to get started," Naruto cheerfully admitted, every fiber of his being practically pulsating with joy.

"I'm happy for you," Hinata commented, lightly giggling at his child-like nature. Hinata couldn't help but look at the blond—at his close proximity to her own person —and be proud of how far she had come, not only as Naruto's friend, but at her own accomplishments. Never had she been close to the boy without fainting nor could she have ever imagined that she would get this close to him as a friend. Looking back on it, she felt embarrassed about how she always followed after him, sneaking around and watching him from a distance when she could have been enjoying the wonderful feeling she had being by him. She smiled at the memories though, knowing that through those efforts, she had eventually achieved a small fraction of what she had wanted all along, which did damper her mood, albeit slightly. She knew that Naruto had a crush on the pink-haired Sakura and was unaware of her own affections for him, or at least, he never made any outward acknowledgment that he knew. Was it all perhaps a lost cause? If that were the case, she realized, despite how much she cared for him, she would want him to be happy, even if that was with someone else...

Slowly, Hinata became aware of only the sounds of their rhythmic footsteps, realigning her focus on Naruto's now puzzled expression.

"Naruto-kun, is something wrong?" she asked, stepping into the question minutely. The moment she asked, Naruto sharply turned around once again, staring at the sage behind him.

"Ero-Sennin, what are you going to teach me?" Naruto asked, his head craned back as he looked up at the tall man.

Jiraiya glared at the boy at the nickname that he so "affectionately" pinned onto him. "Ero-Sennin, Ero-Sennin... you don't know that I'm a great person, do you?" he said, planting a backward fist on his knee.

"What? A great Ero-Sennin?" Naruto casually responded, causing the man to "Gwah," in dismay… But that was short lived. Immediately, zooming, Jiraiya rushed past both Naruto and Hinata, making his way to the top of the bridge before them, shaking the wooden crossway with abandon.

"Listen carefully…!" he stated, as he neared the bridge's crest, before turning sharply and forming a pose with both arms extended, his right out in front with his left behind him and to the side, bending his left leg up and hopping sideways across the bridge on his right foot. "The title 'Frog Hermit' is merely a disguise..." Upon the third hop, he lurched forward with his left leg, slamming it down onto the wooden surface beneath, rotating his upper body with the motion. "I shall tell you my true identity..."

Jiraiya reached his hands up and grabbed at the two long bangs that framed his face and began to rotate his whole body, swinging his long, white ponytail over and around him. "I am the man who has no enemies in the North, South, East and West..." He quickly removed his hands from his hair as he formed a two fingered seal, striking again, another extravagant pose. "Not even in the heavens! I am one of the Sannin! White-haired frog tamer, even a crying baby would stare in awe..." Jiraiya spun himself around while standing on his left leg, with one arm bent inward and the other extended out. "The Great Jiraiya!" he shouted, simultaneously stamping his lifted leg down and replacing it with the other while extending his bent arm out in a fluid motion. Quickly, the man lurched forward, reforming his secondary pose as he slammed his left foot down, once more extending his left arm out before him and the right out behind to him and to his side. "That is me!" he finished with a flourish, looking down at the young couple with a satisfied grin on his face.

Naruto and Hinata looked up at the man, with the former wearing an unimpressed expression and the latter on the verge of confusion.

"Umm...," Naruto finally responded after several seconds, causing sage's features to darken with depression after all the effort he put into his mighty reveal. Naruto casually strolled by with Hinata behind him, though the blond made no effort to stop on his way by, Hinata stopped and turned to the unmoving sage.

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sama," she said with a bow, before rushing after the blond. The sage stood on the bridge, still holding his pose, wondering what he ever did to deserve such treatment from his own student...

---

"What a beautiful day," Kakashi offhandedly remarked, lifting his gaze up towards the clear sky above him.

"Mhm," Sakura simply replied, her focus drawn inward to the events that had so changed her since she had first become a ninja, but truly, had she changed? Was she able to truly contribute anything to the team? The recent memory of Sasuke standing over her, enraged for some reason beyond her understanding... and she was powerless to stop him, to do anything. 'Sasuke-kun...,' she solemnly though, as her train of though gradually shifted to the other member of her team, Uzumaki Naruto. Who would have thought that someone like him could have developed so much and so quickly? Everything Naruto put his mind to, he accomplished, no matter how difficult, even going up against some like Haku and or Orochimaru, without the slightest hint of fear... She wished she could be more like her two teammates, she wished she had their drive...

Gradually, the image of the happy-go-lucky blond changed to an image of the young Hyūga heiress and her somber mood quickly turned to one of anger. What was her secret? How could she make such a change to herself and so quickly? Hinata was in the same boat as Naruto in the beginning, though with many differences: where Naruto was outgoing and brash, Hinata was quiet and reserved, Naruto would face a challenge head-on without the slightest hesitation, but Hinata would timidly attempt to face it, but quickly back out shortly after; what had happened to change her?

The question gnawed at her sensibilities as she recalled the Chūnin exams. Her fight against Ino paled in comparison to Hinata's own, even if they both lost. Hinata was willing to put everything on the line because of someone who believed in her, showing her willingness to defend that person's beliefs even if it meant her death. A sudden chilling thought ran through her, freezing her mid-step as she pondered the truth; had Hinata become stronger than her? Had she fallen so far behind everyone else?

"Sakura, is everything alright?" Kakashi asked as he observed the inner struggle within the young girl. Though he didn't fully know what was causing her such strife, the perceptive Jōnin could easily deduce part of the problem.

"I'm fine," Sakura replied, putting on a plastic face for her teacher, but he wouldn't be so easily fooled.

"You're worried about Sasuke and Naruto," Kakashi stated softly, "… but even moreso about yourself." Sakura stared in surprised at the masked shinobi, before nodding slightly, returning her gaze to the ground before her as she continued walking, Kakashi moving along beside her.

"I've watched you all grow much since you were first placed under my supervision, in your own unique ways," Kakashi began, looking ahead as he recalled the progress of each of his students. "Each one of you has surprised me more than once with your growth, not only physically, but mentally."

Sakura looked over at the man, unsure if he meant to include her in his thought process. "While both Sasuke and Naruto have greatly increased physically, you have improved in decision making as well as your ability to assess a situation and find a niche that you fit best in, something that those two, I hope, will learn someday."

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" she questioned, curiosity gradually overtaking her depression.

"In the Land of Waves, while their help was appreciated, Naruto and Sasuke went against orders, leaving Tazuna exposed to an attack, but instead of forsaking him, you stayed by him the entire time, ensuring he was safe, even though you wanted to help your friends. It's not an easy decision to make, but you trusted enough in them to stick to the mission until the very end. You again showed your tenacity, from what I heard, in the Forest of Death, when both Naruto and Sasuke were out of commission. Had it not been for your brave attempt to stall for time in whatever way you could, all three of you might not have walked out of there alive." As he finished, he turned and watched as her mood brightened a little at the compliment, bringing a smile to his own face as he helped to assuage what plagued the poor girls mind. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Sakura, it's the greatest weapon you have and also where you differ from the others." Kakashi gently placed his hand on her slight shoulder as the two looked at one another. "Don't judge yourself by what the others can do, judge yourself by what you can do and what you are able to achieve."

She smiled at his comforting words, though he could still see that something was troubling her, but he couldn't place what. Satisfied that he had at least dealt with one problem, the two returned their gazes before them, enjoying their walk together.

---

Naruto gazed up at the sign before him, curious about their destination. "Otafuku City?" Hinata questioned next to him, being as curious as her counterpart.

"That's our first stop to get some information on Tsunade's whereabouts," Jiraiya informed them, moving past the sign, not needing to verify where he was going.

"Jiraiya-sama, is this Tsunade the one we're going to ask to be the next Hokage?" Hinata asked, never fulling hearing the explanation when Naruto had dragged her suddenly away from a still explaining Kakashi; though, from what she heard between both Kakashi and Jiraiya, she put the two together.

"You're a sharp one, Hinata. Yes, Tsunade is the one we're looking for, I've been asked to bring her back to take up the mantle of Hokage," he said, turning back to the young girl. He noticed a slight glimmer of annoyance cross Naruto's features, bringing a curious expression to his own. "What's wrong, Naruto?"

"I don't think we need to look for someone outside of the village to be the next Hokage," Naruto grumbled, puffing his cheeks in a pout.

"She's one of the Sannin. She's originally from Konoha, trained by the Sandaime, like myself." At mention of that, Naruto looked up at the sage, surprise on his face.

"She's one of the Sannin?"

"Mhm." Jiraiya returned his gaze ahead, never once stopping walking. "Along with myself and Orochimaru," he said, stowing his hands in the loose pockets of his pants.

"What!?" Naruto shouted, jolting both his companions at the sudden elevation in pitch. "Orochimaru is one of the Sannin!?"

Jiraiya lifted a finger and pressed it against the ear that suffered the most damage to the shrill yell of the blond, rotating the finger back and forth. "Yes, it's a long story, but he is also one of the Sannin."

Conversation suddenly stopped at the mention of the former Sandaime student, leaving Hinata caught unpleasantly in ignorance. "Jiraiya-sama, what's this Tsunade like?" she asked, hoping to divert the conversation.

"Hmm..." He lifted his hand, cupping his chin with his thumb and pointer. "In a word, she's unpleasant, also, she likes to gamble a lot and she's well-known in various countries."

"If she's famous, then that should make finding her easy," Naruto chimed in, being drawn from his previous thoughts.

"That's true, but being as famous as she is, we probably won't find her immediately."

"Why is that?" Hinata voiced, curious how such a thing was possible.

"Tsunade doesn't like aging, so she's probably changed her appearance with some sort of technique." He lowered his hand and hung his arm comfortably at his side. "She's in her fifties, but she's likely to look to be around twenty or so. On top of that, rumor has it that she changes herself to appear anywhere from her teens to her forties to hide from moneylenders."

"That's horrible!" Naruto stated with a disgusted look, returning to his previously sour mood about the new Hokage.

"She's liked to gamble ever since she was young, but her luck and skills just plain suck. She's always borrowed money and ran... that brings back memories...," he said with a shake of his head, bringing himself to a halt, chuckling at the distant memories.

"Hey, enough with your memories!" Naruto shouted as he ran around the young girl to bring himself fully into Jiraiya view. "If it's going to be that hard, how are we ever going to find her?"

"I'm not quite sure," he sighed, closing his eyes with the motion before looking down at the two kids. "We'll probably have to take things slowly, but there are many ways of going about it."

"Then... we don't know how long it will take to find her...," Hinata reluctantly voiced while turning to her male counterpart, who heaved a heavy sigh and stared at the ground at his feet.

"Very likely, but we won't waste any time," he stated, bringing the two's focus back to him. "I'll use my time on you as we travel!" He stared explicitly at the blond. "The time to make you strong... training!" He grinned, only then becoming aware that he had let the young Hyūga girl slip his mind. "You may even pick up a few things as well, Hinata," he offered, quickly catching the slip. Hinata smiled at the offer, but it paled in comparison to the cheshire grin that streaked across Naruto's whiskered cheeks.

"This is awesome!" he exclaimed, zipping across the ground around them, unable to contain his excitement. The boy jumped, flinging himself through the air at several junctions before stopping suddenly, causing his two companions to stare at him with confusion. In the blink of an eye, Naruto broke into a full charge at them, bringing panic to their faces at the oncoming, sprinting typhoon, until he came to a screeching halt before the Toad Sage, leaning up and forward with a bright gleam in his big, blue eyes. "What are you gonna teach me first?" he exuberantly asked. "Is it gonna be fire-walking? Or maybe even air-walking? Huh, Ero-Sennin?!"

"Haha, nothing so foolish as that!" the sage assured him, giving a cursory glance around them. "Ah." He walked away from the two kids over to the nearby woods that ran adjacent to the road for a ways. Reaching the tree-line, the sage looked up and down one particular tree, seeming to inspect the organic obstruction before patting its hard trunk twice to ensure its wholeness. "Alright, kid, watch carefully," he instructed, holding out his right hand to the two, who both intently observed the aloof limb. Within seconds, chakra began to appear and congregate in the palm of the sage's hand, swirling rapidly into a bright, spherical vortex of chaos. The chakra ball hummed as it spun rapidly in his hand as he slowly rotated his hand around the orb, holding it towards the tree. The two watched in awe at the spectacle, wondering just what the orb could do—to which they quickly received their answer; Jiraiya suddenly thrust his hand forth at the tree, slamming the sphere into its thick bark, tearing it apart, as he pressed his hand forcefully against it. He continued for several seconds before stemming the flow of chakra, pulling his hand away and then moving out of the way for the two kids.

Both Hinata and Naruto gawked at the impressive display, moving up to the tree and inspecting the damage such a little thing could do; the wound that the sphere left was in the shape of a perfect hemisphere, as if an even chunk had been scooped from its trunk, and its swirling mass had ripped through a few layers of the tree's bark, leaving a vortex pattern embedded in its skin that fell out from the radius.

"So cool...," Naruto breathed, extending his fingers out to rub his fingers against the smooth surface that the ball had left behind. "I wanna learn that!" Naruto eagerly stated in his typical excited voice as Hinata continued to inspect the damage.

"In time, we're almost to Otafuku." Jiraiya moved past the two with an amused smile on his face as he made it way to the city, knowing that they would be along before too long.

---

Though the two didn't say much after their conversation, except a few minor things, Sakura truly appreciated her sensei's company; he just had a way about him that made her feel safe and secure about herself when he was around. As they walked, she became distinctly aware of her familiar surroundings, nearing the edge of the village, which brought a sudden idea to her mind.

"Kakashi-sensei, this way," she said, breaking into a jog towards the clearing ahead.

"Hmm?" the masked shinobi offered in reply, watching as she sped off ahead. Slowly, he followed after her, not feeling in any particular rush as he enjoyed the pleasant Spring air. Sakura stopped periodically, waiting and ensuring that her teacher was following her as she continued to lead him further out of the village. The change of scenery from the loud, busy streets to the lush, tranquil outskirts was refreshing to his senses, but curiosity ate at him, speeding him along, albeit only slightly as he continued to follow after his pupil. Soon enough, he found their destination when Sakura rushed up a hill and stood, gazing over at what lay beyond. He leaned in against the hills gradual incline before finally coming to a stop next to the young girl, enjoying the same view she was offered.

Trees were haphazardly scattered about the field, providing ample shade to any who sought shelter from the suns brilliant rays. The ground before them was a vibrant canvas of color from the variety of flowers that had bloomed after a long dormant winter hibernation, reveling in all their beautiful glory. Nearly every color of the visible spectrum blanketed the scene before them, from deep shades of purple to bright reds, the beauty only enhancing the effect the atmosphere had on elevating their spirits.

"Me and Ino used to come here all the time when we were kids," Sakura commented with a smile, bending down and picking a lone Narcissus flower. She brought the flower up and inhaled its sweet aroma, closing her eyes as she focused primarily on her sense of smell.

Kakashi watched, not wanting to intrude on her private moment and opted to return his gaze to the scenery around him. It was beautiful, he had to admit, but at the same time, he pondered the reason why she would bring him to such a place all of a sudden. While he hoped that it was perhaps for self-reflection, to resolve whatever still troubled her, all he could do was trust in his student and be there to help her along the way. With that in mind, he looked down below him to ensure he wouldn't crush anything, before bending and sitting comfortably down onto the soft bed of grass beneath him.

Following his lead, Sakura sat down beside him, the two looking over the landscape before them as they sat in silence...

"Come on you guys, quit dragging your feet," shouted a familiar female voice, turning both Sakura and Kakashi's head towards the noise.

"Why did I get dragged along for this?" questioned another familiar, lazy voice, to which both could easily identify the owner long before seeing him. Appearing further down the hill, Yamanaka Ino was seen marching at a determined pace through the field, stopping after some distance to turn around and look back the way she had come.

"Move it, you two!" she hotly shouted, unhappy about the sluggish movements of her companions. Several seconds passed before Shikamaru appeared, looking as disinterested as always with his hands comfortably stuffed in his pockets as he approached the fiery blond. Shortly after his appearance, the last member of the team, Akimichi Chōji, who as per usual, was stuffing his plump face with a bag of chips that he always had on his person.

"I was looking forward to relaxing today... this is such a drag," Shikamaru relayed, looking over his shoulder at his friend. "Was it necessary to bring me along?"

"Well, Ino wanted help with training and I didn't want to go alone," Chōji explained as he continued munching, causing the black-haired boy to sigh.

"I don't wanna hear any lip from you, Shikamaru. We all lost in the Chūnin exams, so we all need to improve to win the next time!" Ino snapped with a glare at the unmoved boy, who simply shrugged it off.

"Technically, my fight never happened… and didn't I pass the preliminaries?"

"...It doesn't matter!" she finally managed, bringing a look of disbelief onto Shikamaru's face.

"Just can't win with women...," he sighed, resigning himself to the role in which he was pulled into.

Sakura observed the interaction between the three teammates but she was centrally focused on her friend and rival moreso than the two boys. Her movements, mannerisms and actions seemed strange to the pink-haired kunoichi, who never expected Ino, of all people, to want to train, especially given her partner's tendencies to laze about or eat. The whole thing seemed... strange.

"Come on, Chōji, put down the food for once and join us!" Ino barked, stopping the boy mid-chew.

"But—" he started.

"—No buts! If Shikamaru can do it, so can you!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Ignoring the Nara boy beside her, she continued to encourage the heavy-set Akimichi to join.

Sakura continued to watch, confused by what she was seeing. What had come over Ino? She seemed so different, as if returning to the person she once was, the person she remembered so many years ago...

"Come on, Chōji...," Ino said, discouraged that nothing seemed to be winning over the reluctant boy, who seemed more content to sit on the sidelines than actually participating in any actual training. He looked at his two friends, then back to his chips, before returning his gaze back up to the two who waited for him. With a smile, Chōji rolled the chips up tight and stuffed them into his pocket.

"Alright, Ino, I'll do it," he finally conceded, causing Ino to burst out in cheer.

"That's the spirit Chōji! I knew you wouldn't let me down!" she shouted, life suddenly returning to her previously diminishing form.

Shikamaru grumbled incoherent from Sakura's earshot, earning a quick elbow jab to the side—"What the hell was that for?" he groaned. Unfortunately, Ino ignored his griping, instead focusing on applauding Chōji's decision to join them.

In a moment of decision, the pink-haired girl rolled on a thigh to one side, balancing her weight on her left arm to bring her legs up underneath her and hoist herself to a wobbling stand. Shaking the sleep from her legs, she stepped gently through the shimmering bed of green and spring pigments at her feet, feeling her self, mentally, dance ahead. She wanted to run off and jump, and smile. Instead though, she stepped on, occasionally leaning to one side in comfort like a little girl and teetering on a foot while she admired nature's canvas. Needless to say, she was humbly impressed; although… just atop the adjacent hill that followed the little dip in the land, past the tree's shade that she found herself entering, surprised to behold shadowed ground, for some reason—she shook herself again, because she could still see them batting one another, pushing and pulling but always evening out into equilibrium.

Over to one side, Chōji would do his best to roughhouse Shikamaru, who'd chain into, sideways—she tilted her head—Ino's playful jumping about. Were they even training? 'Tch,' she muttered, with her curved lips hidden, and the wavering light that infiltrated the tree's cover spotlighting her fixed stare. Beside herself she was undoubtedly entranced, digging a few nails into the bark and dusting off shavings of it beneath her nails. Why was it so easy for them? 'It's so… dumb. Ino pig…' Sakura sighed, that didn't seem fair; to her displeasure she felt the tears pushing at the backs of her dry, sea-foam green eyes, threatening to dampen them anew—and she didn't even want to cry!

It's just so easy for her! She shook her head, wanting to punch something. It made her muscles tense, and her skin crawl while her palms grew balmy in her heat. 'If I'm so strong, then why won't things get better…?' By now, she'd fallen to splayed knees, leaving, weakly, an open palm with inwardly pressed fingers to drag down against the reliable tree. The prominent root that upheaved the earth beneath was reddening her knee, and the hand she pressed into the supple soil, smothering a wild dandelion. While she deigned to take a final look up, she felt it could only help more to look down.

"Hmm? Sakura?" she heard Shikamaru question, bringing their "training" to a halt. Footsteps ambled about, drawing towards her when she slowly stood into their collective sight, dropping her gaze once more.

"Hey, Sakura, what are you doing over there all by yourself?" Ino questioned, curiously, though keeping a happy inflection until she realized that was something was... off. Her features dimmed quickly as she stared at the young girl, who she had known and rivaled with since her youth. "Hey... is everything alright?"

Her dull nails dug further into into the tree's flesh, entrenching themselves further, unbeknownst to the three newcomers. She never lifted her head to them, never once considered needing their help... With a quick pivot and a sharp turn of her feet, she released her firm hold from the tree's flesh and rushed back the other way, towards her masked teacher to the cries of her name following after her. She stopped when she looked up, finding the man no longer there, leaving the cold empty feeling of abandonment to fill her. The voices grew louder, with no particular direction, she charged forth, towards uncertainty.

"Sakura!" Ino cried, watching at pink-haired girl charged away from them, fading away over the hills peak.

"What was that all about?" Shikamaru questioned, unsure of what had just transpired.

"I... don't know...," she answered, hoping that her friend would be alright...

---

The mid-Spring air brought a spring to his step as he walked along the river's edge. The sun shone proudly in the sky, unheeded by the cloudless day, only intensifying his cheerful demeanor. While to most others, cloud cover would have been most appreciated, to him—who had lived much of his life in a mist-shrouded land—he welcomed its warm onslaught. Deigning to bring his enjoyment to its fullest, he stopped and turned towards the river, promptly dropping down and dangling his feet over the walkway's edge.

Aeron watched the river course by beneath his feet, relaxing on one of his few days off as he distantly thought about the young blond who had left earlier that day. "He's really grown since I first met him," he said aloud with a smile, fondly remembering the first few years of his new life in Konoha. "I only hope Jiraiya can prepare him well enough for this new threat... I should probably be training as well, I am a bit rusty." As he finished, he furrowed his brow, as if hearing something he didn't want to hear. After a short moment, he sighed heavily in resignation.

"Yeah, you're right... I didn't think I'd have to use ninjutsu again after the last group of hunter-nin, I just... let it slip. If I wasn't able to counter that Gaara kid's sand so easily, I would have probably lost or had to resort to everything."

He chewed on his toothpick as he thought more about the situation before finally coming to a consensus. "Alright, I'll add jutsu training on top of the physical training, though I might let that slip a little and focus more on jutsu. I don't think letting my body relax a little will do it any harm." To corroborate his point, he flexed one of his toned arms, bulging out the muscled bicep a considerable amount and holding the pose for several seconds before stopping and relaxing the muscle, letting his hand fall to cover his knee. With a smile on his face, he nodded in approval at both the state of his body and at the adjustments to his workout routine, returning once more to relaxing at the riverside.

As he sat by the damp bank, he was struck as he faintly heard the soft chime of bells. Whistling, he replayed the tone, but he ignored its off carrier, assuming the sound was just something in the village not worthy of his attention. … Not long after the first chime, a second chime echoed out, closer than the first, but still he payed the noise no mind. Only upon the third chime, which sounded a short distance away, did it pique his suspicion, turning him to find its cause. Looking up the river and shifting to his angled lefthand peripheral, he spotted two figures sporting long, chin-high collared, black cloaks with red cloud designs all across, and each a conical straw hat with streamer-like attachments that ran the circumference except at their faces atop both of their heads. Dangling from the front of the hat was a pair of small silver bells—the culprits—that would occasionally chime at a high pitch when the two collided with one another, sounding outwards.

One of the figures stood nearly a whole head over the other and strapped to his back was a large, wrapped weapon of some sort, its handle extending up over their shoulder.

"Hmm, interesting get-up. Never seen anything like that around here," he commented to himself, watching the two approach him. The two stopped a fair distance away from him, seemingly staring ahead, though at what, he couldn't guess. "Can I help you with something?" he questioned with a trailing rise, curiously eyeing them.

"Are you Kyōfu Aeron?" asked one of the figures in a near whisper, bringing a frown across his face. He didn't outright answer, instead chewing on his toothpick as he thought of his next move; he never expected them to arrive so soon.

"I might be, what's it to you?" Slowly, he brought his legs underneath him and pushed himself into an upright position, but he held himself by the river, turning fully towards the members of Akatsuki. The two figures slowly reached up simultaneously and grabbed the front of their hats, slowly pulling them off and holding them at their sides before letting them drop to the ground. The shorter of the two had center-parted, jet-black bangs that framed his face, extending down to his chin with a pair of onyx colored eyes under which were long, pronounced tear-troughs. Across the young man's forehead was a Konoha hitai-ate with a line slashed horizontally through the center. His taller companion appeared more shark than man from what Aeron could see of him, with blue hair styled upwards to resemble a shark's fin and sickly, bluish-grey skin. The man had small, round, white eyes with gill-like marks underneath them, and from the smile with which he had on his face, sharp, triangular teeth; as with his partner, he also had a slashed hitai-ate that covered his ears, but the symbol that his bore was that of Kirigakure. A cautious darting of his eyes revealed their identically pale hands, decorated each with a single ring.

Aeron squinted his eyes slightly, focusing on the taller man, who seemed strangely... familiar. "You have me at a disadvantage, you know my name, though I don't know yours, as well as being a former shinobi of Kirigakure."

At the comment, the sword-wielder frowned in confusion, staring just as intently at the blue-striped, white-haired individual. "You do seem oddly familiar…," he shrugged in response. "It doesn't matter however as you'll soon be dead, but I'll honor your last wish. My name is Hoshigaki Kisame."

Aeron's eyes lit up with recognition. "I remember you, you weren't yet part of Seven Swordsman of the Hidden Mist."

At the mention, Kisame's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Yes... yes," he chuckled, "I was still apprenticed to Fuguki at the time." He smiled, showing the sharpened teeth to his prey.

The black-haired man withdrew his left hand into his cloak and began to slowly unbutton the top of his cloak all the way down to his midriff before slipping his left arm out to hang in the opening. "Kisame, we do have a job to do...," he said, his gaze never wavering from the blue-stripe on the man's head.

"Don't be like that, Itachi-san, I was just catching up with an old friend," Kisame playfully said, turning to his partner's blank stare. "Lighten up." Itachi offered no response, nor did he turn to the former Kiri shinobi, keeping his focus solely on his target.

Aeron heavily chewed on his toothpick, wishing that at a time like this, he had some kind of weapon. Since leaving his former life behind him, he never carried any of his old ninja equipment, nor did he think to bring along his lance. 'Hell of a time to be caught with my pants down...,' he thought to himself as he stared down the two unknowns before him. Left with few options, Aeron lifted his hands up before him, holding them in loose fists as he slid his left foot a little behind him.

"Going to use your hands? You're a confident one," Kisame laughed with a dry smirk, slowly reaching back and pulling the monstrous object from his back, swinging it around and pulling a hollow hum from the air until it collided with the stone walkway with a gravely bang, cracking the surface it landed upon. Aeron attempted to pay the display no mind, but the sheer ease with which Kisame wielded the heavy thing made him wary of the strength his foe possessed. With a single fluid motion, Kisame lifted the weapon and laid it across his shoulder. "Before we deal with you, you wouldn't happen to know where the Kyūbi's jinchūriki is, would you?"

"Bite me," Aeron returned with a grin, earning an annoyed scowl from the man.

"And here I thought we were friends," Kisame said in a suddenly serious tone, seeming to have taken offense at the insult. "Itachi-san, mind if I handle this?"

Itachi remained silent for a moment, never once moving after he had repositioned himself. "… Very well, so long as he's still intact when you're through," Itachi instructed.

"No promises." Kisame charged forth with an astonishing speed, rising the cracked road behind his dash—given the heavy weapon he carried and the sheer size of the man himself—swinging the weapon in a harrowing downward arc towards his target. In a similarly quick fashion, Aeron jumped out of its path as the thing went swinging by, smashing into the ground, blasting more stone loose from the collision. Recovering quickly, with a single hand, Kisame lifted and swung the thing in a sweeping manner, forcing Aeron to jump out of its long range, catching himself on stabilizing hind-footing. Kisame continued the assault, swinging his weapon to and fro with ease, forcing his opponent to quickly dodge or duck as it cut through the air. After one particularly heavy swing, Aeron brought his hands together and quickly ran through a series of seals.

"Katon: Honō-dan no Jutsu!" He concentrated chakra into his chest, focusing it into a fiery mass as he puffed out his cheeks, bringing a hand up to his mouth as a sort of taper. Kisame's eyes opened in dismay as the first flame bullet was expelled out of Aeron's gullet, quickly followed by a second and third. Just as quickly as he summoned the chakra, he ceased its flow, using the distraction to rush to the water's edge. Kisame brought his weapon up to bear with a quickness, the flames slamming against its cloth, before rapidly diminishing into nothing, leaving only a singed marking for their effort.

"Almost got me there," Kisame remarked, finding his target jumping the railing to land on the water's surface. "Running away?"

"Not likely," Aeron returned, bringing his hands once more through a short sequence of seals. "Katon: Chikara Tensō!" He held the last seal as he channeled chakra through his body, down through his legs and feet and into the moving liquid beneath him, quickly heating it to an excited boil. With the water around him boiling, steam drifted up into the air, briskly ladening the atmosphere in a heavy fog, though it did nothing to damper their sight on one another.

'Alright, what now?' Aeron thought to himself in unease, never letting his eyes still; he kept watch on the swordsman, noting the singed marks left of Kisame's lumbering weapon. 'The Samehada blade…,' he thought grudgingly. Tense blue eyes shifted over to the Itachi, who simply turned his head to observe the fight. 'And I still have no idea what either one of these guys are capable of, but I can't let pretty boy over there sit and watch.' He lifted a curious eyebrow. 'You think I should?' Another second passed. 'Alright, here goes nothing.' Just as swiftly as he had before, his hands flashed through a series of seals, seals that lifted Itachi's curious eyebrows to see.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" Aeron once more brought his hand up to his mouth, expertly tapering off the flow as he focused chakra once more into his chest, expelling a series of fireballs at the waiting Uchiha. The fireballs fanned out and approached him in a series of varying angles, but being a user of the technique, Itachi systematically dodged each one that was thrown his way. After jumping out of the last fireballs way, he relaxed, thinking the attack was over but a sudden glimmer caught his eye, forcing him to turn quickly, but not quick enough as a toothpick cut across his cheek, flying by and impaling itself into a tree behind him.

"Are you alright?" Kisame voiced, never noticing the speeding projectile. Slowly, Itachi returned from his turned pose, a scowl on his face as a line of blood ran down his cheek.

"Your fun is at an end, Kisame," Itachi stated, activating his inherent dōjutsu, to which Aeron was oblivious.

"That is unfortunate. I was just beginning to enjoy myself," he drawled jokingly, hoisting his sword against his shoulder in a huff. A brief second later, both shinobi rushed forward simultaneously, bringing a grin to Aeron's face. Once again, he expertly ran through seals, watching as Itachi repeated the same series of seals, but it did nothing to slow him down.

Reading into Aeron's eye and body movements, he knew was about to happen. "Kisame, hold," Itachi ordered, stopping as he reached the railing with Kisame likewise stopping. Not about to argue, Aeron continued. "Endan!" Building up the volatile emission within his diaphragm, he dropped his head and expelled the fireball at his feet, the water hissing in protest as the opposing elements clashed, creating a thick cloud of steam that blocked the vision of both Kisame and Itachi from their intended target. The cloud continued to grow as the water licked at the flames, the river's continuous flow, however, won out, consuming the fiery onslaught.

The two Akatsuki gazed upon the steam cloud, attempting to pierce its density for their target, but to no avail. Perturbed, Kisame slightly grunted, sneering at the thick air.

"Kisame, absorb the steam with your sword," Itachi evenly said. Without a moment's hesitation, Kisame thrust his weapon into the steam cloud, looking on with satisfaction as it began to wiggle with life under the wrappings, ingurgitating the chakra-laced steam. However, before they could get too far along, several clones burst from the steams concealing mist, attacking the two head on as others bolted out, running in various directions into the village.

"Damn, so much for keeping this under wraps," Kisame growled, easily cutting through clones as Itachi just as easily dispatched his own. The two once again stared at the mist, sensing that their target was still inside. "I can't tell if he's got guts for not running, or if he's just stupid."

"He's biding his time, he knows he's outmatched." Itachi glanced over at Kisame. "Continue."

"With pleasure," he smiled, once more plunging the weapon into the steam.

"Jōton: Jōki Nagare no Jutsu!" A pinpoint stream of steam came jetting out of the cloud towards Kisame before sweeping off towards Itachi, forcing the Akatsuki members back; however, they didn't come out unscathed as the flesh on Kisame's cheek had taken on a reddish hue.

"It is about the end." Kisame brought his hands together, deftly running through a series of hand signs as he walked to the water's edge, concentrating his chakra into it. "Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!" Several tendrils began to snake up through the air, elongating and shaping themselves into watery-chakra shark manifestations. Following Kisame's will, the sharks glided through the air and dove one after the other into the steam, splashing into the river below.

As the sharks began to dive into the water around him, Aeron began to rock back and forth from the tidal surge created by each shark, bobbing him back and forth until the final shark entered the water... then began the frenzy. Chakra sharks began to forcefully slam into one another, flinging water every which way from the force of the blows only to repeat the process over and over again. Pondering the madness behind the jutsu, he remained oblivious to the counter-tide that the sharks were steadily building... until it was too late. Before he realized it, the water destabilized beneath him, causing him to sink slightly, which was all the opening Kisame needed. Sensing the change in his opponent, Kisame pulled his arm back and with all the force he could muster, launched his arm forward and released the hilt of his weapon, letting it fly from his open grip and bisect the barrier, sending it spinning through the mist towards the unbalanced Aeron.

"Shit," he grumbled upon seeing the oncoming weapon, extending his hands out in an attempt to stop its path. Prefaced only by a brief stillness, a sudden eruption diverted his attention as the largest of the sharks flew, mouth wide, from the water's surface directly beneath him, slamming into and then congealing itself around him into the form of a ball. Quickly, the water began to flow outwards, creating a water clone with its hand firmly inside of the globe with its captive, which promptly caught the weapon as it flew by, holding it easily at its side. 'Damn... he's good...' Aeron looked down and watched at the weapon began to move under its wrappings, steadily consuming the chakra-laced steam cloud, gradually returning vision to the two Akatsuki.

"Suirō," Kisame murmured, smiling in full now as he easily jumped the railing and walking towards the clone, retrieved his weapon from it, which still happily ate at the chakra in the air, churning around beneath its remaining wrappings. "Itachi-san?"

Itachi followed slowly after his partner, his eyes fixed upon their captive. "We came for the Kyūbi, but since we have this one, we should take him with us," he casually explained, standing before the entrapped man. Aeron was forced to watch as his red-hued eyes with three tomoe circling around the pupil suddenly change; the tomoe elongated, encircling the pupil in a spiraling curve design, extending out to the edge of the iris. Before he knew it, the scenery around him changed. The instant he was free of the water prison, but instead found himself bolted down to a cross, his arms and legs forcefully locked down. Dead trees filled his vision, but the most disturbing thing of all was the lack of color, everything was either black or white; the only semblance of color that existed was the dark red sky that loomed overhead. The ground rippled beneath him, as if it were water and before him, holding a simple blade, was Itachi.

Itachi pulled the sword back and stabbed it into his stomach, coursing fires of pain throughout his body. He screamed in agony for what seemed like hours before fading out... He woke up, after how long, he couldn't tell, but the pain still radiated throughout his body, bringing his focus to the wound he knew should be there, only to find... nothing? He quickly lifted his gaze, finding not one, but two Itachi's standing before him, both wielding identical blades.

"In this world of Tsukuyomi... I control space and time—" one explained, slowly stabbing its blade into his mid-section, eliciting a pain filled scream. The second Itachi followed suit, stabbing his weapon in as well as the two switched back and forth, pulling their blade out and plunging it back into the soft flesh. "—and even the mass of objects," the other finished. Aeron grit his teeth against the pain, spitting a glob of blood at his torturer.

"You may think you have me trapped in this hell hole, but you haven't began to see what I'm truly capable of...," he growled, earning repeated, twisted impalements from the two blades. If Itachi seemed perturbed in the least by the man's front, he gave no outward indication.

"There is nothing you can do once under the effect of Tsukuyomi," he began watching as Aeron writhed in misery, "unless you had the same Kekkei Genkai."

"We'll see... about that..." Aeron closed his eyes blocking himself off from the pain as best he could, searching deep within himself for the power that rested within him. He mentally grasped onto it, channeled it, bent it to his will, surging it throughout his body. Itachi could sense the sudden change in the man, watching with a slight interest at his attempt to free himself from the inescapable. For what felt like minutes, Itachi stared, watching as nothing happened, before the man opened his eyes with an amused grin. "You can continue now...," he said with as much confidence as he could muster.

Showing no emotion, Itachi resumed stabbing the man, though Aeron grunted and groaned from the pain, never once did he scream out again, not even as he blacked out. He awoke some time later, finding that surrounding him was a sea of Itachi's, all in the same identical pose, each one pulling back and thrusting their swords into the his flesh; but even as the blades ripped through him, he held his composure, though his body was unable to continue with him, bringing him once again into darkness.

After a mere moment in the outside world, Itachi looked away as his victim succumbed to the torture, but the difficulty he was subjected to had its repercussions. Blood began to trail down from his eyes and a slight twitch began to develop from his overuse.

"Itachi-san, you've over exerted yourself. You know it's dangerous to use those eyes too much," Kisame said, a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine, but it was necessary to bring him under control." Itachi's eyes returned to their normal hue as he stemmed the flow of chakra into them, lifting his vision up to Kisame's own. "Release him." At the command, Kisame's clone released the jutsu as well as dispelling itself as Aeron fell to the ground, only to be caught by the the taller man's free hand.

"He's pretty heavy," Kisame stated as he single-handedly lifted the unconscious body slightly, off the ground. "It is fine, though."

"Good, we should be going," he said, adjusting his arm, "he isn't h—"

"You won't be going anywhere," stated a voice as three Jōnin appeared from the brush, easily clearing the railing on the walkway and landing on the river.

"Heh. Friends of yours, Itachi-san?"

"Kakashi-san, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san... please don't get in the way. I have no interest in killing any of you today."

"After what you pulled—," Asuma began, cut off as Kakashi interrupted him.

"Now's not the time, Asuma, our priority is to retrieve Aeron." Asuma grudging bit down on his cigarette, knowing that his fellow Jōnin was right. "It would appear that Aeron was quite a handful, even for you two, Itachi," Kakashi stated, slowly reaching up and moving his hitai-ate from his covered eye, revealing his hidden Sharingan.

"Oh? Another Sharingan?" Kisame voiced. "You must be the Copy Ninja Kakashi, this should prove interesting."

"No, Kisame, we are leaving, we came for a jinchūriki, not to begin a war." Kisame glanced between the three Jōnin and his partner.

"I don't think these three will just let us walk out with one of their own," he stated, when a sudden ear-splitting screech wailed over the land. A green flash zipped through the air, landing between the two parties to all their confusion as a green figure stood, his bowl-cut hair and thick bushy eyebrows marking him for who he was. "Who's this clown?"

"Trouble...," Itachi simply replied, reanalyzing their plan with the introduction of yet another problem.

"You made it, Gai," Kakashi said with a slightly excited inflection, bringing the strange man to turn around and offer a mighty thumbs up.

"I couldn't let you take all the glory for yourself, Kakashi," Gai reasoned, a gleaming grin splayed across his face. Kakashi shook off the ridiculousness of his friend, focusing on the task at hand.

"Gai, you, Asuma and Kurenai take the big guy and retrieve Aeron, I'll handle Itachi," the silver-haired Jōnin explained, earning a nod from each. Asuma reached back into his pouch, pulling out his pair of trench knives, reflexively slipping his fingers into their grips. Once ready, the four split off towards their targets, Gai being the first to reach Kisame.

"Konoha Senpū!" Gai flew at his target with a high kick, to which Kisame easily brought his weapon to bear, blocking the attack. Without a seconds hesitation, he performed another high kick, swinging his other foot around at the man's head. Seeing the attack, Kisame shifted his sword slightly, cutting off the attack with the hilt, leaving himself open as Gai twisted about in the air, delivering a power low kick. Kisame saw the previous feints for what they were, and quickly moved out of the way of the kick, only to be cut off by Asuma coming in from his vulnerable side. Quicker than the unfortunate Jōnin could expect, Kisame swiftly rotated his arm, swinging his weapon in a fast arc through the air, bearing down onto Asuma's head, only to be stopped by the two held knives, though with one arm, Kisame was easily winning the battle. The weapon bared down more and more onto the man's arms, slowly forcing them to buckle under the tremendous weight and power. Kisame was forced to pull back as several kunai were thrown at him, bringing the weapon once more to block the attacks as he held the unconscious burden aloof.

"There are so many of them, like ants," Kisame growled as he turned to Kurenai, who was a short distance away, searching for another opening to attack.

…

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" Itachi and Kakashi simultaneously finished their respective jutsu, building up the necessary chakra in their diaphragms and expelling the controlled fireballs from their mouths. Each orb was intercepted by one from the other user, bringing the two men at a draw as they stood, staring at one another.

"You look tired, Itachi," Kakashi stated, to which he received no answer. Though the blood had ceased flowing from his eye, having used the Tsukuyomi to such an extent had drained him more than Itachi had expected. Glancing over at his partner, he watched as Kisame was put on the defensive, swinging his blade to and fro to block attacks with very minimal offensive capability has he lumbered around the captive in his other hand. Returning his view before him, he knew in their current state, things weren't going in their favor; he knew that Kisame had the strength to defeat the four of them if he wasn't encumbered so, but still, the price was simply too great. To make matters worse, he wasn't sure how long he could hold out against someone like Kakashi. If he was at peak condition, there would be no contest, but now...

Sensing an opening, Kurenai's hands expertly drove through the necessary hand-signs. "Magen: Jubaku Satsu!" Her form began to waver and vanish as she moved to attack the seeming unsuspecting Uchiha. Kakashi's eyes widened in fear as he became aware of what Kurenai was doing.

"Kurenai, stop!" he shouted, but he was too late. A tree sprouted from the ground behind Itachi, encircling and entrapping him, but he kept calm, knowing he could easily defeat such a simple genjutsu. He looked up as he watched Kurenai materialize from the tree's trunk, quickly activating his Sharingan as he did. Before Kurenai even realized what had happened, she was trapped by her own jutsu with Itachi standing before her, freed.

"Kisame, leave the jinchūriki, we're going."

Kisame looked at his partner in disbelief, but upon seeing the shape he was in, he didn't complain.

Gai flew at him target again, extending a leg out which he knew would be blocked. "Konoha Gōriki Sen—," he began, stopped as Kisame easily lifted the unconscious body and threw him at his oncoming enemy. Gai gawked and attempted to get out of the way of the human projectile, but Aeron's form was sent crashing into his own, sending the two into a jumbled pile towards the ground. With a single sweep of his weapon, Kisame caught Asuma in the side, the attack being blocked by his knives, but the force of the blow had the Jōnin sliding across the water's surface. Freed from the annoying pests, the two Akatsuki looked to one another before their bodies flickered several times, fading into the air.

"Damn," Kakashi voiced, resonating their collective feelings on the matter.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi," Kurenai apologized, biting on her lip to release herself from her own genjutsu.

"It's not your fault, Kurenai, you did what you thought was best." Turning, he glanced over as Gai dragged Aeron from the water. "How is he?"

Gai immediately pressed his fingers against the man's neck. "He seems fine, but he's unconscious." Kakashi nodded at the new, happy that his friend wasn't worse than he expected.

"Kakashi, you want to tell us what's going on?"Asuma asked, bringing all eyes onto the masked shinobi. "Who is this guy?" Asuma pointed towards the unconscious Aeron.

Kakashi looked at each of his companions before finally settling his gaze on the unconscious man. "…His name is Kyōfu Aeron and he's a jinchūriki."

---

The two young ninja gazed around in amazement at the city, taking in its many sights and smells. Though it seemed so similar to Konoha, it felt so different than what they were used to. The streets were filled with people as they peddled their wares, gambled or even performed. Signs and lights hung from varying angles leading one's attention towards an avenue of endless possibility. One thing was for certain, gambling was prominent. Everywhere the two looked was a stall, or showgirl drawing in crowds from all over to participate; games and attractions that the two had never even heard of lined the streets, teasing the newcomers with a chance at reward.

"This is all... a little overwhelming," Hinata finally voiced with Naruto nodding in agreement.

"There are many wonders to see outside of that village of yours, it's time to open your eyes to the beauty of the world," Jiraiya called over his shoulder with an amused smile when he noticed a particular stall that drew his attention. The two youngsters continued to follow the sage, oblivious to where they were going as he walked up to the stall.

"Want to try your hand, old-timer?" the stall owner questioned, looking up at the thick-maned man before him. Jiraiya looked at the small wooden tub that had some water lining its bottom and water balloons of varying colors inside and strings attached to them. Sitting in a small bowl that was positioned next to the tub was a pair of small delicate looking paper hooks with a small metal clamp at the end. Imagining there were probably rules on top of its seeming difficulty, Jiraiya simply shook his head in response.

"No, thank you. But, I would like to see about buying all your balloons, even the unfilled ones," he stated, raising both Naruto and Hinata's brows at the purchase. "How much?"

Jiraiya could see the gleam in the man's eye at the mention of money as he tried to work up a figure. "I'm sorry, but if I did, I'd have to close down the stall," the man feigned, shrugging his shoulders as if helpless.

"Hmm," he thought, looking down at the game before him. "How about a deal, I'll play your game, if I win, you'll give me all of your balloons, if I lose, I'll instead pay you 10,000 ryō." Jiraiya explained with a satisfied smile, watching at the man seemed to be taking the bait. "Deal?"

"Deal!" the man readily agreed, reaching forth, grabbing the bowl and extending it out to the man. Jiraiya reached into his pocket and pulled out a conspicuously polished billfold, pulling out the amount he had mentioned and placed it in the bowl, picking up one of the paper hooks.

"Here's the rules, old-timer, I'll give you a sequence of colored balloons that you have to collect for me. All you have to do is with that hook, reach in and grab the strings to the balloons I called, in order, and hand them to me. If you get them all, you win, but if you pop any balloons, you lose." As he finished explaining, he returned Jiraiya's smile with a smug grin. "You get all that?" He nodded in response.

"Good, now get ready..." The man leaned over, looking into the tub, his eyes roaming over where all the strings were and to which balloon they were attached to. "Red, Green, Blue, Black, Purple, Yellow, White, Orange, Pink," he called out, writing the order down on a small sheet of paper and folding it into his hand.

Jiraiya took a moment, reciting the order in his head to ensure he got it right before returning his focus to the tub, the learned sage took no time at all picking through the tub and picking the balloons and their attached strings. With a practiced hand, he reached in, pulling on the string attached to the red balloon. After a small effort, he pulled it from the tub and handed it to the surprised man, who placed it in a holding area that was situated between him and the tub. Within moments, the sage had pulled the next three balloons out, in order, and handed them to the man, who continued to watch in disbelief as he dove in for more. Each time a balloon came out, he double checked his piece of paper, hoping that the man had picked incorrectly, but was proved wrong time and time again until the last pink balloon was placed with the others.

"There you go, all done." Jiraiya leaned in with a smug smile of his own as he reached forward and grabbed his money, returning it safely back into his pocket. "I'll take those balloons now."

A short while later, the three walked away each carrying a bag of balloons. "Ero-Sennin, why all the balloons?" Naruto questioned as both he and Hinata wondered about what had just transpired.

"You're going to need them for your training," was the casual response that Jiraiya gave them, not turning back to them as he looked for adequate lodgings.

"Really? No fooling?" he asked, running around to the sage's side.

"Ah, here we are," the sage stated, ignoring the wiley youth as he entered the establishment. Naruto stood at its entrance, watching as the sage conversed with innkeeper.

"He's a very... unusual man," Hinata voiced, earning a simple nod from Naruto at her accurate statement.

"Hinata, Naruto, we're staying here tonight," the sage called to them, drawing the two inside to follow after him, their eyes taking in the strange decor. The three traveled up two flights of stairs before coming to a long hallway, lined with doors on one side and open windows along the other. Jiraiya bypassed all the doors, stopping at the last as he deftly inserted the key and opened it, beckoning the two inside. Once inside, the first thing the two noticed was the number of beds.

"Hey, Ero-Sennin, there's only two beds," Naruto pointed out, his eyes closing tightly as he thought about the implications.

"One for me and one for Hinata, you can sleep on the floor," Jiraiya offhandedly explained, moving past the two and dropping his things on the bed he deigned his own.

"What!? Why do I have to sleep on the floor?!" Naruto hotly shouted, glaring at his mentor.

"Not only am I paying for the room, but I am your master, thus, I am entitled to a bed," he casually explained. "As for the other, it's only proper for a man to give up his bed for a young lady."

"It's okay N-Naruto-kun, you can have the b-bed if you want," Hinata offered, not wanting him to sleep somewhere he didn't want to.

"N-No no, there's no need, Hinata, y-you can have it," Naruto quickly blurted, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks as he waved his hands back and forth in front of him.

"You could always share the bed," Jiraiya commented, not paying the two attention as he did. As the thought registered into both of their young minds, Hinata's face turned a bright crimson at the thought of sharing a bed with her crush; similarly, Naruto's blush increased in its hue at the thought of being in the same bed with a girl, even if she was a friend. Unable to withstand the overload to her system, Hinata began to waver, slightly wobbling back and forth. Upon noticing the sudden change in his two young companions, the Toad Sage glanced over at the two glowing kids. "You two alright?" As he finished, Hinata lost consciousness, crumpling beneath her weight to the floor as Naruto stood beside her, his mind a complete blank.

"Hinata?!" the sage shouted, rushing over to her prone form, which shocked Naruto from his previously zombie-like state.

"Huh? Hinata!?" Naruto likewise shouted, turning to help his mentor with the fainted girl.

---

Camouflaged in black, a racing figure flipped and rebounded off of trees, flitting slightly beyond the frame of his partner's vision between leaves and against branches, using them only momentarily as leverage to facilitate his virtual flight that he precariously danced with, as if lifted on fading wings, knowing they'd break the moment he faltered.

"…" The trailing humanoid ninja, swathed in an identical dark shroud, bit his lip; and that broke down to a scowl. He wanted to say what he was thinking, but there was too much going on. Uchiha Itachi, one he had resented in years past, was… compromised. The man was his closest friend; in their line of business, that didn't mean much more than an honorable betrayal. He swerved beneath a protruding twig, feeling it trench against his upraised hair, and then be slain by his blade. The scrolling walls of green around them kept him aligned with the zig-zagging blur, the man that didn't want to talk.

Wait. '…' He stopped, his heavy trod slammed against the wooden limb, straining its fibers under his slanted weight. "…" Sharpened teeth were held shut again.

"Kisame," Itachi voiced over his shoulder. He now stood ahead, staring that way, with both arms slack within the humungous overcoat, and legs firmly planted, silently. "The Kyūbi is our target."

The large man nodded, stealthily appearing only a pace behind his companion. "…"

"You know as well as I do, Kisame… old friend." His tired eyes, one slicked shut, clinched him in their sight, the very same old and onyx.

---

"Is she gonna be alright?" Jiraiya asked, sweating a little when visualizing the portent hammer of litigation…

"Yeah, she does that a lot, not recently, but it still happens," Naruto casually explained. "She'll be fine after a little bit."

"I see..." He left it at that—sighing his relief hugely on the inside—knowing that the blond knew well enough to not be alarmed. With the matter resolved, for the moment, he walked back to his bed and reached into one of the bags, grabbing one of the filled water balloons. "Naruto." He turned and tossed the balloon at the blond upon receiving his undivided attention.

Naruto easily caught the balloon in his two hands, curiously staring at it. "How is this supposed to help with my training?" he curiously pressed.

"You recall the jutsu from earlier?" Naruto nodded in confirmation. "You watched it carefully and remember what happened, right?" Naruto nodded again. "What did it look like?"

Naruto scrunched up his face in thought, attempting to recall exactly what he remembered. "I think there was a lot of spinning chakra...," he stated, unsure if he recalled correctly. Jiraiya smiled, knowing that he was at least half right.

"You're right, there is rotation, or "spinning" involved." He pulled out a second balloon, holding it out to show the boy as he rotated the water inside, causing the balloon to spike out all across its surface at varying intervals. Naruto looked on in amazement, wondering how he could do such a thing without any type of hand movement. Jiraiya continued to rotate the water inside before increasing it to a point that the balloon popped in his hand, eliciting a gasp from his captivated audience.

"In the tree climbing exercise, you accumulated and maintained a certain amount of chakra in a needed area. With the water walking exercise, you released a constant flow of chakra. With this water balloon, you're going to create a flow with chakra." He stared at the boy's disbelieving face. "Simply put, a rotation."

"How am I going to create a flow with just chakra?"

The sage took his wet hand and wiped it off on his kimono. "First, like with the tree climbing exercise, you will accumulate and maintain chakra in your hand. Next, as with the water walking exercise, you will need to release a constant, steady amount of that chakra into the balloon. Finally, combining the two, you push and rotate the water inside. When you've completed the basics, I'll tell you more of the details."

Naruto stared at the balloon, then quickly lifted his gaze in understanding. "This training is to create a fast rotation inside the balloon to pop it, right?" he excitedly concluded.

"That's right, you're getting sharper, Naruto," Jiraiya happily approved, grinning back at the boy's own smile. "I want to you train on that while I head out and see what I can dig up on Tsunade. While I'm gone, I want you to keep on eye on Hinata."

Naruto glanced over at his sleeping companion before turning back to the sage and giving him a powerful thumbs up. "You can count on me!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

---

Amber heat radiated out from the breath of the single wax stalk planted in the circular fixture of its candleholder, sweating hot droplets of wax into the brass trough. It was the single thing that glowed; in that room, the windows had been sealed, and the electrical lights turned. To its left, a boy sat, his unsteady hand spattered with black speckles and poised, with wrist crooked, over the open parchment, set over the tray table that remained as the only thing keeping his arm lifted. It caused pain to his forearm, and probably left a red mark. And it was silent. plip

'I, Hyuuga Neji…,' he began to scribe.

---

Jutsu Glossary

Fire (Katon)

Endan - Similar to its counterparts, it can be deployed into a single fireball of varying sizes or, if held, can be emitted in a long, continuous stream.

Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu - This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are controlled by chakra and sent flying in an unpredictable manner to assault the enemy. Shuriken can also be hidden and controlled in the flames, creating a unexpected, secondary surprise attack.

Katon: Honō-dan no Jutsu - Much like in its other forms, the blaze bullets employed by a fire-style user can range in size, potency and number, allowing the caster to have readily expendable weapons at hand at all times. The technique is rather self-explanatory: bullets are simply molded—with or without hand-signs—and compressed in the chest, where they are released as compact (or expanded) projectiles.

Katon: Chikara Tensō - The user is able to channel fire-nature chakra into an object or surface, affecting them in a variety of ways.

Water (Suiton)

Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu - The user shapes water into the form of a large shark (or a group) and sends it hurtling towards the opponent at high-speeds, resulting in a powerful impact. The sharks are controlled through chakra use, so their functions and movements are determined completely by the user.

Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu - Encasing a target in a globe of water, the user is able to restrict their movements, trapping them inside the watery sphere; however, the user must always have an arm inside the water in order to maintain the jutsu.

Genjutsu

Magen: Jubaku Satsu - A jutsu passed down since ancient times in Konoha. The user first disappears from plain sight, vanishing in a mist-like fashion to approach a target without being detected. Once close enough, the mobility of the target will be robbed by the sudden eruption of a fast growing tree mirage that will coil itself around them. An effective interrogation jutsu, given the target is still conscious.

Taijutsu

Konoha Senpū - A taijutsu move where one launches a succession of high and low kicks. The opponent's evasion margin is retrained upon seeing the high kick (being more of a feint), thus augmenting the chances of the following low kick to hit the mark.

Konoha Gōriki Senpū - Similar to its parent, Konoha Senpū, the essence of the technique is concentrated in a spinning back kick, with such speed and power that not a single person can follow the user's movement, smashing and overwhelming their opponent with brute strength.

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A/N: Sorry for the chapter being a little late, it turned out to be a little longer then either one of us thought, due to all the other things we had expressed earlier. The next one should be released on schedule, or at most a day late, being Monday, April 6th, or Tuesday, April 7th. As always...REVIEW!

Next Time: Chapter 11 - Ultimata