Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Back by popular demand, it's me! And I brought Chapter 12 with me!

We've breached the 300-review mark. WOO! Thanks to you all for reading!

The action continues, and Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, Hinata, Kakashi, Neji, Lee, and a certain someone else are about to reach a whole new level of ass-kicking. They're gonna kick so much ass, the Akatsuki leader will feel it. Yeah, they're gonna kick that much ass.

You know, I'm a little surprised that no one commented on the 'mysterious figure' that appeared in the beginning of the last chapter. And here I though you guys were perceptive.

This chapter is rated a little higher due to coarse language and Sai's dirty mouth.

Well, read on, my faithful readers; read on.


Naruto's Awakening

Chapter XII – Headache

"Oww…"

Shikamaru sat inside one of the many medical tents set up in the last five minutes. Those medic ninjas sure could haul ass when they wanted to. His hands were being bandaged up, seeing as he had utterly destroyed them while digging Temari up. He would do it again if necessary. Still, they hurt like hell…

Shizune gave him a stern look. "Don't whine. You did this to yourself." Shikamaru just groaned.

"I know that. But they still hurt like a bitch…"

"Language, Shikamaru-san, language…" Shikamaru sighed as he looked at his bandaged hands.

"This is gonna make things a lot more troublesome…" An ANBU walked in.

"Shikamaru-san, we're ready to intercept the enemy's attack." Shikamaru turned to the hooded shinobi.

"We're not going anywhere." He said sternly. "We can't risk Orochimaru breaching the village. We remain here and defend the village." The ANBU nodded. Shikamaru sighed. It had started raining again. Today really was very troublesome… He stood up and walked out of the tent. Shizune followed. They walked over to one of the other medical tents. Shikamaru walked up to the medic standing outside. "How is Temari's condition?" He asked, slightly concerned. The medic looked up.

"She's quite beaten and suffered some fractures, but she'll be fine." She replied. Shikamaru nodded and walked over to Genma, who was standing nearby.

"Is the entire perimeter reinforced?" He asked. Genma turned to him.

"Yeah." He replied. "The entire wall has been stationed with shinobi, except the North gate."

"Why not?"

"Report say there's another opposing fore there that's already been intercepted, so they left that area alone." Genma said. "Didn't want to interfere. Orochimaru will probably steer clear of there to, if he wants to sneak in from a different direction."

Shikamaru nodded. "Alright."

"However, with all the reinforcements placed around the village, we've only got about 200 to defend each gate. If Orochimaru plans to directly attack one of the gates, we may have a bit of a problem…" Shikamaru sighed.

"Yes, but I have Ibiki stationed at the West gate and Anko at the South gate, so I think they'll be able to hold their ground until we arrive…" Genma nodded.

"Do you think he'll send the second wave here?" Shikamaru closed his eyes.

"I'm almost certain." He answered. "However, we can't take any chances."

"So, what should we do here?"

"I want you, Kotetsu, and Izumo to take a squad and position yourselves to the left of the gate. Prepare to ambush them when they enter." Genma nodded and left. Shikamaru turned around and came face-to-face with Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama?"

"Ah, Shikamaru-san." Jiraiya greeted. "I was looking for you. Tsunade and I have joined the force here. Tsunade's helping the medical force, and I'll be joining the frontlines." Shikamaru seemed a little surprised by the news.

"Really? Well, what should I do?" He asked, waiting for orders. Jiraiya smirked.

"I should be asking you that." Jiraiya said, smirking at Shikamaru's confused face. "Tsunade's orders are that you are to take command for this operation. If Asuma's reports are anything to go on, then I think it's a damn good decision. So, tell me what to do."

X-X-X-X-X

"Hanabi!"

Hiashi ran towards his younger daughter, inspecting her condition. She looked fine, other than her worried and slightly fearful look. "Father, what's going on?" She asked. Konohamaru caught up, catching his breath.

"I'm not sure…" Hiashi replied, looking in the direction of the East Gate worriedly. "Where is Hinata?" He asked.

"I don't know. We saw her not too long ago with Uzumaki-san…" The young Hyuga replied. Konohamaru nodded in agreement. Hiashi looked thoughtful for a minute. Why was she with him? He knew about her rather obvious affection for the boy, but, as far as he knew, the boy had never shown much interest in Hinata. Then again, he never saw the boy much. But now wasn't the time to think about such things. He had to find her and make sure she was alright. From the sound of things, she wasn't near the site of the attack, but, as her father, he still had to make sure.

"Don't worry, Hiashi-sama!" Konohamaru piped up confidently. "Naruto-ni-san will keep her safe!"

"How can you be so sure of that?" Hanabi shot at him. Konohamaru turned to her.

"Because he's the greatest shinobi in the village! Next to myself, of course…" He replied.

"Oh, yeah? I see that Sakura girl always kicking his ass!"

"He beat Neji-san senseless in the Chunin Exams!"

"He's too dull to notice that Hinata-ne-chan likes him!"

"He has a damn bridge named after him!"

Hiashi sighed as the two continued to bicker. Really, they were like an old married couple… "Quiet, you two. Hanabi, I'm going to search for Hinata. Stay out of trouble. Konohamaru-san, please make sure she doesn't do anything rash. Both of you, be careful." He said as he took his leave. Both stared after him for a couple seconds before leaving themselves, both silently wondering what was goin on, and if their siblings (related by blood or otherwise) were alright.

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto continued to glare at Kakuzu, radiating killer intent in his direction, totally oblivious to the other Akatsuki members present. Right now, the only one who mattered was that little bastard that tried to hurt Hinata. He clenched his fists tighter.

"Don't you know, it's rude to hit a girl, bastard." Naruto spat at the masked Akatsuki member. Kakuzu stood up, wiping the blood off of his face.

'Brat hits pretty hard…' Kakuzu thought. 'Expected from one with the Kyubi's strength.'

"You're losing your edge, Kakuzu." Hidan stated lazily. "Hit by a girl and a brat?"

Kakuzu scoffed. "Dumbass. Can't you see who he is?" Hidan just shrugged. Of course he knew. Evan a blind man could see, or, rather, feel the power this boy was emanating. "Smartass…"

Itachi and Kisame remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal. They didn't feel the need to interfere, at least, not yet. "Three tails, Itachi. Should we do something?"

The Uchiha shook his head. "No. Not yet; however, if things get out of hand, handle the young ones. Don't take Kakashi; you may be able to beat him, but we shouldn't take chances. You can't die yet." Kisame stayed silent for a minute.

"You're right." He replied with a small nod. "But…what about our spectator?" Itachi looked towards a tree off to the side, where they could sense someone. Itachi closed his eyes.

"I'll handle him."

"Kinda fitting, isn't it?"

"I suppose…"

Hinata continued to kneel behind Naruto, still in shock from his current appearance. Was this really Naruto? Was this really the man she fell in love with? The bloodlust he was emanating and the murderous glint in his eyes were nothing like the Naruto she remembered. This Naruto filled her with fear and dread. And what was with the tails of chakra?

Kakashi, Kurenai and Sakura just looked on fearfully. They knew full well what was going on.

"K-Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura mumbled shakily.

"Damn…" Kakashi mumbled. This was bad. Naruto was losing control, and Yamato wasn't there to handle him. If things got out of hand, Hinata could get hurt, or worse.

Kurenai looked on fearfully, concerned for Hinata's safety. "What should we do, Kakashi?"

"I'm not sure, but…" Kakashi got into a ready stance. "If worse comes to worse, I'll handle Naruto. The rest of just stay out of the way."

Kiba looked towards the Jonin. "Hey, what the hell is up with Naruto? That's some crazy power he's got, but it feels really…evil, or somethin'. It's like when he fought Neji, only, this time it's more powerful." Kiba tensed. "A lot more powerful." Akamaru back up behind Kiba and let out a small whine, as if to emphasize his point.

"Kiba…" Kurenai muttered.

"I'm afraid now's not the time for that." Kakashi said. "Later perhaps, but we've got a situation now. Just focus on making sure Hinata is safe, Kiba, if worse comes to worse." Kiba nodded, still worried about his friend's current appearance.

Naruto was about to dash towards Kakuzu again when he heard a voice.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

Hinata picked herself up, shaking slightly, looking at Naruto with a worried look. Naruto turned towards the Hyuga girl.

Kakashi and the others saw this and made to move, but were stopped by Shino, who was keeping his usual cool demeanor. "Don't interfere." He said, not shifting his gaze from Naruto and Hinata.

"Shino, if we don't do something, Naruto could hurt Hinata!" Kiba yelled.

"Yes, but look at him now." The others did as they were told, and their eyes widened.

Naruto turned at the sound of the voice, and Hinata came into sight. However, the moment Hinata was visible, he became aware of his actions and appearance. After several moments, Naruto suddenly grabbed his head and fell to his knees, grunting in pain.

'Gotta…keep control…' Naruto thought frantically. 'DAMN IT, YOU STUPID FOX!'

X-X-X-X-X

"Hmm…" Kyubi grumbled, staring at his container spitefully as he grabbed his head and screamed in pain and frustration.

"AHHHH!" The blonde continued to scream as Kyubi's power continued to leak into him. "AHH…Damn fur ball…stop…AHH…messing…AHH…WITH MY HEAD!"

"Brat. Know your place." Kyubi growled. "You should be thanking me. With my power, you are able to protect your pathetic village."

"AHH…I…I don't need…your help…you bastard…" Naruto grunted.

"But what about your friends?" The demon fox said with an evil smirk. "Your sensei? Your dear Sakura-chan?" Naruto screamed louder. Kyubi smirked again. He had struck a chord.

"AHHHH!"

"...your precious Hinata-chan?" This definitely struck a chord. Naruto leaped up and grabbed the bars of the cage imprisoning the demon, banging the bars.

"I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING HELP, YOU GOD DAMNED DEMON!" He yelled hatefully.

"Such language…" Kyubi said sarcastically. "Do you use such language around her?"

"I SAID, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Naruto spat. "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!"

"BRAT! WITHOUT ME, YOU WOULDN'T BE ANYTHING!" Kyubi retorted.

"Rrrr…"

X-X-FLASHBACK-X-X

"Alright, twit, there's something we need to discuss." Jiraiya said, putting on a serious face. Naruto stood in front of him, wondering what was so important. "This is very important, so pay attention.

"Now, as you know, the Kyubi is able to influence your chakra and mind when you're in an emotionally unstable state. This really coincides with your greatest strength and your greatest weakness, Naruto: your emotions. Now, don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that a shinobi should have feelings; all that crap about 'no remorse' and 'letting go of your emotions' is bullshit in my opinion. Emotions are a shinobi's greatest asset. However, emotion is a double edged sword; it can make you significantly stronger, but it can also drag you down. This is especially true in your case, twit. You run on instinct more than anything else, and you wear your heart on your sleeve."

"Hey! I got this far, haven't I?" Naruto shot at the Sennin. Jiraiya nodded.

"It wasn't an insult, twit. The reason I trained you is because of this, Naruto; you have the ability to make your emotions the strongest kind of weapon. I know; I've seen you do it. This ability is rare, Naruto, and it makes you stronger than anyone else, if you know how to control your emotions."

"Are you saying that I'm incapable of controlling my feelings?"

"Yes, but I don't mean that in the way your taking it. I understand that you didn't have anyone there for you when you were younger…" Jiraiya looked sad for a moment. "…and this may be the reason for a lot of things, but the fact remains that, while your emotions can significantly help you, they also weaken you, twit. Your emotions cause you to throw caution to the wind and disregard all thought. This is a weakness, Naruto. You're too reckless, and one day, it'll get you killed. Moreover, enemies can use your emotions against you, and, trust me, Orochimaru will use that to his full advantage. He knows how to get to you, twit, and he'll use it without hesitation. Akatsuki knows this, and they will use it to their advantage. This is your greatest weakness, twit. It's even worse than it sounds, because of the Kyubi. He'll take advantage of your emotions to try and gain some amount of control. While it won't enable him to escape, he'll still be able to control his power through your body, and God knows what will happen after that." Naruto nodded, looking toward the ground. Was he really that much of a danger to himself and those around him? Figures. Him. The 'Demon Brat,' the 'Monster' of Konoha Village. "You need to learn to control your emotions before you get yourself killed. So, I'll be teaching you how to control your emotions."

Naruto gave his trademark determined grin. "Damn right! Let's do this, Ero-Sennin!" Jiraiya smirked. This kid really was something else.

X-X-END FLASHBACK-X-X

'Gotta…calm down…control…emotions…' Naruto thought, putting one hand to his head as the other remained on a bar of Kyubi's cage. He stumbled back and sat down on the wet floor of the dank sewers of the back of his mind, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Finally giving in, twit?" Kyubi growled. Naruto threw up his middle finger, but remained silent as he tried to calm himself.

'Think of something to calm myself…' Naruto said in his head. 'That's what Ero-Sennin said. Think of something calming… Get rid of my anger…' His thoughts floated about in his head as he tried to find something that wouldn't spark his temper.

"Just accept it, brat." The demon growled again. "You need me."

"No," Naruto stated. "I don't." He remembered the time he went and visited the curry shop with Lee and his team. Ranmaru was doing just fine, and was quite the curry cook. He remembered the old lady had prepared some of her special 'super curry,' as he had dubbed it, and the look on Neji's face when he ate it. He laughed a bit at the memory.

"What's so funny, twit?" Kyubi asked, becoming increasingly annoyed with the blonde.

"Like you care." Naruto said, his eyes still closed. He remembered last Saturday night, when he had that 'Ramen Night' with the other guys. Their conversations and eating contest. It was nice to just eat ramen and talk with his friends.

"Your getting on my nerves, with that damn smile of yours."

"Well, you're just going to have to get used to it, cause I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Smartass…"

Naruto remembered his birthday party the previous night. How he had had so much fun, how all of his precious people had been there, how he had been so happy, how Hinata had… Naruto's face turned slightly pink at he thought. He regained his composure and stood in front of Kyubi with his grin in place.

"Brat! Take my power!" The fox yelled angrily. Naruto smirked.

"No thanks."

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata sat there, watching Naruto grabbing his head, screaming in pain. It broke her heart to see him in such pain, but it seemed as though he was fighting something, some…inner power. What was going on?

"Naruto-kun…" She muttered as she looked on fearfully.

"Naruto!" Sakura was about to run toward Naruto when a figure appeared before her and stuck it's arm out, stopping her. Yamato looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Wait, Sakura." He said, expectation riddled in his voice. "Naruto is fighting him. This is his battle, not ours." Sai appeared beside her, crouching, smile in place, looking at the scene before him.

"Indeed." He said. "The dickless wonder has to grow some balls sometime." This earned him a firm whack on the head from Sakura and a disapproving glare from Kurenai, Yamato and Shino. Kiba, however, let out a small snigger, earning him a whack on the head from Kurenai.

Hinata made to move toward Naruto, but, suddenly, the red glow from around him began to disappear and his appearance returned to normal as he fell to the ground on his stomach. Hinata jumped up and rushed to him.

Itachi was looking on, a little surprised. 'Excellent, Naruto-kun. You have grown. Today shall be a fateful day, indeed…' He glanced once more at the spectator in the tree.

X-X-X-X-X

A figure in the tree looked on, surprised.

"Naruto…" The figure mumbled. 'It seems you have gotten much stronger over these three years, Naruto.' He looked to Hinata and then to Sakura. 'I guess I should've realized it sooner. I was a fool. But I won't make the same mistake twice.'

X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi and the others stared on in amazement. Yamato had a look of pride in his eyes, and Shino was silently congratulating the blonde, and Sakura sighed in relief.

"Naruto…" She mumbled happily.

"H-he did it…" Kakashi muttered in amazement. "Naruto… You've grown more than I could have ever imagined. I'm proud of you."

Kurenai turned to the masked Jonin. "Did he--?"

"Yeah." Kakashi replied.

"Just who is he?" Kurenai mumbled in amazement. Kakashi turned to her as his eyes curved up in amusement.

"He's Uzumaki Naruto, Number One Unpredictable Ninja, and the village's next Hokage." Kurenai smiled.

"You have a lot of faith in him." Kakashi turned back to his student.

"Yes, I do. More than you know." His eyes curved back up in amusement. "But not as much as someone else." Kurenai smiled again.

What's going on here?" Came a voice from behind them. They turned around to see Hiashi arrive, looking at Hinata worriedly. "Is my daughter safe?"

"She is perfectly fine, Hiashi-san." Kakashi replied. Hiashi looked unconvinced. He leaned closer to Kakashi.

"I felt Kyubi's chakra coming from this direction." Hiashi said angrily. "If that boy even so much as scratched my daughter, I will kill him." Kakashi's face went from slightly amused to deadly serious, glaring at the head of the Hyuga clan angrily. Kurenai, Yamato and Sakura looked equally as annoyed.

"You should know, Hiashi-sama, that that boy just saved her life!" Kurenai growled. "He threw himself in front of an attack from an S-class criminal and stopped the attack, all to save your daughter." Hiashi looked surprised. The boy saved Hinata? "Moreover, he managed to suppress the Kyubi's influence over him by himself, further protecting your daughter from danger by protecting her from himself!"

Hiashi was quite shocked at this statement. This boy… He turned back to Naruto and Hinata. 'Uzumaki Naruto…is a very intriguing young man. Perhaps what I've heard is rather exaggerated. He'll require further observation.' The Hyuga head continued to watch his daughter care for the blonde as he lay on the ground, exhausted. He had never really held any personal contempt for the boy; he wasn't so conceited as to think the boy was actually the demon, but he was usually busy with clan business, so he never really had observed the boy often, going by rumors he heard from other clan members and villagers, most, if not all, of which was negative. But seeing him lay there, and hearing this from people who personally knew the boy, his opinion for the boy started to change. He would have to speak to the clan about how they talked about the boy.

"I see…" Hiashi said. "My apologies. It seems Uzumaki is quite different in person. I don't know why, but many of the villagers speak rather badly of him." He said the last part rather sarcastically. "Perhaps I should speak to the Hokage about this."

"Indeed." Yamato said. "That boy…is no demon. Quite the contrary, actually. If he weren't a total doofus, I'd think him some kind of saint." This earned a chuckle from Kakashi.

Naruto lay on his stomach, exhausted from the surprisingly taxing struggle. He couldn't move, and he was sore all over. Great. Twenty feet from the nearest Akatsuki bastard, and he couldn't even move. This sucked. This really sucked.

He heard movement as Hinata came into his field of vision. He looked up as much as he could and smiled weakly. "Hey…Hinata-chan… You alright?"

Hinata felt relief flow through her body as Naruto said that, followed by heat as her face turned pink. He was concerned for her! No, wait, now wasn't the time to be embarrassed. She wiped away the tears of joy and went to work healing the blonde, happy to see all the things she loved about him back on his face.

Kakuzu got into a ready stance as he prepared to rush the two. Now, he could get them both while they were preoccupied. Perfect. He rushed forward and prepared to strike. It was too little to late before anyone reacted, and Kakuzu reached the two teenagers before anyone could stop him.

Or, so they thought. But, once again, Kakuzu was sent flying to the side as another person made their entrance, holding out the fist that hit Kakuzu.

Everyone present (save the Akatsuki members and Shino) stared in shock, eyes wide.

Kakashi, Kurenai, Kiba, Hiashi, Hinata, and Yamato just stared in disbelief.

Sai's face took on a rather serious demeanor.

Kakuzu looked even more pissed at being hit a third time.

Sakura looked utterly shocked, totally unmoving, tears forming in her eyes.

Naruto looked up in equal shock, not believing what he saw.

"Sorry I'm late." He said. Naruto just couldn't believe it.

It can't be. It just couldn't be him.


A/N – Woo! Chapter 12!

OMG! O.O Who is it? XD Cliffy! You'll just have to wait 'till Chapter 13!

Maybe I should post Chapter 13 on Friday, Oct 13? (creepy music plays in background)

Man, writing this part of the story is actually very difficult. I've included, basically, every main and supporting character in Konoha, so there's a lot to write! Chapters are gonna start getting pretty lengthy soon…

Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had a hell of a good time writing it!