Sweet Jesus I'm late! I apologize to my faithful readers!

Well, once again I'm bringing another chapter along. You might be quite surprised with this one. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Okami.


Chapter 12 – The Quiet before the Storm

The retrieval team and ANBU unit reached Konoha in the middle of the night. Amaterasu and Kyuubi stayed with Naruto as they went to the hospital with him while Konan, Yugito and Nibi rushed to the Hokage's office. The elite ninja team escorted trio of women to the Hokage before turning in their reports and dispatching for the night.

The cat-masked ANBU went inside her apartment and automatically did her nightly routine with her thoughts elsewhere. The purple-haired woman wondered what happened to golden-haired man that she knew since he was a teen. To her, something disturbing was coming into play, lurking and stalking until the time was right to strike.

Yuugao rested on her bed as stared at her ceiling. "He seemed so distant. He was definitely more than physically worn..." She remembered the forlorn expression on his face after Ayame saved him from crashing on the ground. "What happened to you?" the purple-haired ninja thought as she turned over on her bed. "Naruto-kun…" she whispered to herself before falling asleep.


After waiting for a few minutes, Tsunade showed up at her office with hot herbal tea in her hand. She looked at her office door to see Konan, Yugito, and Nibi standing with anxiety. "Where is everyone else? Did something happen?" the blond fire shadow asked herself.

The Hokage opened her office door and led everyone inside. The slug princess sat behind her desk and finished her tea before asking, "What happened?"

Konan handed her the book containing the Akatsuki's plan. "The mission was a success but we ran into some problems on our way back. Some demons trapped Naruto-kun in a barrier and attacked him. At the moment, Naruto is at the hospital with Kyuubi and Amaterasu." Tsunade looked alarmed and stood up. "Alright. We're going to the hospital." Everyone nodded and followed Tsunade.


Naruto was put into the emergency room after being admitted in the hospital. His left forearm was the most severe injury since it was poisoned, thus the healing time was longer for the limb. His ribs, along with the puncture lung, were being healed just fine. Though he seemed peaceful on the outside, he was dealing with inner conflicts on the inside.

Naruto's Mind

The golden-haired man was in his mind, but not in his seal. It was slightly lit all around and the ghost-nin couldn't see a thing past five feet in front of him. But that didn't matter to him though as Yami's words echoed in his mind.

"Ha! No one cares about you!" The jinchuuriki gritted his teeth in anger. "Everyone has someone except you, lonely fool!" Naruto snarled in rage. "You can't even defeat the darkness in your own heart!" Hot angry tears flowed from Naruto's eyes, containing the fury that the kenjutsu user had built up over the years.

Naruto felt the disgust…the hatred…the mockery from the evil entities' statements. The whiskered-cheek man hissed before roaring out, pouring all of his rage and sorrow into the cry. Tears slid down his cheeks more freely as he fell on his knees, looking down in darkness.

Warm arms wrapped around the ghost-nin, making his eyes widen. He looked up to meet Kyuubi's crimson compassionate eyes. The host saw tears well up in his guardian's eyes before they spilled over and slid down her cheeks.

Kyuubi spoke softly, "You've always held in your pain from everyone…including from me and Rasu-chan. You don't have to bear it alone…" The golden-haired man grabbed the nine-tailed vixen and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for causing you and Amaterasu pain. Please Kyuubi, forgive me." More tears fell from Naruto's eyes as he embraced the red-haired woman tightly. The legendary woman hugged her jailer just as tight, rubbing his back soothingly.

They stayed that way in what felt like hours. Naruto pulled away a bit, looked at Kyuubi and asked, "How did you know I was here?" The vixen replied, "I was waiting for you to come into the seal…but you never showed up. So I went looking for you when…" The fox-woman held sadness in her eyes as she trailed off from her reply. The ghost-nin felt ashamed for making her worried. "Is Rasu in the seal?" He saw Kyuubi shake her head in as a negative. "She decided to help heal you while you were unconscious. She wanted to protect you while you were sleeping." The wolf summoner smiled a bit before shifting his weight and lifted the sealed woman off of her feet.

Kyuubi let a small yelp of surprise pass her lips and looked back at her host. "I want make sure you're in the seal safely." The jailer spoke with an unadulterated smile on his face. Kyuubi felt heat invade her cheeks. "I can walk, you know." The blood-haired woman spoke. Naruto looked at her and said cheekily, "I can too! Would you like to walk Kyuubi-hime?" The female guardian blushed rosily and pouted, "If you don't mind Naruto-kun." The guardian's host let her back on her feet.

After walking to the seal, they made their way to the temple-ruins. "Can I ask you something?" Naruto asked. The vixen looked to her container. "For the time I've known you, I often find myself wondering about your name." The nine-tailed woman looked at him in confusion. "My name?" The whiskered-cheek man nodded. "Yeah. Kyuubi just seems like, well…a label." The red-haired guardian was taken aback. "You really thought about this..." The female guardian said softly before she grinned slightly while her cheeks turned into a tinge of pink.

"You were right on your conclusion. Kyuubi isn't my name, just my title, like the rest of the guardians. You are one of the few that has ever figured that out." The nine-tailed guardian said with a smile. "My name…" the blood-haired woman began. She stopped walking and looked at the crimson-cloaked ninja. She had his undivided attention. The vixen smiled beautifully and continued, "My name is Oinari."

Naruto couldn't help but blush as he took in the woman's introduction. He was shaken from his thoughts when he felt himself waking up slowly. The Yuurei smiled and moved closer to his guardian. The nine-tailed female looked at him in curiosity before she felt his lips tenderly on hers. Oinari blushed, but deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Naruto held the nine-tailed woman by her waist as they shared an intimate moment with one another. Both separated before the need for air would have made itself known.

The jinchuuriki's cheeks were a slight tinge of pink while the fox woman was blushing rosily. Dark blue eyes gazed into crimson-red eyes as Naruto gave a genuine smile to the higher being before saying, "Thank you, Oinari." The container faded away, finally waking up from unconsciousness.

Tears of elation fell from Oinari's eyes as she replayed what happened to her a few moments ago. She felt the love Naruto held for her from the kiss. She slowly walked back into the temple-ruins with a smile on her lips and a blush on her visage.

Real World

Naruto woke up to pain as his body throbbed heavily. With agony, he slowly opened his eyes to see Tsunade, Shizune, Amaterasu, and some doctors and nurses working to heal his body. Naruto chuckled weakly, alerting everyone of his awareness.

"Well…this looks familiar." The Hokage and her assistant couldn't help but giggle. The ghost-nin's eyes landed on the sun goddess. "Hey…" The celestial woman gazed softly at the golden-haired man with a smile. Naruto moved his eyes back to the ceiling. "Could someone knock me back out? I don't think I can do it myself at the moment." Everyone chuckled at the whiskered-cheek man. Even through pain, he could still make a joke. "You are a funny one Naruto." Issun said as he hopped from the sun goddess' head. The Yuurei smiled feebly. "Hey to you too, Issun."

"Sorry Naruto-kun. You happened to wake up at a very delicate procedure that we're performing. If we put you under now, then everything will be off balance." Shizune said as her chakra flowed throughout his chest. Naruto grimaced. His pain threshold was very high, so it would take excruciating pain before his body goes into shock and make him lose consciousness.

Amaterasu moved one hand from his poisoned arm and touched his forehead. Naruto smiled at the white-haired woman. "I'll have to repay Rasu somehow." Naruto thought before he whispered,"Greatly appreciated, Rasu-chan." The said person smiled back before pulsing her heavenly chakra to the ninja-swordsman's head, sending him back into the realm of unconsciousness.


"So how was it?" a deep voice asked. "The operation was a success. The transplantation of the eyes is complete." A snake-like man responded with a smirk. The other man smirked as well. His plan was coming together smoothly. Soon, he will train his last living relative to achieve the state of his Sharingan like his own. By then, not even the last Namikaze can stand in his way. Joining forces with Yami had its benefits.

"Soon, the world would ours." The man whispered as the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan came to life and spun madly.


The next day, Naruto woke up feeling better since his body's soreness was reduced to a dull throb in a couple of places, such as his bandaged left arm and his right side. The Yuurei tried to move his right arm only to feel pressure and unusual warmth radiating on the limb. Slowly, the jinchuuriki turned to see white wavy hair along with a gracefully resting feminine visage laying her head on his arm.

The golden-haired man's eyes softened at the sight of the sun goddess. He moved his right arm from under the celestial woman's face before moving stray hairs from her face before he caressed her cheek with his thumb. Amaterasu unconsciously nestled into his hand more, enjoying the warmth that his hand produced. Naruto's smile widened. "Thanks Rasu-chan." Naruto whispered as he looked out of the window next to him. The sun was making its way over the horizon, giving Konoha a soft orange glow.

The goddess of the sun slowly opened her eyes to find the whiskered man was awake and gazing through the window calmly. Her eyes widened as she felt his thumb move across her cheek in a tender manner. Dark blue eyes meet deep orange as the eyes' respective owners looked at each other in surprise. Naruto went to remove his hand from the celestial woman's person but was held on by Amaterasu's warm hands.

The ghost-nin saw the wolf-woman's eyes tear up as she hugged his being. "I'm sorry…" Amaterasu spoke softly as tears rolled from her eyes. Naruto looked at her hugging form, startled. The sun goddess continued, "I…I failed to protect you. I know Yami appeared while you were trapped inside of the barrier…" The Yuurei stiffened as his eyes narrowed slightly. More tears flowed from the holy woman's eyes. "He hurt you more ways than one…and I couldn't do a thing!" the white-haired woman spoke as she gripped and held on to the golden-haired ninja tighter.

Naruto's eyes softened as he held on to Amaterasu's crying form. He ran a hand through her hair as he spoke, "You haven't failed to protect me Amaterasu. You never did." The Kyuubi host pulled away to see the sun goddess looking down. Naruto placed an index finger under her chin and pushed up gently so that he could look her in the eyes. The celestial woman slowly gazed back into his eyes. The whiskered-cheek man grinned and wiped the tears from the celestial being before saying, "If anything, I should be thanking you."

Amaterasu slowly felt heat circulate to her cheeks as they gazed at one another. The ghost-nin felt his lips inched towards the sun goddess' awaiting pair before they softly met. The white-haired woman gradually moved herself on to the golden-haired man's lap as the kiss became more passionate. Naruto and Amaterasu ended the kiss and looked into each other's eyes. The ghostly ninja gave a little grin while the holy woman smiled softly. She leaned onto Naruto's chest while she felt his hand smoothly run down her wavy hair.

An hour passed in comfortable silence as they continued to rest in the same position before Amaterasu leaned up and hopped off the bed to stretch. Naruto looked on in amusement. She was trying to fight off the sleep that nearly rested on her. "It's alright if you want to sleep." The blond responded as he scooted over to make room for the celestial woman. The sun goddess gave the human sacrifice a cute glare. "Can't a woman stretch?" Amaterasu spoke before flashing into her wolf form. Naruto chuckled.

The Yuurei drew blood from his right hand before performing the necessary seals to summon his guardian out. Oinari poofed into existence as a small sleeping fox. Feeling a change of wind, the little kitsune opened her eyes to see her container smiling at her. The red fox smiled and stood up and hopped up on her jailer's stomach and sat down before curling in a ball.

"And she continues her cat-nap…" The wolf said teasingly. The kit-sized guardian pouted and spoke, "I prefer the term 'fox-nap' thank you very much." "Either way, your fur is soft!" Issun said before he bounced to the ghost-nin's head. Naruto chuckled as Amaterasu occupied the space given to her. The wolf laid her head on the former pariah's chest as she closed her eyes with sleep coming to claim her once again. Naruto laid a hand on Oinari's body and wrapped an arm around Amaterasu as he smiled and let sleep take over.


It was near the afternoon when Ayame walked towards the hospital with three bowls worth of hot miso ramen in a large bowl. "I hope he's feeling alright." she spoke to herself. The brunette woman was dressed in a white shirt that slightly hugged her figure with black shinobi pants and black sandals. The secret kunoichi smiled. She had always found Naruto attractive, even when he was younger. Maybe it was because he was always genuine with her. When they would talk, he would really listen to her and vice versa. The ninja waitress giggled. She remembered once that he commented on her beauty, saying that if he was older he would try and date her. "Well, you are older now…maybe we can give your idea a shot…" Ayame thought with a small blush as she continued her walk to the hospital.

Passing by the weapons store, the brown-haired woman saw her close friend and colleague walk out. "Hey Yuugao-chan!" Ayame spoke cheekily. The purple-haired woman turned to see the ramen waitress' smiling face. Yuugao smiled, "Hey Ayame-chan. What's in the bowl?" The hawk operative replied solemnly, "It's just something to help lift Naruto's spirits. He was…so downhearted when we last saw him." The cat ANBU nodded in agreement. That had been on her mind for the most of last night. "I understand what you mean. I was on my way to go see him now." Ayame smiled. "So was I. Maybe we could pay him a surprise visit together…" The kenjutsu user mulled over the idea for a moment before a small smile graced her features. Yuugao nodded and spoke, "What have we got to lose?" The ramen waitress grinned before walking with her fellow kunoichi to visit the subject of their concerns together.


Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune examined Naruto's left arm. Usually the Nine-Tails' power would have healed the wound by now but the imp's bite left a strange black mark. "This is almost like a curse seal…or maybe just a curse." Jiraiya spoke sagely. Tsunade frowned and said, "Amaterasu took out the poison from the wound. Now it's just malevolent chakra inside. Something's not right…"

Naruto stirred to see the Sage, Hokage, and her assistant staring at his left arm. His eyes trailed down to see the black claw markings wrapped around his left forearm (A/N: Like Gene Starwind from Outlaw Star). How could he have gotten that? The famed White Ghost racked his mind to solve this anomaly before remembering his fight with Yami.

"So insolent! I had considered recruiting you. And I still do." Yami smirked. "I'll give you time to see it my way. The next time we meet, I expect an answer." The evil spirit grabbed the jinchuuriki's wounded left forearm and squeezed it, making Naruto feel the fangs that were buried in the arm. The Yuurei grunted, trying to ignore the searing sensation.

"Is that what he did? He put this…this…curse, on me?" Naruto asked himself. The golden-haired ninja stared intently at his arm, clenching his teeth. Jiraiya looked up to see his former pupil gazing at his arm with killer intent slowly leaking from him. The fire shadow and med-nin was startled by the anger before Shizune spoke softly, "Naruto-kun?"

The softness of the voice shook him off of the trance he went into. Naruto took a shaky breath in and slowly let it out as he calmed down. "Sorry. I just figured out what how I had gotten this curse mark." He looked up to see the curiosity on the trio's faces. "Do tell. We would like to know." Naruto looked to his right to see Kyuubi, Amaterasu, and Issun sitting on the floor next to him calmly. The jinchuuriki took a breath before telling his meeting with Yami.

"That twisted arrogant snake!" the celestial okami growled out. The kitsune sat next to the wolf as her claws began to sink through the floor in anger. Naruto softly spoke, "Calm down. We can plot later. Right now, we need to find out what this thing is capable of doing and if we can remove it or seal this off." Everyone nodded and Jiraiya inspected it for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "For now, cover it up and leave it alone. Be mindful of your emotions Naruto. It might be triggered by negative thoughts." The kenjutsu user nodded thoughtfully before fashioning his bandages like Rock Lee.

Oinari looked at her host before saying, "We're going into the seal to check everything out." Naruto nodded before the guardian dispelled herself into the seal with the goddess following her in a flash. The jinchuuriki sighed before looking at Tsunade. "So where is everyone at now?" The blond woman replied, "I gave them a hotel to stay in for the night. They said that they would visit you when they can." The Kyuubi host smiled.

A knock was heard by the doorway. Everyone turned to see Tenzou and Kakashi standing there. Naruto looked at his old sensei. "Hey Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi didn't say a word as he looked at his old student in sadness. "I need to apologize, Naruto. I did not do right by you as a sensei." The jounin started. Before he could continue, the golden-haired man stopped him.

"Apology accepted." The silver-haired man looked up in shock. "I see the regret in your eyes. You truly mean it." Naruto finished with a smile. The masked ninja bowed his head. Naruto stood up and walked to his former teacher and grabbed his shoulders. Kakashi looked his fomer pupil in the eyes before he saw a grin. "Let it go." The Copy-nin chuckled before nodding.

Jiraiya slid an arm around him with a sly grin. "So I heard you were the interest of many women while you were at the meeting." Naruto slightly blushed. Tenzou grinned. "You should've seen it. He even had the Mizukage's eyes on him." The Toad Sage looked at the ANBU in shock. "WHAT?" Naruto's blush rose.

The ANBU chuckled. "It was so unbelievable that the Hachibi jinchuuriki and his tenant took to spying on him. Naruto tried to deny the fact that women were flocking him but Nibi's flirting proved everything that they said, right." Jiraiya's jaw was on the ground and he was epically crying anime tears. He saw the two-tailed guardian and her container before he came in here!

"Nibi too? Pleeeeease tell me that you're getting to home base!" Naruto's face turned red from embarrassment and he yelled, "Shut up Tenzou! Ero-Jiraiya! I care too much to try that with them!" It was part of the truth. Lately, his hormones have been running a little out of control so part of him honestly wished for that to happen, but he doesn't want to mess up the relationship that they have now. Sigh…why must feelings be so confusing?

Annoyed, Tsunade grabbed Jiraiya by his ponytail, opened the window, and punched the perverse sage from the hospital. "I WILL FIND OUT THE TRUTH NARUTOOOO!" the Sannin yelled as he faded from sight. Naruto turned to the ANBU. "Why did you tell him that?" Naruto yelled. Tenzou gave an innocent look before saying, "To see if my theory is right." The Yuurei paled. "Oh dear Kami, no…"

The Copy-Cat ninja looked at the blond man and thought, "Hmm…Looks like I'll be investigating this to see if it's true…" "Well then, I have some errands to run so I'll see you later Naruto." The Sharingan user said. Naruto nodded and waved goodbye to the one-eyed man. Tenzou grinned before nodding and disappearing in a plume of smoke.

The dual katana wielder sighed before looking at the two med-nins with a smile. "So…when can I leave?" Shizune giggled while Tsunade shook her head. The female kage said, "Sometime this evening. I want one more check-up before I let you go." Naruto looked at his state of dress, only wearing his black boxers and a hospital gown. He untied the gown, took it off, and looked at her expectantly.

Tsunade fought off a blush from seeing the golden-haired man's defined body. "Not now idiot!" the blond woman yelled. "He was developing well as a brat but now…" the Hokage though secretly. Shizune's cheeks took on a pink tinge as she was able to stop heat from overtaking her face. Both of the medical ninja's eyes landed on the vertical black scars he had at the junction of his shoulders and neck.

The Sannin moved closer and touched the injury softly, sending shivers down the jinchuuriki's spine. "That reminds me. How did you get these?" Tsunade asked out of curiosity and concern. The Hokage's assistant moved closer to hear as well. Naruto sighed. "During the destruction of the Sound Village, Orochimaru sent one of his experiments on me. Apparently, he was very good with poisons and chakra manipulation. He had two big daggers and cut me there. Coupled with the infusion of the poison with his blades and the flaring his already unstable chakra caused what you see now. Amaterasu and Oinari tried to heal it, but got to it too late. So now I have these." Naruto finished with a shrug.

The two kunoichi nodded as they processed the story. "Interesting." Tsunade said. The Yuurei gave an amused smile. "Life moves on, I guess." Shizune giggled before saying, "Well I'm glad you're safe now." The Kyuubi host grinned and hugged her, surprising the med-nin. "I'm happy you care Shizu-chan." The black-haired woman blushed from the nickname and shirtless hug she received.

Tsuande saw the blush that her apprentice tried to so desperately hide. "So little Shizune has a thing for Naruto too, huh? Well, I guess that can't be helped…" the blond woman thought with a smile. The apprentice's eyes widened as she remembered something. "I have to pick up my package! I almost forgot!" Shizune let Naruto go before looking back at the two blonds. "I'm sorry but I have to go." Both nodded. "It's okay. Maybe we could hang out later." Naruto said. Shizune blinked before she giggled and smiled softly. "Yeah. I would love that." The ghost-nin fought the heat that threatened to flow to his cheeks after seeing her gaze.

Shizune waved her goodbyes before leaving for her task at hand. Both blonds were quiet for a moment. Tsuande smirked at her pupil's actions before stretching and rolling her shoulders. Naruto looked at her and tilted his head questioningly. The Hokage looked at the ghost user and asked, "What?" The man grinned and said, "Nothing. I still haven't thanked you properly though, Tsuna-chan." The blond woman blushed before she walked to him and said, "I'm glad you haven't forgotten that. Well, I don't want anything special. Maybe go for a walk and just talk. I'll let you know after the council meeting for tomorrow Naruto-kun."

The golden-haired man smiled a little before the two blonds hugged each other. Both separated before Tsunade her hands on his chest and kissed the Yuurei on his whiskered cheek. Naruto blushed. "See ya later, Naru-kun." The blond kage said as she traced a finger down one of his sensitive whiskers marks and walked out of the room.

Naruto blushed and shivered from the touch. "These whisker marks might end me one day…" Oinari's host sighed before putting the hospital gown on the table next to him and dawned on a white shirt with a pair of black sweatpants that laid on his bed before lying back down, looking at the ceiling as he recounted his battle with the imps.

His thoughts suddenly halted as he began to inhale a familiar scent. "I know this smell…" He certainly did. The jinchuuriki's heart began to race as the aroma became stronger. "But…how could this be?" the golden-haired ninja asked. Last time he checked, the hospital didn't have this. The doctor said that it could damage the body if too much of it was in the body system…so why do they have it?

He felt his body want, no…crave for this wondrous piece of culinary art. He heard the sound of footsteps nearing his way. Naruto silently moved to the ceiling and crawled until he was above the doorway. He listened as his breaths were completely silent and his presence was completely concealed. He heard feminine voices conversing with one another as the smell and footsteps became louder, causing Naruto to focus as he crouched low.

A brunette and a purple-haired woman walked into his room, and as he was about to pounce he heard the violet-haired woman say softly, "He's not here…" The brunette sighed sadly before putting a big bowl on his nightstand. "I really wanted to see his face light up in surprise with this visit." He heard the brown-haired woman speak dejectedly. Naruto's eyes widened. That was…for him? The Yuurei silently landed before he said, "Well I am certainly more than surprised…" Both women turned quickly to see the man that they wanted to visit gazing at them in shock.

Yuugao and Ayame blushed lightly from Naruto's appearance before the ninja waitress giggled and offered the hot and steamy bowl to her number one customer. The golden-haired man smiled while his mouth watered in anticipation. The ghost-nin accepted the bowl gratefully before setting it on his bed, confusing the elite ninjas. He turned to the two kunoichi before walking up to the brunette first and gave her a warm hug that caused the woman to blush from the affection that she was receiving.

To Ayame's disappointment, the golden-haired man let go of her and repeated his actions to the purple-haired woman which also gave her cheeks a pink tinge. Naruto pulled back and smiled genuinely. "Thank you. You two visiting really means a lot to me." the whiskered-cheek jinchuuriki said. Ayame and Yuugao softly smiled at Naruto. "Why wouldn't we visit you?" the ramen waitress giggled out.

The deep blue-eyed man scratched the back of his head as he spoke, "Well I figured that you may have had more pressing matters to attend to than to see how I was doing." Yuugao tilted her head in confusion. "We were returning from a mission when we ran into your group and you were badly injured. Of course we would see you!" the kenjutsu user replied. The Yuurei was taken aback from the response he drew from the ANBU ninjas before feeling butterflies of happiness in his core. He grinned from the sensation.

Naruto sat down before taking the bowl and set the bowl in his lap. He looked at the mask-using women and started, "You know, eating this by myself isn't as fun as eating with the ones you cherish…"

Yuugao felt heat introduce itself to her cheeks. "He cherishes us?" she thought as she felt warmth swell in her heart. A warm smile graced her lips before she sat next to the golden-haired man.

Ayame felt her heart skip a beat when she heard the ghost-nin's statement. She knew the ramen addict enough to know when he spoke from his heart. A rose-colored blush adorned the kunoichi's visage as a tender smile came to her before she sat on the other side of the former village pariah.


The trio sat in comfortable silence as they finished the content of the bowl. "Naruto-kun?" the neko operative spoke. The golden-haired man looked at her. "What exactly happened to you before we arrived?" The whiskered-cheeked man lowered his gaze before he asked, "Did Tsunade-chan explain what happened at the Kage Summit Meeting?" Both female ANBU nodded. Naruto sighed before saying, "Alright, then seems I won't have to recap that far." The Yuurei told them of his encounter with Yami inside the demonic barrier, excluding his curse mark so that they wouldn't worry about him too much.

"The whole situation is disturbing and a great deal to take. Half of the time I question myself on how I am still living." Naruto said. Neko and Taka giggled at the jinchuuriki's expression. The cat and hawk personified shinobi embraced the golden-haired man. "Well we're glad you're still alive." The brunette said softly. A smile graced the azure-eyed man's face. The violet-haired woman spoke, "Sometimes, it is better to just go along with life instead of questioning it. Just know that you have friends with you." Naruto's smile widened from Yuugao's words.

"I guess you're right." The Yuurei said. Ayame looked at the clock hanging from the wall before she sighed. Taka's colleague and her first-rated customer gave her questioning gaze. Soft black eyes met deep blue and light purple as she spoke, "I have to be at work in fifteen minutes to help my father open up shop…" Naruto thought to himself, "She doesn't want to leave…" Yuugao had similar thoughts and felt sympathy for the woman.

"Don't worry! We'll hang out later!" Oinari's host said with a grin before he finished, "I'll make sure that we do." Ayame blushed from the proclamation. "That sounds nice but I don't want you to feel forced…" Naruto held the ninja waitress by her shoulders before he said with an affectionate smile, "Since when have I ever felt forced to hang out with you?" The ramen hostess' blush rose before she stood and turned away to hide it.

The purple-haired ANBU grinned inwardly from her friends' interaction. She definitely had some blackmail material now. A knock sounded from the front door. Everyone turned to see Ino, Shikamaru, Lee, and Sakura standing at the doorway. "Greetings Naruto-kun!" Lee spoke. Naruto was surprised but his smile dropped slightly when his eyes landed on his former teammate…something that Shikamaru, Yuugao, and Ayame noticed.

"Hey everyone." Naruto said with a calm smile. The Nara smiled slightly and lazily drawled, "We heard a little bit about that troublesome mission with Hokage-sama." The Kyuubi host chuckled. "Yeah. It was a pain." Ino giggled before saying, "Maybe, but you went and saw all of the kages at once and had a major part too. I can say I'm proud of you." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "This is coming from someone who used to look at me like a joke?"

The Yamanaka blushed embarrassingly as looked at him in anger. "Who said that I still don't think you're a joke?" The ghost-nin smiled and pointed at her face before replying, "Your blush." Ino growled and huffed away. "Shut up!" Everyone laughed at her expense.

Naruto calmed himself and turned his gaze to Sakura, who was stealing glances at him. "…Is there anything that you wanted to know?" the ninja-swordsman asked with near-blank expression. The pink-haired medic silently leaned on leg uncomfortably while looking away. The Yuurei gave a sad gaze. "I see…"

"Such a shame. Is that all she was here for?" the taka operative thought. Ayame didn't like Sakura for what she did to her favorite customer. From what she saw, all the female would do is degrade him at every turn. The ninja waitress had to refrain herself from releasing her killing intent on the girl, for Naruto's sake.

Yuugao saw the reactions that Tsunade's apprentice produced from the ghost ninja and the ramen hostess and honestly, she felt disdain for the girl too. Before Naruto's banishment, the jinchuuriki and ANBU would meet up on top of the Hokage Monument whenever they could and talk about things that would happen in their life. Usually, the pink-haired girl was a constant negative. Subconsciously, the purple-haired woman slightly narrowed her eyes in resentment.

The shadow genius looked at everyone and thought, "I know Ino didn't want Sakura left out, but maybe it was the better idea. Things didn't end so well with those two." The pineapple-haired man then looked at the two elite kunoichi. "And then we have those jounin that doesn't seem to like Sakura. (A/N: Shikamaru didn't know they were ANBU.) Why does things have to be such a drag when I show up?" the shadow user thought as he stayed silent to watch how everything would turn out.

Naruto looked at his former teammate in the eyes. "Right…" the wolf summoner began. "During the meeting, Uchiha Sasuke did appear on Akatsuki's side. I'm sure you all have been briefed of this when Tsunade-chan came back." Everyone nodded. Naruto's eyes hardened as stared back at his former teammate's hopeful eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you. If the Uchiha comes back, it'll be of his own free will. If I am sent after him…" The whiskered-cheek man's eyes illuminated an icy blue, startling everyone. "…know that it will be for his life."

Sakura felt tears well up in her eyes and was about to ask a question before she was informed with more information. "There is no redemption for me. My eyes are already closed. All I see now…is darkness. These are the words he told me after he stabbed me with his electrified chokuto. As far as I'm concerned, I'm through talking."

The med-nin had tears sliding down her cheeks as she asked, "So…there's no way?" Naruto's eyes softened and held sadness in their depths. "Are you power?" he asked. The pinkette gasp softly while everyone slightly flinched.

"Wh-what?" Sakura stuttered. Naruto held his melancholy gaze. "I asked you if you were power. Because that's all he wants." Tsunade's apprentice looked at the floor as her vision blurred from the oncoming tears. "Although…" The pink-haired woman looked back at her former teammate who was trying to choose his words carefully. "There is a very slim chance that he may have a change of heart. He is in the darkness because it's easier for him. That's all he knows. But as I said before, I'm not talking to him anymore. And I stand by that…no matter how much you want me to try and bring him back again."

Naruto watched his words take effect as Sakura had more tears rolling down her face before she quickly turned away and left the room. "Sakura!" Ino called before chasing after her friend. The golden-haired man stared at the doorway blankly as the Yamanaka ran through it.

Silence reigned for a moment before Yuugao asked softly, "Are you alright?" Naruto chuckled bitterly, "I was…" Rock Lee looked at his wolf summoning comrade and quietly said, "Maybe it was a mistake with Sakura-san coming with us to visit in the first place." The ghost ninja shook his head.

"It's not that." The Yuurei began. "It was the fact that she visited to get information on Sasuke, instead of seeing on how I was doing…" the jinchuuriki said downheartedly. "On my team as a genin, I was always over-looked for Sasuke. I thought…no… hoped… that this part of her may have changed. Even a little." Naruto turned his gaze to the ceiling. "I guess even that was too much to ask. She hasn't changed at all."

Shikamaru walked up to Naruto and placed his hand in front of him. "Well if nothing else, me, Lee, and Ino came to check on you." The Ninetails' host smiled and gripped the shadow user's hand in a brotherly manner before replying, "Yeah. Thanks Shika, I appreciate it." Lee ran up and grabbed Naruto in a bone-crushing hug while swinging him side to side. "YOSH! Naruto-kun has hurdled a hardship of his youthful life! So youthfully INSPIRING!" The Yuurei felt his back pop before he made himself intangible to escape the taijutsu beast's hug.

He reappeared next to the two ANBU operatives, startling them. "Any longer and I'm sure I would've passed out…" Naurto spoke with wide eyes as he took deep breaths to calm his fear down. The kunoichi giggled at him. Shikamaru chuckled before he said, "Well, we'll have to chat at another time. We have to turn in our reports to the Hokage. See ya next time, Naruto." Lee nodded and gave the blond man the good guy's thumbs up with his teeth shining theatrically. "Until next time Naruto-kun!" the green-clad ninja said as he quickly disappeared along with the Nara.

The white ghost chuckled and shook in head. Rock Lee was probably the coolest nutjob he would ever know. Ayame sighed and said, "I have to get going." The Yuurei said, "Aww…couldn't you ask ojisan for more time?" The brunette pouted and folded her arms before she said, "I wish, but if I'm late again then he said that he would cut my pay…" Yuugao giggled before she spoke, "Did you master the Kage Bushin like I suggested?" The ramen waitress sighed and replied, "I haven't had time to really learn it…"

Naruto stood up and said excitedly, "I'm a pro when it comes to that! That's it! Next time I see you, I'll teach it to you!" Ayame's cheeks turned pink. "Really?" The ramen addict nodded with determination. The hawk ANBU smiled happily and gave the blond man a hug before she kissed his cheek. "Until then…" she said softly before waving at her teammate before running out the wolf summoner's room.

The ninja-swordsman blushed from brunette's actions and stopped the suggestive thoughts in his mind quickly, before turning to the remaining person in the room. "You still do kenjutsu right?" Yuugao nodded. "Well would it be alright if I sparred against you?" The purple-haired woman smiled and replied, "Sure. I've been meaning to ask about that. I wanted to try my blade against yours ever since you fought the Uchiha's team." Naruto smiled lightly.

"So when are you released?" Neko asked. Shira replied, "Sometime this evening. I don't know where you live but I stay in the ANBU barracks until I can find my own apartment." Yuugao pulled out a slip of paper and pen before writing directions on it. When she was finished, she gave the paper to the whiskered-cheek man.

"This is my address. Come around 9:30 pm. I should be ready by then." Naruto smiled and nodded. Yuugao gave a small smile before she planted a slow, sensual kiss on the golden-haired man's lips. "Don't keep me waiting Naru-kun…" Blushing madly, Yuurei silently nodded. The neko ANBU walked away with a sway in her hips before she turned and glanced back at the jinchuuriki. The ghost-nin's blush still stained his face but a smile graced his visage. She smiled back before leaving his room.

Naruto laid back on his bed as he recalled the events in his head from today. "Well this day was certainly more than what I expected." He said to himself. "Do you always have women come to you like that?" The Yuurei saw a familiar bouncing ball hopping on his chest. "I'm not a bouncing ball!" Issun yelled. The Kyuubi host chuckled as he replied, "Shut up bouncing ball. To answer your question, I'm honestly not quite sure. I think there was always potential, but age was a factor."

The Poncle nodded. "Some people are just late bloomers." the purple-clad man said before hopping to the nightstand and began drawing. Naruto shrugged. Late bloomer or not, he wasn't going to question it. He was just thankful that someone cared about him.

His thoughts became solemn when they remembered his old teammate. Sakura really hurt him…

Even if he didn't want to admit it.

When she came by, he knew that he wasn't ready to see her, let alone talk to the medic. "To think that she still has feelings for Sasuke, even after his betrayal…" The ninja-swordsman closed his eyes and stopped his thoughts. They were becoming too troublesome to deal with now…


A figure moved through the trees swiftly and silently as they headed for Konoha. They did not make a sound, nor did they waste any time or movements to their destination. "Soon…" The shadowed person spoke. "Soon…I will have my questions answered." Grey eyes with black rings inside glowed with anticipation.


The sun was slowly setting in the Leaf Village as Naruto was bored out of his mind. "Man, this blows! When is Tsuna-chan gonna check and release me?" the golden-haired man mumbled to himself. "How about you draw to pass the time?" Issun offered. The golden-haired man blinked before smiling at the idea. He couldn't remember the last time he drew something. Grabbing a blank sheet of paper and a pencil from the nightstand's drawer, the jinchuuriki looked up in thought for a second before he began to draw.

Time flew for the two artists before Tsunade walked in. She looked at his content face as he drew and smiled. "Well Naruto, time to get you out of here." The Yuurei didn't look up as he said, "Hold on, I'm just about done…" Curious, the Hokage walked up to where the Kyuubi container was and asked, "What are you doing?" The whiskered-cheek man grinned in accomplishment before he showed her his penciled artwork.

Tsunade stifled a gasp as she gazed at the picture. It was a detailed and well-shaded picture of Naruto in front of Konoha with his swords crossing out in front of him in a defensive stance with the Hokage monument as the background. The fire shadow slowly looked at the ghost-nin who was still admiring the drawing. "I had no idea that you could draw Naruto!" Tsunade shouted. The human sacrifice blushed and looked away.

"Well, I used to do it all the time before I was exiled." Naruto started. The blond woman winced. "Ero-Jiraiya knew I could draw. He was so adamant to take me under his wing to draw his books for him…" The last Senju twitched in annoyance and thought, "That idiotic pervert! I swear…"

The blond man scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I guess I didn't realize until now on how much I missed drawing. It was a real relaxer." Tsunade looked at the picture again before asking, "This is really amazing. Can I have it?" Naruto looked into the blond woman's eyes before he nodded. He pulled out a storage scroll before sealing the drawing within it. The Blond woman gave a questioning glance before he explained, "That's just how I take care of my drawings." Tsunade giggled in understanding before taking it.

The famous med-nin examined the golden-haired man for the final time before she spoke, "Alright, everything is working just fine. You're free to go." Naruto smiled before nodding. Grabbing his clothes and gear, he went into the bathroom and changed. The Yuurei finished and walked out in his usual attire, feeling comfortable again.

The golden-haired man gave the slug princess a tight hug, making her face flush. "Finally! Thank you!" the ghost-nin said happily as he held the female Sannin closer before he let her down. After composing himself, Naruto asked, "Where are Konan, Yugito, and Nibi?" Tsunade shrugged. "I don't know. I gave them a hotel room last night but as to where there are now, I don't have a clue. I know they needed to relax so they may have taken today to do so." The ninja-swordsman nodded in understanding before he walked with his leader out of the hospital room.


"Thank you Tsuna-chan." Naruto walked through the village looking for his apartment complex. The blond Hokage had taken the liberty to find a decent apartment for him. That was really nice of her.

Continuing his search, he couldn't help but notice the stares of fear and hate throughout the populous. He heard their condescending whispers as he passed by. "The demon returns…" "I wish he would drop dead…" "You don't deserve to live…"

The curse on his arm pulsed once. The ghost-like shinobi balled his fists as a deep animalistic growl erupted from the jinchuuriki's throat, scaring those who heard it. Anger began to surface on his visage before he saw a group of genin staring at him in fear. His anger halted before he offered a smile in apology and walked away.


A half an hour had passed and he found the apartment building that he sought out for. Already having the key by Tsunade, the ghost-nin walked to his residence and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, the blond man closed the door and looked around. The apartment had a living room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The Yuurei nodded in satisfaction. This place had a homey feel to him already. "Note to self: Thank Tsunade-chan later for this." Naruto said before his stomach growled fiercely. Naruto groaned and made his way out to his favorite shop.

"That was pretty good." The sword-using jinchuuriki said with a content stomach. Ayame wasn't at the ramen vendor this time, much to the ire of her father. After finishing his food, Naruto walked around the village, mostly looking at the different colors in the sky. Dusk was slowly fading to the night, as the moon shined brightly.

His sky-gazing was interrupted when he heard a cat meow in front of him. Looking down, he tilted his head questioningly. A violet cat sat in front of the Kyuubi host and looked back at him with its golden eyes shining. Naruto smiled a little as he knelt down and touched its head before scratching its chin. The feline purred in content before rubbing against the Kyuubi hosts' hand affectionately.

"Well aren't you a happy one?" the whiskered man asked, amused from the cat's action. The feline licked his hand and hopped into Naruto's arms. The blond man silently laughed. "So you want to come with me, huh?" The cat meow happily in reply. The Yuurei smiled, "Alright…Nibi-chan."

The cat's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?" the little purple neko asked. The golden-haired man gave a sheepish look. "It was your eyes." The cat guardian stayed silent as she waited to hear the Kyuubi jinchuuriki's explanation. "Your eyes looked as curious as a normal cat but it felt mischievous too. As if you were trying to catch me off-guard."

The golden-eyed neko pouted and tilted her head cutely. "You spoiled my fun Naru-kun…" The blond swordsman gave back a foxy grin and spoke, "Not intentionally Nibi-chan." The purple cat shook her head disapprovingly. "Murasaki." the guardian said. Naruto caught on. "That's your name?" The little cat nodded. "It's a pretty name…" the crimson-cloaked man said as he looked at the moon. Murasaki blushed and purred contently before she hopped on his shoulder.

Naruto's Seal

Amaterasu and Oinari were sparring against each other before the foxy guardian froze in mid stance. "Hey, what's wrong?" the wolf woman asked. The red-haired woman narrowed her eyes and replied quietly, "Someone is sitting in my spot…"

Real World

Shivers ran down the neko's spine as if she committed blasphemy against Kami himself. "You felt that, huh?" the Kyuubi host asked rhetorically. The two-tailed guardian shakily nodded. The White Ghost sighed. Suddenly, Naruto felt the vixen guardian gain control of his arm as it began to perform summoning half-seals. A flash of light and a plume of smoke later, a fox kit and a wolf pup appeared.

"Murasaki…" the little kitsune said as she narrowed her red eyes. The two-tailed guardian gave a cheshire smile as she waved a paw. The small vixen's eyebrow began to twitch in annoyance. "What are you doing in my spot?" Oinari asked. The purple cat rubbed against the swordsman's whiskered cheek as she purred her response, "Sitting here enjoying my time with your host. I don't suppose you have a problem with that, right?"

The kitsune guardian twitched at the reply before she trotted closer to her host as she replied, "I don't have a problem with that. It's WHERE you do it at. And where you are currently sitting at is his shoulder…also known as my spot. Hop off and find another spot to claim." The cat smirked, "And if I don't?" The kitsune flipped and tackled the neko as they began to wrestle each other a cloud of smoke animatedly covered them. Naruto grew anime eyes as he said, "Please you don't have to fight about this!"

The wolf pup next to the fox container sighed, unknowingly catching Naruto's attention. The golden-haired man smiled widely before scooping the sun goddess suddenly. "Aww! You look cool as a pup Rasu-chan!" The celestial wolf pup blushed badly. She didn't change to this form much because of that reaction. She felt herself being moved into the ghost-nin's shirt with only her front paws and head sticking out. The pup looked up at the golden-haired man with a red blush across her cheeks.

Naruto smiled warmly before asking, "Is it comfortable?" The wolf responded, "It's embarrassing…" The blue-eyed ninja rubbed her head affectionately before replying, "But I think you like it." The white-furred pup felt her blush spread more. She did really enjoy it but she wasn't going to tell the Kyuubi host that. With that in mind, she stayed silent and looked back at the scuffle.

The Yuurei sweatdropped at the fighting cloud of smoke. He REALLY didn't wanna get scratched up but it seemed to have no choice. With finality, the blond ninja reached into the cloud of the fighting cat and fox (getting scratched like crazy in the process), grabbed the pair and looked at them.

"Where ever you land will be your spot." Naruto said. The two guardians looked in confusion. "What do you mean by tha-AAAHHHH!" the little neko was interrupted when he threw her and the fox kit high into the air. The puppified sun goddess squinted as she tried to keep her eyes on the two airborne animals. "Wow. That's thinking outside the box. I hope they land where they want to be at…" the wolf pup said. Naruto was grinning foxily. "They will if they want it bad enough." The little fox was the first to appear in the air as she flipped like a buzz saw. The cat appeared soon after, following the fox's example.

The Kyuubi stopped flipping and stretched out her little body to land properly on her host's shoulders. She surprisingly arrived softly on her target and wrapped a soft tail around the ghostly ninja's neck affectionately with a happy smile on her face.

The Nibi continued to approach her target while flipping, making Naruto a little nervous. Amaterasu looked up and said, "You know, she might hurt you with that crazy landing." Naruto paled while Oinari stayed silent. The violet cat was coming in with enough force to knock the blond ninja out. A couple of inches were the measurement before she would send the ninja-swordsman into the hospital again.

"I don't wanna go back to the hospital!" was Naruto's frantic thought before Murasaki abruptly paused her descent and landed softly on the Yuurei's golden mane. She moved in circles on his head before lying down on his head with her small legs hanging off to the back of his cranium.

"Your hair is surprisingly soft in contrast with it spiking wildly." The two-hailed guardian purred out. Murasaki looked down to see Oinari sweatdropping, Amaterasu giving her anime eyes, and Naruto looking straight ahead with anime eyes and quivering lips. "…I thought I was gonna go back to that white prison…"

The Nibi laughed melodiously before tapping the golden-haired man with her paw. "I'm a cat by nature silly. You should have seen that coming!" The celestial canine pouted as she thought, "Stupid cats and their ability to pause themselves in mid-air…" The little vixen looked at her fellow guardian in annoyance and slight jealousy. "Curse that idiotic cat…"

"Stupid cat!" Everyone turned to see an amused Konan walking along with a fuming Yugito. "Where is she? I only wanted to ask a simple question before she bites my ear and runs off!" the blond woman said to herself as she continued to look around. Her sharp black eyes landed on a trio of animals on a fellow blond. The Kumo assassin tilted her head like a feline would before asking, "Naruto-kun?" The said person grinned and nodded without the little neko lying on his head falling off.

The paper user smiled. "Hey Naruto-dono." The Yuurei sighed. "You know how I feel about that Kona-chan." The former Rain kunoichi smirked a little. "I do…Naruto-dono." The azure-eyed man frowned in mock anger while the blue-haired woman's smirk widened.

The cloud ninja smiled at the exchange before catching the gaze of the violet feline. The kunoichi's eyes lit up as she smirked. "Can I get the cat that's on your head?" Before the cat could run or protest, Naruto grabbed her and extended his arms with a smile. "Sure thing."

Yugito smiled happily before grabbing her guardian and looked at her. "Meow?" The purple neko spoke questioningly, hoping the throw her jailer off. The blond cloud ninja grinned and said, "The Kyuubi is on Naruto's shoulders while Amaterasu-chan is in his shirt. Nice try though." Yugito put the poor cat in a headlock and flicked her sensitive ears hard.

"OWWW! Stop that! Grrr-ARGH! That's hurts! Alright, I'm sorry Yugito-chan!" Murasaki wailed as she endured her container's torture. The Nibi container smirked before dropping the purple guardian. The two-tails held her sensitive ears with her small paws before whimpering.

After her pain subsided, Murasaki stood up and hopped to the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Naruto laughed a little bit before asking, "Are you alrigh-AAAHHH!" The feline angrily scratched the ghost ninja in the face. "Idiot! Don't laugh at my misfortune! Next time the kitten wants me, don't give me to her!" The violet cat hissed. Naruto was bent down holding his cheek in pain with tears at the edge of his eyes.

Everyone sweatdropped from the Nibi's actions. "Is she always like this?" Konan asked to the Kumo container. Yugito sighed and nodded. Naruto stood back up with four stinging slashes on his left cheek now. "Argh! This stings and it keeps throbbing!" the Kyuubi container said in pain. Oinari giggled before she used her tail to touch his scratches, healing them with her chakra. The sword-using ninja hummed relief before petting the little vixen's tail, knowing how much she loved that.

"So where are you headed to?" Naruto asked his fellow jinchuuriki. The blond ninja of the Clouds sighed and said, "I'm headed back to the hotel I'm in to sleep. I have to head back to my village in two days." The Yuurei nodded in understanding. The paper user spoke, "I'm tired so I'm going to return to my room too." Naruto hummed in thought.

"Alright. I'll find you tomorrow and maybe we could do something." The blond kunoichi, two-tailed guardian, and former Ame-nin nodded. A smile graced Yugito's features before she nodded. Konan nodded as well, gazing at the jinchuuriki softly. "Okay. See you later Naru-kun." The Cloud assassin said and she turned around and walked gracefully back to her hotel. The blue-haired ninja gave the swordsman a hug before moving very close to his face, causing then man to blush from the close proximity. "Farewell for now, Naruto-dono." Konan whispered before a small smirk appeared on her lips as she moved away before walking back to her hotel.

Murasaki hopped off Naruto's head and changed into her human form in a plume of smoke. The purple-haired guardian sighed before she smiled at Oinari's jailer. "Well then, it seems that we will meet tomorrow so I suppose I'll see you then." The golden-haired man smiled and nodded. "I guess so, Saki-chan." The feline woman blushed rosily from the name.

Murasaki smiled and waved her goodbyes before disappearing in a white cloud. Naruto heard a yawn from the white puppy inside his shirt and looked to see Amaterasu's cute, sleepy visage. The human sacrifice laughed a little bit before grabbing her and holding her up. Orange eyes met navy as the celestial puppy yawned again before giving a lick to the ghost ninja's cheek, making the Yuurei chuckle.

"I'm going to sleep in the seal. Night Naruto-kun, Oinari-chan." The jailer and prisoner gave their good nights before the sun goddess vanished into the seal in a flash of light. The Ninetails nuzzled against her host before she left in a column of smoke. Naruto smiled lightly before walking towards a training ground.

The golden-haired swordsman's mind wondered for a moment before he remembered about his sparing match with Yuugao. He looked around and saw a clock outside a restaurant that read 9:25 PM. He looked in wide eyes. "I'm supposed to be at her house in five minutes!" He fumbled around his person for the directions that she given him until he found it. He quickly read it and by sheer luck, her apartment was about a block away. It seems that Kami decided to put his soul at ease…for now anyway.

The golden-haired man walked and turned the corner to find the apartment complex that he was looking for. He climbed the stairs to the third floor and arrived to his destination. Naruto knocked twice before he waited. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal a smiling Yuugao.

"Hey, you're right on time." The ANBU operative said. Naruto gave a foxy smile and replied, "Well, I was told to not keep you waiting Yuugao-chan." The violet-haired woman slightly grinned before grabbing her katana by her doorway.

Adjusting the blade on her back, she walked out and closed the door before locking it. She turned back and spoke, "Just follow me. I have the perfect place in mind to where we can spar at." The Yuurei nodded before the pair hopped onto the rooftop and began traveling from roof to roof.

Minutes passed before they arrived to their destination. "So this is the place?" Naruto asked. Yuugao nodded. It was a moonlit clearing that had a little river flowing through it. The ghost-nin smiled slightly, "It's peaceful here." The violet-haired kunoichi smiled.

"I come here when I want to relax and get away from everything." the elite ninja spoke with a tender smile on her visage. The golden-haired man looked at her before saying, "So this is your sanctuary?" "Yeah." the expert shinobi said before turning to him. "I suppose it is."

Yuugao laughed lightly, making Naruto curious. "What?" the former village pariah asked. The ANBU replied, "I realized that you are the only person that I've shown this place to." The Kyuubi host smiled. "Thank you. Besides Hiruzen-jiji, you were the only one that knew where my favorite place was." The ninja-swordsman smiled before stretching. "Alright, so what are the limits?"

The kunoichi grinned and got into position before saying, "Only use kenjutsu and fight into submission. Nothing else." The Yuurei smiled foxily before stance. They stood there and waited for an unspoken signal. The wind blew and a leaf slowly floated down in between the two fighters as they waited for the little plant to land on the ground. Both smirked just before the leaf landed. As the leaf landed, the two rushed at each other intending to best each other in the art of swordsmanship.


A smiling and unconscious Yuugao laid on the ground with her katana next to her. Naruto took deep breathes as he created a shadow clone. "That was the most exciting kenjutsu match I've had in years." the ghost-nin said as his clone picked her up and began to take the kunoichi to her home. The Kyuubi host turned the other direction. The whiskered man wasn't ready to go home yet.

He walked through the village and saw the inhabitants live their lives happily. Naruto smiled bitterly as he recalled some of his childhood memories. "I was a loner then…" he thought to himself. He was shaken out of his reminiscence when someone pushed him. He turned to see a bald burly shinobi looking at him in disgust.

The golden-haired man turned and continued his walk. Angered, the offender shoved the swordsman harder, making him stumble. Some bypassing villagers stopped their walk to watch the altercation that the ninja was trying to start with hopeful eyes while the ones that respected the Kyuubi host were offended.

Naruto held his anger in check as he looked back at the brawny ninja. "Why have you come back here?" the man asked. The Yuurei stayed silent. The muscle-bound man barked, "Answer me!" Silence was the ghost-nin's reply. The large fighter glowered, "You walk among us with Yondaime-sama's appearance…mocking us and shaming his name. Making us grieve more… When will you be satisfied, you monster? How much more suffering do we have to take for you to feel accomplished?" Naruto, in his anger, growled out, "If there's anyone shaming the Yondaime, it's the village! You don't have any trust in him!"

The hefty ninja yelled, "How dare you! We put our faith in the Fourth Hokage!" The Yuurei replied quietly, "Then why do you believe that I am the Kyuubi? The fox is only sealed within me." The ninja shot back, "Because it still exists! IN YOU! You could let it take control at anytime!" Naruto quietly spoke back, "And trying to provoke me is the best thing to do?" The crowd was silent.

The jinchuuriki whispered, "So you don't trust me. Is that it?" The big man sneered, "You're weak. You couldn't handle such a burden. That's why…" The man pulled out a kunai and charged. "I'll end both of your existence!"

The Kyuubi host felt his blood boil. This man had the audacity to tell him that he couldn't handle this burden? That he was weak?

The curse on Naruto's arm burned and pulsed from the dark emotions. The wolf summoner gave an animalistic growl as tears slowly leaked from his eyes. He caught the attack and looked the man in the eyes, frightening the man. "You speak from ignorance…you don't have any idea of being a jinchuuriki…a human sacrifice! To take the scorn of your own people!" The golden-haired man pushed the bald man away.

Killing intent flushed throughout the area as the wrapped curse that burned his left forearm pulsed again. The crowd was rooted in their spots from fear. More tears slid from Naruto's deep blue eyes as he fought the crazed urge to kill to the people before him. A few moments later the urge and the killing intent faded away.

"I apologize to you for the pain that you feel. I apologize on the Ninetails' behalf. But will not allow you to kill me or push me around any longer." The Yuurei whispered with tears in his eyes before silently walking past the wide-eyed burly ninja.

A pink-haired woman stood stiffly as she stood and saw the scene. "I…I had no idea…" she whispered. She did learn about the Kyuubi from a file Tsunade had on her desk, even if it was an accident. Her teammate always held a smile on his face. He never said a word to her about the villagers' mistreatment of him. Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as she thought of all of the pain she caused him.

"Shut up demon!" A villager shouted before throwing a stone at him. Just as it was about to touch him, he become intangible and fled the scene. "Ha! Serves him right!" the stone thrower said before getting a punch from the person next to him.

The man held his jaw in pain as the puncher yelled, "Brother! You are wrong! He protected us from the beginning! If there is anyone that was the monster, it was us! We treated him like dirt since he was a child! We didn't give him a chance! Even now, he fights for us!" The people who respected the nine-tailed jinchuuriki nodded firmly while the others felt ashamed. "And all we did was push him away. What if he decided to stay away for good?" Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

The buff man that initiated the fight sat down and heard someone coming his way. Two kunoichi, one with black, wavy hair and the other with wild purple hair walked to the muscular man. The raven-haired woman slapped him. "You don't know what he's been through and yet you judge." The purple-haired woman shook her head in anger. "Coward…" Both women walked away to look for Naruto. The shinobi broke down and cried in regret. "What have I done? I'm sorry!"

Meanwhile, the two kunoichi ran to find the blond man. "We have to find him Kurenai." The snake mistress said. The red-eyes woman nodded and said, "I know Anko. We will find him." Both decided to try and find the jinchuuriki with his favorite eatery place: Ichiraku Ramen.

In the outskirts of the Leaf Village, trees fell as the jinchuuriki took his anger out on the aged plants. Flying punches and slashes powered out from Naruto as tears flowed from his eyes. The angrier he got, the more the curse on his arm burned and pulsed. He gripped the arm to stop the pain as he crouched down.

"Naruto, calm down! The curse is feeding off of your anger!" Amaterasu yelled from the seal. Oinari shouted out to her host, "Please! The angrier you are, the more it affects your mind! We don't want to lose you!" Hearing the two higher beings, Naruto began change his course of thought and thought of the people that he cherished. Slowly, the rage died away and he stood up. "Thank you Rasu-chan, Oinari-chan." The ghost-nin felt a nudge from the seal that equaled as "you're welcome".

Naruto walked back and was a quarter mile away from the village gates before stopping. "Who's there?" The ninja-swordsman asked. "I have a couple of questions I want answered, Uzumaki Naruto." The Kyuubi host turned around to see glowing grey eyes staring back at him. The Yuurei's eyes widened as he stared back into the eyes of the Rinnegan.

"Nagato."


Again, I am so sorry about the wait! Life just gets to you, ya know? Well I hope this has made it up to you since I'm getting back into routine of writing this story as I juggle college and my job.

I hope you enjoyed and please review. I love reviews. But please, no flames.

Thank you.