Of Demons and Gods

by AJ-Writer

Everything in this world will always have their opposites. Man and woman, good and bad, Demons and Gods. Pairings inside. New Chapt FINALLY up.

14. Who let the Dogs out?

Okay. Filler's over. It's get a bit serious up this point. And a change of plan… training won't start this chapter, probably next.

NOTE:

"Chidori!": normal talking

"Rasengan!": in Naruto's case, him in berserker mode. However, I will use this format for other purpose when it's necessary.

'Darn!': thoughts

GWA HA HA HA: Demon speech

Disclaimer: I'm bored of repeating the same thing again and again so… Read the first 5 chapters

Chapter 14:

Who Let the Dogs Out

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

"You know, I hate to say this… but you brought this onto yourself."

"I know. Either way… it's bound to happen."

"Yeah… Godspeed."

Wearing a white hakama, Naruto walked towards the meeting room. There, the elders were already gathered. Everyone showed a face devoid of any emotion… well… not everyone… Hirigi showed a calm face, Hiashi was somewhat… worried… and Hitoshi… complete resentment.

"…" Naruto took a deep breath and let go. 'Okay. Let's go.' Naruto entered the room. "Okay. Here I am. Let's get this done with."

The blond boy stood in the middle of the room, active as ever. The two guards immediately closed the door before Neji could say anything.

Hitoshi smirked. "Right. As you said, let's be done with it." He snapped his fingers and all the sudden, 4 guards appeared right behind Naruto and grabbed him forcibly.

"OI! What the Hell?"

"First, before we begin the trial, allow me to teach you some respect."

"Hitoshi, this is not what we've agreed!" Hiashi shot a deathglare at the man.

"I only did what I think is necessary. That child needs a harsh lesson in manners. You don't want to do it because you've become infatuated with him. I'll do it myself then."

Meanwhile, in front of the door, a familiar figure appeared right next to Neji.

"Neji-san, step aside."

"Huh? You!"

The figure in front of the door touched the floor 'Ryuusuiton, Shin'en Kangoku (Dragon Water Element: Prison of Abyss)'

Inside…

"YOU…!" Before Hiashi could make move, the 4 guards that entangled Naruto were suddenly entrapped in 4 swirling water spheres. The next second, the water sphere shrank into the size of a marble.

"Hey what the…"

"Huh…?"

A murmured voice flowed from the closed door. Everyone looked at the door, and not a moment too soon, a jolt of lightning blasted the door to tiny bits, revealing none other than Kira.

"Who are you? How dare you defile this holy place?" Hitoshi was red in fury.

"You know…normally I would prefer to knock gently… but apparently… some things aren't really going well in this place… So, I decided to be a little extreme. Rest assured I'll fix it somehow…" Kira flicker his forefinger, where electric jolts just flashed over menacingly.

'Kira-sama! Thank goodness.' Hiashi was relieved. The other elders, who were a bit shocked by the sudden entrance, looked confused at Hiashi's expression.

"Then again… I'm sorry that I've made a hell of an entrance… but I wish to take part in this trial session."

"Nonsense! This is a Hyuuga matter!" Hitoshi retorted back.

"As far as I concern, it is my future disciple's case. As his future master, it is my duty to hear out his case. Besides, I might be able to help you."

"How?"

"I have an ability to read minds. This way, Naruto won't be able to lie, and we'll be able to get to the bottom of this." Kira smiled.

"Enough of this bullshit. Guards! Remove this madman from our sight!"

"No! Stop! Hitoshi, show some respect. This man is Yamato Kira, THE Konoha Azure Dragon! You dare to speak like that to him?"

Murmurs arise amongst the elders. Hitoshi smirked. "Hiashi? Give me a break. That's a bedtime story… you believe in that now?"

"I am now."

"Have you gone insane?"

"He is as sane as the rest of us." Kira cut the murmurs with an authoritative tone. His purple eyes glared menacingly, sending shiver to everyone in the room, rendering them quiet. "The reason why I am here is that I can give out a better solution for all of us. Also, I need to understand why Naruto was in this mess. Otherwise the truth will be buried, forever."

Everyone looked at Kira. Hirigi looked at Kira calmly, before asking: "You said you were able to read minds? Tell me then. When Shizuka was still a child, how did I use to call her? And what's the name of my wife? And how did she get her name?"

Kira smiled. "You used to call your daughter Zuzu-chan. Your wife's name was Hakane, her father's name was Hagane, and her mother's name was Haruka. Hence, the name Hakane was taken from the word Ha- and the last parts of her parent's name, -Ka- and –Ne. That's where we get Hakane."

The elders, Hiashi in particular gaped. Hirigi's eyes widened a bit. "…the only one who knows that… was me and Hiashi… unless of course, you really can read minds… very well then. You may join us."

Kira smiled. "Thank you."

Hiashi smiled. 'Good… maybe with Kira-sama around, Naruto might have a chance…' "Alright then… let's begin this meeting."

-----------------

Gaara's mind…

"Wow! You're amazing! You can understand many of my jutsu so quickly! I'm impressed!"

"Well… I guess I'm just getting used to it… still… if this is the real world… those jutsu you showed me would need a great deal of chakra…"

"Not to mention you need sand too to begin with…"

"I know…"

"Still… sleeping like this is bad for your health you know."

"What? Sleeping? Oh yeah… I was sleeping… hold on… I'M SLEEPING? Oh no. Than does that mean that your true power is on the loose now?"

Shukaku smiled. "Hee… don't worry, Aniki-san! I don't know how that big old bad guy works… but I promised you, my power will be kept in check. That's a promise!"

"Is that… so…" Gaara sighed in relief.

"Why don't you wake up now?"

"Should I?"

"What? You want to stay here? Well… fine by me… but I'm telling you, if you keep on sleeping like this, your muscles will go weak if you don't use them!"

"Oh yeah… you're right… I guess I'll wake up then. Will you be okay… alone?"

"Tee-hee. You're funny. You know that? Listen. Our minds are connected to each other. Whatever you're think, see, feel or touch, I'll experience the same. So don't worry. Besides…" Shukaku yawned. "I'm getting a bit sleepy. I want to take a nap."

"…okay." Gaara smiled a genuine smile, something he had learned after a while with such a childish demon. Just then, Genryuu Fuujin flies above them.

"You're going to awake, Gaara?"

"Hai." Gaara answered.

"Okay. I'll watch over Shukaku then."

"Okay… now… how do I wake up?"

Shukaku giggled. Then, all the sudden, a wave of Youki expelled Gaara back into his body. The next second, the red haired Suna nin jerked awake.

"WHOA!" Kankuro gasped.

"Gaara!" Temari exclaimed happily.

"Kankuro… Temari… you're still alive right?"

"Off course we are!" Temari smiled happily.

"Heh… I was kind of scared when that runt said you were sleeping… but it looks like we have nothing to worry about."

"Runt? Who was it?"

Temari nudged Kankurou. "He means Naruto-san. He said you were sleeping and we were… extremely worried about you!"

"I see… thank you."

"Thank you for what?"

"…for worrying me… but… well, I'm fine now." Gaara smiled.

Temari and Kankuro gasped. Gaara had never smiled like that. Even up to the point of smiling so widely.

"I want to get up."

"OH NO YOU WON'T!" All the sudden, Rin appeared out of nowhere, right next to Gaara.

Gaara looked at the girl.

"I'm telling you like I'm telling that blond-idiot. YOU. NEED. REST." Rin gave a stay-there-or-I'll-kill-you-glare

"I've rested enough."

"O no you haven't, not by my standards!"

"Who are you? Even our nannies in Suna weren't this noisy." Kankuro scratch his hair.

"I'm Rin. I'm your brother's nanny, doctor, warden or jailor if you would like to call it that way. But I will not let you out; not before I'm sure you're 100 percent!"

"I am 100 percent… even more." Gaara replied coolly.

"I'd like to see that!" Rin grabbed Gaara's shoulder and squish it gently. What happened next sent everyone's eyes popping out.

Gaara's shoulder melted into sand.

"Ga…. Ga… Gaara… your shoulder…" Kankuro was gaping whilst Temari was horrorstruck.

Gaara looked at his shoulder with face devoid of any fear whatsoever. '…Shukaku…this is your doing?'

YAWN… WHAT? OH, THAT? NOT TOO WORRY. THAT'S JUST THE SIDE EFFECT TO DIRECT EXPOSURE TO MY YOUKI. SINCE YOU'RE NO LONGER PROTECTED BY ANY SEAL… BUT THE TRUTH IS… WHEN THAT OBESE IDIOT MONK STILL IMPRISONED ME, YOU HE DIDN'T PULL OUT THE TRUE EXTENT OF MY POTENTIAL.

'Then what is your true potential?'

ASIDE FROM CONTROLLING SAND? WELL, FOR ONE I DON'T NEED TO CARRY A HUGE GOURD ANYWHERE… GUESS WHY? BECAUSE I DON'T NEED IT. THE EXTENT OF MY ABILITY IS TO TRANSFORM ANYTHING INTO TINY PARTICLES THAT CAN BE USED FOR MY JUTSU. IN ONE WORD…I CAN TURN ANYTHING-EVEN MY OWN BODY-INTO SAND.

'I see… so I don't have to carry my gourd with me anymore… because literally… I am the sand.'

CORRECT. NOW I'M GOING BACK TO SLEEP.

"Interesting… I see now why sometimes… Naruto seemed to enjoy having a demon in his belly… it's just very… fun."

"Huh?" Temari and Kankuro looked at their little brother, horrorstruck.

"Well, I'm off this bed, whether you like it or not, miss." Gaara smirked.

"I'd like to see you try that!" Rin looked menacingly at the red haired nin.

"Try and stop me."

The medic Nin lung forward only to catch a hurl of swirling sand. The sand continues to swirl out of the place, and the next instant, the sand user disappeared.

"Crap." Rin cursed under her breath.

-----------------

"Okay, let's begin." Kira sat next to Naruto.

"Right; Naruto, are you aware of what happened yesterday?" Haruma began.

Naruto shook his head. "No."

Haruma sighed. "Yesterday, it started when tens of Hyuuga teens were assaulted by an army of wooden demons, which stripped and hung them in the dojo. Followed soon was a series of unexplainable accidents, where one seemed to lead to another, and eventually resulted in massive damage being inflicted upon the mansion. And… last night, I left the injured Hyuuga teenagers inside the living room. This morning, I don't know what happened, but all of them were in state of shock and horrorstruck up to the point they were unable to move from the spot. They're in the infirmary now. Shizune-san had said they got a bit of brain-damage due to overstress. Some have even gone mentally ill, muttering they don't want to watch TV again for the next 100 years."

"Poor kids." Naruto tried his best to show sympathy. He almost failed.

"Don't lie to me boy. I know you're behind this." Hitoshi spat menacingly.

"I have no idea what're you talking about. I was outside the complex all day long yesterday. If you don't believe me, you can ask Neji, Kiba, Chouji, and many others. There are many eye-witnesses who have seen me all over the village. I've spent my whole day yesterday outside the compound."

"You could've used a Bunshin."

"Kage Bunshin? True. But, I was punched by Lee. Here's the mark." Naruto showed his bruised stomach. An imprint of Lee's fist was still there.

"You could've made it up!"

"No. He didn't." Hirigi spoke up.

"Sir?" Hitoshi gaped at the former Hyuuga head.

"I was there. I think you forgot one more eye-witnesses, Naruto-kun… Me. I was with Naruto-kun all day long, talking about stuff. And I was there when I saw Rock Lee-kun punch Naruto with his Suiken, right in his stomach."

Hitoshi was at lost of words. He looked at Naruto and then to Kira. "Did you mind-read him? Was this true?"

"You doubt your own master? Give me a break." Kira smiled. Although via mind-read he knew what exactly had happened, he really had to give Naruto some credit to be able to hold his own against a Hyuuga, and he was able to orchestrate his wound from Lee's attack to make a convincing excuse.

"…still… he could have put the traps up last night."

Naruto smirked. "I was locked inside the warehouse all night long. How was I supposed to do that?"

"…" Hitoshi was red in both fury and embarrassment.

Hiashi smiled. "Alright Hitoshi… was there… anything else you need to ask?"

Hitoshi was red. He spat once more. "Then how could you explain all those weird things happening yesterday?"

"How should I know? I told you. I was outside the compound all the time. So how am I supposed to know? Maybe some… prankster who has a grudge on you guys… I don't know… did you ever piss off another prankster besides me? If so, I really must see him. He's good."

The Hyuugas are experts in detecting lies. But, faced with such an alibi and the fact that Naruto's face really showed that he knew next to nothing of what had actually happened as a result of the pranks, they were lost.

Hitoshi was furious beyond belief. "YOU DID ALL THAT! I KNOW IT!" The other Hyuuga were quite shocked to see such an outburst.

"Calm down, Hitoshi. Naruto is right. Let's be reasonable. Unless you're saying that Naruto has a twin, or he could be in two places at once… well that's another story entirely."

"BUT! BUT…!" Hitoshi was lost at words. He had lost; that much he knew. He finally dropped his head in defeat.

"Well… if you're done with your demands, I'd say we have no right to hold Naruto any longer." Hiashi concluded.

"Agreed," Hirigi nodded.

Other Hyuugas too, agreed. Hitoshi reluctantly nodded.

"I guess that's your cue, you may leave." Kira smirked. 'He doesn't need my help after all, huh? Kyuusei, you did a really good job.'

"Alright." Naruto stood up and slid the door open, only to be welcomed by Gaara, Junki and a black Oni. Further back, all his friends stood with worried expressions on their faces. "Hiya guys. I'm alright!"

Everyone cheered happily, whilst Gaara simply nodded.

"Gaara… you've awoken!"

"As you can see yourself. Did they do anything to you?"

"Nope, nothing at all… they just asked me some questions." Naruto smiled.

Kira immediately turned around and spoke to Naruto. "Gaara, Naruto, meet me later at the place we first met. I have something to discuss with you guys."

"When is… later?" Naruto asked.

"Well… about 1 hour from now. I have to talk about something with the Hyuugas."

"Okay." The two left with the rest of the group, except the two Oni. Junki and Zaiki immediately closed the door and took their post right behind Kira, standing side by side like a pair of bodyguards. The Hyuuga elders were awed by the sight.

"What do you wish to talk to us about?" Hirigi spoke nonchalantly.

"I told you. I'm here to make sure the truth won't be buried forever. I've scanned Naruto's mind. And as I thought… he did perform all those pranks."

"AHA! Let's call our guards and have that demon boy arrested!" Hitoshi immediately shot up.

"Hold up. Lis…" Kira was about to say something but Hitoshi cut him off as he started walking outside.

"What? There's nothing left to say. We'll arrest that demon boy and punish him severely for this! I'm gonna…"

Before the elder could say anything, a streak of lightning fell dangerously close to his face. Hitoshi was frozen in fear. The other council members were terrified.

"You're not going to do anything else before I'm finished with what I'm going to say. Normally in a meeting like this, I hate resolving to violence to controlling other people's actions but if you dare to ignore me again and take actions just because of your personal feelings and cause more people to suffer because of it, I'll make sure the next bolt of lightning won't miss." Kira was quite vexed. He had seen Naruto's memory and like the blonde, he took quite a dislike to the elder.

"Y… you wouldn't do that… you're supposed to be our protector!" Hitoshi was trembling in fear.

"Konoha's protector, to be exact. One of my disciples once massacred his own clan, and being his teacher I see no reason why I can't do the same with the Hyuugas."

Everyone was terrified now. Except Hirigi, who knew that Kira doesn't mean what he says. Thus, the elder bowed down. "We're sorry for our arrogance, my lord. Please, enlighten us with what you've learned of the boy?"

Kira calmed down almost instantly. "…sorry about the outburst, Hitoshi-san, but you should know that punishing the boy would do nothing to him but fueling his hatred and sorrow. He has had enough of that… he doesn't need any more."

Hiashi and Hirigi nodded in agreement. Then Hiashi spoke up, "So he did set up those pranks last night after all?"

"Correct. A well orchestrated ingenious prank completely set up specifically for Hyuugas. The Anbu dance event was one of his plans to derive all of us from sleeping. So that it will increase our unawareness of the traps he had set. Then, the picnic was also his setup, just so that the people he didn't wish to hurt were safe and that they will become eye-witnesses of his innocence. And yes, he too orchestrated the punch Lee gave him."

"I thought that was because Kiba-kun gave Lee-kun sake… could he had think that far?"

"Not exactly… the first plan was actually using Neji's punch in the supposedly sparring to prove it… However, there are several elements that went beyond his control; such as the adding number of his friends…and your appearance, Hirigi-san… Thus he had to improvise. Who brought the sake to the picnic? Him. Who impersonated Kiba to give the sake to Lee? Him. Who made Kiba the scapegoat? Him. Who tied Lee to the tree with an easily released knot? Him. Your appearance had also given Naruto the edge he required to make his alibi more believable. I doubt any of you would believe Naruto even if his friends spoke for him… but if it is an elder like Hirigi-san who speaks… well… that's another story isn't it? I would say he is a genius… when it comes to pranks and luck."

Hiashi was speechless by the complicity of Naruto's plan, while Hirigi chuckled as he nodded in understanding. "You know what, Kira-san? I followed Naruto because he was using his own style to knock some senses to Hanabi. Thus, I became interested in him… and I followed him… coincidence?"

Kira laughed. "Maybe so… maybe not…"

"…but he had caused a great disturbance to the Hyuuga! He cannot go unpunished!" Hitoshi was fuming in rage.

"Yes he can."

"WHY?"

"…rather than punishing him for what he has done… did it ever occur to you to ask… WHY he has done all of this?"

"W… what?"

"I have seen his memory. And I have seen what you've done to him. And I must say… if you ask me whether he had the right to do all that… Then I'd say he has every right to."

"Just what have you done to him Hitoshi?" Hiashi glared at the elder.

"I was just… it was just a cup of rice!" Hitoshi was pale albeit his face is still red in anger.

"For you… it's just a cup of spoiled rice. For him, it's a trigger to the pending frustration he had mounted up for thirteen years. Thirteen years of being hated and resented. As I've said, most of the village has been against him since the day he was born. Adding to his anger and frustration is something only idiots would do. You Hyuugas simply provided the 'drop' that made the bucket overflow." Kira calmly stated.

All elders looked at Hitoshi, whose face paled greatly. He retaliated with, "B-but he had hurt the younglings too!"

"Don't use youngsters as your shield now! This whole ordeal would never have happened if you didn't let your personal feelings cloud your judgment. You're the one who dragged them along."

Hitoshi bent his head down in utter defeat.

Kira sighed. "Nevertheless… Naruto's actions were not entirely justifiable. I'll see to it myself that he'll fix all the damage he had done. Not to worry, I'll watch over him. But I must stress on one point before I do so. Haruma-san, you might want to listen about this."

"What is it?"

"I'm well aware that there will be many Hyuuga teenagers who bear grudges against him. But I'd like you as their superior to point out to them and to everyone else for that matter, not to make use of Naruto's situation when he's performing his punishment. And if they do despite your warning… they're messing with me. Am I understood?" Kira added the latter part of the sentence with a warning tone.

"Yes." Haruma nodded.

"Okay, aside from that I have no more… serious things to discuss. You may proceed with anything else you have in mind," He finished, giving Hiashi a quick glance.

The Hyuuga head caught up with the true wording of the sentence, meaning the Shintenou wishes to speak with him and Hirigi in private. "Yes, I believe we have nothing else to discuss. I hereby conclude this meeting." Glaring at Hitoshi he added, "We need to talk… later."

"H… hai."

Soon, all the Hyuuga elders left the room.

"So… what do you ask of us? Kira-sama?"

"No need for the -sama part… Anyway, I wish to ask your permission to take Hyuuga Neji as one of my disciples."

Hiashi was speechless. "W… I… I'm very honored, my lord!"

Kira chuckled. "Don't thank me yet. The reason why I ask your permission first is because he's still your family. The training method I will perform on him will be… severely extreme. There's a great possibility he might lose his life in the process. That's why I decided to talk to you first."

Hiashi looked at Kira. "…if one of us were taken into your tutelage, it would be a great honor for the Hyuuga. That is what I would probably say as a Hyuuga head. As his family, I'm unable to say much for that part. Neji… If you ask my permission, then I believe you must redirect that question to Neji. He's an adult. He can decide for himself. I have no right to decide his future… what he wishes to become, than it's his rights. Not mine."

"I see… so you take it that if Neji agrees… then so do you?"

"So long that was his decision." Hiashi was deadly serious about that part.

"Don't worry. I never play around with people when a human life is at stake."

-----------------

"Hinata was worried sick." Tenten giggled as Hinata's face sported a bright red colour.

"Really? Thank you, Hinata-chan!"

"H-Hai…" Hinata replied slyly.

"So… Naruto, what did the council wish to talk to you about?"

"The usual useless stuff… By the why, Gaara, what happened to you? You freaked everyone out."

"Shukaku's ability. He can turn everything into sand."

"Everything? Wowowow! Wait the minute. Does that mean you can turn all of us into sand too?"

"Apparently so… but I won't do it."

"That's comforting…"

"Hey Naruto!" Kiba started. "I've taken the scapegoat's role during this whole ordeal! Now I want my payment!"

"Payment?" Neji looked at Naruto.

"Uuuhhh… Lee's incident? That was no accident. It was me who gave him the sake, impersonating Kiba. I've told Kiba about it… I owe him one now." Naruto smiled nervously.

"…" Neji sent a furious death glare at the demon vessel.

"Okay, Naruto! Give me back my money! I've lost it all thanks to you!" Kiba looked menacingly at Naruto.

"Errh… well…"

"There you are guys." Kira suddenly appeared right behind Naruto and Gaara.

"Kira-san? Oh yeah! We're supposed to meet you by this time. Sorry, we got lost in time."

"No need for sorry. I came to see you guys earlier than I've thought anyway. Did I interrupt anything?"

"No definitely not! In fact you came just in time!" Naruto laughed.

"Hey what about my…"

"Sorry Kiba, I got something important to discuss, see you later. Come on Gaara!" Naruto was about to leave when Kira held him.

"Wait Naruto. Neji, you should come with us too."

"Uh, me?"

"Yep. Come along."

"Okay." Thus, the 4 people disappeared with a puff.

"Damn, He escaped!" Kiba pouted.

-----------------

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Naruto was standing on top of the fish statue's head. Next to him, respectively were Gaara and Neji.

"As you already know, I'm going to train you… starting today, in fact."

"You're kidding me? So soon?"

"I thought you were anxious to start."

"Never thought will be this soon." Naruto smiled.

"You're going to train me too?" Gaara asked. Kira smiled as he shook his head.

"Yes and no. I'm just going to teach some 'basic' physical training. But extensive training… you won't accept it from me. Not to worry; I got someone arranged for you. But in the mean time, I suggest you start to get used to that body of yours."

"You knew huh?" Gaara showed his finger. It turned into a swirl of sand.

"The number of times I saw Shukaku do that… Anyway, how do you like him so far?"

"He's very… calm… peaceful… childish too."

"See? I told you, didn't I?" Kira smirked. Then the Shitennou turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I'm well aware that your senses have greatly advanced right now. But I doubt that you have used them to their maximum capacity."

"What? I haven't?"

"Obviously Kyuubi holds it back a bit, waiting for a chance to explain it to you, bit by bit. If he did release everything in a flash, you'll be blind and deaf before you know it."

"Was it really that sensitive?" Naruto looked at his hands.

IT'S TRUE. YOUR SENSES WERE DULLED BY MY YOUKI AT PRESENT. IF I RELEASE THE YOUKI, LIKE KIRA HAD SAID, YOU'LL BE BLIND AND DEAF BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. IT WAS AS FRAGILE AS IT WAS SENSITIVE.

"Then what must be done?"

"You have to get used to it. This will be the first program of the training for you. We're going to close all your senses but one. You have to familiarise yourself with it, and try to live your life with only that sense alone. After you've get used to it, we'll move to the other senses. How does that sound?"

"Sounds almost impossible."

"Impossible? Maybe. But it must be done. Told you, it isn't going to be easy."

"What about me?" Gaara followed suit.

"I'm going to put weight on you. You have to build up your stamina. We're going to do this for four months."

"Four months?" Naruto gasped.

"That is correct."

"Oh man…" Naruto slumped down.

"Ano… what about me? Why was I called here?" Neji spoke up.

"Ah yes. About you. I've just asked your uncle if I could make you my student."

Neji's eyes reached the size of a teacup.

"He said it's your choice… do you want to?"

"O… Of course!" Neji yelped.

Kira smirked. "Before you're agreeing, I must warn you though. My training will be quite extreme. There's a good possibility that you may lose your life. I'm not kidding. Those who already died during the process of the training were incalculable, and I have no intention on beefing up that number. Before you go on and yapping around on agreeing, I want you to think it over with a clear mind. I'll give you three days. Think it through carefully. Your life will change forever, if you don't lose it."

Neji frowned at the last part.

The Dragon Shitennou disappeared soon after. His voice echoed in the air. "Naruto, you too. Both of you have a choice. I want you guys to think it over carefully. I'm not forcing any of you. I'll await your answer in three days. Same place."

Neji was speechless. Naruto looked up to the blue sky. Gaara was… being Gaara.

The three looked blankly to at the clear sky when various thoughts suddenly flushed into their minds…

-----------------

Nightfall…

Day 1

With Neji…

'Possible death… what kind of training will he be giving me?'

The Hyuuga prodigy rolled in his bed. Kira's word mulling over in his head.

"Those who already died during the process of the training were incalculable, and I have no intention on beefing up that number."

'…if I agree… there's a possibility that I might die… if I didn't die…'

"Your life will change forever, if you don't lose it."

'…this is my biggest chance… to grow stronger… but… if what he said was true… will my life change? Will I no longer be me? Or will I revert back to my terrible old self? Or worse… will I become even worse kind of person? So confusing…'

With Naruto…

'Kyuusei."

DON'T ASK ME. IT'S YOUR CHOICE. EVEN IF YOU DECLINE, HE'LL STILL WATCH OVER YOU. IT'S HIS JOB. ABOUT TRAINING YOU… THAT WAS OPTIONAL.

'Possible deaths… Have you ever seen his training method?'

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN HEAVEN AND HELL WERE REVERSED?

'Eeerh… no? But I bet it'll be a complete chaos.'

THAT'S A DEFINITION OF HOW CRAZY HIS TRAINING IS.

'What?'

HE'S NOT JOKING AROUND ABOUT VICTIMS. IT'S THE TRUTH. THAT'S WHY HE GAVE YOU THREE DAYS. THREE PRECIOUS DAYS TO THINK IT OVER. IF YOU PASS THIS UP, YOU CAN STILL TRAIN WITH ME, AND HE'LL STILL HAS THE VACANCY OPEN ALL THE TIME… BUT AGREEING… IT'LL BE OF LIFETIME CONSEQUENCES.

'…he said I will change… in what way?'

I DON'T KNOW. BUT IT'S ALSO TRUE. YOU WILL CHANGE, I KNEW THAT MUCH. HOW FAR YOU WILL CHANGE… THAT I DON'T KNOW. IT'LL DEPEND ON YOUR OWN FEELINGS. I HAVE NO LIBERTY TO DECIDE FOR YOU. THINK BY YOURSELF.

With Gaara…

"…"

-----------------

Day 2

Neji…

The Hyuuga prodigy was in a small restaurant, along with Tenten and Lee. He ordered a plate of food, but didn't touch it. His mind was too preoccupied.

'Of lifetime consequences… what kind of life will get to me when I agree? Will it be better… or worse? No the most important of all… if his training was as dangerous as he said… will I survive his training?'

"Neji?"

'What about Konoha? If he said this training will be extreme, it is only natural that we would eventually left Konoha… will I'll be seeing Konoha again once I left?'

"NEJI!"

"What! What?" Neji gasped.

"Neji, you haven't touch your food for 20 minutes… you looked very preoccupied… was something nagging you?" Tenten looked concerned.

"…nothing."

"NEJI! YOU NEED TO EAT IF YOU EVER HOPE TO WIN AGAINTS THE KONOHA MIGHTY…"

Neji didn't hear the last remaining sentence as his mind wandered again. 'If I did left Konoha… forever… will I… ever see them again? Lee… Gai-sensei… Tenten… I… I really can't imagine a life without them… what should I do? Why is it so complicated just to decide to agree or NOT? Damn it!'

Naruto…

'If the training is extreme, we're going to leave Konoha that much for sure… but for how long? Kira did say that only for 2 years… but… accidents could happen… what if… I can't return ever again? How am I supposed to achieve my goal if that happen? Even if I did return… he said my life is going to change… how much I would change by then? Will the people recognize me? Will I still the same as I was? Will I still remember my vow to protect everyone? Will I gain enough power to save Sasuke by then? Will I be able to beat Akatsuki? What about… my friends… I've made so many friends… if I change… will they still be my friends? If I eventually left Konoha for good… will I ever see them again? There will be no turning back if I agree… what am I supposed to do?'

Gaara…

"…"

-----------------

Day 3…

Neji…

The Hyuuga bunke was trying his best to meditate. Alas, his mind can't seem to be able to calm. He frowned as so many images of possible future, in which none look good as it became more terrible then the previous, flashed in his mind.

"Neji?"

"!" The said Hyuuga turned around to see the last person he would expect, Maito Gai.

"Gai-sensei."

"Are you okay?"

"…I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I've seen it. Your face is filled with confusion, and you're getting frustrated by it… weren't you?"

Silence for a few moment. Neji was taken by surprise. It's not everyday he saw his hyperactive teacher spoke so normally… and so seriously.

"Yes… I'm very confused right now…"

Gai smiled calmly. "Care to tell your sensei the tale?"

"Sure."

10 minutes later…

"I see. That's wonderful news Neji."

Neji was dumbstruck. He thought his sensei will go on yelling about his Youth-fire rambling and alike. But such a calm reply was definitely out of the picture. He silently checked with his Byakuugan (Genjutsu camouflaged) to see if it was some kind of a Henge. It wasn't.

Gai chuckled. "Trying to make sure I'm really me, right?"

Neji gaped as he was caught wet handed. "I'm sorry I-"

"-never thought that I could be like this huh? I won't lie that I would prefer to yell and lecture at you about the power of youth fire as I usually did. But I do know when is the time I have to do that… and when I have to talk calmly. I don't want to add more headaches on your already aching head."

"Thank you."

"…normally people would agree straight on when being asked to become a disciple of a being such as Kira. But I see he has given you time to think about it… But even a genius like you can't make up his mind. When is the due date?"

"Tomorrow. And I still can't make up a good decision."

"Why?"

"…I'm afraid, Gai-sensei. I'm afraid I will change… I like myself the way I am now… but… if I have to change; I fear what kind of change will occur…"

"Then don't let it change. You are you. Don't let fear grasp your heart, Neji. When it does, it clouds your judgment making you forget all the things you sought to believe so dearly."

"…"

"…I understand you're different with Lee. He's genius in hard-work. You're a genius in brain and natural ability… But perhaps it's because you're a genius in brain… you think too much. Look Neji. I will not try to affect you on agreeing Kira's request. But I do know this much. Either way you will change. And if so happens that, hopefully not, we don't like your change… you can be sure that Lee, Tenten and I will be there to knock some sense back into you."

"Gai… sensei…"

"No matter what you choose… believe in yourself… and don't worry. We'll back you up. No matter where you are. I promise!" Gai gave his nice guy pose.

Neji broke to tears. He closed his face with his hand. "Arigatou… domo-arigatou… sensei…"

Gai smiled as he placed his hand on top of Neji's. "…consider it my apology. I won't lie by saying that I've been focusing too much on Lee, ignoring you and Tenten at the same time. Now let's just say I have my chance. Just make your decision Neji; we're with you till the end."

Meanwhile, behind one of the trees in the training field was Tenten, who overheard everything.

'Neji…'

Naruto…

"…"

STILL THINKING ABOUT IT?

The blond boy nod silently.

WELL… I HAVE NO INTENTION ON DISTURBING YOU… JUST… SOMEONE IS COMING.

"I know. Oi… Kakashi-sensei. No need to sneak upon me like that."

"Hmm… you caught me huh?" The one eyed Jounin appeared below Naruto. He got one of his hand bandaged, while he other were holding his Icha-Icha book. "You seem pretty lost."

"I don't know… he offered me the chance… I just… don't know whether I should take it or not."

"You know… I never knew you could think about something so deeply. Normally, you would just jump into the decision and go on yapping about it. It's not everyday you give an offer so much thought."

"Because it just isn't just some offer. Kyuusei says it's very serious, because it will change my life forever! I want to be stronger, but I don't want to change into something I'm not!"

"You're inferring?"

"…I'm afraid, Kakashi sensei. I am afraid of what I will become! I am afraid that… if I did change… I will lose my friends as well." Naruto chuckled. "Funny. You are right. Back there, if he asked me, I would just simply agree. But now… it is as though I'm starting to change already. Was this what people said when you're maturing?"

The Jounin's eye gazed to the sky. "Maturity is a weird thing Naruto. We ninjas are practically forced to mature way ahead of time. Take me for example; I started reading Icha-Icha Paradise when I was twelve."

"I bet your parents would be screaming bloody murder if they had found out back then." Naruto smirked.

"My mother died when giving birth to me. My father committed suicide when I was ten."

"Sorry… I didn't know…"

"Nah. I never told you guys to begin with."

"Why did he… no forget it."

"He was on a mission."

"Huh?"

"At that time, the ninja world war was still going on. There was this mission, an S-class mission. I was too young to understand but I was told he was supposed to play an important part in it."

"And then?"

"I don't know what happened. But it is said that, at some point during the mission, my father was forced to make a choice. The success of the mission, or the lives of his comrades. He chose the latter. But in doing so, he failed the mission. Causing Konoha a great loss… what loss this is I didn't really understand at the time, but he was blamed and disgraced by the entire village, even by the comrades whose lives he saved. Thus, he committed seppuku. Right in front of my eyes."

"…" Naruto was utterly speechless.

"Ever since that, I deemed that obeying the rule is the most important thing in a shinobi life. I followed every rule down to the letter."

"Did the rule include never arriving late to meetings?"

Kakashi's visible eye curved. "You got me, yes. About that part… Naruto have I told you how I got this Sharingan?"

"No."

"I had a friend. His name was Uchiha Obito. He was… pretty much like you. Spiky hair, wearing goggles, somewhat idiotic… and he always came late to every meeting. I used to scold him for being such an irresponsible slowpoke. He used to give out stupid reasons like… 'I got lost on the road of life' or 'I had to help an old lady in the street' and such alike."

Naruto blinked.

Kakashi opened his hitai-ate, showing his Sharingan eye.

"Is that?"

"Obito's eye. During my first mission as a Jounin, I messed up, losing an eye, and he ended sacrificing his life to safe me from an enemy ambush. He was dying at the time, and requested to give out his remaining Sharingan eye to me. Rin performed the surgery."

"Rin… the medic nin from the hospital?"

"The very one." Kakashi concealed his single Sharingan once more. "She secretly loved Obito. Even through the very end. After that mission, she decided to quit being a Shinobi and left Konoha. I didn't know where she was ever since… and I thought she died… until she came back recently."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Naruto did you ever asked why I chose to train Sasuke over you? It's because I felt a responsibility to Obito. Despite the fact that Sasuke was nowhere like Obito, I felt that I had an obligation to guide him. I just want you to understand."

"…" Naruto nodded in acceptance.

"Look, about Kira's offer. It's up to you. Even if you eventually decided to decline, I promise I'll train you. And you still got Jiraiya and Kyuubi too. So you see you can still grow stronger."

Naruto smiled as he nodded.

"Just… one thing."

"What?"

"Stay the way you are. That's the most important thing, although I guess staying the way you are isn't too much to ask for, knowing you."

Naruto looked at his sensei.

"I know you can do it Naruto, I believe in you."

The Jounin disappeared in a puff soon after.

Gaara…

"…"

Baki looked at the former Kazekage's son. He shook his head in desperation and sighed before left.

----------------

Neji walked seemingly aimless through the streets; thoughts still flowing through his head. He eventually reached the place they would meet. He looked at the rooftop and found that Naruto was still in the same spot he sat three days ago.

"Naruto?"

"Neji?"

"You've been here… all night?"

"I haven't moved from this spot ever since he gave us that offer."

"You're serious?"

"Have you decided yet?"

"No."

"You haven't? Then why are you here?"

"I don't know. I just… walk where these feet take me."

"I see."

"Have you decided on your part?"

"Well… that one is a 'no' too for me."

"I guess we're all confused huh?"

"Hmm… hey, who's that?" Naruto scanned the surroundings.

"What?" Neji looked around.

"Roughly 10 meters from here, foot steps. Two pairs of them, one girl, one boy. Both still a kid."

"How do you know?"

"The sound of their footsteps is light. Also, the frequency of the sound is faster as they stomp the ground more often, indicating their legs aren't long enough to take big steps. Finally, I caught their voice. One girl, one boy."

"Let me see, Byakugan." Neji scanned the surroundings and gasped. "Oh dear."

"What? What?"

----------------

10 meters from Naruto and Neji's spot…

"I said I'm sorry okay!"

"6 hours. 6 God damn hours, I was trapped in that same stupid pose until one Hyuuga passerby tapped me out. And I missed my dinner thanks to you."

"What, you expect me to buy you a lunch or something?"

"You owe me that." Konohamaru scoffed. He was not in the best mood in the last 3 days. Trapped for 6 hours in the exact same pose, he became a laughing stock of his team. For three days he tried to find the girl that had brought him into the whole ordeal. Finally, on this very day, he managed to catch her alone, training near the ruins. Eventually, they ended up arguing for a good part of 30 minutes, walking aimlessly in the area.

-----------------

Not so far from them, Neji and Naruto were watching closely at the two. Neji in particular, was downright worried.

"Neji, calm down."

"Calm down? How the hell do you think I should calm down when one of the daughters of the Hyuuga head wandering ALONE this far from the village?"

"No need to be so hysterical about it…"

"Hinata-sama was almost kidnapped when she was still a child. Ever since, no Hyuuga aged below 10 is allowed to leave without supervision!"

"I see… well, I suggest we wait here and look at the situation."

"What?"

"Something tells me that right now, we should lay low and listen. Don't worry, if anything funny happens… we'll drop in."

"…fine."

-----------------

"You said it'll wear off after 1 or 2 hours!"

"I guess I've tapped the wrong Tenketsu…" Hanabi spoke calmly.

"How can you say: 'I guess I've tapped the wrong Tenketsu' so easily? What if it's vital?"

"Well… nobody's perfect."

"I could've been killed-OUCH!" The Sandaime grandson bumped into someone.

"Ouch! I'm sorry, are you okay?"

----------------

Naruto rolled his eyes when he saw the person, horrorstruck. 'It's HER!'

Neji looked confused at Naruto.

----------------

"Watch where you going you-!" Konohamaru barked but cut short by Hanabi, who nudged him right in his crotch.

"Sorry. He had a bad mouth."

Yukiku sweat dropped while laughing nervously. "Tee-hee… it's alright. It's my fault. I should've watched where I'm going."

"Hanabi! You!" Konohamaru gasped.

"What? You should watch what you're saying when you're talking to a girl you know!"

"Do you have to nudge me right in my groin?"

"That's the most effective way to shut you up… I think."

"YOU…!"

Yukiku giggled. "Are you two on a date?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" The two burst in unison.

-----------------

Neji gaped.

-----------------

The couple looked at each other, blushed, and humph-ed each other as they turned their backs.

-----------------

"You know, for a second there… they do look like a married couple." Naruto smirked.

"Agreed." Neji rub his head. 'Wonder what Hiashi-sama gonna say about this?'

-----------------

Yukiku giggled at the blushing duo.

Konohamaru was the first to brush it off. "Anyway… sorry I bumped on you."

"No it's my fault. My mind was wandering of everywhere that I don't look where I'm going."

"Where were you going, anyway?" Hanabi brush her blush off.

"I'm going to the woods. I want to find some wild fruits in there."

"But the woods are dangerous. There are many wild animals in there. You shouldn't go alone!"

"It's alright… It's better this way. I don't want anybody get hurt because of me." The Haku twin said the last sentence in whisper. Only Naruto's keen ears caught every word. The fox host frowned. 'What does she mean by that?'

"Nah, don't worry. Tell you what, I'll go with you and make sure those animals don't get you. How's that sound?" Konohamaru thump his chest.

"I suggest don't. You'll become her burden instead."

"Hey!"

Yukiku laughed. "Aha ha ha ha! Hey, hey. What are your names guys?"

"I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru. You can call me Konohamaru."

"I'm Hyuuga Hanabi. You can call me Hanabi. What's your name?"

"My name is Yukiku. Look Konohamaru, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. Besides, I've done this often."

The Sandaime's grandson looked at her, completely disagreeing. "A girl shouldn't walk in a forest alone. Accidents could happen anytime. Nii-san taught me that."

----------------

"I didn't know Sandaime-sama had 2 grandsons." Neji looked at Konohamaru in confusion.

"He means me." Naruto chuckled.

-----------------

"Really? Well, your brother must be a nice guy. Unlike some others I won't name…"

-----------------

"Achooo!-?" Naruto sneezed.

"Bless you."

-----------------

"He is. He's the strongest Nin in Konoha."

"Really now? Well, I'll be going now. It's been fun talking with you."

"Wait. You still wanna go alone?"

"What?"

"I'm going with you! I told you forest could be very dangerous!"

"Really, it isn't…"

"It's alright. We won't be any trouble." Hanabi spoke up.

"We? What do you mean 'we'?" Konohamaru glared at the Hyuuga.

"'We' means I'm coming. I need to make sure you won't try to do anything funny."

"What do you mean?"

Yukiku laughed at the bickering two. "Come now you two. Calm down. Fine you two can come."

Eventually, the two children followed the girl to the forest, bickering endlessly in the process.

-----------------

"Great. Now they're going to the forest."

"That's our cue to follow them."

"If they do being disturbed by wild animals, we really have to drop in."

"Which I doubt will be necessary."

"Huh?"

"Remember our furry friend?" Naruto pointed his stomach.

"Ah." Neji smiled.

-----------------

Shortly after, the three reached the forest.

"Ne, ne, nee-chan. What kind of fruit are you looking for?"

"Wild berries and alike."

"What do you need them for?"

"To make this." Yukiku showed them some fruitcake. "I'm still working on them though."

"It looks delicious."

"Really? Want some?"

"Sure."

The two grabbed a bite. A few seconds later, both faces frowned.

"Well? What do you think?"

"Honestly?" Konohamaru tried his best to swallow it.

"You really need a lot of hard work." Hanabi commented.

The Haku twin slumped down. 'Guess mom was right…'

------------------

Meanwhile Naruto and Neji sweatdropped at the scene.

'That awful huh?'

------------------

"So you need these berries to make more fruit cake? What for?"

"The idea was to sell them… but after you two tried it… I guess I'll just drop that…"

"What do you think of your own fruitcake anyway?"

"I haven't tried it… really. To be honest? You two are the first ones who tasted it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was afraid of what might people would think… so I tried on you two first. Kids are usually honest."

"Not as honest as him." Hanabi pointed at Konohamaru.

"Hey!"

"Still… now that you've said that it's awful… I guess I'll drop the idea… I think I still need to improve."

"You got that one right!" Konohamaru smirked.

"Okay. Let's split up. That way, we'll find the berries a lot faster, no?" Hanabi suggested.

"Fine with me." Konohamaru followed.

"W… well…" Yukiku got up. "Fine… but don't get too long okay? I don't need that many anyway…"

"Deal."

Thus, the three split up.

-----------------

"Okay… now they're split up, as I suspected. What now?"

Naruto created a Bunshin of himself. "I'll follow Konohamaru and Yukiku, you go and follow Hanabi."

"Yukiku? You know her?"

"Don't ask how."

-----------------

Konohamaru was walking rather fast, unaware of a single Naruto clone following him.

Hanabi was looking around with her Byakuugan, but unable to notice Neji, whose Byakuugan had outranged hers, enabling the Hyuuga prodigy to watch Hanabi from distance.

Yukiku was unaware that Naruto was watching her as she picked some wild red berries from the bushes. Naruto looked at Yukiku closely.

SHE'LL MAKE A LOVELY BRIDE.

Naruto snapped. 'WHAT?'

JUST KIDDING. STILL, AT LEAST SHE'S BETTER THAN THAT GARGANTUAN SIZED FOREHEAD GIRL.

'Excuse me; Sakura's forehead is not gargantuan, but healthily big! That's why she's so brainy!'

BY YOUR STANDARDS. NOT MINE.

'Aw come on, spare her! Besides, there are several things on her that deserve praise! Say… her pink hair?'

Kyuusei laughed. ASK KIRA. HE KNOWS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PINK HAIRED GIRL ON EARTH.

'Really? That beautiful?'

YEP. ANYWAY, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT YOU NO LONGER PRAISE THAT SAKURA GIRL LIKE SHE'S SOME SHORT OF A GODDESS. AT LEAST YOU TOOK OUT THE SUFFIX -CHAN OFF HER NOW. THAT'S A PROGRESS.

'Whatever…'

STILL… WHAT I'M INFERRING IS: AMONGST ALL THREE, YOU CHOSE TO FOLLOW HER PERSONALLY. ANY HIDDEN MEANING IN THIS ACTION?

'No. I just thought that's the right thing to do.'

YOU'RE NOT BEING HONEST. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THE 'RIGHT THING TO DO' IS. THE RIGHT THING IS TO GET THE CLONE FOLLOW THIS ONE, WHILST THE REAL YOU FOLLOW THE HELPLESS KIT. YET, YOU DO IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. SHEER SPONTANEOUS DECISION OR…

'Shut up.'

HA HA HA. JUST BE CAREFUL. SHE HATES YOU. I REMEMBER. HER BREAST SIZE WAS… WHAT? C-CUP? THAT'S PRETTY BIG FOR SOMEONE OF HER AGE.

'SHUT UP!'

GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

'…I followed her… because hopefully, I might have a chance to sort the misunderstanding between us.'

IS THAT SO?

'What?'

HEH HEH. NOTHING.

All of a sudden, red aura rose at an alarming rate. 'Kyuusei? What do you think you're…?'

THIS RESONANCE REACTION! BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE… THIS CLOSE? KIT, SCAN THE SURROUNDING NOW!

'Kyuusei?'

JUST DO IT! THERE ARE MASSIVE YOUKI SIGNATURES IN THIS AREA! A STRONG ONES TOO. YOU HAVE TO FIND IT!

'Weren't it Gaara?'

I HOPE IT'S ONLY HIM. SCAN THE SURROUNDING, THOROUGHLY… OH YEAH. AND USE A CLONE TO KEEP WATCH ON THE CHICK TOO.

'Kay.' Naruto created a Bunshin, which keep a close watch on Yukiku while his real self dashed from tree to tree, scanning the area.

With Konohamaru…

Through mental link, the clone assigned to follow Konohamaru had been alerted to the sudden occasion, increasing its alertness.

Meanwhile, with Hanabi…

"Hanabi-sama! Why were you here all alone?"

"I'm not exactly alone Neji! There are other people with me!"

"Yes I can see that… Hiashi-sama is not going to be pleased about this."

"Aw come on. Dad won't be angry."

"Let's hope so. Are you done yet?"

"Just a little bit more."

"Okay, just hurry up. Somehow I've got a feeling something is wrong."

Back to Yukiku…

'Was it just my feeling or not… I haven't seen a single animal ever since I got here?'

Back to Naruto…

"Haa… haa… what is this thing?"

Naruto had zoomed through virtually the whole forest until suddenly a sting on his nose caught his attention. He ran to the source of that stingingly foul smell per Kyuusei's instruction, dropping his jaw once he reached the site. There, a corpse of a hound whose back had been ripped apart, inside out. A giant dog… or was it?

GOOD LORD… HOW CAN THIS BE?

"What is this thing, a dog?" Naruto observed the massive corpse before him. It had the size of about 1.5 times that of a horse. Although the corps' shape did look like a brashly mutated hound, its skin was composed of thick scales. Eying the sight in front of him in more detail, he noticed something else, its tail… tails to be exact; three long serpentine tails. "Kyuusei, this thing… Don't tell me this is…"

KIT. I'M GONNA SAY THIS ONCE AND ONLY ONCE. GET EVERYBODY OUT OF THIS WRETCHED FOREST, AND CALL KIRA! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.

"What is this thing?"

I'LL TELL YOU ON THE WAY! HURRY! AND BEFORE YOU DO, BURN IT DOWN!

"Burn it down?"

DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING. HURRY!

Naruto did as he was told and was gone soon after.

Yukiku was humming a song while she picked another berry. But inside, she felt a twitch in her stomach. 'Why do I felt like I'm being watched?'

"Yukiku-chan!"

"YOU!" The Haku twin glared menacingly at Naruto who suddenly dropped right in front of her. She immediately took 10 steps away from the blond. "Don't go near me. All you did was stripping me of my clothes and dignity as a woman."

"I have no intention of stripping you; I'm trying to help you. There's big bad mutant demon hound on the loose. I need you to get out of here, along with the other two kids. NOW."

Yukiku stared at the blond for one full second. "What kind of joke is that?"

"I'm serious. The creature's length is about… 3 meters, has razor sharp teeth, three tails, scale hide, 3 eyes."

The girl scoffed. "Such detail. Did they teach that in the academy?"

"No. I know because it's standing right BEHIND YOU!" Naruto immediately jumped and push Yukiku away just as a large jaw clasped right where her waist had been. Then, before them, the ugliest, and perhaps the biggest dog ever walk the earth appeared. Its three tails swishing wildly behind as it growled menacingly. Its skins were covered in bony scales. At its back, some bone spikes protruding from its thick hide.

"The Hell is that thing?"

"I told you… we got a big mutant doggie on the loose. Grab Konohamaru and Hanabi out of here. NOW!"

"I… I…"

The hound demon roared and charged forward meeting Naruto head on. The blond managed to grab hold the hound's head using a bit of Kyuusei's Youki.

"SCRAM!"

Yukiku was terribly horrified, she immediately ran.

"Okay, mister. Now it's just you and me!" Naruto punched the demon's side several times before grabbing both of its upper and lower jaw, and tore them apart. The hound demon roared in pain and rolled back. Naruto smirked. "Looks like now you're going to have some trouble eating."

Much to his surprise, the hound swished its head and the next second, the limping jaw returned to its original position. No sign that the jaws were dislocated 2 seconds ago.

"What the…" Before Naruto could brush off his surprise, the hound charged at him again. This time, it slashes all three of its tail towards the blond. Naruto immediately jumped out of the way. The slash however, sent three wind projectile that instantly take out at least a dozen and a half trees, per blade, in vicinity.

'Holy shit!'

THAT'S SANBI (THREE TAILS) NO GAROU FOR YOU. A SLASH OF ITS THREE STRONG TAILS COULD CREATE A STORM OF WIND BLADES THAT COULD DECIMATE AN ARMY IN AN INSTANT.

'Cripes. Okay, let's play hard!' A few hand seals later, "JIGOKU KATON, KITSUNE ENDAN!"

With Neji…

"Neji-nii-san!" Hanabi was staring in horror as Neji was warding off a three-tailed hound to no avail.

'What is this creature? It's like a hound but… the inner coil system is constantly changing! I can't use Jyuuken on something like this!' So far, the Hyuuga prodigy managed to deflect the Sanbi's projectiles using his Kaiten. But constant use of it had eventually taken up its toll on the Hyuuga. "Hanabi-sama! RUN! HURRY! FIND NARUTO AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"B… But!" Hanabi's leg slumped.

"NOW! UGH!" Neji got swatted to a tree by one of the hound's paws. The Three tails looked at Hanabi and seemingly grinned. The hound growled as it started walking towards the trembling Hanabi. Neji yelled in horror. "HANABI-SAMA! RUN!" All the sudden, a burning fox-head impaled the hound's shoulder. The demonic creature howled in pain.

Following soon after, was Naruto's clone and Konohamaru. Konohamaru immediately grabbed Hanabi, whilst Naruto stood face to face with the demon. "Neji, find Yukiku and get these two out of here. Find Kira, hurry!"

"O-Okay." Neji, panting, stood up and grabbed Konohamaru and Hanabi. "What the Hell is that?"

"One of the Youma'ou bijyu… the three tails."

"Bijyu? That thing?"

"GO!"

Garou growled more loudly. The hole in its shoulder soon regenerated. Naruto growled as red Youki enclosed his body, forming a one tailed demon fox. The Demon and the half demon dashed to each other.

The other three immediately ran from the scene.

"But, but! Naruto-nii-san?"

"Don't worry, that's a clone."

"Yukiku-nee-san! WE HAVE TO FIND HER!" Hanabi activated her Byakuugan. Neji did the same.

"Found her. She's running towards us. Apparently she was under attack."

Soon after, the group met up with the girl. She was extremely terrified.

"Are you alright?"

"Demon… it's a demon… it's a… it's a…"

"YUKIKU-SAN! Are YOU ALRIGHT?"

Yukiku snapped out of her fright. She nodded. "The pervert boy… the pervert boy! What's his name…? Naruto! You got to help him!"

"Where is he?"

"He was fending off a large mutant dog when I left him."

"What? I could've sworn there's a demon hound back there too! Wait…" Neji maxed out his Byakuugan's range capacity and gasped. One Naruto was dealing with the Demon hound just now, another was shooting a barrage of fireballs towards the jumping and twisting three tailed demon… and one more Demon was heading towards them. High speed. "Oh my God. Run. RUN!"

The group immediately ran for their dear lives. The Garou, growling and yipping, was chasing them, broking tree trunks and alike along the process.

With the real Naruto.

"Get back here teme!" Naruto was shooting a fireball after another. The three-tailed demon was jumping from tree to tree, dodging the attacks one after another. Finally, completely pissed off, Naruto stopped firing. "Okay. Eat this. GENEI'GA!" Naruto's hand shoot out a horde of hollow growling fox heads. The fox spirits went through the trees and head straight at the demon. Sensing the danger, the Garou jumped to a tree trunk. The fox spirits followed up, went through the tree before sank its teeth to the beast. The Demon howled and tried to shake the foxes off to no avail. Naruto smirked. "Come HERE!" He pulled the foxes back to him, purposely slamming the captured creature to several trees, breaking some of its bones. Eventually, Garou was slammed to a tree near where Naruto's standing, and sank there. Smirking evilly, the now Youki enclosed blond pulled the creature out and slammed it to another tree. A sickening bone cracks could be heard as Naruto practically crushed the demon's bone.

"URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto pulled the Garou out and slammed it forcibly to the ground, where it sank deep. The creature's bones were completely crushed as many of its limbs were curved in weird manner. Not satisfied, Naruto looked around and found a fallen tree. Using his demonic infused strength, he grabbed the large tree like a giant baseball bat before hammering the demon hound's body several times until the tree broke. The blond smirked even more sadistically. "That's it for you, chunk face. Kurae! (Eat this)"

Naruto impaled the tree right on the creature's head, crushing it down for good.

"Heh… heh. There. He's down. It's over."

NO IT'S NOT. BURN IT DOWN! DON'T LEAVE ANY REMAINS!

"Easy now. It's taken care off. He's fairly weak for a Youma'ou. Don't you think?" Naruto smiled as he turned his back from the carcass.

APPARENTLY YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME WHEN I'M MENTIONING THESE CREATURES' ALIASES. GAROU THE THREE TAILS, THE CREEPERS OF SHADOW, THE SEEDBRINGERS OF UNHOLY RESURRECTION…

Naruto stopped right that instant. He turned his head toward the remains of the creature. It's gone.

"See? I don't like that." Naruto groaned.

Naruto-clone…

"URRAAAA!" The clone was having a wrestling match with the Garou. Naruto punched, kicked, clawed and even bit the obviously larger creature. The clone immediately grabbed hold of the beast's head, raising it up before slamming it back down to earth.

In retaliation, the Hellhound sprang up and sank its tooth on the clone. The clone gasped when he felt his shoulder melting. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The clone's scream was cut short as it popped out of existence. But even so, that short scream was heard throughout the forest.

Neji, Yukiku, Konohamaru and Hanabi…

"That scream! Naruto nii-san!"

Neji searched for Naruto with his Byakuugan. The Hyuuga sighed in relief when he saw Naruto, still alive, was running towards them, and he was about 50 meters away. 'That must be his clone.' Then, Neji's eyes widened in horror. "Guys… we have to run faster."

"What? Shouldn't we wait for Naruto-nii-san?" Konohamaru protested.

"Naruto will be fine. We have to run! HURRY!"

"I thought we shook off the hound?"

"Hounds. Not one. We got more chasing us."

"What?" The group began to move again with increased pace. "I thought you said there's only one chasing us!" Yukiku looked disbelievingly at Neji.

"That was what I saw. Then just out of the shadow, three more of those creatures are chasing us now!"

"SO THERE ARE FOUR OF THEM?" Konohamaru yelled as he ran for his dear life.

Truth to be told, about thirty meters from the group, four Hellhounds were tearing through the woods, running ever faster towards their preys.

Naruto…

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? THAT MONSTER COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"

I NEVER KID AROUND IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS!

"Cripes. Neji and the others are definitely in big trouble."

Back to Neji and the gang…

"THEY'RE ALMOST HERE!" Hanabi screamed.

"If you got power to scream, better save it for running!" Konohamaru winched since Hanabi had yelled quite close to his ears.

"We'll never make it!" Yukiku looked at Neji.

"We have to try. Once we get out of this forest, that's when we might be able to get help!" That was only an encouragement statement. Neji knew that. The chance for all of them to get out of there alive was near to zero. The beasts were simply faster, and not to mention, stronger. But if he could stall them for a while, the other three may be able to make it out alive. He know he may not be able to fight for long, but perhaps he may slow them down when they start eating him… a horrible plan. But right now, it's the only thing he could think of.

Konohamaru finally fell down. "Haa… haa…"

"Konohamaru-kun!" Yukiku turned back.

Neji gasped. He immediately went to Konohamaru. By the time he got there, four large black figures jumped out of the shadows, straight at them. Everything happened in slow motion as Neji prepared his Jyuuken for one final struggle…

…until suddenly, a barrage of long spikes made of sand impaled the monsters, nailing them in place. The Garous were stuck midair and growling and twisting their bloodied bodies.

"Sand… Sabaku no Gaara!" Neji was relieved beyond believe.

"Hyuuga Neji, back!" The sand nin appeared from a swirl of sand, adopting his usual pose.

Neji immediately obliged as he grabbed the other three and backed away behind Gaara.

Wasting no time, Gaara immediately ordered another jutsu: 'Ryusa Bakuryu! (Desert Avalanche)' A giant sand tidal wave covered the grounds, swallowing the creatures in a storm of sand.

Neji stared wide eyed at the sand wave. That part of the forest was turned into a small desert. "Well… you got them."

"Not quite." 'Sabaku Taisou! (Desert Requiem)' the desert squeezed together, crushing the monsters inside.

The Hyuuga prodigy gulped.

Naruto…

"Haa… haa… sand? Gaara!"

The fox host increased his pace, and a few moments later, he finally reached the group. "Everyone!"

"Naruto-nii-san!" Konohamaru yipped happily.

Naruto was panting heavily. "Are you guys… are you okay, are you hurt?"

"We're fine." Yukiku answered.

"Gaara… did you… did you just do that? The sand wave… Was this YOUR doing?"

Gaara nodded.

"Hasn't Shukaku told you?" Naruto was horrorstruck.

"Shukaku's asleep." Gaara looked confused, until suddenly, the ground began to tremble.

"What the…?" Neji looked at the ground. "Impossible, that thing's still alive? Gaara killed it!"

"THAT'S the POINT! Garou was MEANT to be killed!"

"What?" Gaara looked at Naruto incredulously.

"Naruto what do you mean, meant to be killed?"

"This is the power of Garou, the three-tailed Hellhound."

"Hellhound? Three tails… Youma'ou?" Gaara gasped.

"Yes. Amongst all 9, Garou was the weakest. But it was meant that way. So that they will be easily killed."

"Why would Hellhounds want themselves to be killed?" the ground shook even harder.

"Because that's his power. The power of the seed-bringers of unholy resurrections."

"Unholy… WHAT?" Gaara was wide-eyed. The tremor apparently reached its peak.

Naruto continued. "Every-time you kill one, the remains will multiply into three new Hellhounds! That's why they're so easy to kill! Because they will be reborn, again and again, and their number will increase!"

"Impossible! No creature could possess such power!" Neji was, for the first time in his life, scared to the point where he wanted to wet his pants.

"That's Youma'ou for you. They are beings with unimaginable powers. This just another one. The weakest at that." Suddenly, a paw burst out of the sand, followed by another, and another, and another. Some of the Garous' heads also burst out of the sand.

"Dear god…" Yukiku was scared out of her wits.

The beasts growled even louder as more and more of their bodies resurfaced.

"Neji, take the three out of here, and get Kira. Hurry."

"What about you?"

"These creatures can be killed by completely destroying them till there's nothing left. Gaara, you got any jutsu capable of doing that?"

Gaara thought for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Fine. You can still help by nailing these bastards. I'll finish them off."

"Naruto I don't like this!" Neji yelled.

"We have no choice. HURRY!" Naruto flared up his red Youki. Burst of Hellfire arise from his body. Gaara prepared a set of sand lances.

One Garou finally broke through the sand and charge forward. Naruto was ready as he shot a barrage of "Jigoku Katon, Kitsune Endan!" 5 burning fox-head hit the beast dead centre. A large explosion shook the ground as the Hellfire burned the beast out of its frame, leaving no trace of its existence.

More and more of the demons began to surface.

'This is bad… how come they multiply so quickly? I thought you said they will multiply only three per death?' Naruto frowned.

SOME OF THEM MUST'VE DIED OF SUFFOCATION WHEN THEY TRIED TO GET OUT OF THE SAND REQUIEM. Kyuusei replied.

"Crap."

4 Garou burst out of the sand and charge towards the two.

"HAAAAAAAAA!" the Jinchuriki rushed forward. Naruto blast a fireball on a Garou, up close, blowing up half its body. The moment the remains touched the ground, it began to multiply. Before the creatures could do so, Naruto fired another salvo of Kitsune Endan, blasting it to nothingness. Suddenly a Garou burst out from the sand and tried to bite Naruto's leg. The fox host jumped and immediately shoot: "Jigoku Katon: Makai no Hikari!" right between the creature's eyes.

Gaara finally had a chance to test out his new jutsu. "Let's see how good you are when I suck you dry. Sabaku Ankyo! (Desert Drain)!" A Garou were enclosed by a coffin of sand. The next second, the Garou is only skin over bone.

Naruto looked confused.

"Sabaku Ankyo. The true version of Sabaku Kyuu. I don't need Sabaku Sousou to end it up. It'll enclose an enemy in extremely dry sand. The next second, the target will suffer an acute dehydration. Suffice to say, it'll suck the victim dry… literally. It'll still be alive though… but not for long. Finish it off Naruto!"

"Looks like you and I have something more in common now. Eat shit: Koku Doton: Naiteki Tsuchi Funka! (Black Earth Element: Inner Earth Burn)" Naruto tapped the ground as soon as he finished his hand seals, the remains of the dried Garou was enclosed in black ground spikes. The next moment, magma veins flowed through the black-rocks, before the rocky prison burst out a pillar of lava, liquefying the captive within.

Naruto smirked. "Did you know that earth's mantle is composed of lava with a temperature of over 3000 degrees?"

Gaara nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, four more Garou surfaced. All of them charge at the duo. The two immediately jumped as the creature stroke its paw towards them. Both landed on a tree. Before they could catch their breath, one of the demons jumped at them. They jumped away once again. The Garou sank its claws at the tree and growled at the two.

"My biology is a little hazy, Naruto… but I thought dogs were unable to climb trees?" Gaara used his sand as one Garou jumped from a tree and rammed itself at the Nin.

"Clearly, the scientists never saw a three-tailed demon dog." Naruto jumped to another tree as two Garou swung their tails, creating a horde of wind projectiles that minced the trees to pieces. The blond immediately prepared a set of seals:

"Jigoku Katon: Kyuukagan! (Sudden Flame Eyes!)" Naruto summoned a dozen of eye-sized Hellfire-balls. "Gaara close your eyes!"

The Suna-nin did as he was told.

Naruto made a single hand seal: "Kai!"

The fireballs turned into Demonic eyes. The Garous' who looked at the eyes were suddenly enclosed in a circular fire barrier. Naruto smirked: "SHUN'EN! (Surprise Fire)" The fire barrier pulsated for a second before exploding at full force with unbelievable heat intensity, burning the demons to nothingness. Meanwhile, all Garou had eventually resurfaced. Now there are twelve of them on the scene. The monsters roared and barked at them. One charged towards a tree where Naruto was standing, ramming it apart. Naruto immediately jumped and landed on the ground, where half a dozen Garous welcomed him from all sides. Naruto roared: "JIGFOKU KATON! TAIYUU MAKAI NO HIKARI!"

Gaara was having quite a hard time. For one, unlike Naruto, most of his newfound jutsu were unable to destroy the creatures to nothingness. All he could do was stall them. He tried not to kill them since it'll do nothing but beefing up their number. Thus, he kept on dodging one attack after another while occasionally guarding the attack. The creature seemingly endless, as another pack of Garous resurfaced from the sand.

"Wow… more eh?" Naruto had just blast the last bit of a Garou with a burst of Hellfire.

"If we can destroy their bodies before they resurrect themselves, we can beat them."

"Easier said than done. These creatures can resurrect themselves faster than we kill them."

"We have to nail them all at once. Naruto, I may be able to stop their movement for a while. You got any move that can blast them all?"

"I got one. Kyuusei just taught me. Pretty risky though." Naruto prepare a set of hand seals immediately. The Garous charged forward.

"Hurry up. Sabaku Senkou Daichi! (Desert Piercing Ground)" Gaara punched the ground and long jagged sand spikes burst out from the ground. The Garous were nailed off the ground. The sand nin smirked. "And a little modification of my own: Sabaku Shi ShiSototsu! (Desert Death Web Stab)" The jag on the spikes suddenly burst more sand lances, crisscrossing each other, impaling the demons again and again in the process.

"Here I go: Kuuton: Jigoku Shinsei! (Space element: Hell Nova)" It start out as a simple ball of light between Naruto's palms (About the size of a normal Rasengan) before he throw the small ball right into the middle of the sand web.

"Gaara! Run!"

The sand user immediately ran off from the sand web as Naruto ducked down.

The next second, the small ball shot out a single black line. Followed with another, and another, and another. The ball continuously shot out more and more laser lines until eventually, it formed a giant ball of black light, about fifty times bigger than its previous state, destroying everything in its wake. The black ball had already engulfed the demon hounds, disintegrating them to emptiness.

Back to Neji…

Neji was running, with Konohamaru on his back and Yukiku was running as fast as she could, with Hanabi on hers.

The Hyuuga prodigy's Byakugan was active all the time, in case there were any more demonic pursuers. He had witnessed the battle between the two Jinchuriki and the horde of demonic monsters. He was utterly shocked as he saw the whole battle. 'What the Hell is that jutsu? That's Kyuubi's Oni jutsu? That jutsu is too powerful for words!' Nevertheless, despite his awe, he was greatly relieved. 'Maybe they can hold them down until I find Kira…'

Yukiku noticed the sudden relief. "What happened?"

Neji smiled. "Nothing to worry about. Naruto and Gaara were able to hold their own ground."

"I don't know about the Gaara-guy, but it's hard to believe that shameless pervert is so powerful."

"Shameless pervert?" Neji looked confused at Haku's twin.

"Don't ask." Yukiku twitched dangerously. Neji sweatdropped.

"Ha! That's my Nii-san for you!"

"That's your Nii-san?" Yukiku stared at Konohamaru in disbelief. Konohamaru nodded happily. Yukiku shook her head. "Give me a break…"

"Look. Miss… errh…"

"Yukiku."

"Right. Yukiku-san. I don't know how you and Naruto met. But if I was you, I wouldn't be so hard on him now since he is all that stands between us and a horde of demons."

"I know Mr.…" Yukiku sighed.

"Neji. Hyuuga Neji."

Neji checked once again with his Byakugan and gasped. Twenty meters from Naruto and Gaara's position, eight new Garou burst out from the ground behind them. Then, the next scene unnerved him. The beasts killed each other. A few moments later, a massive number of the Hellhounds came into sight. About two dozen beasts went in their pursuit. The rest rushed towards the two Jinchuriki, attempting to flank them.

Neji immediately check up to the front. They're not too far away from the forest's exit. "HURRY! THE EXIT IS NOT SO FAR ANYMORE!"

But before they could move any farther, they were blocked by a single Garou.

"Oh shit." Neji cursed.

"This is the one that attacked us before!" Konohamaru exclaimed in full horror.

Yukiku tensed up. '…there's only one way out…' "Neji-san." Yukiku handed Hanabi to Neji.

"Yukiku-san?"

"If I can stop them for a while… can you escape and find this… Kira?"

"What are you going to do?"

Yukiku smiled sadly. She gripped her hand. "I'll stall them."

"How?"

Yukiku removed one of her mittens. "Neji-san. Hit me." The Hellhound began to growl.

"What?"

"HIT ME!" the girl ordered.

Neji gulped. He balled his fist and punched the girl right on her cheek. The next second, he suddenly felt the temperature drop drastically. Neji's breaths soon become moisture in the air. "W… What?"

The Hellhound rushed forward towards Yukiku. The Haku twin looked at the charging large dog. Chilling winds swirled surrounding her body. The Garou began to slow down as it began to freeze.

By the time it almost reached the girl, half of its body was already in an ice-block.

Yukiku touched the growling monster, and the next second, the creature was inside an iceberg.

Neji gaped.

"Neji-san. If you value your life and the lives of these children… you should be running now." Yukiku closed her eyes. More and more freezing wind swiveled around her. "I can still hold back my powers for now, but the next wave will know neither friend nor foe. Hurry!"

Neji reluctantly nodded. He immediately grabbed Hanabi and ran out of the forest.

"Yukiku-nee-san! Be careful!" Hanabi yelled.

"Don't let those monsters get you!" Konohamaru yelled.

Yukiku smiled. She opened the other glove. Now, everything in a radius of 5 metres around her was enclosed in ice. It broke before disappearing.

The Hellhounds were rushing towards her.

Yukiku concentrated hard. She gathered all her ice cold chakra into a single ball right in front of her chest.

The horde was just about 10 feet from her…

"Hyoton Hijutsu: Hyokai Setsuei (Ice element Secret Art: Ice world Construction!)" The small ice ball trembled before eventually it exploded, sending an INSANE amount of horrendously large ice shards to every direction, followed with a pack of blizzards.

The Garou were all frozen in place. Yukiku frowned as she tried her best to get her power under control. 'Okay… I can do this… keep concentrating!'

For a moment, the blizzard blitzkrieg continued to revolve in a small part of the forest section. However, as time went by Yukiku began to lose control over the storm. Until finally…

One of the formed icebergs suddenly burst out, sending more razor sharp ice to every direction. More and more icebergs burst out from the ground. The blizzard grew dangerously big. Soon, the freezing began to spread at an alarming rate. The Haku twin was worried. "Oh no… oh no! Not again! STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH! STOOOOOP!" Alas, the blizzard grew fiercer.

"My mother's mitten! Where is it?" She looked around frantically looking for her glove. One of them was lying near a frozen tree. Yukiku immediately made a run for it. But before she could grab it, the ice ground cracked, and a set of frozen long spikes burst out, tearing the glove to pieces. "NO!" She looked at the massive blizzards. In the rage of the frozen maelstrom she screamed. "STOP! ENOUGH PLEASE I BEG YOU STOOOP!"

Meanwhile Neji and the two children looked at the massive blizzard maelstrom as they run. Konohamaru looked in awe. "Wow! Yukiku-nee-san is amazing! She could call upon blizzard!"

"To me. It's more like an uncontrolled rampaging blizzard. It would appear there is more of this girl than meets the eye."

"What do we do now?"

"Naruto and Gaara can take care of themselves. But against something of this scale, I'd say only Konoha azure Dragon can do."

"Oh crap." Konohamaru cursed under his breath.

"What?"

"That blizzard. I don't think it'll go down any minute. PLUS a massive ice wave is chasing us."

"Ice wave?" The two Hyuuga activated their Byakugan and Neji immediately increased their pace, while still carrying Konohamaru and Hanabi. Behind them, massive waves of extremely cold wind blew forward, coupled with a blazing ice storm, freezing everything in its path.

Naruto and Gaara…

"Naruto! This ice storm!"

"I know! It gave us a chance! BLAST THEM ALL! TAIYUU MAKAI NO HIKARI!" Naruto, with the aid of Kyuusei's chakra, shot out a massive barrage of laser blast that vaporised everything in its path. 'This no natural blizzard… who? Could it be… her?' Naruto frowned. "GAARA! We have to break through the encirclement!"

Back to Yukiku…

The ice user was screaming again and again. "STOP! STOP! PLEASE! STOP IT!" She kept running aimlessly. She looked around the forest. Many of the forest creatures were frozen. The girl was crying sadly. 'I'm sorry…' "STOP! STOOOOOPP!"

She suddenly caught sight of Neji, Konohamaru, and Hanabi. They were running. Yukiku tried to scream. "NEJI-san!" Alas, her sound was swallowed by the sound of the storm blitzkrieg. She looked palely as the three ran for their lives. Suddenly, image flashed in her mind.

"RUN! SHE'S THE EVIL ICE QUEEN!" A band of kids were running away from her.

"NO WAIT!"

"I want you to stay away from my son. You're endangering him by just being here you know!" An ugly looking lady scolded her without looking at her eyes.

"…"

"Oh my god! No… NOT again! RUN KIDS! RUN!"

"Why nee-chan? It's a cool looking thing you got there in your palm. Can I touch it?" A young kid innocently touched the icy blue chakra she's emanating.

"NO! NOOOO!"

"They're not breathing!"

"Acute Hypothermia. There's nothing we can do."

"YOU MURDERER!"

"No… NO… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Yukiku grasp her hair as she yelled in anguish. Just then freezing wind charge in from every direction before hitting the girl full force…

Neji…

The Hyuuga prodigy kept on running. The exit is just before his eyes now. However, he could feel the cold wind running through his spine. Even if they could get out of here, the ice would surely still follow. 'Just a little bit more… just a little bit more!'

Alas, running all day long had made his hand sweaty. Suddenly Hanabi fell down from Neji's grasp. Konohamaru screamed. "HANABI!" He immediately slithered out from Neji's grasp and ran towards the fallen Hyuuga. Neji turned right that instant and stared in horror as, right behind Konohamaru and Hanabi, a massive cold wave rushed towards them. Konohamaru stared at the gargantuan blizzard before immediately grabbing hold of Hanabi, attempting to shield the younger girl from harm.

Neji screamed. Everything was like a slow motion… until a yellow blur appeared right in front of the two, followed with a flash of fire.

Konohamaru closed his eyes for one second, two seconds… He dared himself to open his eyes and looked behind, he saw Naruto, creating a huge dome of red fire, stopping the ice wave. "NEJI what are you waiting for! GRAB'EM!"

Neji blinked and immediately took hold of the two children and resumed his run for the exit. Waiting at the exit was Gaara. "Hurry. Find Kira. I'll take care of them." Gaara spoke as he grabbed both Hanabi and Konohamaru. Neji nodded before he ran to the village. 'The whole village should have noticed this by now…'

------------------

Hokage Office…

"Ano… Tsunade-sama?" Shizune opened the door and looked at her shishou, whose body still slumped helplessly on a wheelchair.

"Zzz… Hm? Wha? What? What happened?"

"Konoha's southern forest is on… ice."

It took Tsunade ten full seconds before the sentence finally clicked in. "You mean on fire?"

"No Tsunade-sama, it's on ice. A good part of the forest is frozen."

Another ten seconds later. "I know about forest fires. But forest freezing?"

"Well… maybe you'll find out quicker if you look through the window."

Tsunade immediately moved her wheelchair to the window. She opened the curtain, and her jaw was on the ground soon after. The forest was frozen. And it kept on spreading like a wildfire… wild-ice in this case. "…call ALL Anbu and Jounin in this village who can do fire jutsu. And do call Kira."

"Yes."

------------------

Moments later, the whole village, as Neji had predicted, gathered at the edge of the continuously growing ice. Anbus and Jounins used every fire jutsu they know to stop the freezing process. Alas, nothing worked. Temari and Kankuro stared unbelievably at the impossible phenomenon displayed in front of them.

"What the hell…"

"The freezing continues! At this rate, it might freeze the village as well!"

"Temari, Kankuro."

"Gaara!" The two sand siblings looked at their younger brother. He was carrying two unconscious children.

"Where have you been?"

"Long story. Kindly take these two? They're in need of some medical attention."

"On the double." The two sand siblings took the two children. Then, Gaara left. "Where are you going brother?"

"Naruto's still inside. I think he's trying to help a girl in there…"

Neji…

The Hyuuga prodigy searched frantically for the coated man. He's Byakuugan had scanned every corner of the village, but the Demigod was nowhere to be seen. 'He must be here somewhere… The skies? The roof tops? WHERE IS HE?"

He looked up, using every ounce of his chakra on his eyes to make the Byakugan tap to the maximum potential. Finally he found him. But by that time his stamina ran out and he fainted.

Naruto…

"YUKIKU-SAAN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Naruto blasted another incoming ice shard with his hellfire. "Damn it… we have to stop this snowstorm somehow…"

Naruto continued to walk. Avoiding ice bursts one after another. After a while the boy began to notice… there's a painful howling in the wind. "What, someone's howling?" After a while he recognized the voice as Yukiku's voice. "She must be somewhere near here…"

DON'T LISTEN TO THE SOUND.

'What?'

IT'S NOT HER SOUND. THOSE HOWLINGS… THEY ARE HER MEMORIES.

'Memories?'

APPARENTLY, IT TOOK MORE THAN HER CHAKRA TO MAINTAIN A BLIZZARD THIS BIG… IT SEEMS THAT, ALONG WITH HER CHAKRA SO GOES, BIT BY BIT, HER MEMORIES.

'These sounds… her memory?'

CLEARLY THIS IS NOT A NORMAL BLIZZARD. FIND THE PLACE WHERE THERE'S THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF CHAKRA. THAT'S WHERE WE'LL FIND HER.

'…okay.' Naruto tried to concentrate. Slowly he felt a strong chakra signature. It was coming from his left. He turned to that direction and start walking. All the while, he continues to listen to the howling voice.

…I'm not a murderer…

…Look at me! I'm not a monster…

…I don't want to hurt anyone…

…Why? Why won't you girls play with me?

…I didn't do it! I'm not lying!

…mommy where are you?

…stop! It hurts! Don't throw stones at me!

….oh no… no… NO! Not again! Somebody help me! SOMEBODY HELP ME!

…I didn't want to hurt you…

…stupid power! GONE! GONE AWAY! I DON'T NEED YOU!

Naruto walked even more slowly, in silence. He finally realized. Yukiku was like Gaara… like him. Her out-of-control power had apparently made the citizens turn her into a scapegoat as well. His eyes covered in the shadow of his blond hair. The voice kept howling. They were all painful… very painful… He continued to walk thoughtlessly until finally, he arrived at his destination. His eyes widen for a moment.

There stood, a woman, or so he thought, that was composed of ice. Her hair was very long, colored in crystalline blue. Her skin was pale blue. Her eyes were navy, and she wore a modified blue Japanese queen Kimono clothes that were also composed of ice. The ribbons on her back were icicle sharp. Her face, however, was, without a doubt, Yukiku. She was expressionless. If the situation weren't so bad, Naruto would be praising how beautiful she is.

Naruto took a breather before spoke. "Oi. Yukiku-chan. Stop this mad storm. You're going to hurt everyone."

"No use. I can't control it. My mitten was destroyed… I can't control it anymore. Are you here to kill me?" Yukiku's painful and sad voice howled from the queen's face, whose lips didn't even move an inch.

"What?"

"I'm glad if you are. Please. Come and kill me and end my misery."

"…"

"I don't want people get hurt because of me again. Please. Just kill me."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no. Now cut this crap. I'm getting you out of here."

"NO! Look, you don't understand!"

"I understand a lot more then you think. I'm getting you out of here. One way or another, whether you like it or not."

"I'M THE ONE WHO CAUSED ALL THIS! ONLY BY KILLING ME, CAN YOU STOP THIS CARNAGE!"

"Just Shut up."

"I INSIST YOU TO KILL ME! I DON'T WANT TO BE SAFED!"

Naruto yelled. "LISTEN YOU WITCH! DON'T GO AROUND YELLING AT ME ON WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT DO! NOW SHUT UP!" Naruto flared up his Youki.

KIT. AT THIS RATE, YOUR BODY WILL START CORRODING IN LESS THEN 5 MINUTES! Kyuusei warned Naruto.

'In less then 5 minutes I'll tear this whole god-damn thing down!' Naruto growled before he rushed towards the Ice Queen. By the time he reached within ten feet from the queen, blizzard storm swirled towards him before eventually crash at him full.

"NARUTO!" Yukiku screamed in horror.Suddenly, the blizzard was shredded, replaced by a roaring Naruto. The Youki covered his body, forming TWO tailed Demon fox. All that, and it was coupled with massive, swirling Hellfire surrounding him like a cloak of fire. The combination of the two warded off all blizzards in the nearby area.

Berserk Naruto began to move slowly towards the Ice Queen, who looked at the boy with her mouth hung open in aghast. The Hellfire melts the entire ice shard that rush towards him. Yukiku screamed. "WHY… WHY! WHY DO YOU WANT TO SAFE ME? YOU COULD'VE JUST KILLED FROM AFAR, WHY… Or is it because you want to kill me with bare hands?"

"I told you witch. Stop talking as if I'm going to kill you or something. I'm going to safe you and that's final!"

"BUT…! BUT!"

"Being hated just because you're too special… being alone because you're not like others… living in a world where your existence is unwanted… your brother knew what it felt like… I TOO know what it feels like."

"NO YOU DON'T! I KILLED! I… I…"

"Well this is a Shinobi village. Everybody has killed. Some, as far as I concern, could even kill a baby with cold blood."

"But!"

"No buts! I'm getting you out!" Naruto flared more Youki. His skin began to corrode.

Yukiku secretly winched at that. 'This is…' "Why… for me… a monster like me… you endanger yourself like this?"

Naruto grimaced. "Thirteen years ago, a demon fox with nine tails called the Kyuubi, had gone rampage and nearly destroyed the village. In the end, the Yondaime Hokage sealed the monster inside a newborn baby."

The face remained expressionless, but at the back of her mind, Yukiku was confused.

"I was born thirteen years ago, at the exact same day. Caught the picture?"

The girl inwardly gasped. 'He couldn't mean…!'

"So you see… like you, I'm also a bakemono. An abomination of nature, some say. This Youki of mine? The hellfire, the jutsu? It was all Kyuubi, in here." Naruto showed the shocked girl his belly. "Now shut up and don't talk as if you're the only monster here, okay?"

Yukiku looked like she wished to cry, but she couldn't. "Still… you can keep it under control… I can't! I… BEHIND YOU!"

"What-" A sudden sensation of pain occurred at his thigh. He looked at his leg and saw the Garou. Apparently, this one broke free when he melted some of the ice in the area using his hellfire. Its claws sank deep to his thigh. Naruto gritted his teeth, created a large fireball, and shoot a Kitsune Endan at the creature, destroying him to nothingness. The radiating heat melted some of the ice, releasing some Garou in the process as well. Naruto growled. There are 3 Garous.

Naruto roared like a wild beast as the chakra formed a razor sharp claws and more flames covered his body. The Garous rushed towards the fox-host. Naruto minced the first Garou head to pieces, and finished it with a massive laser beam from his palm, that suddenly formed a fox head. The other Garou growled even angrier and tried to plant their jaws on Naruto's shoulder. They succeeded, only to find they were biting a hunk of ice.

"URRAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto shoot 5 Kitsune Endan all at once, burning the second Garou's body to oblivion. The head blasted out to the air, only to be captured by Naruto and shredded to oblivion by a Youkai Rasengan. The remaining Garou stubbornly attacked Naruto. Naruto was about to dodge the brutish attack before he winced in pain. The corrosion was becoming more severe. Thus, the beast managed to bit Naruto shoulder. The blond boy screamed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The scream was heard outside the forest.

"That's Naruto's scream…" Gaara was greatly alarmed.

Jiraiya, who's also on the scene, was also worried. 'Don't go dying on me now kiddo!'

Back to Naruto…

"YOU DAMN MONSTER!" Naruto shot a barrage of laser at the monster up-close before ending it up with a Rasengan. The Rasengan managed to push the creature back. Naruto groaned in pain. The blood flowed like river from his shoulder. Weirdly enough, the regeneration process was slow. 'Why?'

GAROU'S FANGS CONTAIN A HIGHLY STRONG ACID. IT'S EATING YOUR SKIN.

"Son of a…" Naruto prepared the biggest Kitsune Endan he could get, before throwing the large burning fox towards the beast, destroying the creature entirely.

The fox host heaved up and down.

'Oh no, he's losing a lot of blood!' "Naruto you better get that looked at! Just leave me and go!"

"I told you before; don't go around deciding what I should do!"

Naruto managed to get to the ice queen figure. Then he finally saw it. Inside the Ice queen body, Yukiku was there, seemingly unconscious. The expressionless figure of the 'Ice Queen' was like a thick skin on top of the real body.

"I'm getting you out of here. Just hold on okay?" Naruto punched the ice-queen face once. An ugly crack sounded from Naruto's fist. He gathered his strength and punched it again. This time, his fist began to bleed due to the corrosion and the hard impact.

'Why?' "Stop… please…"

Naruto punched again, more blood splattered on Yukiku's ice queen face.

'Who am I to him?' "No… please… I'm not worth it!"

The boy punched again. Yukiku could see Naruto's skin lingering on his bleeding arm.

'For me, just for me he…' "STOP! PLEASE!"

"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUP!" Naruto gathered all his chakra on a single fist, before shoving the said bleeding fist to the ice queen face.

CRACK.

The cracks escalate as the blizzard began to calm down. The cracks continued to escalate before eventually broke apart, releasing the half naked Yukiku from within. Naruto caught her before she touched the ground.

"Why… you…" The girls lose unconscious soon after.

"…because there's always another way for us monsters… aside from death." Naruto looked at Haku's twin face. Suddenly, he felt a warm drop on his head. "Rain?"

Indeed it was raining. The water was weirdly warm, and it started thawing the frozen forest. Naruto looked up to the sky and smiled. High above the air was none other than Kira. The black clouds around poured out a heavy and steady rain. Slowly but sure, the forest rejuvenated.

Suddenly Naruto realized something. "KIRA! THERE ARE THREE-TAILS IN HERE!"

As if answering his call, a rain of massive lightning beam pillars fell on earth, blasting, with exact accuracy, every frozen and half frozen three tailed Hellhounds in the forest to nothingness.

Naruto laughed. "Great." Naruto began to walk out of the thawing forest. Then he found a glove, a single blue glove. 'It's hers…' He took it, and put it on Yukiku's unconscious hand.

After a few moments, Naruto eventually reached the forest exit. By that time, most of the ice had disappeared as it was thawed down.

When the people saw them, the first that arose were murmurs and whispers. Jiraiya and Gaara stood in front of Naruto.

"Gaki… you're okay?"

"Absolutely… peachy. But if anybody here even thinks of offering me a cold drink now, I'm gonna shove a Rasengan in his throat." Naruto was panting, but he managed a smile.

"Is she alright?"

"Chakra exhaustion and mental shock. Nothing serious."

"Fine body she has…" Jiraiya commented, looking at Yukiku's barely covered breast.

Naruto twitched before kicking the Sannin right in his crotch. "Give me your vest."

"Is this your way of asking things?" Jiraiya gasped.

"Give it, or I'll put a Rasengan on it this time!"

"Guh…" Jiraiya released his red vest and hand it over to Naruto, who used the vest to cover Yukiku's body.

"I'm taking her to the hospital." Naruto began his walk. But after ten steps, his body could no longer follow his wishes. Following his slumping leg, Naruto's consciousness wavered as he fell into darkness.

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"You really are something you know, blasting through someone's mind right in the middle of the night like this."

"Sorry, it's kind of urgent anyway."

"I bet it is." Kyuusei smirked. Naruto's in the infirmary right now. Still unconscious after the operation. Kyuusei was sitting calmly in the soaked ground, slowly sending a bit of his chakra to fasten the regeneration. Suddenly, an unexpected (Or perhaps expected on Kyuusei's side) person appeared inside Naruto's blacked-out mind. It was Kira. And now, two of the most powerful beings in existence stared each other down, face to face.

"So I am to understand that, the Garous had cross over into the Human world?"

"Yes. Without a single clue on whether or not there were more of them."

Kira thought out for a moment. "Amongst the Youma'ou, due to their constant soul dividing for centuries, Garou have a mind of that of a mindless barbaric beast. Yet they can still attack in an organized pattern like a pack of wolves. But nevertheless, there just no way they could come up with an ability to cross over into the Human world on their own."

"Precisely. There are only two ways beasts like that could cross to Ningenkai. Either some human summoned them or there is another more powerful Youma'ou that brought them in."

"I'd hate to think that humans summoned them considering how dangerous they are… the latter theory is more plausible… but how could it avoid ShuShin's detection? In order to summon the creature without detection, it must be done from the human world. How could a high-level Youma'ou get here without warning us of their presence? More importantly, why are the Garou here?"

"I guess I can answer the last question. When I left Ma Kai 30 years ago to look for Shukaku, I left 'her' in charge… I think she's worried sick… and somehow sent them in. How's that theory?"

Kira nodded in understanding. "Well that's another good theory… but the weird thing is, they attacked Naruto regardless of the fact that he bears your scent. Which means they're looking for something else."

"And what's that, we don't have any idea do we?" Kyuusei sighed.

"The only Youma'ou capable of crossing over to human world without outside help are… the four-tail and above…" Kira also sighed before he sat down on the watery floor. "…I guess this matter demands a more in-depth investigation. I'll deal with it later, but soon."

"Okay."

"How's Naruto?"

"He'll live." Kyuusei grinned.

"Good." Silence reigned for a few moments. "How's your life here?"

"Wet, hungry, angry." Kyuusei answered short.

"Is it always watery here? What's this? Your saliva?"

"One tenth of it? Yes. The rest…"

"Your sweat?" Kira joked.

"No, the kit's tears."

Kira's smile vanished. "I guess that's the most possible explanation eh?"

"Living a hated life for more than thirteen freaking years. It's a surprise he doesn't break."

"Guess so…" Kira nodded sadly. A few seconds later he decided to get up. "Well. I guess it's time for me to go."

"You sure you're going to do it?"

"Well we've talked about everything that needs to be talked about."

"No. I mean about you training the kit."

"You don't like it?"

"Who am I? I'm just a furry fur-ball at the back of his mind. Who am I to decide? But do you know what you're going to do?"

"I was hoping I knew too. Oh well. Bye."

Kira vanished. Kyuusei smiled. "Bye."

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Done. I've said this is going to be long… and I was right. The reason for this chapter to be updated unceremoniously fast is because I've got the story written in my head already. Hope you guys like the appearance of the three-tail.

And before some of you pointed it out: YES. Garou was inspired by Hellboy's Samael. I'll try to be more original on my creature's power next time.

Thanks to Kwisatz Haderach for beta Reading this. I owe you a million.

By the way, I've been having this plan when this chapter was beta-readed. If you guys go to my profile, you'll see that I once made a Gundam SEED fic, named Samurai SEED. Right now, it's still discontinued. But after some consideration, I've decided that I will rewrite it, and made it a Prequel to the Of Demons and Gods series. The story will revolve around Kira and other future Shitennou gonnabe. So I will be doing these 2 fics at the same time. So MAYBE, the update will be a bit slower, depending on my mood, my study, my sanity, and my head.

Okay, The usual stuff. Read & review.

Till the next update.

Ja Ne.