Great, I imply that Zabuza's blade isn't one of the seven swords, and now there's the thickest mist I have ever seen outside right now... I'm gonna fucking die. Ah well, least you can't blame me if the story stops here, blame the demon of the mist, it'll be his fault. Not really sure what this chapter should represent, I have a strange gift for creating future possibilities even when I don't know if I'll use them. Ah well... maybe I'll get lucky and he'll send haku to do a quick job with a senbon, I don't wanna get blood over my Yucca trees, Tensei and Shousei.

Disclaimer: So I've got a couple of trees in my room, so what? There a lot wierder things about me than that!

Princess of the blazing sky

It was the third day, the final day that Naruto would train there. Tomorrow, they would have to make their way back to Amegakure, find out about this "mission" Deva was talking about.

At first, Naruto had been pretty excited about getting a mission, but now it was just something at the back of his mind; his thoughts were elsewhere.

Because of Eko, a man had died, leaving his lover and daughter alone. He couldn't get that thought out of his mind.

It seemed like Eko too had his thoughts on the events of yesterday, he had been pretty quiet ever since. Naruto was glad, since he didn't know what to say to his "partner".

Damn… Aiko never even got the chance to know her father. Naruto could certainly relate, but there was something a little more tragic in the little girl's case. Naruto didn't know what happened to his parents; know one had been willing to answer. He didn't even know if they were alive, and sometimes he wondered if he wanted them to be.

But Aiko… every time her mother looked at her, she would see traces of Hibiki in her. Did the little girl even know the truth, or would she have to live under the gaze of her mother's sad eyes? That had been the case on that first day, before Naruto's Kage Bunshin took Aiko down to the village. Naomi had held her daughter close, with such a sad and pained look in her eyes that Naruto had failed to notice before. Now he could hardly get it out of his mind.

All of that, it had all been caused because Eko got excited? Could he really be so self involved, so bloodthirsty that he would disregard the life of the person who had so much to look forward to? It almost seemed convenient that he was unable to remember, if Kisame hadn't explained the reason, Naruto wasn't sure if he'd have been able to believe the blade.

It was the only way he could even come close to sympathising. Eko lost his memories of anyone who wielded him. Then, for as long as no one possessed him, it would be like no one ever had. To him, he had been alone in that cave for all his life, knowing only of the other seven swords, and those who came to claim them. That sort of feeling, Naruto couldn't comprehend it himself. What did Eko feel, to always be left behind, unwanted by anyone? It must have really destroyed him when Kisame brought Zabuza to him; in that moment when he thought he would finally escape, only to be disregarded as a useless tool. Whenever Naruto thought about it, he wondered if maybe the blade was mad. He knew he would have broken down a long time ago under those circumstances, the closest thing he had ever been through like that was what happened with Mizuki, but he wasn't really sure if that was enough to compare.

He opened his hands, looking down at the small leaf sitting in his palm. It had a long, thin cut running about halfway through. He stared for a few moments, before dropping it on the ground. It didn't seem like much to him right now.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Kisame asked, grinding his knuckles into Naruto's skull. Naruto cried out, both from surprise and from the pain in his head. He looked up at Kisame, who was grinning down at him, "Somehow you're not as energetic as usual."

Naruto stared at his sensei with a raised brow, before looking away.

"I've just been thinking… about yesterday." he said, in a quiet voice. Kisame rolled his eyes, before leaning on Naruto's shoulder.

"You're worried about Eko-kun because of what he did." he stated, as if it was obvious to figure out. Naruto noticed Eko react to these words, but neither of them said anything, "Well don't. Blades aren't supposed to think about the repercussions of their actions, it just isn't in their nature. All they are supposed to think about is the next fight. It's what they're crafted for, and what they are wielded for. A katana put on display is worthless. No matter how much you polish it, it'll never shine like a blade used in battle. It withers and dies, because its purpose is forgotten."

Both Naruto and Eko were looking up at Kisame, silently stunned. Kisame sighed, before straightening up.

"We leave tomorrow." he said, walking towards the house, "You should probably just rest today. You're not gonna learnt the nest step anytime soon, so you can afford to take a break. Besides, your heart isn't in it."

Naruto watched as Kisame entered Naomi's garden, and disappeared from sight. He was silent for several moments, unsure of what to say or think.

"Naruto… I didn't know about all of that, I swear. If I could fix what I've done, well, I'd still belong to Hibiki and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Naruto blinked, slowly turning to look at Eko.

"But Kisame no Danna's wrong. It's not always about the next fight. I'm not just a tool for killing, I can do more than that… you believe me, right?"

Naruto's eyes were fixed on Eko's hilt, his lips parted as he listened closely. When Eko asked him that, he dropped his gaze, looking down at the ground.

"Sure thing." he said, quietly, "Why don't we prove him wrong, huh?"

"… Yeah."

"Big brother Naruto!" Aiko called, running out of the garden and down towards Naruto with a big smile, "Uncle Kisame said you're gonna take me down to the village again!"

Naruto's eyes widened as the little girl started to climb up him again. He crouched down to make it easier for her, until she was sitting on his shoulders.

"Uh… sure, I guess." Naruto replied, smiling up as the little girl put her hands on his head for balance. She beamed back down at him, oblivious to the thoughts that had been going through Naruto's mind, involving her.

"Mommy gave me some money, she wants us to buy some things when we're down there." Aiko said, holding up a small purse and a note, "Can you help me find them big brother?"

"Yeah, of course I will." Naruto replied, wondering when she decided he was her older brother. He held onto her ankles to keep her steady, and began walking down the hill towards the village. As they descended, Aiko seemed taken to rubbing his hair, a gleeful look on her face.

"How come your hair's so spiky?" she asked, leaning over so she could see his face. Naruto glanced up, seeing her hair just at the top of his vision.

"Uh, I dunno." he replied, "It's always like that."

"Really?" Aiko asked, as she went back to running her fingers through it with a look of fascination, "How come you've got whiskers on your face?"

"Whiskers?" Naruto asked back, with a slightly startled look.

"Yeah, these!" Aiko replied, patting him on the cheek. She then got a confused frown, and her patting turned into a gentle slapping, "Hey, how come they're not moving?"

"Cause it's my skin!" Naruto said, wincing as her slaps became harder, "Cut that out would ya?"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Aiko cried, whipping her hands away as if she'd been bitten. Naruto grinned up at her, and she relaxed. But her interest was suddenly piqued again when she noticed Ekokaeten, "What's this?"

"Huh- hold on!" Naruto exclaimed, as she reached out to pull the blade out. Aiko was startled by his sudden yell and looked at him fearfully, thinking she'd made him angry. Naruto put her down, and began entrapping Eko from his back.

"I'm sorry." Aiko said, with a worried look on her face. Naruto smiled warmly at her, before placing his hand on her head.

"It's alright." he said, as he rubbed her head softly, "Just don't touch this ok? It's not safe."

"Ok big brother." Aiko replied, pouting at the way he was treating her. Naruto laughed, before he tied Ekokaeten to his waist and allowed Aiko back onto his shoulders. They then resumed their little journey with Aiko humming to herself happily.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, this sucks." Eko complained, as the tip of his sheath struck the ground with each step, "Why the hell do you have to be so short?!"

Naruto tried to adjust Eko so he wasn't hitting the ground, pulling the sheath up higher before tightening the strap again.

"Better?" he asked, looking down at the blade questioningly.

"Yeah, though I can't say I enjoy swinging around like this." Eko grumbled in reply.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Aiko asked, looking down at Naruto.

"Oh, it's nothing!" Naruto said, grinning reassuringly at Aiko.

"Dumbass."

They reached the bottom of the hill; the village wasn't too far off now. They'd covered about half the journey just descending the hill, now there was only a quarter mile left. Aiko started swaying from side to side, which was throwing Naruto's balance a little. He decided to preoccupy her by reaching behind and lifting his sedge hat onto her head. In no time the hat became the centre of Aiko's attention, and she held either side to keep it in place.

Up ahead, they could see the village through the trees. It was a simple place, but not quite to the extent of the village where Naruto had first met Haku. It was fairly typical, with a touch of industrialism with the power cables running across the rooftops, and the air had that faint smell, like it wasn't quite as pure as it should have been.

That's not to say it wasn't a nice place, just that it had been a while since Naruto had been in a village running with power. Kisame usually had them travel through the agricultural villages, to avoid any unnecessary confrontation. With lack of facilities, the people of a village became surprisingly timid. That was his reasoning at least, but Naruto didn't really understand it.

They walked into the village, almost completely ignored by the people roaming the streets. There were market stalls all around, their numbers overshadowing those of actual stores. This place was on a route between the Land of Rivers and Konoha, so trade caravans often passed through here. Naruto could see the people who weren't from around here by the faint changes in skin tone, and other such features. It was a surprise to him; he never usually paid attention to such things. He wondered if the time he had spent with high ranking Shinobi like Kisame had maybe had an unforeseen effect on him. He shook himself out of that train of thought, he could think of those things later.

"So what's first on the list?" he asked, looking up at Aiko with a smile.

"Uh…" Aiko replied, studying the note her mother had given her closely. She then looked around and pointed ahead to the left, "We need to go that way!"

"Right!" Naruto replied, following the direction she was pointing.

* * * * *

Naomi sat in front of the table in the living, cross legged. She picked up her tea and sipped it, her permanent expression veiling the calmness the situation ought to bring. She had let yesterday pass over, her thoughts had passed over to that time too often for it to still be an issue to her. But she still couldn't shake the feeling she got from seeing Ekokaeten again. Because of the way Naruto carried it, she had almost dismissed it as an average katana. But when Kisame told her what it was, she immediately knew it to be the truth.

It had taken considerable inner strength to keep herself from flying off into a rage; the only reason she hadn't taken and destroyed the blade was that she couldn't bring herself to touch the damn thing, lest it took over her like it did Hibiki. She could only hope that Naruto would see this and dispose of it, like she couldn't.

She lowered her cup back onto the table, her gaze piercing the wall across from her. She was very aware that Kisame was standing in the hallway behind her, but refused to acknowledge him.

"I take it you're still not up for getting nostalgic then?" Kisame asked, as he leant against the wall.

"Go to hell." Naomi replied, though without the force she would usually use. She was tired of getting angry, she knew it would do nothing against the man behind her. Kisame chuckled, shaking his head. He knew very well that Naomi wanted him to leave her alone, and she knew very well that he wouldn't.

"One day princess, one day."

"Don't you fucking call me that." Naomi growled, glaring over her shoulder. Kisame grinned, folding his arms.

"You're language is always so colourful when little Aiko isn't around." he commented, as he rested his head against the wall.

"Look, even if by some miracle Naruto does manage to complete this stage, there's nowhere near for him to practice the next step." Naomi said, through gritted teeth, "So why don't you take him, and that goddamn katana and get the fuck out of here?"

"Easy Naomi-chan." Kisame replied, "I think my little niece has taken a liking to dear Naruto-kun. Don't even bother trying to convince me she isn't lonely, I think she would be very sad to see him go."

Naomi looked back into her cup, staring at the reflection of the light in the liquid.

"Did you see her when she went with Naruto-kun?" Kisame asked, turning his head to the open doorway, "She ran faster than I'd ever seen before."

Naomi's grip on her cup tightened, but she still didn't say anything. Kisame was a cold, heartless bastard, she knew that from experience. But she also knew that he seldom said unnecessary things, not when it came to Aiko. It made her gut burn to admit it, but he seemed to express genuine concern for his late brother's daughter. It was the only reason he would drop by, and definitely the only reason Naomi would allow him anywhere near her or her daughter.

But it was for that reason also, that she knew he was right. Aiko had used to be wary of Kisame, she thought he looked a little scary, which was definitely understandable. However, once she had gotten used to him, she gained a light in her eyes that nearly broke Naomi's heart. For all of her daughters life, it had just been the two of them. Naomi had been content with that, but she could see Aiko wasn't.

"What are you getting at?" she asked, as she took another sip, "Either way, Naruto's gonna leave. It's better to do it after she's had a good time, so she can't make plans for the next day and be disappointed."

"True enough, I just thought that you ought to know…" Kisame replied, as he straightened up, "She calls him "big brother Naruto"."

He left on that note, noticing the very slight sound of Naomi's cup cracking under the pressure.

* * * * *

"I think that's all of it!" Aiko said, scanning the note thoroughly, "Yeah, that's everything!"

"Cool, so you wanna head back now?" Naruto asked, "It's getting pretty late."

"Ok." Aiko replied, placing both hands on Naruto's head and resting her own on top of them. Naruto smiled, carrying bags in the crook of his elbows as he walked towards the village exit. The sun was almost setting, an orange light filled the sky and made them both feel even warmer. Actually, it was pretty hot today, and stuffy too. Naruto tugged on his collar, trying to get a cool breeze in. Aiko didn't seem to mind, but then she wasn't moving, or carrying heavy things. Plus she had the sedge hat to give her shade. Overall, she seemed pretty comfortable as she was. It was a nice thing to see, Naruto was a little envious of her.

"Big brother…" Aiko said, with a content look on her face, "You're gonna be leaving soon, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I've gotta go back somewhere." Naruto replied, with a smile, "There's some things I need to do, and a whole world of problems to fix."

Aiko giggled, before closing her eyes peacefully.

"You sound just like a hero." she said, "Promise you'll come back sometime?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Naruto replied, as Aiko put her arms around his head.

"You better." she muttered, before sleep took her. Naruto couldn't help but grin, this little girl was a sweetheart.

He carried her up the hill, which steadily steepened as they ascended. The shadows from the trees made the time look later than it was, Naruto didn't feel tired enough for the time the world looked right now. It was with that realisation that he decided to increase his pace. After all, he didn't want to worry Naomi.

He could just see the border around Naomi and Aiko's home up ahead, the setting sun lighting it up and the hill acting as a podium. The place was really being put on display, it was sort of strange, like a stage. He upped his pace again, until he was lightly jogging, making sure not to disturb Aiko, who was sleeping peacefully. It wasn't long after that that he passed through the entrance, and slowed down as he stepped onto the patio leading up to the house. He reached up and slid the door open, walking in.

"We're back, Naomi-sensei!" he called, but not loudly enough to wake Aiko. He saw Naomi appear from the kitchen, and noticed her daughter was fast asleep. She walked over and took the bags from Naruto, before returning to the kitchen to drop them off. Naruto followed her through, but then she turned around and took Aiko off his shoulders, carrying her in her arms. She nodded in thanks, before heading back into the hallway and taking a right, supposedly heading towards Aiko's bedroom. Naruto waited patiently as Naomi tucked her daughter in, before returning to the hallway. Her brow rose in surprise as she realised Naruto was still standing there waiting for her.

"Here." Naruto said, holding his hand out. He dropped some coins into Naomi's hand, the change from the shopping.

"Uh, thanks." Naomi replied, with a surprised look. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but not this. She gripped the coins in her hand, before taking a deep breath and looking up at Naruto, "Come on, I'll get you something to drink."

Naruto followed her into the living room, and gestured for him to sit down by the table. Naruto did so, and she walked out towards the kitchen, where he could here a quiet scraping sound, like pieces of pottery rubbing against each other. He took the time to look around, the table was the only piece of furniture in the room. The walls were a pale blue, with a few thin wooden strips running from floor to ceiling in seemingly random places. He sat on a beige carpet, thin, but comfortable. From all that he'd seen so far, he really had to wonder what Aiko did for fun, the place seemed pretty bare. And now that he thought about it, whenever Aiko wasn't literally beside him, she seemed to completely disappear, like she wasn't even on the hill anymore.

It was then that Naomi returned, holding two steaming cups in her hands. She placed one in front of Naruto, before sitting down across from him. Naruto thanked her for the drink, but she barely seemed to notice. He raised the cup to his lips and took a sip, realising it was a little too hot. As he did this, Naomi studied him closely, as if assessing him for something. When he put his cup down, so did she.

"Look, there's no way you're gonna be able to complete your training here." she said, propping her elbow up on the table, "So listen closely. Once you've managed to cut a leaf in half, You'll need to find yourself a waterfall. The next step is to learn to cut through it. You'll know you're doing it right when the waterfall stops at where your hands are. And believe me, you're gonna need those Kage Bunshin of yours."

"Uh, sure, I- wait a minute, a waterfall?!" Naruto exclaimed, planting both hands on the table, "Where the hell am I supposed to find one of those?!"

"I don't know, there's probably one in Takigakure somewhere." Naomi sarcastically replied. Naruto fell silent, sensing her bad mood. Naomi watched him for several moments, before letting out a silent sigh, "Hey, thanks for keeping Aiko company. I know she gets pretty lonely."

"Don't thank me." Naruto said, earning a frown from Naomi, "I was glad to do it."

Her frown turned into a surprised look, but she quickly dropped it and looked out the window. She found it hard to look at Naruto when he was smiling like that.

"Ever since I left Konoha, I've been marked as a missing-nin." she said, resting her head on her hand, "Aiko doesn't know that I was a Kunoichi, I've been in hiding since before she was born."

Naruto watched her with a raised brow. Five years was a long time to hide out. Did she confine herself to her home and that small village down there, hiding who she was from even her own daughter? That must have been hard, Naruto couldn't imagine what it must have been like.

"I only wish…" Naomi began, before shaking her head, "Forget it."

"You don't wanna have to hide anymore." Naruto said, "You want Aiko-chan to be able to have fun like a normal little girl, that right?"

Naomi looked at him in surprise, her glaring eyebrows taking on an almost normal shape. She slowly nodded her head, as Naruto smiled again at her.

"Don't worry, you will." he said, "One day, I promise!"

They both watched each other closely, Naomi at a loss for words. She couldn't really take that promise seriously… but for some reason, she took Naruto seriously.

"That's quite a statement to make." she replied, fixing her eyes to his, "What are you gonna do, ask the Hokage to take me out the bingo book?"

"The Hokage?" Naruto repeated, as he thought about the old man. For a while now, he'd had a thought about him running through his mind, but for some reason he could never form it into coherent words, "Nah, I won't ask him. I've got something else in mind."

Naomi was about to ask, when Kisame ducked his head through the doorway, a broad grin on his face.

"Sorry to disturb you both, but I just thought I'd let you know, Konoha's here." he said, with a knowing look.

"What?!" Naruto and Naomi exclaimed, getting to their feet at the same time. Kisame gave them a look that confirmed it, before heading back outside.

"Shit!" Naomi cursed, before running out the room, "Come on!"

Naruto followed Naomi as she ran to Aiko's room. She pushed the door aside and gently scooped her daughter up in her arms, before turning to Naruto, who was standing in the hallway.

"Take her and get out of here." she said, handing Aiko over to a surprised Naruto, before she pushed past him and lifted a panel off the floor, "Get out through here, we'll catch up when this is over with."

Naruto nodded, sliding down into the hole. Naomi made to place the panel back down, but Naruto stopped her.

"Hey, I promise I'll change all this." he said, locking eyes with her. Naomi faltered for a moment, as a strange expression crossed her face. Then she grunted in annoyance, before reaching out and gripping Ekokaeten's hilt.

"What the?!" Eko exclaimed in shock.

Before Naruto could ask, Naomi pushed him down and closed the hatch, before she got to her feet and ran outside to meet her uninvited guests.

She ran out into the garden, where Kisame was facing three Konoha ninja. The person who was obviously the leader looked at Naomi with a raised brow, which wasn't a pretty sight.

"Is that really you?" the person asked, "The princess of the blazing sky?"

Naomi grinded her teeth in annoyance. She hated that name more than anything, and most definitely didn't want it uttered in her own home.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked, with a glare, "Maito Gai."

* * * * *

Naruto ran down the narrow tunnel, letting his other sense guide him as he ran in complete darkness. As his feet pounded on the dirt, he felt Aiko stir in his arms.

"Where am I?" she asked, in a small voice, "I'm scared!"

"It's ok Aiko-chan, just keep your eyes closed!" Naruto said, as he spotted a slither of light up ahead.

"Big brother?" Aiko spoke, reaching up and touching his face, "What's going on?"

"It's alright, I just got lost on the way back home!" he lied, before giving her a grin she could just barely see, "I'm pretty clumsy, aren't I?"

"Yeah!" Aiko replied, smiling. She seemed to relax after that, the thought of her being underground seemed to escape her. That was good, the last thing Naruto needed was for her to panic, that would make things even more difficult.

The light up ahead drew nearer, and turned into a rounded shape, a hole leading upwards. They reached it and Naruto put Aiko down before climbing out. He took a look around, and when he was satisfied that no one else was around, he took Aiko's hand and pulled her out of what turned out to be a hole amidst the roots of a tree, like a large warren. As soon as she was out, Naruto picked Aiko up again and immediately began running in the opposite direction of her home. Aiko wrapped her arms around his neck, she wasn't feeling so confident now.

"I don't think this is the right way." she said, as she looked around, "Isn't home back there? And where did the bags go?"

Naruto didn't reply, and Aiko stared worriedly up at him.

"Big brother, what's going on?" she asked, feeling scared again.

"It's ok Aiko-chan, don't worry about it." Naruto replied, "Everything's gonna be-"

As if on cue, three kunai embedded themselves into the tree to their left. Naruto whipped his head around, just as someone landed a few metres away.

It was a boy, about Naruto's age, maybe a little older. He had long brown hair that fell down his back, and a black Konoha forehead protector with a pair of thin straps hanging down either side of his face. His eyes were incredibly pale, and apparently they didn't have any pupils. His skin was also very pale, that and his eyes gave him the look of a dead body, though his skin maybe wasn't that pale. But that's what the eyes felt like, the sort of deadened look that Naruto had never seen in someone of that age before.

He wore a khaki shirt, with a collar similar to Naruto's, and several straps across the chest and sleeves, making it look oddly like a straight jacket. He also wore dark brown shorts, and for some reason he had his right arm and leg wrapped in bandages. He stared at Naruto, hard, but stoically.

"Let the girl go." he ordered, his fingers tightening around the shuriken in his hand. Naruto's grip on Aiko tightened, and he glared at the boy in front of him.

"Why should I?" he asked, "Why have you come here?"

"We learned that some missing-nin were taking refuge here." the boy replied, "I'll say it one more time, let the girl go."

Naruto grunted angrily, before slowly lowering Aiko to the ground.

"Big brother!" Aiko cried, keeping a tight grip on Naruto's neck, even as her feet touched the ground.

"It's ok Aiko-chan." Naruto said, as he formed a hand sign. He summoned a Kage Bunshin, who picked Aiko up, before running off.

"Big brother!" Aiko cried again, holding her hand out to him as she disappeared into the trees. Naruto straightened up, facing the boy across from him. It was clear that he was already in a fight, but there was just one thing he needed.

"I've not been in too many fights, so I'm still learning about the rules of combat." he said, as he took his stance, "We're supposed to tell each other our names right? I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Battle etiquette?" the boy said, with an almost surprised look, "If what you say is true, then there is no reason to indulge myself in such mannerisms to a weakling such as yourself. However, giving that you are willing to face an opponent who managed to catch you off guard, I will humour you."

The boy then took on his own stance, and an unusual one at that. He stood so that Naruto was to his left, holding out his left hand with his palm facing Naruto, while his right hand was held level to his shoulder, and dead straight. His legs were parted, and his eyes fixed on Naruto.

"You may call me…" he said, as his eyes narrowed, "Hyuga Neji."