Beta-read by Nadramon.

---

The night had gone on and after hours of explaining and talking, questioning and answering, dawn finally claimed its time. And so, clear strands of light crept onto the ground and clung onto various surfaces. The birds had roused a few hours ago but now the entire orchestra had begun.

Oblivious of all the wonderful things happening outside Jiriaya, Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto continued to discuss. Several times, whilst explaining to Naruto about Sasuke's curse mark and Orochimaru, the three adults had to hold him down, so that he wouldn't rush out to find Sasuke.

They explained to him that in order not to make Itachi suspicious Naruto had to keep away from Sasuke and Sakura, at least for a little while. Though they weren't certain if Itachi knew of their links and motives towards him Tsunade had said that it would be better to be safe than sorry. Making Itachi doubt Sasuke and Sakura's ignorance about their past may make him take action earlier than planned thus they wouldn't have time to prepare.

"Aren't you going to tell Sasuke and Sakura-chan about this as well?" the boy had interrogated.

"Yes, yes, we are. But for now we have to keep low. If we blow our cover now it'll be useless," Jiraiya then tiredly answered.

Back in present time they were conferring about Naruto's situation. He was still enraged at Orochimaru and worried about Sasuke and Sakura's well being but since his memories were still slightly suppressed he couldn't do much.

"Baa-chan, can't you remove the seal you gave me then?" the blond frowned and leaned back in his chair.

"Brat, if I knew how we wouldn't still be here talking. The seal, as we have explained beforehand, was very unstable and incomplete… Because of the way I placed it on you it's still a one-way seal. Meaning I can only place it on you but not remove it," Tsunade answered, equally frustrated.

"Then now what?" he huffed, glaring at the table heatedly.

"We'll just have to jog your memories then. Since the seal is already wearing off, if I train you again, you should have no problem regaining your abilities again," Jiraiya said, glancing between the two of them. Both light-haired with a terrible temper… he contemplated. "You want to keep Sasuke and Sakura safe from Itachi and Akatsuki, correct?"

Naruto became lively again. "Yeah!" he nodded vigorously. "I don't want them to get hurt…"

"Okay, kid. We'll start training in a couple of hours. Go get some sleep for now."

His fox ears twitched irritably as he was ushered away to another room.

---

Iruka was dozing on the side of the wall. His head drooped precariously before he jerked awake and uncrossed his arms, slightly disoriented. He covered up his yawn and glanced over at the futon in front of him.

Sakura was still asleep from yesterday's sedatives. Satisfied with her condition the man stood up and smoothed out his robes. Quietly, he walked over to a window and opened it, wincing slightly as the wooden frame creaked. Outside, the weather was wonderful. It was still early morning and the temperature wasn't at either end of the extremes yet.

A small smile framed his face as Iruka smiled lightly.

In Kakashi's room a similar play was unfolding.

The masked man crossed the room to check Sasuke. The boy mumbled something incoherent, his eyebrows knit. Kakashi's face, or what was visible, stayed blank as he caught a barely audible "Naruto…" as Sasuke flung an arm over his eyes.

Shuffling to a low cabinet, Kakashi rummaged through the shelves looking past vials and bottles all holding various powders and liquids. Tsunade and Shizune's contributions.

After some clinking and moving, the silver-haired man finally found what he was looking for and drew his arm out. Within his palm were two identical bottles. The porcelain was decorated with blue spirals, vines, and flowers. A cork stopper was plugged up at the top.

He stared thoughtfully at the bottles, rubbing the smooth sides together causing them to make a slight screeching sound. Carefully, he tucked the two bottles up his sleeves and silently left the room.

---

"Kid. Hey, kid, wake up. It's time for us to go training now," the white-haired man prodded the sleeping figure.

"Nn… Just a little longer…" Naruto rolled over, trying to avoid the jabbing finger.

"Three seconds before I kick you out of the futon."

A furry, orange ear twitched slightly.

"Three."

A small whimper.

"Two and a half."

A soft rustling of the sheets.

"Two."

A yawn.

"One."

A yelp and a 'thud' as Jiraiya roughly yanked the futon from underneath Naruto, causing the boy to fall out and land in a heap on the floor.

"I thought you were joking!" he whined, rubbing his back.

"I never joke. Hurry up so we can get to training already," Jiraiya ordered, walking out of the room.

And so, grumbling and complaining, Naruto followed him out.

They walked for some distance before the man stopped and waved his arm around indicating a large, empty field. It was more like a clearing with trees creating a natural border around it.

"This is where you three used to play and train," he told Naruto briefly before motioning him over.

Obediently, Naruto trotted over to him.

"Alright, Naruto. Before your memory was erased I only trained you to use your own powers. I never made you use Kyuubi's power so I guess I'll have to teach you that for right now," he looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "Actually," Jiraiya said, changing his mind, "let's see if you accidentally used Kyuubi's power in the past years. Take off your robes."

"What?" Naruto raised an eyebrow and tugged on his robes even closer.

"Look, I need to see your stomach, where the seal is at," the man said, looking displeased with having to make Naruto strip.

The blond's lower lip stuck out as he frowned. "Isn't there another way?"

"Not that I know of. Are we going to have to stand here for about three decades?"

There was more grumbling as Naruto reluctantly pulled off his obi and parted his robes just enough for Jiraiya to inspect his stomach. He held back laughs as the man poked in.

"Hm… It looks like you have activated Kyuubi's powers… Get your robes back on," Jiraiya said absentmindedly as he stared at the forest around them thoughtfully.

Naruto was about to yell something random at the man after several minutes of silence but he never got the chance.

"You're lucky, kid," Jiraiya stated, breaking the quietness. "Your powers are rather similar to mine. I think I'll be able to teach you a thing or two," he nodded slightly, waved him over to another part of the clearing and motioned for him to follow.

"Alright, here's how we're going to do it. I'm going to teach you how to control your powers. I need you to know how to take out that power and use it consciously," Jiraiya said as they continued walking.

Soon, the sound of moving water was picked up by Naruto's keen ears.

"You're going to walk on water."

---

"Sasuke," Kakashi nudged Sasuke on the shoulder gently. Resting next to the futon was a single porcelain vial. He had given the other one to Iruka. He was probably trying to wake up Sakura at the moment as well.

"Sasuke, wake up," the silver-haired repeated, shaking his shoulder more roughly.

Finally, after a few more seconds and trying to wake the drugged Uchiha, he woke up groggily. His eyes were clouded over with disorientation when Kakashi began to speak.

"I'm going to give you more medicine right now. It'll make you feel horrendous, but it's for precautions. We'll explain everything to you after the effects wear off. Got it?" he asked quickly, already uncorking the vial.

Sasuke's version of the speech was blurred and warbled, as if he was hearing it from underwater. Nevertheless, he nodded. Faintly, he felt himself getting lifted up and opened his mouth a bit as Kakashi pressed the cool mouth of the vial against his.

He tilted it and shook the white, powdery substance out and into the waiting mouth. The powder immediately mixed with Sasuke's saliva and dissolved. A spasm facial muscles erupted once Sasuke tasted how bitter and revolting the thing was.

Kakashi frowned behind his mask and quickly poured in the rest of the powder before shoving the Uchiha's chin up, thus preventing him from spitting the stuff out. The vial was thrown aside as Kakashi pressed harder against Sasuke's chin. The boy began to struggle for a while before growing limp.

"Swallowed it yet?" he asked, releasing his fierce hold on him.

Grudgingly Sasuke nodded, looking much more awake and murderous than he was three seconds before.

"Within the next three hours, you'll get a fever and rashes over your body. We don't want Itachi to suspect us so by taking you two out of commission we'll keep you safe," the masked man told him quietly, placing him back on the futon. He picked up the discarded vial and stood up. "Sorry about making you feel like you're about to die but if Itachi doesn't believe us it won't work. You'll have to keep Naruto safe, right?" he added on for emphasis.

From the point when Kakashi said "taking you two out of commission" he had thought that it was him and Naruto, not some other person, who he now concluded was Sakura. "Naruto… where is he?"

Kakashi glanced at him with his one visible eye and quickly exited the room, leaving Sasuke in silence.

Sasuke didn't get a chance to call him back because the drugs quickly kicked in and he passed out, sweat already forming on his forehead.

---

"Hm…" Jiraiya hummed. "You learn pretty fast, kid." He tapped his pipe against the grassy floor, dumping out the ashes onto the grass. "After falling into the river approximately 283 times, you're fairly proficient at it."

Whether he was using extreme sarcasm or not, Naruto really, really couldn't tell. He was just happy that he wasn't getting swept away by the strong currents of the river. For the two hundred eighty fourth time in only a few hours.

It was a harrowing experience, being told that he simply had to walk on water.

Well, easier said than done, Naruto decided immediately. Before they actually got to the river, Jiraiya had pleasantly told him that the river had very strong currents and would probably drown him if he didn't do it right.

With words and hand gestures, the perverted man gave him a quick walk-through. Naruto, however smart, was not able to absorb the lesson quickly. Finally, in the end Jiraiya shrugged and said it was merely a task learned through experience and that there was no real help he could provide.

Jiraiya shoved him into the river with a light-hearted "Good luck and don't die!" By all means the man wasn't trying to kill the boy but had hoped that if presented with a life-or-death situation, he would subconsciously draw on his power. The first trial didn't work.

It was fortunate for both Jiraiya and Naruto that just a little further down the river there were a few large branches that hung near the river. It decreased the chances of Naruto drowning but it was still possible.

But after about several hours and a good soaking, Naruto had gotten the task down pat.

"Alright, get back here, kid," he beckoned, putting away his pipe and waving his hand lazily. Naruto complied tiredly. Once he came back to solid ground, he carefully lowered his sore body onto the grass and groaned. The man chuckled lightly before assuring him with a, "Don't worry, brat, it'll only get harder from this point on."

At that, Naruto groaned again and rolled over, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Come on, Naruto. We're going to find a place to sleep at," he stood up and brushed off his robes.

Without removing his hands from his face, the blond mumbled, "I thought we were going back to the hideout place…"

"Can't stay there all the time. We can't be leeching off there forever…"

"Sure we can!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at him. "We'll need to find a hotel to stay at for the duration of your training."

The blond grumbled and complained some more, but shook himself dry and trotted after Jiraiya.

"Hey, hey! Ero-sennin!" he bantered on, ignoring the scathing look Jiraiya shot at him. "What are you going to teach me next, now that I know how to control my abilities?"

"Hmmm… How does a technique that Yondaime created sound?"

---

"Itachi-sama, I'm afraid that Sasuke caught something terrible. And because of her close proximity with him, Sakura also got it. They might be out of it for at least a week. I hope that it will not cause any trouble for you or any of your plans," Kakashi bowed low as he brought forth the bad news.

The dark-haired man feigned a scowl as he listened. "That is bothersome news, Kakashi. How are they faring then?"

"Both have rashes and fevers."

"I would like to see them then, just to make sure that they are fine. I dislike it when my little brother is in discomfort. And his wife as well," Itachi said with an air of absolute royalty.

Kakashi's face stayed neutral even though he knew his mask would cover for it. "Yes, sir."

When they had reached the room, Itachi quickly went in, not waiting for Kakashi. He found Sasuke writhing in his futon, the blankets thrown off from his thrashing. He did bear a terrible rash and the unnatural blush on his face was evidence enough of his fever. But that wasn't enough for Itachi.

"Sasuke-kun… How terrible you must feel right now…" he strolled over to his brother slowly and knelt down. He grabbed hold of his wide sleeve and held it back as he touched Sasuke's heated skin, just to confirm that the fever was not an illusion.

Sasuke's eyes opened momentarily, obviously clouded over and completely unfocused. It took him a good three seconds before he realized he was staring straight into his brother's face.

The younger Uchiha lifted up his left hand weakly to yank his brother's hand off his face, but in his state he couldn't and only managed to gape at him dumbly.

"Poor Sasuke-kun…" Itachi crooned, frowning a bit before standing up again. He turned around and faced Kakashi. "Sakura-chan is the same?"

The silver-haired man nodded briefly. "Iruka-sensei is taking care of her right now."

"I see… Please inform me when they recover, Kakashi-san," the Uchiha commanded briefly before exiting the room.

He bowed at him and closed the doors quietly.

If only time permitted, then we could have picked up new medicines for this false sickness… Then there would have been a cure. It makes me feel so bad to make them suffer so much, just to keep them safe from Itachi's wrath and suspicion.

---

A week had passed quickly and sufferably for Sasuke and Sakura. It was equally as devastating to poor Naruto who had to undergo strict regimental training. Jiraiya was not lenient at all with him. No matter how much of a hard working he was, torture in disguise was still torture in disguise.

Standing in the midst of a very demolished area, Naruto panted and fell back down onto the floor. He stared at the sky defiantly, knowing that Jiraiya would call him back up on his feet in the matter of seconds. He was tired and exhausted. Even with the thought of Sasuke and Sakura driving him on, he was still human and needed rest. But he just didn't understand why Rasengan had to be learned so quickly.

"Kid!" the man barked immediately.

"I know, I know!" Naruto sighed heavily, sitting upright. His hand was burned and cramped from all the practicing he was doing, and it was still no use. Not even the "secret techniques" that Jiraiya taught him helped. He stared at his violently twitching hand.

"Naruto, come on, get u—" the perverted man walked over to him.

"Ero-sennin?" the blond cut him off abruptly.

The quietness and the tone of the boy's speech made Jiraiya's irritation fade.

"Why do I have to learn this technique so quickly? Is something going to happen to them?"

"We're not sure kid. But you'll have to keep trying, just in case," he replied gently.

Naruto's expression reverted back to his childish and cheerful demeanor. "Yeah! Let's start training again!" he shouted as he struggled to stand back up, trying to hide his wince as his hands scraped across the rough ground.

Jiraiya grinned a bit at the boy before averting his gaze to the sky, hoping not to see the hawk that brought him bad news each time he flew by. He wasn't there. The man sighed in relief and returned to the shade.

---

"So how is everything going so far? According to the plans?" Kisame's voice rumbled throughout the room.

"Better, actually. Sasuke and Sakura are sick right now, which makes it that much easier to work with. We won't have to worry about interruptions. I'm sure you've found their location by now?"

"They've been changing hotels everyday, but I've managed to pin them down. They're just waiting for us now…" the sentence ended with a malicious chuckle.

"Shall we, then?" Itachi stood up and draped a black robe covered with vermillion clouds. A high collar of sorts obscured his face as he walked out of the room with Kisame following him, also donning a robe like his.

"Time to play…"

---

Meanwhile, inside of a hotel, Naruto had barely woken up, despite the fact that it was nearly noon. Jiraiya had told him that he could take a break that day and had left the room without telling him that morning.

He was currently staring out the window but he had not noticed the two shady figures that had entered the hotel and certainly did not notice the hawk that flew away once he spotted the two people

He was smiling. Very lightly, just smiling. No reason to smile, really, but he wasn't one to keep his face in a scowl, unlike a certain someone. His eyes were half-lidded although he was very much awake. His hands were folded neatly in his lap as he gazed out the window.

Seemingly serene atmosphere.

---

"Sakura, you're awake!" Iruka exclaimed as the girl sat up, looking terrible. No surprise since she was put into a false sickness for a week.

She wavered a bit in her sitting position before she regained control of her inner ear fluids and the world stopped spinning for her.

"Iruka-sensei," she slurred out, blinking a few times. The drugs were wearing off quickly.

The man smiled. "That must mean that Sasuke is also waking up."

---

"Feeling better, Sasuke?" Kakashi inquired as he helped Sasuke sit up.

"Great, thank you very much," Sasuke hissed out, very aware of what the man had done to him. His eyes narrowed.

Kakashi merely looked at him calmly. "We'll explain everything to you soon. Just know that you're safe for now." He held up a change of robes for Sasuke and a basin full of water.

He quickly washed his face and changed into clean robes.

"I'm glad you're not sick anymore," Kakashi said, half-jokingly.

When Sasuke opened his mouth to complain about his forced sickness the door slammed open and a flustered looking servant fell in. His breath was short as he quickly gave a short report.

"Kakashi-san! Bad news, Itachi is on the move! He's going after Naruto!"

He didn't even receive a chance to realize what was happening when Sasuke bolted from the futon and shoved him aside.

"Idiot!" Kakashi cursed under his breath.

---

Naruto was interrupted from his mindless activity when a knock was heard on the door.

"Yes, yes…" he said, getting up. Ero-sennin must have forgotten something again… Naruto thought to himself as he 'unlocked' the door.

When he opened the door and saw who was standing there, he backed away, his ears flattening.

"Naruto-kun. How nice to see you again," Itachi drawled out pleasantly.

Blue eyes rested upon the large figure behind Itachi. He bared his teeth in an attempt to look more threatening. Neither of them were impressed.

"So," the blue man said nonchalantly, "should we shave off his leg so he won't escape? Or perhaps an arm?" He grinned to show rows of filed teeth. "Come on, brat."

Itachi stepped away so that the shark-like man could grab him. Naruto struggled against the hold, but he was held with a vice-grip. He was roughly dragged out into the hallway.

"Let me go!" he wailed, hoping that whatever they were trying to do, they wouldn't succeed.

Suddenly, a whirlwind of smoke and confusion spun around them. When the smoke cleared, a huge frog was standing in front of the hallway blocking them.

"Two against one? How unfair, Itachi," a familiar voice said smoothly. Jiraiya stepped out from behind the frog.

---

But while Naruto was trying to fight for his life, hotels in all of Konoha were being rudely disrupted. Patrons were shoved and pushed out of the way as Sasuke barged into the lobby and nearly bowled over the front desk. His interrogation to each and every receptionist did not help either.

His question was the same, "Has Naruto been here?"

And each time, the answer was the same, "N-No, Uchiha-sama!"

And each time he received the same answer, he did the same thing.

"Get out of my way!" and he would run out to investigate the next hotel.

---

Itachi looked at Jiraiya with a calm face. The frog had poofed away some time ago, and Naruto somehow squirreled his way back to his guardian.

"Give us the brat," the large man demanded.

"Silence, Kisame."

He did so with a scowl.

The Uchiha gracefully lifted up his right arm and held it, palm up. His hand and inquiring look made him appear as if he was asking Naruto if he was up for a dance. "Come, Naruto-kun."

"What do you want?" the blond hissed, his eyes narrowed at the two of them. He stood next to Jiraiya defiantly.

"Leave this to me, kid," the man pushed Naruto back and stepped forward.

"Not accepting Itachi-san's gracious offer?" Kisame took a step forward as well and reached for his sword.

Itachi swiftly slid arm to the side, so it blocked him. "My fight," he simply stated.

He was just about to activate his Sharingan when a hoarse cry was heard from the other end of the hallway.

"Uchiha Itachi!"

Everyone turned around to see Sasuke leaning on the wall, his eyes bright red.

"Sa—!" Naruto began, but was cut off when the heaviness of the situation crushed him.

"Itachi, I'm going to kill you!"

Sasuke lowered his head and grabbed his left wrist. Within moments, a bright blue light lit the hallway. Crackling electricity was being emitted from his palm. His eyes were filled with such unseen viciousness. His growl became a scream as he took a running start towards his brother.

The walls of the hotel were crushed and smashed away by the intensity of Chidori. Fine dust fell to the ground and followed Sasuke's motion for a few seconds as he rushed by furiously.

The shriek of electricity merged with Sasuke's own savage yell and for a moment, that was all that could be heard. Nothing more. Nothing more.

There was a gargantuan 'CRACK' as something impacted with something else. Then, silence.

Pure silence.

The dust finally settled and all that was left was a huge hole in the wall and blood on the floor.

Itachi tightened his hand. The sound of a bone breaking even further could be heard.

Sasuke's eyes dilated in pain as he opened his mouth and let out a blood curdling scream.

Before anyone could have reacted, Itachi had shoved Sasuke against the wall down the hall and pinned him up by his neck. Soft gurgling sounds could be heard as Itachi shoved him up the wall even further until his feet no longer touched the ground.

Naruto's eyes widened at the scene.

"You lack hatred," Itachi said in an even voice even as he brought out Mangenkyou.

The younger Uchiha's eyes were wide for several seconds before he went limp.

Within those few seconds, Sasuke was forced to relive nightmares once more.

Death, blood, murder, killing, blank eyes, relatives trying to protect each other, screams, fights, defenses being shattered, cut, stabbed, dying, dead, cold, gone. All that terribleness. Every last scene. Every last memory. Ever last bit of fear and hatred. All in a few seconds.

His body slumped against the wall as he fell unconscious.

"Kisame, come," Itachi released his brother's body, allowing him to fall. He started running.

Naruto heard Jiraiya curse and make a few hand signs before the entire building began to pulsate and morph. Flesh started to gurgle and bubble from the walls until everything was covered in soft, pink muscle.

"There's no way they can escape this technique," Jiraiya boasted but his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Naruto had taken a step forward to Sasuke, who was being absorbed by the walls.

Sweat dripped down the side of the man's face as he suddenly realized that the flesh wasn't closing in fast enough.

The technique was quickening in speed even as Itachi and Kisame stomped on soft muscle. The exit was only several meters away from them, and they were running out of time. Suddenly, Itachi drew out Mangenkyou again and they escaped.

Jiraiya cursed loudly when something burned through the barrier. The technique was released and Naruto caught Sasuke as he fell from the wall.

"Sasuke!" he cried, gingerly holding the body. His eyes were wide as he gently shook him, trying to wake him up but to no avail.

"They got away," Jiraiya said quietly, walking up behind the blond.

Naruto looked up, his gaze tinged with anger. His mouth was twisted into a scowl as he looked at where the two had escaped from. Black flames latched onto the sides of still-burning wood.

They escaped.

And Sasuke was unconscious.

---

"Hurry up, okay, Naruto?" Jiraiya said to him as the blond faced the door leading to Sasuke's room.

He nodded slightly before sliding it open. Inside, it was dark and cool. Everything appeared normal, except for the smell of anesthesia. Medical supplies were neatly arranged by the side of the wall.

Quietly, Naruto walked over to the still figure in the middle of the room. He knelt down and gazed at the smooth face.

After Itachi and Kisame had escaped, Sasuke was taken to Tsunade for treatment, and Naruto was spirited away by Jiraiya. They doubted that the two would attack so quickly but it was better to be safe than sorry. Whilst they were in hiding, Iruka was responsible for keeping Sakura safe and unaware of the situation. If she found out it would have surely been something close to a disaster. Their cover would be blown.

But several days passed and not even the smallest whisper concerning Uchiha Itachi was heard. Sasuke was carefully transported back to the Uchiha Palace where Tsunade and Sakura kept him healthy.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya had been discussing the matters of Akatsuki and other dangers that might arise if Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto weren't properly trained. They were all vulnerable, and without proper teaching and training it would be useless.

Tsunade had agreed to take on the responsibility of teaching and watching over Sakura, saying that she had good control over her abilities and that it would be easy to teach her, especially when she was so eager to be able to protect her two friends.

Sasuke, on the other hand was to be trained by Kakashi. Since both had the advantage of Sharingan, it would be simpler if the arrangements were done so.

Jiraiya immediately agreed to train Naruto, seeing that his abilities matched his own. But the probability of Akatsuki attacking them before the training was done was too risky.

The final decision was for them to leave the village and train in hiding, to ensure uninterrupted training. Naruto was reluctant to part with Sasuke and Sakura, but seeing that there was no other way, he accepted it.

They had to leave soon now, before the sun completely set.

"Sasuke…" Naruto murmured, the familiar name hissing out. He reached down to touch his lover's cheek and smiled lightly knowing that he would heal quickly and be able to train.

His hand left the cool skin as he reached behind his neck and unclasped his collar. The same one Sasuke had given to him years ago. He had removed the bell a long time ago seeing that it was no help during training but now he had reattached it. With a small jingle Naruto placed the collar next to the sleeping Uchiha.

He leaned in close and lightly kissed the dry lips, knowing that it would be a while before he would feel that again. His tail swished gently as he nuzzled Sasuke's temple, inhaling in the scent indigenous to him.

"I'll miss you," he whispered and left the room.

---

"Hey brat, be careful…" Tsunade warned gently. Her brown eyes locked in on him in a motherly way as they stood at the borders of Konoha.

"Are you doubting my skills to protect him?" Jiraiya asked in mock pain.

The woman gave him a blank stare before turning her attention to Naruto again. "Here's a good luck charm for you then!" she said cheerfully, holding up a necklace. The small stone sparkled in the setting sun and she smiled at him.

"Ah… Thank you," he said softly, not exactly sure what to say. He gave her his trademark grin and tilted his head slightly.

"Yeah brat…" she kissed him on the forehead and put the necklace on. "Good luck."

Naruto softened his grin until it was a gentle smile. "I'll be careful. Don't worry."

"I'm trusting you, Jiraiya. If this brat doesn't come back in one piece, I'll make sure that you won't be in one piece either," Tsunade frowned deeply.

"Okay, okay…" he muttered. "It's getting late. We'd better go now. Come on, kid."

"Yeah… Bye, baa-chan!" he waved to her and disappeared into the darkness along with Jiraiya.

"Bye…"

---

Interesting Fact: I don't know if anyone noticed this but before Chapter 13, I never referred to Naruto as a human. I never mentioned him as a "boy" but always "fox" or "blond". It was a nice illusion I set up isn't it? From Chapter 13, you will notice that I started calling him "boy" and "human" at one point. Just a small fact I thought would be interesting.

Also, I remember one of my earlier reviewers asked me if Naruto would ever "become fully human" and I had replied "No" because he never became human. He had always been so. I just kept it a secret. XD