"Love is the sweetest and slowest form of suicide."

"Thank you," Ruby said as she grabbed the folded kimono from the clothing clerk.

"No, thank you." The clerk woman waved her off as she exited the store.

People had seen had she stood up again Pein that day. Still make her pay, though. But it's not like she didn't have enough money, even after donating half of it to rebuilding the village. It was coming along nicely, although everything was made of wood for now.

Stepping out to the main strip, she was greeted by the moving mass of people going about their day, looking at her with gleam. Many initially perished from Pein's attack, but after he brought them back to life, including her, it boosted their morale.

It's been a few weeks since the formation of the Allied Forces, and a week since Tsunade spectacularly woke up. Although she was disappointed Kakashi won't be the new Hokage, she's happy Tsunade woke up from her coma. Tsunade didn't have time before hearing about the Kage Summit. She immediately left to meet with them.

Hopefully, she didn't find out about the missing Yoru file that Naruto got for her.

Entering the tent, she saw a sleeping Naruto resting under a blanket. He sure loves to sleep. Deserves it, as he has been doing a lot of work rebuilding. Shadow clones and all.

"Naruto?" Ruby said in a whisper, trying to see if he was really asleep or not.

They've been sharing the same tent. She didn't have her own and she was not about to share one with Tenten and her traditional family. Plus, it's not like they had parents telling them not to.

In a hurry, she dragged off her mesh shirt and tank top and pulled her kimono on. Making sure he didn't wake up, she pushed off her leggings, knowing her kimono had her covered from then on out.

Glimpsing to him, he was still asleep. Sure, she had a bra on, but she's not prepared for him to see her even semi-nude. Hell, that might take a year from now. Maybe more.

Letting him sleep, she walked out of the tent, only to come face to face with Kakashi.

"Oh, Ruby? Is Naruto awake?"

"No, he's still asleep."

"Still?" He repeated as he made an interested eye. "You two are sharing a tent, then?"

She narrowed her eyes, giving the man a skeptical look. "Uh, yes?"

"Uh, cool. Let's take a walk, shall we? We have a lot of catching up."

A walk and talk? About what, exactly? He should already know what happened on her mission, so he better not be assuming something about her and Naruto sharing a tent.

"Okay," she said, stretching out the word as she started walking.

Kakashi pushed his hands into his flak jacket's pockets, only to take them out to cup his chin. Ruby furrowed her eyebrows as he continued to put his hands into his pant's pockets, and then back to his jacket pockets. A full minute of awkward silence, only to be made worse when he finally spoke.

"Your voice is getting stronger."

Ruby squinted half of her face, almost closing one of her eyes as she glanced at him. She's going through puberty. Did he expect her to keep her squeaky voice? Oh, sure, it cracks when she's flustered or excited, but that doesn't count! She is also taller!

"Thanks?" She said with a curious tone.

"And, you know, Naruto. He never knew his parents."

"Yeah?" Ruby said, exaggerating the word. Of course, she knows.

"And, well… there might be some things he doesn't know how to handle when going through puberty. That you two don't know. Things that aren't taught in the academy."

"Okay." Once again, stretching out the word.

"And, uh,-" He rubbed his mask that covered his chin. "When two teenagers that get as much alone time as you two, you two sh-"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Ruby blurted as she held her hands up in front of her, shutting her eyes.

"But, I need to make sure you two are prote-"

Ruby took his book from his pocket and started hitting him with it before finally throwing it at him.

"We are not having sex!" Ruby shouted, cracking her voice.

"Oh," he said as he caught his book. "Good! But, I mean, it's fine, just use a-"

"Kakashi, stop!" The girl shrieked as she shot her fist down her sides, knowing her face matched the light red at the tip of her bangs.

"Okay, okay. I just needed to make sure," he said with a light, smiling tone.

"Thanks but the last thing I want is a kid!" She rubbed her face with her hands, wiping away her flustered expression to a frown. "How can I, after what I went through?"

Kakashi gave her a brief moment before talking, "Sorry for bringing it up. I saw her tombstone. I'm sorry it came to that."

It's fine, she wanted to say. Things happened, her heart wanted to say. Shit happens, Yoru would have said. But it wasn't alright because now they have Matsuri.

"They have my friend."

"Does that mean you're leaving again?"

Ruby glared back to the tent that Naruto slept in, "I need to make sure that knucklehead doesn't get himself killed."

Like she should be talking about people getting themselves killed.

"I think that's a good decision. And then after he's safe, go after them together. Just don't tell him that. You know how he is," Kakashi stated gleefully.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I do."

"Also, Tsunade wanted to see you. Best go to her now."

Ruby's eyes widened, realizing Kakashi had led her to a small hut building. 'Uh-oh.'

Kakashi knocked for her.

"Come in," Tsunade's voice commanded.

A horrified Ruby looked to Kakashi's gleeful eye. Without moving her head, she looked at the door handle, gripping it as she pushed the door open.

Opening the door, she saw Lady Tsunade sitting behind her fragile, splintery desk. It wasn't the prettiest building, but at this point, it's better than nothing.

"I have half a mind to hit you."

"What?! Why?!" Ruby felt her legs wanting to give out.

"For taking Yoru's file and fleeing. Honestly, what were you thinking?!"

"I, uh-"

"If it weren't for how you saving Naruto, I would have had you arrested for theft and trespassing!"

"Thank you, Lady Hokage!" Ruby shouted as she bowed.

"In fact, I've heard how much stronger you became. I'm sorry to hear about Nekena. I've seen her grave. Her father brought her?"

She could hear her tone lightening up, making her feel more relaxed. Ruby straightened up. "He was the one to teach me everything since I left."

"Ruby, I'm not going to mislead you. We're sending Naruto to a secret place, and you'll be going with him as an extra layer of protection. This war is to protect him, after all."

"A secret place?"

"It's a mission to protect him from the Akatsuki. We're hiding him. And, after Kakashi's recommendation, you should go with him. You're not a shinobi, but if you're by him, he might be more reluctant to stay there," she explained.

"He.. won't be told about the real purpose of the mission, will he?"

Tsunade shook her head sideways.

"And you probably want to keep it like that."

"That's right," the Hokage answered.

Ruby is all for protecting Naruto in a secret place. "So, where will we be going?"

Before she knew it, Yamato, Guy, Aoba Yamashiro, Naruto, and she were heading to some island on a boat, courtesy of the Land of Lightning. It wasn't like a voyage ship, but a medium-sized cruiser, with Land of Lightning crew.

At first, she thought, this trip was going to be awesome. But after Guy begun throwing up due to seasickness, and Naruto obsessing over an octopus that one of the Toad Summons talked about, it's been rather unpleasant. At least she had her own bed was awfully uncomfortable, though.

She spent most of the time just her standing at the front of the boat, staring at the approaching water. They all kind of agreed not to practice anything that could damage the boat, and the last thing Ruby wanted was to be stranded at sea. The others keep on getting her involved in shenanigans. At least it filled up what would have been a boring boat ride, although most of the time it is.

Yamato, Guy, and Aoba obviously knew the true purpose of this trip, but she kept her mouth sealed about it around them, just in case. She didn't really know Yamato and Aoba well enough, anyway. Aoba is basically a stranger, but she's trained under Guy a few days and was familiar with Captain Yamato. He had great expressions when he's irritated or shocked.

Looking over the boat's railing, she spotted the splitting water on its surface as the boat drifted. There were no other boats or islands on sight, not any clouds in the sky. And thanks to all the water, the wind blew in her face to make it pleasantly cool.

As the sky started to be painted as a dark night with various color stars, she could hear the subtle footsteps of someone approaching behind her. Feeling arms wrapping around her waist, she smiled as she recognized the arms, and held onto their hands.

"Hey," Naruto said as he hunched his head to rub his cheek to Ruby's.

"I was starting to think you forgot I was even on the boat."

"Hard not to when all you do is stand here."

"Well, if things weren't so boring," the girl said as she pushed her backside against him, making him holder her tighter.

"Sorry, the others won't leave me alone, ya know."

"Yeah, yeah." She tilted her head back to let it lay on his shoulder. Feeling his hand retreating down on her kimono, and to her waist, she grabbed his wrists and brought them back up to hug her at her ribs. "We've only been talking for two minutes, mister."

As she said that, he hugged her tightly again. "Sorry, it's just, I'm not used to it."

She gets it. Well, kinda. He's just excited to have a girlfriend, especially when they've been away for a long time. Ruby furrowed her eyebrow and turned around to face him. "I've never dated anyone, either. Stop worrying so much."

Noticing his frown, Ruby squinted her face and subtly shook her head sideways as she brought her face closer to his, although it only got a slight smile from him. She frowned at him but made a small smile as she grabbed his hand, giving him a brief hand hug. He squeezed back, but he didn't bother hanging on.

There's been a lot on his mind, lately. Considering she can't talk about Jiraiya's survival, he still thinks he's dead. And what happened with Sasuke just a few weeks ago? He's been real… touchy and awkward.

Ever since she returned, she'd had to take away more of his privileges, although she needed to admit that sharing a tent with him probably didn't help the situation. Seeing him frown made her feel guilty. He's obviously not doing it on purpose, and probably just wants to feel wanted instead of talking about his feelings. Or, male stuff.

She'll make it up to him, just not on the boat. The last thing she wants is one of the older gentlemen seeing them getting lively and try to give them the same talk Kakashi attempted. Also, she hates seeing PDA and would feel like a hypocrite doing anything more than a simple kiss.

"Smile. The world is a better place when you do."

Ruby placed her grip on his shoulders, and squished her lips on his whiskers, giving him a long-lasting kiss on the cheek. His eyes stared at her like they always do, giving her all the attention in the world.

"You are my world," he replied in a mumble. Good thing she was listening. A shimmer came to her eyes as her smile grew.

"Dork," she scoffed as she softly pushed him away.

Catching her wrist, he chuckled. "We should be there in the morning."

"About time. It's basically an island paradise, right?"

"That's how Super Toad Gramps put it!"

"Can't wait," Ruby nodded as stared back to the approaching water.

It felt like they've been at sea for months until they finally got to the totally awesome "paradise" island Naruto talked about. If it weren't for it being inhabited by a few humans, it would be worse than the Island of Haze with all those damn spiders!

A giant squid attacked them just as they got to the shoreline, but was quickly saved by Killer B. Another Jinchuriki. His tailed-beast is best described as a centaur of an octopus and a bison, it was some weird folklore creature.

A man with spiky hair, Supervisor Motoi, was the one to really welcomed them. In a giant lodge, which was modeled after B's tailed-beast, the Leaf group was given an entire floor to sleep in, each getting their own rooms, plus an extra. Also told them to eat however much they want.

Naruto mentioned hoping to talk with B, or Octopops, about controlling the nine-tails. It seemed Killer B has control of his, the eight-tails. She really wanted to go explore the island, but Motoi urged that either B or himself be there with them. Leaving the room, she descended down to the bottom floor, for the main hall, which was rumored to be full of food.

"Yo, lil' Red."

Looking behind her, she saw the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki walking her way.

"Your name is B, right?"

"Red has my name, but does she game?"

Ruby furrowed an eyebrow at his rhyme and pointed to herself, "Game?"

He made a sincere nod as he judged her through his sunglasses.

"Uhh…" she took a slight moment to think of anything that rhymes. "Yo, B and Red. Time to go get fed?"

He made a cheeky smile, "Pretty good, for an idea and a start. Much better, than that other not-so-smart."

"Not-so-smart? Naruto?"

B nodded. Just what did Naruto do? All you have to do is try to make a half-assed rhyme and he'll like you!

After coming with B to the main hall, he showed her the kitchen. Multiple fridges, and a modernized kitchen. Felt unreal that a kitchen like this was on an island.

"So, what did Naruto say?"

"Fool, that fool! Tried to play me like a tool. Denied his plea, so I made him flee."

Getting a real, straightforward answer out of him is going to take some effort. As B started to scout out the fridges, Ruby pulled out an orange out of the bag, she got a knife out of the drawer to started carving it.

"Naruto has a lot of weight on his shoulders. Told me he wanted to be as strong as you were. We both saw how you knocked out that squid."

"Needs to pull his might before we get tight!"

"You'll warm up to him. I know I sure did."

Suddenly, B pushed himself from the fridge to look at her face. "What was that, that you said? Little red is getting red."

She peeled away one of the orange chunks, preparing it to eat it. "I said, you'll warm up to him. Because I did."

He made a thoughtful hum. "Him and you?"

Ruby placed one of the oranges pieces in her mouth as she made a little nod.

She couldn't see his eyes behind his shades, but he seemed so shocked. "And you love him?"

"Love? I mean," she begins, only to feel her heart flutter. He waited all this time, just for her to come back home. As far as she knows, he's the first person to believe in her. Ever since that day they laid under the stars when her dandelion told her those words, she felt a barrier between them. Why didn't she just say it back?

"He told me he does, but," Ruby squeezed the orange piece in her fingers. Her eyes dangled to the side, disconnecting any eye contact. "I didn't say it back."

"Let the truth be spoken or it'll become broken."

"I'm just a sixteen-year-old girl, ya know!" She could be older and younger, but either way, why does she need to complicate her life with love?

"Ya know, ya know," he repeated in a mocking way as he rotated his arched back to face the fridge. "You and fool? Guess that's cool."

The girl made a smile as she ate some of the orange but immediately squinted her face. Making a disgusted face, she took out the piece of orange. "Bleck, sour."

"If Red doesn't like sour, how 'bout this in an hour?" B took out a huge, frozen chicken. The man made a crescent smile, showing the teeth within. Hell yes. She hasn't had real, oven roasted chicken for ages.

While eating dinner with B, they talked about his early life and compared it to what she knew of Naruto's. Pretty much just becoming friends, and sharing stories. It was usually hard to make friends, but B was as cool as they came.

Without seeing Naruto the entire day, she began seeking him out, finally seeing him with Yamato and Motoi. Yamato knows their relationship and made a smiling nod towards her as they entered without Naruto.

"Hey," Naruto said in a depressing, lazy tone.

"Hey. Everything alright? Where'd did you and Yamato go with Motoi?"

"Falls of Truth."

"Falls of Truth? What happened?"

"By sitting at it and concentrating, you're supposed to see your true self… but, all I saw was hatred."

"Hatred? Do you mean the Fox?"

"No, my own hatred. Inside."

Ruby massaged his collarbones with her hands as she stared into his eyes, "So what?"

"Huh?" His pitiful expression turned into a wide stare.

"You have some hatred, but everything else you are is so great. You wouldn't ever hurt someone that didn't need a good pounding. Right?" It's something her sister would say, but she thought it was a good phrase.

Naruto made a little smile, "Never."

"You wanted to show everyone you're capable, and now look at what's happened. You're a hero!"

"Thanks, that made me feel much better."

"Anytime. Where is this waterfall, anyway?"

Naruto looked at the building before grabbing your hand, "I'll show you."

Not a far walk. The waterfall was on the small-average size, and there was a small grass island in the middle of the giant pond.

"Just sit in the center and meditate."

"Meditate? That's easy."

Ruby was about to walk towards it but felt his hand grabbing her wrist, stopping her. She looked back to see an unsure expression. The girl made an assuring smile, "I'll be fine."

Naruto let go, letting Ruby walk across the water's surface, and sit crisscrossed on the platform. Placing one hand's fingers ontop the other's knuckles, she closed her eyes. She felt a sudden change in the drift, feeling not completely there. She stood up and noticed everything was the same, except Naruto had vanished. Looking back at the waterfall, she noticed the ripples coming from the dropping water.

"So, you finally came?" A girl's voice asked. Her voice, except… weaker.

Ruby narrowed her eyes, "Who said that?"

Another platform appeared, closer to the fall. She was expecting a perfect replica like Naruto's vision, but instead, the other Ruby had on a beautiful, white kimono. She was younger, as seen from the length of her hair, but what absolutely wrecked her nerves was just how skinny she was. Malnourished, even.

"I've waited so long, for you to wake up," white kimono Ruby said.

"Wake up?"

The other Ruby pointed behind her, letting her recognize yet another small island in front of another waterfall. A more familiar Ruby. One in a corset and battle skirt, both in her favorite color palette. To her side, a foldable, metal scythe. She kneeled to her knees with a pitiful face.

"I couldn't save them," the battle skirt Ruby said.

"Save who?" Ruby asked.

"I couldn't save anyone!" The skinny one cried.

"What are you talking about?!" Ruby asked.

Suddenly, both of the Rubys necks were strangled by a twisted, solid shadow. The entire area turned to the familiar abyss as they appeared next to each other, screwing with her depth perception. Suddenly, she could feel the presence of… something.

It was a pure black Ruby, like a Grimm. She made a crescent smile and opened her eyes, revealing a beady yellow. Just like the first thing Ruby could recall; little, yellow eyes. She looked at the unconscious Rubys, noticing that a solid shadow was starting to engulf them.

When Naruto described his dark half, it was only his eyes and facial expression that changed. But looking at this, it was like she had two true-selves and then a Grimm self. Even though this was her mind, she felt utterly powerless.

She tried to take a step back, but she fell on her ass. The abyss itself was pulling her in, like the other Rubys. She felt like when a child has a nightmare and can't run, just absolute fear. Looking across the abyss, she could see it come closer.

"Naruto?" She asked, hoping to wake up.

Immediately, the Grimm Ruby jumped on top of her and started strangling her with her pitch-black hands. She tried to push her off, but it wasn't any use. In a world full of darkness, the light had no chance.

Her blood pressure elevated when she woke, and she sat up on the bed. Thankfully, she was in a room with the light on. Last time she'll ever go to that fountain. After all the times she was knocked out, it happens in her fucking vision. Talk about nightmares, especially from the Gaara-Rescue mission when a copy of her literally strangled her.

Rubbing her neck, she stood up from the bed, only to notice the asleep Naruto sitting in the corner chair. She must have fallen unconscious, and he brought her here. Leaning over from the side of the chair, she placed a kiss on his whiskers. Thankfully, it didn't wake him up, so she turned off the light, and stepped out into the hallway. Maybe she'll ask B or Motoi about her vision. Hopefully, it's not too bad.

Motoi answered the door after Ruby knocked.

"Hey, Ruby. How you feel?"

"Fine."

"Good. Naruto was worried about you."

"I noticed. He was asleep in my room."

"Good boy. I'm guessing you're here to talk about what you saw, people usually don't pass out at the waterfall."

Despite that statement, he didn't seem too worried about it.

"There were two waterfalls."

His eyebrows widened, "Two? Do you have amnesia?"

"Yes!" Ruby eagerly said.

"That explains it. That's why there were two waterfalls, and two of you. One is before you lost your memory."

"But... there were three of me."

"Three?" Motoi asked, his bright face turning into one of worry.

"The third one didn't have a waterfall, just a black void."

"I... don't have an explanation for that. I'll ask Lord B about it once I see him."

"Alright, thanks," Ruby said with a small frown.

As Motoi was about to close his door, he halted and said one last thing. "Whatever you do, don't go back and meditate at the waterfall."

She smiled, "Yeah, because I totally want to get strangled by myself, again."

Her sarcasm didn't even make the man smirk as he glared at her, "Ruby, that was not you."

The girl's face turned blank as he closed his door.

"Not me?" Naruto described his dark self as his inner hatred, but Ruby's were just two other girls moping about losing people. No hatred at all. And that Grim Ruby? That wasn't hatred. That was… evil.

Keeping her frown, she walked back to her room. Naruto was still asleep in the chair. It really made Ruby wonder how long he stayed up to watch over her. Her lips curved slightly, making a slight smile.

Shaking his shoulders, it slowly woke him up. However, once his eyes gazed at the girl shaking him, he jumped awake.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Ruby pulled on his arms, making him stand up. She buried her face into his neck, "Yes. Thank you for watching over me."

Naruto held her steadily, "Always."

The next day, Ruby followed B, Matoi, Yamato, and Naruto back to the waterfall. B started to like Naruto after yesterday and had confidence in him. Ruby sat at the edge of the water and watched while Naruto conquers his dark-self. After several minutes, he stood up with a relieving smile on his face.

"It all went well, then?" Yamato asked.

"It's too soon to celebrate," B stated as he began walking on the surface of the water. "Shall we try to control the Nine Tail's power now? From this moment, I'll be your instructor. Ya better prepare yourself or else you'll suffer death n' torture!"

Naruto held up a flexing arm, "All right!"

"Come with me, Naruto!" Lord B shouted as he walked closer to the waterfall.

"Um, may I come along?!" Yamato asked, raising a hand. B raised a hand and waved it forwards. The Captain looked towards Ruby and Motoi. "What about you two?"

"I have to report to the Hidden Cloud at regular intervals, so I'll take my leave here."

"Thanks for your help, Motoi," Yamato said as he started walking to the waterfall, leaving Ruby behind.

Motoi glimpsed to Ruby, "It should be safe for you to go, too, Ruby. You just need to stay away from meditating here."

"Got it," she said as she stood up and walked to the waterfall, going past it. It was a structure, with two aisles of headless statues meditating. All around on the walls were drawings of creatures, and holes expelling water within.

"These ruins seem to be quite old," Yamato stated as they walked deeper within. "They must have archeological importance, they should be restored."

"No! Those stone statues were carved without heads, to begin with. There's a reason for it," B explained.

"How am I supposed to fight the Nine-Tails here? What's more, how am I supposed to face him?"

"I hope you're not going to do anything excessive!" Yamato added.

"Do you think it's something that can be controlled without doing something excessive? Since long ago, this has been a sacred place where those selected as Jinchuriki have come to undergo the Purification Ceremony."

Arriving at the far wall, there was a beast's head made of stone, with several symbols circling around it.

"It's set up here so you can talk to your Tailed Beast in a special way. It's right inside this building. Only the chosen ones can enter, to be selected. Go and stick your head into the statue's mouth. Like a good man, respected. If there isn't any darkness in your heart, the door will open."

"Can you explain it normally?" Yamato asked as she scratched his face. "I don't quite understand."

"No darkness in the heart?" Naruto inquired as he put his knuckles under his chin. "I see, so that's why I have to get past the waterfall, first."

"However," B rotated his head around. "If there's even a little darkness in your heart, the gate will not part. Do you consent?"

His mouth twisted into a smile, "And the statue will bite off your head and tear you apart. Are you content? All the headless statues you saw on your way here are past Jinchuriki who weren't sincere!"

Ruby raised her eyebrows as she grabbed Naruto's sleeve. "Do you really need to control the Nine Tail's?"

"Naruto, use a Shadow Clone," Yamato suggested.

B made a frustrated face, "This is a sacred place, fool, ya fool! Generations of Hidden Cloud ancestors guard and protect this place. Tricks like that won't work!"

"But," Yamato began only to be cut off by Naruto.

"I came here to learn how to control the Nine Tail's power! This is important to me, I can't run away!" Naruto shouted before he crouched down to place his head inside.

Ruby held her hands over her mouth, almost wanting to look away. He's actually doing it. Glancing at Yamato's deadshot, concentrated eyes, his sweat seeped down on his face. But looking to B, he had a smile.

Naruto started yelling, making Yamato rush to pull him out. However, anything above his zipper was gone. Her lips curved into a smile at Yamato's shocked expression. "No! How could this happen! Naruto!"

However, like a mole, Naruto's cheerful head popped up from within his jacket. "Just kidding! There's just a switch in there!"

If it wasn't for Ruby seeing B struggling to keep his frown, she would have been tricked too. Yamato, who turned extremely pale, had a dumbfounded face.

"I did the same thing too. Out of habit!" B added. No wonder he was eager for Naruto not to use a Shadow Clone. "Those stone statues are just broken. It's just some wit!"

"I thought you said this place was scared! Fools, ya fools!" Yamato shouted in irritation, granting a smile from everyone as he copied B's slang.

The wall started to move to the side, revealing a beautiful void. Not like the black abyss, but one of subtle, soft colors. Like clouds.

"Go inside, close your eyes, and focus. Just like at the waterfall. Then you'll meet your Tailed Beast."

"Before when I was training, I was able to meet the Nine-Tails in my mind."

"Any Jinchuriki can do that. But this is a little different, okay?" Lord B explained as he led them inside. "What kind of Sealing Jutsu was used on your Nine-Tails?"

"It's a Tetragram Seal," Yamato answered.

"A Tetragram Seal, huh. That's impressive. It's even more solid than m Steel Shell Seal. Do you have the key?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded.

"You're going to undo the seal, after all," Yamato exclaimed. "What if he can't control it properly? What if the Nine-Tails revives completely?"

"Well seal him away here. That's what this place is for as well. Until we get a new Jinchuriki this is where we'll seal him in. You got a problem with this? No booin'."

Ruby could feel her hand wanting to grab his shirt to pull him away, but looking at his eyes, she tried her best to copy their determination.

"That won't happen!" Naruto eagerly said. "Because I'm going to do this."

"Okay! I'm going to shut the door. And I'll show you how to deal with the Nine-Tails!"

After the door closed, the two sat on the floor, facing each other. Placing their knuckles together, they closed their eyes. After a long moment, a shadow of orange shadowed over Naruto's eyes. Kind of like eyeshadow, but… all around Naruto, Ruby could see lines of chakra covering his body. They were of all colors. It was like he was absorbing chakra from nature.

"He'll make it," Ruby said to Yamato, receiving a nod from him.

Another long moment, B suddenly got up in a hurry, just as a red chakra cloak in the form of a beast surrounded Naruto. One of his eyes turned to black with a red pupil. Her favorite color scheme, but… not when it's hatred trying to take her favorite person over.

"Nine Tail's hatred is greater than I imagine," B stated. "This could get bad for real. This is quite an ordeal!"

Ruby remembered when Yamato couldn't calm down the chakra during the fight with Sora. But this wasn't from an external force, so he should be able to do something, right? Yamato jerked his palm in Naruto's direction, "I'll stop him."

His suppression wasn't helping as half of Naruto's body, split down the middle, turned to a vibrant red. Just like Sora when he transformed. However, that's all the red chakra took over, just the half.

"Yamato, was that you?"B asked.

"No, it seems to have stopped on its own."

"It has to be him fighting it," B added as Yamato summoned four wooden pillars around them.

"But is it okay to leave things like this?"

"Right now, Naruto and Nine Tails are in a confrontation. It better be settled soon. We went it to meet our hopeful expectations! All this waiting is so drawn out! To pass the time, why don't we work out?"

Yamato made the same irritated face as he did earlier, "This isn't the time to be rapping!"

"Shuddup! Right now, Naruto is locked in an internal battle with Nine-Tails. We cannot help him any further. If you really care about Naruto's well being, all we can do now is to have faith in him and wait."

Several, long moments later, maybe even an hour, both the transparent cloak and the vibrant cloak diminished.

"This is really nice!" B cheered. "For now, keeping watch will suffice!"

"I think he's bout to do it!" Yamato stated as the orange shadow returned around Naruto's eyes.

However, moments later, the orange shadow disappeared, too. Growing restless, Ruby sat on the floor, crossing her legs. She put her chin in her palm, mimicking Yoru's bored, uncaring look.

"Hey, Yamato?"

"Yeah?"

"What was that orange around his eyes?"

"Oh, that's Senjutsu! He blends natural energy with his own chakra, letting him become a Sage."

"Sage, huh?" Her thoughts turned to the mysterious man. Ever since seeing Pein's eyes up close, she can't help but think there might be a connection. "Who was The Sage?"

"The Sage? Well, he's just a myth but it's said he created the moon."

That's what Kakashi had said. Just a myth, a legend, yet his eyes exist. But the moon? Why does she remember the moon being shattered?

There is also the fact that both people that brought Ruby back to life had the same pair of eyes. Once at the beginning of her journey, and another time by Nagato, when he resurrected everyone he had killed.

Another long hour, Ruby grew exhausted from waiting and stood up. She walked towards the still meditating Naruto and crouched to get a closer look at his face. Suddenly, his eyes opened, making Ruby fall to her ass.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Nothing? What are you doing?"

"So? You did it?" Yamato asked.

"Easily! Although, I did have some help."

Naruto explained everything that happened, including a chakra signature of his own mother helping him defeat the Nine-tails, he showed them his new chakra cloak. It was a bright, glowing orange. Stable and safe, unlike the usual, burning cloak. Although, the cloak flowed like fire. Yamato's wooden-style beams grew little trees as the cloak overflew with life energy, making his wood react to it.

Ruby made a curious smirk as she looked at the color of it, "What else can it do?"

"Well, I'm not sure-" he began, only for his facial expression to become one of alarm and stop his sentence.

"What is it?" Yamato inquired.

"You really think you're hidden?!" He asked in the direction of B.

"Do you sense some other chakra?"

"He senses another proximity, that I couldn't, was hasty of me!" B exclaimed.

"It's not chakra! It feels hazy, something sinister," the fired-up boy exclaimed. Naruto pointed to the sword. "That's it! That thing!"

"His sword?" Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes. It did look familiar, as it was wide and wrapped in bandages. Even had its own chakra. But, Ruby has seen objects with chakra, before. She didn't think much of it.

Suddenly, the sword became loose, thrusted upward, and out of B's holster. From the swords mouth, which made Ruby's curiosity shoot up, came a familiar, blue, shark man. She finally remembered where she saw the sword before! The man who was with Itachi!

"It seems that you can sense hatred and feelings of evil. The limitations of Sensory-Types don't apply, is that the power of a Jinchuriki, who has mastery of the Nine-Tails," Kisame said as he crawled out of his sword.

B threw a menacing glance, "You're the shark guy of the Akatsuki! How? I thought we chopped his head off ways back. How did you manage to escape out the tag-team attack?"

"I simply switched out while we battled inside the bubble of water. You cut off my clone's head."

"Clones disappear when they're struck! The corpse remained post-mortem, no question, and if someone else had transformed into you, Cee would have sensed it. So it's a perplexing consternation."

"It was a special kind of clone. A Parasitic Clone that I can manipulate remotely. Anyway, enough about this subject," Kisame stated as the spikes on his sword stretched to the wall. "Two Jinchuriki, a Wood Style user, and a girl with an unknown Dojutsu. I am in a serious predicament."

Dojutsu? Does he mean her? Pein said something about her eyes, but…

The door holding them in started to open, breaking her thought.

"How did you know the way to open the door to this room?!"

"That's a silly question. I came here to spy," Kisame exclaimed just before he rushed for the opening. However, Naruto somehow blinked to him, punching him to the ground. Ruby didn't even see him move. Was this a teleportation, or just his speed?

"What was that Teleportation Jutsu?" B asked. He grew a smile, "The first smash, just like the Yellow Flash!"

Still, Kisame slithered away on the wall, and out of the exit with blood escaping his mouth. Naruto had kicked the wall too hard, became stuck, and was unable to stop him. "I had so much force, I hit it too hard!"

"It seems you're not up to the Fourth Hokage level yet," Yamato stated as he pointed to the door. "B! Ruby! Please go after him! I'll see to Naruto!"

Ruby was already gone. Leaping over and through the middle of the headless monks, she swiped over her seal, taking out her scythe. Aiming it for Kisame's torso, he rotated his body, and out his mouth came a big splash of water, pushing her away.

Falling to the ground, she looked at the man leaping through the waterfall. "Damn it," she said under her breath. As she saw B sprint past her, she got to her feet, picked up her scythe, and ran after him.

Stepping to the other side of the waterfall, and back to the giant pond of Truth, she saw Samehada chewing on B's arm like it was a puppy playing with its master. But B dropped to his knees, almost falling unconscious.

Noticing Guy, Motoi, and Aoba here for assistance, she ran towards B to help him to land. Aoba threw two kunai knives at Kisame, each attached with strings. From the blue chakra emitting through the strings, she could see Aoba was trying to suck Kisame's chakra out. But Kisame reversed it.

Guy rushed at Kisame, using an air kick. However, Kisame blocked it with an arm. Before Guy could attack again, Kisame put his hands together, making the water around him form into a transparent shark. Using it to shoot away like a missile, he pushed Guy out of the way and escape over the trees.

Ruby rushed to follow him but trying to maneuver through all the trees, she was sure to lose him. Still, she had to try. Pushing her speed to the limit, she only stopped when she saw a green aura above her. Might Guy soaring through the sky, emitting an intense, green glow. What the hell.

As she was close to the sea, a powerful force of wind blasted through the trees. Almost pushing Ruby off her feet and taking her with it. As the burst lifted, she ran to see what was happening. Guy was pulling Kisame away from the water.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just barely," Guy said with a grunt.

"Is he..?"

"No, but he's unconscious. Hopefully, the others will get here, too."

It took a few minutes until the entire group appeared. Naruto had twisted his ankle with that kick earlier. But as soon they came, Yamato imprisoned Kisame in a wooden jail, holding him by his hands and head.

"I've got to hand it to Bushier Brow for bringing this guy down" Naruto complimented. Bushier Brow?

"You're capable despite your thick looks, Bushier Brows," B continued. Does…does he not care about his brows being insulted like this?

B versed everything he said, and eventually waved his hand as he held his nose. "But that blue sweat of yours packs some pows."

Aoba walked closer to the imprisoned Kisame, "If this goes well, I'll be able to extract intel about Akatsuki and its plans, as well as the identity of its leader. I'm not as good as Inoichi, but I'll give it a try."

He placed his hands on Kisame's giant forehead, and another on his own. "Here I go."

However, after just a slight moment, Kisame's mouth dripped blood as he shot himself awake. He instantly began struggling against the wooden prison. Ruby faced angled elsewhere, but her wide eyes were glued to the man.

"His tongue, he bit off his own tongue!" Aoba exclaimed. "He woke himself up to prevent me from extracting intel."

Kisame started laughing like a maniac as he strained, breaking through the pillory. Guy immediately got into a fighting stance.

"Capture him alive. We'll never have another chance like this!" Aoba shouted.

"I know that!" Guy shouted as he rushed to attack Kisame. However, the blue man clapped his hands together, and spit out a large content of water, surrounding him with his own prison. Ruby has seen Koukai do this jutsu. Water Prison.

Yamato held his hands together, "Even if he is who he is, look at the situation he's in. He can't do anything."

As Kisame floated in his water, he summoned multiple sharks, hiding him as they floated around. But instead of them coming to attack them, they turned on him, tearing his flesh away. He sacrificed himself to stop them from getting intel.

The water bursted away, and as the sharks landed on the green grass, they disappeared. As the others talked about how feared Kisame was, Ruby couldn't make out what they were saying. Her eyes peered to the red-stained grass that was left behind, too shocked to say anything of value. Even a monster like him had morals, even for the wrong people.

Guy grabbed the scroll Kisame was trying to flee with and opened it to see what intel they had. However, as soon he did, every one of them was trapped in a water prison.

"It was a booby trap!" Aoba shouted. "Watch out! Sharks!"

Each of the water prisons came with a shark, not letting anyone of them leave to retrieve the scroll that another shark was taking away. Turns out Kisame accomplished his mention, even after his death. Damn it. What does this mean for Naruto? Ruby took out a kunai from within her silver-rose pouch and stabbed the snout of the shark.

As the sun said it's farewell, and the moon rose, Ruby stood outside of the island. Leaning against a tree to watch the sea they were leaving behind. Motoi told her how the island was actually a turtle shell when she asked about relocating Naruto. It was good reassurance, and much better than hiding him somewhere on land. She smiled. Hopefully whatever information Kisame got didn't dampen anything too much.

But, tonight, she didn't want to worry about it. For a certain dandelion to come find her, like how he said he would. Needing to let her kimono dry out, she switched to her mesh, tank top, and black leggings. She didn't bother to bring her cloak, knowing she would probably just take it off, anyway.

Feeling sudden arms wrapping her from behind, she giggled and looked back to happy Naruto.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Ruby closed her eyes as she leaned her head back on his shoulder. Rubbing it against his neck, she talked in his ear. She actually purposefully made the spot hard to find.

"It's fine. As long you found me."

They both kept gazing at the ocean, unknown to him, they were constantly moving. The night sky made just enough light for them to see each other.

She held his hands tighter, "I love how the stars and moons light up the night."

He rotated her to face him and pulled body closer, letting her place her hands on his shoulders. His gaze met hers, making an awkward stare down between them. He was wearing shorts and a white shirt, probably needing to let his clothes dry out, too.

Ruby made a giggle, "Just going to look at me like a plate of cookies?"

"Aren't you the cookie lover?"

Each of them leaned their faces closer, letting their mouths lock, each pulling the other's lips with their own. He was eager to be alone, but so was she. He pushed her back to the tree, she forced her body against his, eager to feel his muscles against her.

Her gut twisted a little when she remembered how Matsuri did that to her. Agh. He still wasn't as good of a kisser as she was, either. It burned her to admit that each time.

Rubbing her hand up his chest, she felt his hard abdomen and chest ass he climbed her hands up to his neck. His hands moved away from her hips and tried pulling up her mesh shirt. However, she grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

He stopped kissing her, but kept his mouth closer to her's, "I just want to be closer."

She made a small groaned, knowing he was smiling at that line. "Fine, but no staring."

Ruby held her arms up, letting him take her mesh shirt on. She shyly glimpsed up as he took a great glance down at her body, not like she didn't expect it. Although her torso and shoulders were still a bit small, her chest protruded through her tank top. She had to get a close-fitting one, or the mesh shirt would have brushed up against it.

He pushed his mouths against hers, making their bodies push up against each other. His hands slid down her lower back and to her leggings, reaching for her backside. She gripped his shoulders as he groped her, making each of them push their bodies against each other.

Pulling her lips away from his, she lightly laughed when she noticed his hands weren't retreating. Reaching back, she grabbed his hands and pulled them away from her behind. "Jeez, pal."

"What?" He asked, trying to act clueless.

She made a happy huff as she held his hands up, letting her twist under them and face away from him. Remembering how people danced at Suns' club, and how she felt guilty from their moment on the boat, Ruby shoved her butt back to his crotch. Making sure his back was up against the tree, she guided his hands to her hips and then looked back at him.

"Ever... had a girl dance on you?" She asked as she directed her eyes away from his, only for a second.

A relieved laugh came out of his mouth, "Uh, can't say I have. No."

As he laced her fingers into his knuckles, she rubbed her back onto his torso. She hopes she doesn't embarrass herself by doing this. But, she wanted to give him a night to remember, and something to look forward to.

Ruby lowered her voice, almost to a whisper, "Mind if I?" She didn't wait for an answer, already brushing her bottom against him as she lowered her body. His hands clenched onto her shirt as their clothes made rustling noises.

She bent her knees one at a time, slowing moving her hips and bottom in a circular motion, rubbing into his lap. Between her leggings and his shorts, it was hard to ignore his bulge. Not like he was trying to hide it at this point.

His restless hands massaged and grabbed her hips, following the motions of her waist. As she danced on him, he tried to subtly move his hands up to her chest, but she'd push them back to her hips.

She lowered her entire body, only to lean forward and raise her rear up, rubbing against every inch of him. He made a heavy breath as his grip tightened, pulling her hips closer, closing any space between them.

Without giving him a second to breathe, the girl forcibly twirled her butt onto him, swinging her hips as she pushed up against his member. Straightening her back, she pushed it to him and continued a slow sway of her hips.

Feeling his hands urging to grab, she smiled and lifted his hands up to her breast. His fingers instantly squeezed them through her tank top and bra. She made a soft gasp as she tightened her grip on his wrist.

They were more than a simple handful, so he was probably having a joyful time. Her mouth curved at the realization that this is the first time he had ever touched a girl's chest. Well, probably. She was trying her best to drive him crazy. From the way his member protruded through his shorts and his heavy breaths, it was working.

Making a grin, she released his wrist and reached back onto the side of his pants. She slid her body up and down, massaging his member with her ram. Leaning her head back on his shoulder, she made a soft moan into his ear.

It wasn't just for show. The way his member felt stabbing her rear was indulging, and the manner he groped her chest excited her. She trusted him, and through the tension, she could feel them getting closer.

It made her glad she can try stuff like this without being bashful. Definitely couldn't do this at Sun's club or anywhere in public. But when it's just them on a moving turtle island far away from anyone else?

Can't really say they snuck out, but no one knows they're outside in the dark, alone, grinding their bodies against each other. It's like they are at some high school dance, and there isn't a teacher keeping a watch out. Damn teenager hormones.

As much she wanted to rip his clothes off, she resisted her temptation. They barely ever had any alone time since getting on the boat, and she didn't want it to go to waste. Especially, if they find him.

The girl rotated around, and pushed her body onto his, having their lips to the same. She touched his whiskers, he tightly held her body. After a brief kissing session, he cradled her in his arms, swaying their bodies back and forth.

She giggled, but as he tilted her head up to look at him, he brushed her hair back. It has gotten to the point where it fell beyond her shoulder. She fluttered her eyes as she grabbed his hand, keeping it to her face.

Even in this dark, she could see his gorgeous, determined eyes. As he looked into hers, she made a small giggle and dug her head into his chest.

Remembering what B had said in the kitchen, she held him tighter. "Hey?"

"Hm?"

"I… love you, too, by the way."

He raised his hand, rubbing his face. "Oh, good! I thought I made a mistake saying it back then."

She smiled and rubbed her face into his chest, "We've made several mistakes, but that isn't one of them."

Naruto kept his hands wrapped around her shoulders. Neither wanted to let go, they just wanted to enjoy the silent night as they held each other.

Never know when a snake will find it's way into the garden.

I guesssssss I'll update. I hope each "scene" had enough material this time! Sorry for all the canon stuff. Hard not to do it when she's around Naruto. Next two chapters will only have one canon scene.

For the record, Ruby is more than 16 and a half at this point. Honestly, I was indecisive about adding the last scene, on whether it's needed or not. What do you guys think? I can always just remove it, although I want their relationship to develop. (I will not write a lemon.)

Also, I'll be updating regularly again...cause I'm finished with the story! Five more chapters, just gotta edit 'em!

Thanks to Skeletickles!

I'm trying to work on my general writing style to be a lot smoother. Didn't work too hard on B's non-canon dialogue, so please don't dis me too hard! Let me know what I did good or bad on!