Disclaimer: Naruto and all associated characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto

Jutsu: Original (Translation)

Bijū/Summon Speaking

Bijū/Summon Thoughts

Naruto mental reply

! - dattebayo

grammar edit 4/21/16

Chapter 20

Dawn before the Storm

2 days later – Konoha Campsite – Nami no Kuni

Naruto awoke with a groan of pain. His body was stiff and sore all over as if he had gone through several rounds of intense workouts with level 4 gravity seals or something. His throat was also parched, and he had no idea where he was.

Kurama had laid a lot of information on him about the history of the world, through the eyes of a bijū at any rate, as well as "the plan" as Naruto had dubbed it. It was going to be complicated, difficult, and the thing he hated most, he was going to have to do his best at subterfuge which meant misdirection and lies if necessary. He really hated it when he had to lie to people.

Since he had lost control of his emotions before blacking out entirely, Kurama was not aware of his current circumstances. He could only account for his battle with Yugito and that he hadn't killed his teammates, which was a relief. He hoped Root didn't already imprison him or that he was lying in a ditch somewhere.

Now he had to get up and find out where he was. Then he would find his team, face the music and reveal as much of the truth as possible. Kurama had agreed with him that they could no longer pretend that there was no contact between them. It was well known that when a jinchūriki had drawn on their bijū's power the bond was established. It was up to the bijū at that point to make contact for certain, but with everyone already suspicious of Kurama's interest in Naruto, there was no possible way for them to hide the fact.

Kurama was initially against telling the Hokage the truth of how long they had contact. He was firmly in the belief that the Hokage would over react, but with some solid arguments from Naruto, he finally relented. Naruto even promised that if he sensed any hostile intent from the Hokage, he would flee the village immediately. Kurama was still displeased with the situation, but at least, Naruto was willing to leave the village if there was a threat. It would be hard for the kit to be out in the world as he is now, but Kurama knew of some places where they could potentially lay low for a few years and gain strength before setting out and gathering what they needed.

Naruto had convinced Kurama that all of it had to come out now if they even had a chance for moving "the plan" ahead in the future. There would be initial suspicion on them at the start but by the time they were ready to move "the plan" forwards that suspicion would have died down.

Telling the Hokage would also help further his training because he could actively begin utilizing Kurama's chakra and mastering his chakra cloak now. Naruto still clung to the hope that if they offered a safe environment for him to use the chakra and allowed the Hokage to supervise every training session, the Hokage would allow it and eventually they could rebuild his trust over time.

Naruto squinted for a bit to let his eyes start to adjust to the influx of light before he slowly opened them fully and looked around at his surroundings. He was in a tent, but it wasn't his, not a bad sign so far. He felt something warm pressed against his leg, so he looked down to figure out what it was and spotted a tan colored ninken sleeping against his leg. The ninken had long ears and brown fur on his ears and paws. If he remembered correctly, Kakashi had called him Biscuit.

Naruto sighed in relief. At least, Kakashi had found him and taken care of him, and since he wasn't tied up, he had hope that Kakashi wasn't planning on killing him at the moment. Biscuit lifted his head up and looked at him when he heard Naruto sigh out loud.

"So, you are finally awake. Kakashi has been worried about you." Biscuit said.

Naruto cleared his throat and asked in a scratchy voice. "How long have I been out for?"

"You have been out like a log for two days now. I'll go fetch Kakashi now." Biscuit said before he stood up and stretched. After he shook himself, he turned and trotted out of the tent.

Naruto just closed his eyes again in preparation for what was to come. Soon he felt the sun on his face for a moment as the tent flap opened up and Kakashi entered the tent.

Kakashi crouched beside him. "How are you feeling, Naruto?"

"I feel stiff and sore all over, and I don't remember everything that happened yesterday but other than that, I think I'm okay now," Naruto said.

Kakashi held out a canteen for Naruto to grab, then helped him sit up so he could wet his throat.

"Don't drink it too fast. Your throat will need time to adjust." Kakashi warned.

Naruto nodded and took small sips until his throat felt normal then drank a bit more before capping the canteen and handing it back to Kakashi.

Kakashi set the canteen down. "Biscuit told me that you are now aware that you have been out for two days. Can you tell me what you do remember?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto cleared his throat again and went through his memories.

"Well, I remember Zabuza and the thugs intercepting us on the path to the construction site. After that, it gets... weird because some of my memories were what my clones experienced instead of me. I do remember clearly that I felt Yugito coming with some other Kumo ninjas." Naruto said as ran his hand through his hair.

"By Yugito do you mean the Kumo jinchūriki? How did you know that she was coming?" Kakashi asked.

Kakashi didn't realize until the day after the attack that Naruto had very accurate information that he shouldn't have been aware of. He also knew that Sasuke and Naruto were aware of something else going on in Nami no Kuni but were keeping tight-lipped about it.

"Where are the others at right now?" Naruto asked with his eyes closed and his face set in a serious expression.

"Why would that matter Naruto?" Kakashi asked

"Because I need to know if it is safe to talk about you know who," Naruto replied.

Kakashi felt a sense of dread overcome him. Kakashi cursed his rotten luck; apparently things were about to get worse than yesterday.

"The rest of our team and Team 8 are at the construction site, Naruto. You don't have to worry." Kakashi said softly

Naruto felt a bit of his dread lighten when Kakashi had said "our team" and let his frown soften. "The Kyūbi told me she was coming."

Kakashi took a deep breath when he heard that response then asked. "Why would the Kyūbi tell you about that?"

Naruto at this point lifted his head up and looked Kakashi directly in the eye. He held that contact for a few moments as if deciding something before he let out a sigh and said.

"Because the Kyūbi has always warned me when something dangerous is coming after me."

Naruto kept eye contact with Kakashi as he processed that information and reached out with his senses. He didn't feel anything negative from Kakashi just yet.

"What do you mean by "always" Naruto? Are you saying that the Kyūbi has been speaking to you this whole time?" Kakashi asked

"Yes, sensei. I think we need to hold off on that discussion for when we report this fiasco to Hokage-jiji if you don't mind," Naruto said with a sigh.

"I don't know, Naruto. This is a really big revelation. I can't help you unless I know exactly what is going on." Kakashi prodded.

"I know, sensei. I really do! The only reason I mentioned it is because I know this news will affect you guys also, but jiji was clear about discussing this kind of thing outside of his office." Naruto had a pleading look on his face "Please trust me sensei. I don't want to hurt you guys that's why I'm going to reveal the truth about everything to you and jiji when we get back."

Kakashi just sighed but didn't say anything. Naruto could tell that Kakashi was reluctant to wait and was unsettled by the news.

Naruto hung his head afterward and mumbled. "I didn't say anything at first because nothing had ever affected me in such a way before and I was protecting myself since the villagers, and everyone else treated me so badly. Now, it doesn't matter what happens to me because after I had lost control yesterday, I realized I was a danger to you guys. I won't be able to live with myself if I hurt or kill you guys because I lost control. So, I will reveal everything, and we will just have to wait and see what happens to me now." Naruto said with a shaky sigh.

Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, you shouldn't have been trying to carry this burden on your own. I can understand that you wouldn't have trusted me or the others because of how we acted to you before, but the Hokage cares for you. He would have helped you with this."

"It wasn't ever a problem before this. It was just when that battle started then Yugito flared the Nibi's chakra. It just woke something inside of me that was frightening. Now I know I can't just ignore it like before. I have to get used to it, to learn how to control it so that I'm no longer a risk to you guys anymore." Naruto said as he looked back up to Kakashi.

"Okay, Naruto," Kakashi said in a calming tone. "We will wait until we get to Konoha before we talk about this again but the others are going to ask a lot of questions. I can tell them it's an S-rank secret but don't feel bad if they get upset at you not telling them." Kakashi patted Naruto on the shoulder.

"I won't, sensei." Naruto rubbed his face before he decided to get some information from Kakashi, "What did happen after I ran off after Yugito? I mean I saw a lot of different things from my clone memories, but I'm not sure what the outcome was." Naruto asked.

"Well, Gato and his thugs were pretty much annihilated with Zabuza and Haku taking all his riches and leaving for Kiri. The Kumo missing-nins were killed along with the thugs and apparently that was the primary objective for the Kumo-nins that became involved. Now the Root teams were unexpected as well, but I have a feeling that you and Sasuke were expecting them, weren't you?" Kakashi said in a disappointed tone.

"Well, we heard something about that in town, and while I thought we could trust you with that info, Sasuke said you had been a part of Root also and couldn't be trusted, so I didn't say anything," Naruto said sheepishly.

Kakashi sighed "I'll admit that Danzō approached me after the Kyūbi event while I was upset about losing someone close to me. I was still young then and was easily fooled into spying on the Hokage for him as a double agent." Kakashi hung his head in guilt before continuing. "As I began to uncover evidence on all the subversive elements in the village I realized that the Sandaime wasn't involved in anything nefarious. Everything that was suspicious or illegal involved Danzō or Orochimaru and they both had dealings with each other as well. So, I showed what I had to the Hokage, but it wasn't enough to get Danzō removed from the council since he had always used Root members as his proxy, and Orochimaru fled the village before we could apprehend him."

Naruto could tell that Kakashi was telling the truth. "What happened to the Root guys then?"

"The Kumo jinchūriki wiped them out before she ran away from you," Kakashi said with a smirk. "By the time I found you she was going to try and kill you while you were unconscious but I managed to drive her off."

"Well, thanks for that, sensei. I was afraid that I would wake up in a Root base or in a ditch somewhere." Naruto said.

"Mah, Mah don't worry about things like that, you are still a part of Team 7 and a shinobi of Konoha. I know you haven't seen the Will of Fire from the village as you should, but you should be aware that the others have been worried about you, not scared but worried." Kakashi said.

Naruto nodded he felt a little comforted by Kakashi's words, but he would wait until he could sense their emotions before he would believe it entirely.

"The bridge will be completed in eight more days. Then we get to enjoy the festival they have planned after that. Team 7 will report back to the Hokage immediately while Team 8 will escort the bridge builder home." Kakashi said.

"I suppose I should give you your tent back then," Naruto said before he moved to try and get up and make his way out, but Kakashi stopped him.

"I don't know exactly how much damage was done to you because of your healing capabilities, but I think it would be better for you to take it easy for the next few days just to be certain," Kakashi said.

"I'll be fine, sensei, just sorer than usual. It's not a big deal. I can go to my own tent at least or sit by the fire." Naruto said with a yawn.

"Just humor me then. Why don't you lie back down and see if you fall asleep again? If you wake up in just a few hours, then you can move around, if you don't then, at least, you will have gotten more rest, and we can see how you feel tomorrow." Kakashi said.

Naruto just let out a sigh but laid back down. He could tell that Kakashi wasn't going to budge. Despite his assurances to Kakashi that he wasn't tired, Naruto fell back asleep after a few minutes.

Kakashi stepped out of the tent and told Biscuit to go back inside and watch over Naruto.

Kakashi sat down and got the campfire started since the evening was approaching and the rest of the Konoha-nin would arrive in a few hours. Kakashi thought over everything Naruto had said, and it did explain a lot of things that had been questionable.

Naruto's behavior around people and his stoic mode had made some sense before, but if you add in the Kyūbi, it made a lot more sense. Naruto was a lonely and isolated young man in a village that held lots of animosity towards him. Add in a highly intelligent being with hatred for said village whispering in his ear and it would only be natural for Naruto to keep everyone at a distance.

Kakashi thought more about Naruto's personality type and felt that if not for Danzō and his damn interference, they wouldn't have ever had to worry about this problem. Naruto may act like an introvert in all things, but Kakashi could tell that he was really an extrovert in disguise with trust issues. An interesting dilemma for someone with that personality type.

The Kyūbi no doubt took advantage of this and, if Naruto had been a true introvert, it could have become a real problem. However, Naruto still exuded a calm friendliness if you treated him normally, and he could be accepting of almost anyone or anything as long as it didn't go against his moral compass. This made Kakashi believe that he hadn't been deceitful out of malicious intent but out of fear instead.

Just from how Naruto spoke when he had revealed that the Kyūbi warned him about dangerous things Kakashi could tell that he was scared. Kakashi could also tell that Naruto trusted the Kyūbi to some degree, but he couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. The fact that he was willing to reveal everything now made Kakashi feel a little better about the situation, but it would depend on what was revealed entirely.

He knew the Hokage would avoid doing anything drastic unless it meant the imminent corruption or destruction of Naruto. He might have a bad knee-jerk reaction to the situation since he is so close to Naruto, but the Sandaime was infamous for maintaining his game face.

'Well, he might be too concerned with the five other issues that we mention in this mission report to act rashly. Maybe I'll drop the possible war with Kumo part last to help alleviate his overall shock.' Kakashi thought as he chuckled quietly to himself.

Yes, this mission report would be long and arduous, but he could enjoy the fact that his little genin team completed an S-rank that would have been tough for Anbu corps. He would take his team out to celebrate and introduce them to sake.

Most would consider it early to introduce alcohol to his genin, but it was an old tradition in Anbu that you went out to eat and drink for surviving a particularly fucked up S-rank mission and his cute little genin deserved it. He would have to mention it to Kurenai too.

It would be interesting to see what type of drunks his genin were. He would bet his Icha Icha collectors edition that Naruto would be a happy drunk who said embarrassing things, Sasuke would probably be that sullen drunk, and Hinata? He would have to think about that one, but he would guess she would be the wild drunk of the bunch. Those who usually suppressed their behavior normally typically cut loose once they drank enough.

Naruto emerged from Kakashi's tent a few hours later to relieve himself and clean up a little. He then went into his own tent for a bit and changed into a fresh set of clothing. He was sad for the loss of a shirt and his hand wraps, but his pants were salvageable with a little mending. He used his recovery seal to retrieve what he could from his tattered wraps and was fortunate only to lose two dozen shuriken and a few kunai.

He sat by the fire mending the tears in his pants and checked over his hip pouch and kunai holster for damage as well. Once his gear was looked over and mended, he decided to go back to work on the security seal until the others arrived from guard duty. It would help calm his nerves for the inevitable confrontation that was about to occur.

Naruto was so focused on the seal he was trying create that he did not even sense the others enter the camp and stare at him, nor did he sense Hinata until she tackled him off the log he had been sitting on.

"Naruto-kun your all right! I was so worried!" Hinata said as she hugged Naruto from the side.

Both of them were sprawled on the ground, and Naruto looked around in confusion until he saw Hinata clinging to him tightly. Naruto didn't expect this reaction and was at a loss on how to respond, so he opted to pat her on the back. He blushed in embarrassment when he realized that Hinata was pinning him to the ground.

"I'm okay now, Hinata-chan. Everything will be all right." Naruto said reassuringly.

Hinata realized what she had done and quickly scrambled off him with a blush before recomposing herself.

Sasuke walked up and held his hand out to help Naruto up. As Naruto grabbed Sasuke's forearm, he pulled him up to his feet. "What the hell happened to you Naruto?"

"I can't really tell you that here, Sasuke. I'm sorry, but the Hokage won't let me reveal that without his permission. I promise that I will tell you when we get back to Konoha and report." Naruto replied.

"What you all witnessed was an S-rank secret punishable by death by order of the Hokage. If you reveal any information about what you saw to anyone without permission not only will you be executed but anyone you told will face execution as well." Kakashi chimed in seriously as he eyed Team 8.

"Are you gonna tell us about what the hell that was also?" Kiba asked.

"I'll see if the Hokage will let me, Kiba, but my team has to know for sure," Naruto said.

"Well, even if you don't tell us, man, I'm glad you're okay. We didn't know what the hell happened to you then you ran off after that crazy bitch. Man, that whole day was just intense." Kiba said while Akamaru came up to Naruto with a slight whine for a pat.

"I'm sorry I worried you guys I just... when she came I kinda lost control and had to go after her," Naruto said before kneeling down and giving Akamaru a good petting.

"Well, it's good to see that everything is back to normal again. Why don't you guys fill Naruto in on what has happened for the past two days while we prepare dinner?" Kurenai suggested.

Teams 7 and 8 sat around talking while a fish stew was bubbling over the campfire. They discussed how guard duty had been, how Zabuza had come a day ago to thank them for letting him have all the fun with Gato before leaving with Haku for Kiri.

Apparently Zabuza only went missing-nin because of the bloodline civil war and their Mizukage, who had gone crazy. Zabuza had to flee when the Mizukage came after him for harboring Haku. Now Zabuza was gathering ryō to help fund the rebellion against the Mizukage and Gato provided more than enough for a good start.

Hinata had told Naruto how the whole nation viewed Teams 7, 8, Zabuza, and Haku as heroes and that citizens were planning to throw a festival in their honor after the bridge was complete. This news came as quite a surprise to Naruto as he had no idea the people would be so grateful to have the bridge finished. Hinata explained how Gato had an iron grip on the townspeople and had been increasing taxes on goods imported or exported, then charging them for protection fees from his own thugs. Naruto was glad that the bastard was dead and felt better about killing those thugs as they did.

They all talked about how they had dealt with their first kills and the different advice they had received from their parents or siblings. Naruto only told them about the guilt he felt, leaving out his little crying session and his blood lust, but after hearing about all the things Gato had done to the people, his guilt left him. He wouldn't like killing in general, but if he was killing scum like that, he wouldn't feel bad about it.

The awkwardness that had been present when they first spoke to Naruto faded away, and slowly the teams began to return to their normal behavior, for the most part. Sakura remained distant but cordial with Naruto as did Kurenai.

Both teams settled down for the night while Naruto offered to take watch since he wasn't tired anymore. Kakashi told him he would only allow him to take watch tonight if he rested in camp one more day before rejoining them on guard duty. Naruto relented since he could use that time to complete his work on the security seal so he could train with Kurama's chakra as soon as they got back to Konoha.

Once everyone was asleep Naruto sent out his clones in a perimeter before entering his mindscape to get more practice with his sealing. There was no discussion between him or Kurama as both were content just to enjoy each other's presence while things were calm.

9 days later - Town Hall Square - Nami no Kuni

Naruto was walking around the center of town just enjoying the atmosphere in general. It was nice to be able to walk around a festival without sensing all those negative emotions from the villagers or having people glare at him. It also helped that the festival wasn't based on bashing Kurama like the festival that always occurred on his birthday.

Naruto didn't know how he felt about the hero worship that he would receive on occasion, but Hinata instructed him that it was proper etiquette to accept the gifts gratefully and thank them so that they didn't feel insulted. Naruto felt like he was taking advantage of the situation but decided to listen to Hinata and just accept what they gave him. As a result of this, Teams 7 and 8 were loaded down with various souvenirs, flowers, even some formal clothing tailored just for them.

The seamstress had insisted on outfitting them because Gato had been especially forward to her and her daughter. When they had both rejected his advances he began raising the rates on all the cloth she attempted to import and raised her rent in order to force her into servitude. The seamstress, her daughter, and a handful of volunteer housewives had fussed over Teams 7 and 8 all morning and until the afternoon when they had finally finished the outfits and thanked them again for freeing them from Gato.

So now, Naruto was dressed in his new formal wear which was a light blue juban (under kimono), solid dark blue hakamas (Pleated pants), and Dark blue haori (kimono jacket that remains open) with light blue clouds embroidered on the edges of the sleeves and along the hem. He was glad that he had the foresight to put several storage seals inside of his haori, or he would be loaded down with bags like the others were. Fūinjutsu was so convenient; he just couldn't understand why people didn't use it more often.

Naruto felt guilty for accepting these things because he honestly didn't feel like a hero. Hell, his clones had done most of the work, but Kurama convinced him that he had been essential to his team's survival and that it was understandable for him to lose control with his first exposure to combat. Especially since the level of violence he had been exposed to was beyond the level he should have experienced in his first combat mission. Naruto was happy that he had finally gotten his security seal concept down yesterday evening. Kurama had approved of his pencil prototype and after a few attempts with ink and brush, he managed to make the seal function like a conventional security seal without requiring any additional controls to maintain the desired effect.

He put his seal into test the next night during watch by flaring his chakra repeatedly from small to large bursts inside the area he sealed off, and Kakashi didn't come running. He didn't think Kakashi could have slept through that. Kurama also confirmed that the new seal worked precisely as he had intended by absorbing dispelled chakra to power the blockers and the containment areas. However, Kurama had noticed that because of the way he had integrated the different rings of the seal array and how those rings were modified, this seal had added a surprising but unintended consequence. The seal was somehow draining natural chakra and using it to power the strength of the seal. This functionality was dangerous because if the seal was left alone, it would eventually drain the life out of everything in the area unless they fed it with a different source of chakra. Naruto was crestfallen when he learned about the problem and decided to scrap the seal and start over again, but Kurama had told him to hold off. After Kurama had studied the seal quietly for the rest of the night he came up with a simple fix Naruto would need to add the seal and the problem would be solved.

The good thing, however, was that he had inadvertently unlocked new potential seals that dealt with natural chakra. Natural chakra was typically resistant to most fūinjutsu. No one that Kurama knew of had been able to make a seal that converted natural chakra to the base of spiritual (Yin) and physical (Yang) chakra. Fūinjutsu was typically either based on Yin only or Yang only with ways to convert Yin to Yang and vice versa. It was an exciting revelation to them both since it meant Naruto would soon be able to create all kinds of seals that were unprecedented. Kurama was excited because if there was a way to convert nature chakra into yin or yang, that meant it was only a matter of time until they could convert yin or yang into natural chakra without having to wait for the chakra cycle to do this on its own.

Naruto was drawn out of his thoughts of fūinjutsu theories by Hinata and Sasuke's approach. Both Hinata and Sasuke were wearing their outfits as well but were holding several bags of gifts they had received. Hinata was dressed in a light blue yukata that had large white roses in various stages of blooming scattered around it while Sasuke opted for a full black set like Naruto's with the Uchiha crest embroidered on the back.

"Oi, Naruto! Let's go and play some of the games. We can probably clean up on the prizes if we wanted too." Sasuke said.

"Okay. I wonder what kind of prizes they have?" Naruto said

"Besides the usual baby turtles or baby fish, probably some stuffed animals or cheap jewelry if it's anything like the festivals at home," Hinata said.

Team 7 moved towards the game booths and explored the types of games available. Besides the goldfish scooping, balloon fishing, and ring game there was an interesting cork kunai game that caught their attention.

The object of the game was to throw a cork kunai and hit one of the different sized unmarked boxes standing on the shelves. The three genin had a lot of fun attempting to knock some of the boxes down with the very light weight and flimsy kunai. Since they only got three kunai for 100 ryō they tried to knock one of the bigger boxes down with their first two before saving their last one to hit a smaller box.

In the end, Sasuke won a set of scented bamboo fans from one of his boxes while Naruto received a small wooden Maneki-Neko (Beckoning Cat) statue holding a gold painted ryō coin with its right paw and it's left paw raised. There was even a matching Omamori (luck or blessing) charm that looked like a tiny scroll holder on a beaded tassel. Hinata got an elaborate scroll painting of a beach at sunset.

As they moved on from the games section, the three decided to enjoy some of the traditional festival treats. The trio found themselves waiting in a long line to get some Takoyaki (battered ball filled with octopus, green onion, pickled ginger, and tempura). Naruto needed to relieve himself, so he handed ryō off to Sasuke to pick up his order and left the line.

Naruto went to the nearest restaurant to use their restrooms. After he had left the restaurant, he heard a commotion in a nearby alley and went to investigate. He saw three bandits threatening an elderly woman before they pushed her to the ground and he decided to intervene.

"Hey! Leave her alone you bastards." Naruto yelled out.

The bandits turned around to look at Naruto. "Well if it isn't one of those damn Konoha brats."

"We should teach you a lesson for interfering! Gato paid us well until you showed up." A second bandit said.

"If you know what's good for you just walk away, you little shit." the third warned.

All three bandits drew their weapons which consisted of a knife, a sword, and a club.

"Hah, you think I'm afraid of you? We killed a lot of your buddies at the bridge, but if you were too stupid to get the message, then I have one just for you. Leave her alone and get out of town or you won't live to see the morning." Naruto said as he got into a ready stance.

"Shit man, he's right! They killed everyone there. Maybe we should just leave like Tomo said and go to that new village in Ta no Kuni." one of the bandits said.

"What, are you scared of a brat? They were probably just exaggerating what happened." the lead bandit with the sword said.

"We don't know for sure because no one came back alive, man. Didn't you see what those guys did to Gato?" The first bandit said shakily.

"We need money to get out of town before the Daimyō comes after us. How else are we going to pay for the ferry." The third bandit said.

"Don't be such cowards! We outnumber him easily." The leader said.

"Oh? You think so?" Naruto said with a smirk before he made the sign for Kage Bunshin and created five clones to surround the bandits. "I can make a lot more than that too, fools. So get lost and find another way out of town. If I see you bothering this old lady again, you won't leave alive."

"Forget this! I'm outta here. I'm not messing with a shinobi." the first bandit said before running past one of the Naruto clones towards the back of the alley.

The second and third bandits looked at each other for a minute before they also ran after the first bandit.

"Oi, obasan. Are you okay?" Naruto said as he approached the old lady.

"I'm fine now thanks to you boy. I have to thank you for helping me; those bandits always rob my jewelry stand. I am grateful." The old lady said as she tried to stand, but she wobbled a little before leaning against the wall of the alley.

"Are you sure you are okay? Do you need me to help you to the hospital or something?" Naruto asked

"Oh no, I don't need to go to the hospital. I just hurt my leg a little when I fell, but it's nothing serious. Why don't you help me walk to my stand so I can properly reward you eh?" The old lady said.

"Well, I'll help you, but you don't need to reward me for it," Naruto said with a small smile before he held his arm out for the old lady to hold.

The old woman grabbed onto Naruto's arm for support and led him out of the alley, away from the festival.

"Such a kind young man you are. There aren't many like you these days. The old lady said.

The old woman led Naruto down the street turning the corner at an intersection and stopped at a stand in front of a small home.

"Ah, here we are, please accept a reward. I don't have any grandchildren to spoil so you can take their place for the day." the old lady said with a laugh.

"Don't worry about it. I don't want to take any of your business away. Besides, it's the right thing to do." Naruto said as he saw the stand hadn't even been hassled while it was left unattended and there looked to be some expensive jewelry. It was also strange that no one was around this area at all when the entire town was packed with people.

"Nonsense, you see I don't have much business as my pieces are special. You see these items are designed for particular people. I do not allow anyone just to choose what they like. For you, I have some very special things, and it would please me to give them to you. Will you deny this old lady her happiness?" the old lady said.

"Okay, obasan, but perhaps there is something else I can buy from you?" Naruto relented but felt uneasy. He sensed something strange from this lady, but it wasn't negative.

"Tch, such a nice young man. You don't need to pay me for anything. I won't accept it from someone who bears such a burden as you do. No, you have a big journey to go on that is most important and what I want to give you will help you." the old lady said with a smirk.

Naruto's eyes widened when the old lady said that.

"Burden... How do you know about that obasan? Who are you really?" Naruto asked.

"Mmm, it's not important for you to know that young man. It is only important that you wear this." The old lady said as she opened a small wooden box.

The old woman pulled out a necklace that had a very sophisticated medallion. The medallion was about half the size of a shuriken, and it hung from a silver braided chain. In the center, there was a strange color changing gem in the shape of a crescent moon set into a silver half circle that appeared to be missing the right half as there was an empty space in the center.

Around the left side of the medallion, several stones were going from black to blue to a clear white. When Naruto looked at it, he felt the same positive feeling he had experienced with his Gama-chan and the orange coat he had as a kid.

"You can feel it is attuned to you, can you not?" The old lady said as she unclasped the necklace and moved towards Naruto.

Naruto was rooted in place, unable to move or speak but for some reason he wasn't afraid at all. He could only watch as the old lady approached and put the necklace around his neck and clasped it in the back.

The old lady stepped back and said. "This was made especially for you young man and it awaits its missing half; the gems are imbued with special properties to help you on your journey. "

She lifted the pendant up so Naruto could see her describe each stone as she pointed to it.

"The moonstone in the center helps with inspiration and clear thinking by balancing emotions." She moved her finger to the small stone that was above and slightly to the left.

"Black tourmaline to provide strength to your body and spirit" She moved her finger towards the outer edge of the pendant to the next stone. "The sapphire below it to give you intuition and insight, Her finger moved to the stone on the outer edge.

"This dark blue topaz helps calm rage and control your temper by providing clarity and focus." Her finger drifted below to the next stone. "A lovely smokey quartz to help your endurance and give you serenity." Her finger moved to the last stone "and finally the purest zircon for spiritual growth and wisdom."

She pulled on the collar of Naruto's juban and slipped the pendant underneath where it dropped down against Naruto's bare chest. She then straightened out his kimono and smoothed away any wrinkles before placing her palm directly over his heart, covering the medallion and gently pressing the cool metal into his skin.

"You feel it don't you? That feeling that it belongs to you? That it soothes you when you are in pain? The old lady said almost reverently. The old woman's hand began to glow with a bright light and Naruto felt the metal warm up before feeling the sensation of something entering his body through the medallion.

Naruto could only close his eyes as the feeling washed over his body as if it were chakra, but it didn't travel through his pathways and tenketsu. It was like the feeling he got when he bonded with Kurama for the first time. It was peaceful and warm causing everything to fade away but that feeling.

"Yes, you are such a such a kind young man with a pure heart I can see it. Now be a good boy and take these boxes with you. You know which ones to give to your companions. Don't forget you still have to find the other half of your pendant. Now move along child, your friends will worry about you if you don't hurry." A voice said.

Naruto just nodded and took the small bag full of boxes before turning and walking away with an unfocused look in his eyes.

The old lady grinned as Naruto walked away from her stand. With a wave of her hand, the old lady disappeared leaving an empty stand in front of a small abandoned house.

The Darkness was a fool to think that it would be unseen when meddling with events. The Light was quite capable of its own meddling as well, and Naruto now had the tools to counter those attempts quite nicely. Hopefully, the medallion would guide him back onto the right track when the time came.

Hinata and Sasuke had gotten their Takoyaki and were holding a few plates for Naruto when they began to wonder where he went. It was crowded, but they didn't think it would take this long for him to return.

Sasuke spotted Naruto walking out of an alley and called out to him before making his way over with Hinata following behind him.

Naruto seemingly snapped out of a daze and looked around like he was confused.

"Naruto, over here," Sasuke called out louder.

Naruto finally looked in their direction and moved towards them. "Oh hey, guys. Sorry, I took so long, but I found this cool shop and had to buy some things."

"Hn, you could have come and got us first instead of making us wait baka," Sasuke said with a snort.

"Oi! Don't call me that! Besides, I got you guys something." Naruto said as lifted up a small cloth bag that dangled from his wrist by the drawstring.

Naruto fished around inside the bag for a second before he pulled out two small boxes. He handed the gray box to Sasuke and the white box to Hinata. Naruto began to dig into his Takoyaki happily while they looked over their gifts.

Sasuke opened his gift and saw a golden rope necklace with an intricately carved piece of circular dark jade that had two lion dogs on it. The one on the left was climbing up with an open mouth while the one on the right was climbing down with a closed mouth.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his gift. Sasuke had never felt compelled to wear any type of jewelry before but decided he wasn't opposed to wearing a necklace, and it was small enough not to be intrusive during a fight, so he studied the carving for a moment before shrugging and putting in around his neck.

"Um thanks, Naruto, this looks pretty expensive," Sasuke said.

Naruto merely waved off his thanks with the stick of takoyaki he was currently eating and continued to chew.

Hinata gasped as she pulled her necklace out of the box. She studied the silver three strand necklace carefully and was surprised at the quality of the gems.

The first strand was a short length, almost like a choker, with small blue lace agate cylindrical beads that were staggered with two small round silver beads framing a larger round silver bead.

The second strand was a silver rope necklace that hung down below her collar bone and had blue opals in an oval shape with silver settings.

The final strand was a braided silver rope that hung down just above her cleavage and had the largest lapis lazuli teardrop pendant she had ever seen. The tapered cylindrical stone was held in place by a delicate silver loop and wire wrapping around the narrow tip of the radiant blue gemstone.

"Naruto-kun this looks like it is all real. This necklace must have been expensive! Thank you Naruto-kun, You shouldn't have." Hinata said breathlessly.

The necklace was absolutely beautiful and was exactly something that she would have chosen for herself if she saw it in a shop. The fact that Naruto chose it specifically for her made her heart flutter.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. This necklace was made for you." Naruto said

Naruto set his food down on a nearby window sill to help Hinata clasp the necklace around her neck when he noticed she was having trouble. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the way Hinata's face lit up while she admired the way the necklace sparkled from the numerous festival lanterns around them.

Sasuke showed his necklace to her and after she studied it for a moment before she complimented the jade carving.

"Naruto-kun where did you get these from?" Hinata asked as she studied the lapiz lazuli teardrop.

"It was this small shop that had a stand outside of it, and the old lady offered them to me, she even gave me one for free," Naruto said as he pulled his own medallion out of his kimono and showed it to them.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he saw Naruto's medallion; it looked like it was incomplete and it was kind of large in his opinion.

"Oh, that is so beautiful Naruto-kun could you show me this place, please?" Hinata asked.

If this owner was selling these types of items for cheap, she would love to see what else they had. She hardly had the opportunity to shop for jewelry and if these pieces were any indication then Nami no Kuni was miles ahead of the Konoha jewelry she had seen.

"Oh, sure. It was this way." Naruto said as he walked back toward the alley. Sasuke just shrugged and followed after them. He could care less about jewelry, but he didn't feel like wandering around the festival alone.

Naruto lead them out of the alley and down another street. He turned a corner, and there was a small house with an empty stand out front, but the lights were out, and the curtains were drawn. It looked like the place had been vacant for awhile.

"Huh, I guess the old lady left already," Naruto said with a frown.

Hinata was a little disappointed and worried that the old lady might have conned Naruto in some way, but the feeling of disappointment left as she fingered the pendant. All her misgivings faded away, and she was left with that same warm and inviting feeling she would feel when she sat next to Naruto while he worked on his seals. It might not be real but it was beautiful, and the best thing of all was that Naruto had thought of her when he bought it.

Sasuke liked the necklace he got. He didn't know much about lion dogs, but they looked pretty awesome, and the cool, smooth texture on the back of the jade seemed to make his fears and anxiety melt away when he rubbed it with his thumb.

The three decided to head back to the festival and see what other stands and shops were selling. Kakashi had told them that they would likely get paid for an S-ranked mission, if not an A-rank, which would mean a very large amount of ryō either way. So they felt like splurging a little after all the stress they had endured.

All three walked back down the road side by side and made their way back to the town square wearing their new necklaces, and all three were wearing small smiles on contentment on their faces.