Plots

The trio of poisoned needles took slightly deviating flight paths with each other, propelled by an almost casual flick of a wrist and a burst of chakra. It would take them approximately 3.786 seconds to reach their target, too little time for a certain blond ninja to counterattack properly.

Naruto by this time was distracted by the careful outpouring of brainwave torturing chakra, his small hands held in the final seal to the almost lethal jutsu. It was mere luck that he stopped the first wave just as the needles reached his extended senses, but his chakra-drained reflexes at that point were too sluggish to react. He turned his head, and from the very corners of his periphery he watched the needles impact…

…Straight into the cartroid arteries of the Oto kunoichi.

A burst of blue chakra slashed and burned the air as they launched themselves from one of Naruto's hastily picked up wakizashi. "Aoi Setsudanki!" (Blue Guillotine!) the blond cried, sending seven arcs of glowing chakra blades into the general direction whence the senbon came from. A second wave blasted through the air, more a product of the boxers-clad ninja to vent his frustration than an actual attempt to immobilize a long gone attacker. Itachi's protégé cursed out loud, another uncharacteristic outburst born of a loss of control, something the boy hadn't experienced since his "breaking." Naruto slumped to the grass, his eyes darting to the now cooling corpse of the Sound wench and the trio of toxic projectiles in her neck. The poison would no doubt dissolve the very tissues in the woman's body, making any and all autopsies virtually useless. Even now the corpse started to corrode into the calcium structures of a basic skeleton. Eyes scanned the heavens, as if to search for meaning in such a disaster.

This was just not Uzumaki Naruto's day.

"Uzumaki Naruto?"

Ice blue eyes latched onto an effeminate looking ninja about in his late teens. A Konoha forehead protector declared his allegiance plainly enough, but a forehead protector did not make this particular ninja an ally. The small clan sigil stitched on the boy's left shoulder was unnecessary, as even a casual observer could name this intruder's loyalties just by merely looking into his eyes.

The Hyuuga teenager offered a helping hand, which Naruto took. It was then that the blond decided to take note of the six other similarly dressed shinobi around him. The pale-eyed warriors all wore identical white cotton robes, hidden weapons guaranteed to be hidden within several of the folds of rough linen. Despite the rather aristocratic features of the ninja, it was obvious that all of them belonged to the Branch House. Hiashi-sama would not risk Main House ninja in a simple mission such as this, Naruto deduced.

The teen bowed deeply, a gesture mimicked by the rest of the Hyuuga before reaching into his sleeve and withdrawing a small scroll. This was placed into Uzumaki's waiting hand, something which caused the blond's curiosity to pique slightly. "Hiashi-sama would like to request an audience with you," came the answer to his unasked question. "There are some matters which the master requires clarification on. The Hyuuga compound will extend its full welcome to you, Uzumaki-sama."

The spiky-headed shinobi considered the exchange. His rudimentary training in shinobi psychology would be nothing compared to the skills the Byakugan could provide its wielder, but it was enough to know that the Hyuuga were telling the truth at this point. But to what end would Hiashi even wish his presence for?

It did not escape the former ANBU that the other Hyuuga were looking at him with barely hidden contempt, and the leader of the troop had trouble schooling his face as well. They would not tell him anything should he ask, and it was more than likely that they would be forced to engage once the "invitation" was refused.

"Tell Hiashi-sama I will rendezvous with him at 1500 hours," came the reply. "I wish to prepare myself properly for the audience."

"Of course." Another bow. "We will be expecting you at the Hyuuga compound."

The seven emissaries flickered away, leaving Naruto to his own devices. Idly, the blond thought if he could have asked for help disposing of the Oto kunoichi's body. A shrugging of shoulders. Oh well. He had five more hours until the meeting. No use being idle now.

xxxxx

Tsuchi Kin stepped out into the clearing a few minutes after Uzumaki had departed, staring intently at the signs of battle. She cursed under her breath, still not being able to accept that the brat had actually managed to kill one of Suna's best weapons specialists and one of Oto's best genjutsu users. If Uzumaki hadn't been so intent on interrogating that raven-haired harridan, perhaps he would have captured her squad's assassin as well. The kunoichi idly pushed back a lock of hair behind her ears. Thank Kami-sama for that small favor.

"There was something familiar about his chakra patterns just now."

Kin ignored the baritone voice of the Suna liaison. Baki had come up from behind, his superior stealth skills undetectable even to the highly trained Oto genin. "What I'd like to know is why the hell a jounin level shinobi is even being made to take the fucking exam," the kunoichi seethed. "In any case, how in the hell did you come across chakra like this before?"

"One of the people in my team is a demon host," Baki said casually. "A jinchuuriki."

The power of human sacrifice. It was an ancient art which bound one of the powerful tailed beasts into the body and chakra patterns of newborn children, allowing the ever present youki to dissolve into the child's development patterns, often granting the host unthinkable power. "Gaara is it?" Baki snorted at the younger ninja's quip.

"Not much guesswork with that eh?"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, old man."

The Sand jounin grinned. "I guess it doesn't, at that," he admitted. "Still, we are faced with the possibility that we may need to fight a passably, if not highly trained demon host in the field. We will need to take some more precautions on our next attempt, should the opportunity arise."

"Assuming the brat will let us live in the meantime."

"The Leaf are weak-willed fools. The live for that pathetic code of honor they have. In Suna, wars would have been started on less."

xxx

If there was any other clan other than the Uchiha who thought itself invincible in its legend, it was the Hyuuga. Not without good reason however. The legendary bloodline, the Byakugan, allowed a Hyuuga to have nearly 360 degree vision, creating a near impenetrable defense against any and all stealth attack. Combine this with their ability to see into chakra systems and a taijutsu style that completely utilizes their strength, it takes little imagination to see why this clan can claim to be the strongest. "The difference between the Uchiha and the Hyuuga is most visible in this," his sensei once said. "The Hyuuga are very well aware of the limits of their bloodline, and of the danger that would come should it be broken down by opposing forces. Their paranoia is their greatest strength, and paradoxically their greatest weakness." Itachi looked him in the eye as he said this.

"Do not trust them."

It was about three in the afternoon when Uzumaki Naruto arrived in the front gates of the massive Hyuuga compound. The entire extended family was housed in a fifteen acre estate in the boundaries of the village walls, something which was a throwback to the times when the clan was part of the border guard of the fledgling ninja village in the reign of the Shodaime Hokage. The blond ex-ANBU was dressed in one of his more formal kimono ensembles (given last Christmas by Mikoto) and wooden geta. As a show of respect, he carried no weapons openly. His seal tattoos on his forearms would be enough for him should any conflict arise.

There was an envoy of three chuunin guards waiting for him by the gates. Had the blond been that kind of person, he would have been amused to see their hands constantly wandering to where their weapons must be stored in their sleeves. No weapon pouches were visible. The Hyuuga valued aesthetics almost as much as they valued strength. To Naruto's surprise, the heiress was there as well.

"Hinata-sama," the genin bowed, dropping the more familiar "san" honorific. "I come on the summons of your father."

The girl bowed and managed a shaky, thought admittedly more formal reply. "Otousama is expecting you Naruto-san," Hinata said, with barely a stutter. "Follow me."

The trip to the main living residence of the clan took five minutes. The chuunin guard opened the shoji doors and allowed Hinata to come in first, then glared at the blond genin as he followed after her. Hinata motioned him over to one of the prepared places in the tatami floor, bowed and excused herself. The girl had just reached the door when her voice once again broke the silence.

"Anou…"

"What is it, Hinata-sama?"

"If it's no trouble, it'd like to ask why you saved me."

Naruto grew contemplative, then turned his eyes upon his current hostess. "There are only two kinds of ninja," he said monotonously. "Ninja who are bound by their limits and ninja who break past them."

"Oh. Then I suppose I'm the one—"

"No you aren't." Hinata blinked in surprise.

"Sabaku no Gaara fights solely on rage," the cryptic blond explained. "The amount of mental energy required to maintain such a state is staggering to say the least. Until he breaks past this barrier and finds a better reason to fight, he can never grow into a truly powerful fighter." The heiress' eyes remained downcast until Naruto continued with "there are no weak people in the world Hinata-san. Only people who haven't decided to be strong yet."

The girl's lips quirked upwards just as the shoji doors slid open again. The regal figure of Hyuuga Hiashi graced the partially lightened hall and both Hinata and Naruto stiffened. "Uzumaki Naruto, I presume?" the clan head said. "Thank you for keeping our guest company, daughter. You are dismissed." Hinata left without even glancing back at them. there was a few moments of silence before the older man spoke.

"I suppose you're wondering why you were summoned?"

"Affirmative, Hyuuga-sama."

"I suppose we can dispense with the pleasantries then. Walk with me, Uzumaki-kun."

The pair left the room, walking into one of the stone-cobbled paths adorning the huge estate. All around them were perfectly manicured gardens, zen meditation areas and even a small pond filled with carp. Older shinobi and younger traversed a circuitous route around the area, their pace slowed down to a degree that allowed for proper conversation.

"I'm told that you are aware already of the secret behind your life." Naruto nodded. It would have meant a penalty of death should Hiashi himself tell him about the nine tailed fox. The clan head had a right to be careful.

"I was briefed upon my indoctrination to ANBU."

Hiashi nodded. "Good," he said. "I will be honest with you, Uzumaki-kun. When I had heard that the Kyuubi-no-gakki himself would be a part of the chuunin exams where both my eldest and my nephew were participating, I had my qualms about their safety in your presence." The older man's attitude was no surprise to the blond, so he was able to keep his face impassive. At least the Hyuuga was more polite than the rest of the village. "But after some investigation I realized they had nothing to fear from Uchiha Itachi's protégé unless they themselves were a threat to the village."

"However, my investigations also uncovered something unsettling which I believe must be made known to you." Naruto's ears perked up, and at his silence, Hiashi continued. "I have reason to believe there is a faction within Konoha which may be capable of destabilizing it. There is a hidden war and even I have no idea what their plans are, only that it may be a danger to all of us concerned."

All of us concerned translating as the ruling powers of Konoha, Naruto translated mentally. As one of the more junior members of the ruling council, Hyuuga Hiashi has a lot to lose should the status quo change. Within the clan his rule is absolute, but within the village he has yet to manage to wrangle enough political support that himself and his clan can survive on their own in the event of a civil war. The Kyuubi purred in contentment within the soul cage, the implied insecurity of the clan head being something of amusement to him. Naruto slapped the mental blocks on before he continued.

"What does that have to do with me, Hyuuga-sama?"

"Little. But it has a lot to do with your S-class secret." They stopped under the shade of a tree, admiring the view of the estate from the top of a small hill. "These people will have no interest in leaving Konoha burning, but even you will be able to understand what kind of a bargaining chip someone who's capable of that will be." Naruto understood perfectly. He, or rather what he represents, would be more than enough to tip the scales in any faction's favor, whoever they are.

"It is a giant chess game they play, Uzumaki-kun," Hiashi intoned. "I have no intentions of seeing them destroy the peace all of us have come to work for. But with little information there isn't much I can to salvage the situation before all hell breaks loose."

"Which is where you come in."

A servant with a bandaged forehead shuffled towards them and even Naruto was impressed that he hadn't been able to detect the girl. She took out a wrapped package from her sleeve and handed it to the clan head, before bowing and shuffling away. Hiashi handed the wrapped package to the blond, who looked at it curiously. "I am hiring you for an A-class information gathering mission during the lull in between the chuunin preliminaries and the main matches. Your objective, should you choose to accept, is to gather enough information on the destabilization plot and report it back to me."

"As genin I am underqualified to even accept A-class missions without my team."

"You are more than qualified and you know it. Your teammates would only become a liability at a mission of this caliber." Hiashi withdrew the package, seeing as the blond had yet to accept. "There is one last thing you need to see before I will ask you for your decision. Settsuko!"

This time Naruto was aware of the sudden flare of chakra which materialized behind him, to his right. "Hiashi-sama," the kunoichi intoned. The Clan head nodded at her salute and said "young Naruto wishes to visit our guest. Take him to the visitor's bungalow." A pair of ivory-white eyes turned on the blond and it took years of training to suppress the flinch that almost became reflex. "Ask my subordinate to escort you to the residential area should you change your mind," Hiashi said.

The guest bungalow as it turned out was a small residence the size of a normal Konoha civilian's house. Settsuko the kunoichi stood by the door, possibly not even intending to move for as long as Naruto was inside. Briefly, the blond worked out the timetables of escaping a burning house should the woman decide to torch it with a well-placed Katon jutsu.

Naruto raised his hand to knock, when a voice from inside yelled "Yes?" cough "Who is it?" The blond's instincts screamed at him as the door opened, revealing the face of Gekkou Hayate. "Hayate-san?" the blond managed. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that my name?" he chuckled, stifling out a cough. "The weird white-eyed people didn't tell me what it was. Said something about finding out the truth in a few days anyway. What did you say your name was?"

He doesn't have any memory of who he is, Naruto realized. "Naruto," he replied. "Uzumaki Naruto. You worked with my sensei a couple of years back before you retired from the division due to health reasons."

"That sounds like me" cough "all right. Say, was I always this sick? I keep thinking there's a lot I'm supposed to know but I don't anymore."

The blond wasn't paying attention. At this moment he was using an advanced medical jutsu to peer into Hayate's erratic chakra patterns. The capacity was still there but there was something about the way it circulated that was a bit…off. Then he had it.

"Naruto-san? Your eyes are glowing." Naruto ignored the remark.

"Hayate-sempai. I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

"Okay but I don't know how much I can help with" cough "whatever it is. Damn cough. You wouldn't happen to have" cough "any lozenges on you?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Hayate thought hard, his forehead scrunching up in concentration. "Well, I remember walking in this park with the sakura blossoms falling in the air," he said, in between coughs. "I remember sweet tofu and this woman with odd purple hair. Say, is she anyone I should remember? I keep having this nagging feeling that she's someone important to me."

Naruto remembered too, as Yuugao-neechan was unnaturally whimsical the day after her first date with Hayate-san. It was a day the people at the ANBU lounge hadn't let her live down, even a solid two years afterwards. A memory jutsu then. Something which should have erased a couple of minutes of memory, but was botched and now Gekkou Hayate couldn't even remember almost two years of his life.

Hiashi lied. He did know who the main propagator of the destabilization attempt. There was little else to convince anyone otherwise. An Uchiha did this. An Uchiha who had access to the Sharingan, and all its genjutsu wielding affinities. Someone so versed in the technique that he decided to just wipe a few minutes of memory, something which Hayate shouldn't have witnessed. But Hayate proved himself stronger and the perpetrator lost control, wiping out two years instead of a few minutes.

But who else was in on the attempt? The Uchiha alone cannot pull of something of this magnitude. So there were other parties, and the task at hand would be identifying them all. Unfortunately this would make Naruto come across ANBU Military Investigations, something which he had to do covertly to keep well within regulations. And then there was Itachi-sensei to consider. Muttering a quick excuse, the blond walked out.

"Settsuko-san," he said. "Tell Hiashi-sama I will be accepting his terms."

xxx

A/N: Yes I'm back! Took a while for me to update again, what with pressure from school and at home keeping me away from the computer. Still, I'm having a lot of optimism for this next arc of Cold Blue Metal, and I hope you guys can stay with me until I finish it.

I'll probably take out the romance part of the story for now, and until I can determine where and which direction the action is going to be, there will be no pairings. Sorry for the ones expecting a NaruKin pairing (even the ones who had been expecting a NaruIta, though hell will freeze over before THAT happens) but I'll have to keep you waiting some more.

Again really sorry for the slow update!