ANBU BRAT

by Naruto-pwns-Kyuubi

On duty ANBU are the elite, cold hard killers and perhaps the last thing you'll ever see, but when at a young age Naruto goes to live at ANBU HQ for his own safety everything changes. Please R&R. I don't own Naruto. NOT ABANDONED 23-06-2010 -SEE PROFILE

26. Chapter 26

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Last time on ANBU BRAT:

Some time after Naruto's return to Konoha, a mysterious man is takes on a mission to protect a famous actress, who later turns out to be an apathetic princess with a tragic past. It is revealed that the mystery man is Naruto, who is now a nuke-nin for reasons as yet unknown. The actress, her crew and her bodyguard make sail to Snow Country, where her current film is to reach its climax. Along the way, a team of snow-nin attack. Naruto defends the princess and shows that he is far from weak, using written seals to manipulate his potent chakra. Two of the snow-nin run after unsuccessfully attacking Naruto, who - after being reminded of the principles his mother tried to impart to him - unleashes a devastating attack to save the third, whose teammates treat her has a mere casualty of battle. As the battleground is destroyed, Naruto makes his escape with the princess and the kunoichi, on a borrowed piece of Snow technology.

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Chapter 26

The sounds of the ocean accompanied the fading daylight, the dark-pink clouds mirrored in the peaceful waters.

It was a red dawn. Rather appropriate.

The figure atop a cliff overlooking the harbour had no interest in admiring such a view. "Where is he now?" The stoic voice of Uchiha Itachi seemed directed at no one but the gulls, air and sky.

A shape began to rise from the ground. Two sets of green spikes, then something that could easily have been mistaken for grass. A white and black face emerged. Soon half of Zetsu's body was above the ground. "Snow Country. More specific details of his destination are unknown." The milder voice remained uninterrupted, the harsher side of Zetsu uninterested.

The Uchiha's mouth seemed to twitch slightly, as if he was trying to frown, but unable to do so. "That presents a problem."

"You must have heard the rumours of another Jinchuuriki living in the Snow Country. There are stories going back decades of a white monster with five tails." The harsher voice of the plant-man always sounded sinister.

Itachi had heard these rumours, but the Gobi had never been any of his concern. Still, since he might end up finding the Gobi while searching for the Kyuubi, he could not ignore the situation. "Activate our sleeper cells in the capital."

A moment later, a seagull landed atop the cliff, but it was entirely alone but for the gentle wind.

---

The world seemed to slow down as he sailed through the air, the wind whipping at his hair almost excitedly. Normally when his mind was in such a heightened state, he was in battle and too busy to notice such trivialities.

The water and waves seemed almost frozen far below.

Naruto didn't have time to enjoy the moment; however, seeing as he was about to get either very wet or full of splinters.

The thrust from the snow-board was enough to extend their flight so that they would reach the boat. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for them to reach the deck.

Intense blue eyes flicked from the princess under one arm to the injured kunoichi under the other.

They were travelling very, very fast and one of his passengers was heavily injured. The impact with the side of the boat would no doubt seriously injure both females, possibly killing them both. It would be no fun for him either.

He couldn't risk dropping them into the freezing water as large masses of ice drifted on the water's surface, and impacting one of those would be as dangerous as the ship's hull, with the addition of hypothermia moments later.

Naruto didn't have long to decide, as they were now three quarters the way to the ship and their descent was accelerating.

Luck was once again on his side; however, when Naruto saw a large pile of tarpaulin sheets piled against the closest railing. It seemed like the pile of protective sheets were for the filming equipment. The film crew had left it somewhere where they could quickly fetch it and cover the equipment if the weather turned against them. He risked injuring the females under his arms, especially the injured Snow-nin, but he had few options open to him.

The strong hands of the Jinchuuriki tightened on the portion of clothing around each woman's stomach as he tensed himself. He would have to get this just right.

As they went from forty feet away from the ship to twenty in one-twentieth of a second, Naruto threw both women upward and backward, relative to himself.

Naruto watched the women travel upward and felt some relief. He had counteracted their forward momentum as much as he could, so they wouldn't hit the pile of canvas material at dangerous speeds.

Unfortunately, but inescapably, as the two women had decelerated to a safe speed, the blond fox-boy was accelerated even further.

The two women landed on the deck, just at the edge of rolled up canvases.

Normally a body, even one of two-hundred and fifty pounds, would be unable to penetrate twelve inches of heavily treated wood, even at nearly ninety miles an hour, but Naruto's wasn't a normal body. It was a chakra laden torpedo. The sound of violently splintering wood met the ears of all those on-deck.

The director was the first one to react. He moved as fast as his old bones would allow him, moving across to the unmoving pink-haired woman and his wide-eyed leading actress. The pink-haired woman began to groan almost inaudibly, seemingly too injured to be any danger. The director was unaware of the fact the lead snow-nin had been willing to kill his female comrade, so the director assumed the bodyguard had taken her as a hostage. The actress merely hyperventilated, in a state of shock.

He moved to the railing and looked over the side, seeing a human-sized hole in the hull, thankfully high above water level. "Someone go find our ninja." Any doubt as to the integrity of the blond man was totally absent now. He just hoped the young man had survived.

People moved about the ship in a flurry of activity.

Despite everything, the mouth of the old director formed into a smile. Yukie/Koyuki - he wasn't sure which name he should refer to his lead actress by - was safe. What was more; they had captured the whole battle on camera.

---

Naruto shrugged off the debris, sending numerous slivers of wood to the floor. He almost absent-mindedly removed a finger-sized splinter of wood from his right calf muscle and one stuck in his side, each buried more than half their length into his flesh.

Looking around him, he saw that he was in some type of storage room, barrels of water filling numerous shelves.

He ignored the wood and the snow-board at his feet and immediately moved to the exit, turning right, being as a stairway to the deck was at the far end of each passageway. He ran past a few people who only stared after his rapidly retreating form.

In mere moments, he was ascending the stairs to the upper-deck.

Thereon, he saw a woman standing above the heavily injured snow-nin. The woman looked to be in her twenties. Her black hair was tied back, no doubt to keep it out of her way. Black-rimmed glasses covered grey eyes. She wore a doctor's white coat over a lavender shirt and black trousers. A thick brown coat sat in a pile behind her, obviously to protect her from the elements under normal circumstances, but abandoned to allow her free movement. Naruto had not spoken to her previously, but she appeared to be a capable doctor. He'd overhead that her name was Otoka Ayumi. He watched as she bent down to examine her patient.

While the snow-kunoichi was being treated, Asama was helping Koyuki to her feet. After managing a few shaky steps, her manager began to lead her toward another stairway that led below deck

The blond Jinchuuriki quickly joined the doctor and saw deft hands move over the unconscious pink-haired woman. "I have some medical training if I can be of any help."

Ayumi barely glanced in his direction. "Stave the bleeding at the back of her head, while I check for internal injuries."

Naruto quickly tore a fairly large part of his jacket off and folded it, cautiously raising the pink-haired woman's head and holding the cloth to the wound. The blood quickly seeped between his fingers and he was forced to press more firmly.

The doctor-woman finished checking the other female's abdomen, apparently satisfied and moved up to the chest. No doubt she was checking for broken ribs and if there were any, whether they were breaching any organs. "She's got three broken ribs, but the positions are good. Looks like her head took the brunt." The doctor's hands stopped. "Damn, her body temperature is dropping."

Naruto nodded and flared his chakra, bathing the immediate area with warmth.

The doctor's face showed surprise before she smiled. "Good job. If you can keep that up, I'll check her neck and head wound before we move her."

Naruto moved sideways, allowing the doctor to move to where he had just been.

Doctor Otoka - Ayumi to her friends - felt the woman's neck with dexterous fingers. "Good." She then moved her hand toward the blond ninja, who began to release the cloth. The doctor let out a sound which sounded like a tongue click combined with a hiss. "Not so good. The wound's not swelling, which means it's probably swelling inside the skull." She sighed. "I need to take her to the medical bay so I can stitch that wound. I'll worry about the head trauma afterwards. Pick her up carefully and follow me. Keep her warm."

Naruto picked up the injured kunoichi and quickly followed the doctor below deck and down several corridors, finishing up in a small emergency room. There was only one bed and minimal equipment, but he was thankful there was that much.

The dark-haired doctor had obviously familiarised herself thoroughly with the medical bay as she reached straight into a draw and pulled out a pair of scissors, a small container containing a single needle, some thick thread and a bottle of a light brown liquid.

Moments later, several chunks of pink hair fell to the floor. The brown liquid was used to clean the dirt from, and sterilise, the wound. The needle was threaded in seconds and the wound was a quarter closed a minute later. Several minutes later still, the wound was closed with tidy looking stitches.

Naruto watched as the wound was bandaged by dexterous hands. The woman may not have known medical jutsu, but she had obvious skill.

Ayumi turned to the blond. "Can you help me remove her clothing?" Her eyes asked the unspoken question. Was he professional enough? A simple nod was her response.

An hour later, the injured woman was cleaned, her wounds treated, bandaged, and she lay unmoving on the high bed. She wore a light green hospital-style gown.

Naruto watched as a small torch was shone into the green eyes of the injured woman, but he saw that the pupils therein failed to react, the pupils remaining expansive. "A coma."

The doctor nodded, now used to the surprising amount of medical knowledge the blond young man had shown over the last hour. She rested her hand on the woman's forehead. "It looks like there is internal swelling as I feared. It's causing only kami knows what kind of damage in there."

Naruto grimaced, unable to help more because he couldn't use his medical techniques. They could only hope that the pink-haired woman could hold on until they got to Snow Country and they could find a hospital.

The doctor allowed her body to relax. "Thanks for you help, Hatake-san."

The young man in question only smiled a little. "I just wish I could do more."

---

Koyuki gladly drank the hot tea as she sat on her bed, the drink being laced with liquor as it was. She was beginning to calm, but it was taking time.

She had been sure that she had been about to die, but here she was. Despite her earlier dread at the idea of dying, she felt a little bitter at her own survival. The madness only continued.

Any further thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She ignored it, but the door opened anyway. Her blond bodyguard entered the room. She absently noticed that his jacket had been replaced by a simple black vest.

"How are you doing?" The blond's voice was surprisingly warm.

Koyuki didn't respond at first, simply sipping the tea and wondering if the warmth in her abdomen was from the tea itself or the alcohol. "You shouldn't have bothered."

Naruto had known he wouldn't receive thanks, and he knew the actress come princess was troubled. To say the least. "Perhaps."

The forgotten princess looked up in surprise, not having expected that.

Naruto pretended not to notice. "Maybe I've only delayed the inevitable and only prolonged your suffering…" He could hear the slight intake in breath of his ward. "But maybe not."

Koyuki snorted. "What makes you so special?"

Naruto simply turned and opened the door. "What makes me so special?" He just stood there for a moment. "More than you can imagine." His tone made it clear that he wasn't being arrogant. If anything, he sounded sad. He walked form the room without another word, the door closing behind him.

---

Naruto tried to let the sound of the ocean and the cool breeze sooth him.

Before long, the sound of footsteps met his ears, soon followed by a voice. "Care to talk about it?"

Two shining blue circles pierced the darkness as Naruto once again opened his eyes. He had recognised the scent of the doctor before he had even opened his eyes.

Before the Jinchuuriki could respond, the doctor continued. "I saw how frustrated you were when we were treating that woman's injuries."

Naruto didn't mean to let the look of annoyance cross his features once again. "I used to be able to use medical jutsu."

The doctor's face didn't really change. "Used to?"

The fox-boy looked saddened. "It's a long story."

Naruto was surprised when the doctor sat down on the step of the stairway that led to the upper deck, only two yards from where he sat.

"Sandayu-san is keeping an eye on Fubuki for now. I have time." The doctor wasn't going to push, but whilst she was on this ship, everyone's health – both mental and physical – was her priority. She would help if she could.

Naruto felt he should decline the offer. It wouldn't be prudent to share possibly sensitive information with someone he barely knew. Still, he had a sudden urge to share his problems with the doctor. A pressure that had been building up for some time wanted to be released.

Ayumi saw that Naruto was balanced on a knife edge in his decision. "I promise that whatever you tell me will remain between us. I've counselled patients before." It was an inevitability in her line of work.

Maybe he would regret it later, but he was used to listening to his gut and it told him to trust the doctor. "How old would you say I am, doctor?"

Ayumi knew better than to think the blond was changing the subject. She looked him over. "Around nineteen to twenty-two years old at a guess."

Naruto smiled another sad smile. "I turned thirteen five months ago."

The doctor couldn't help it when her mouth dropped open for a moment. "H-How?"

Naruto looked up into the night sky, as if there were answers hidden somewhere up there. "It all started thirteen years, five months, one week and three days ago……"

And so Naruto told his story to the audience of one, leaving out no gruesome detail, only information that might compromise the security of his…home.

For the entire time Naruto talked, he didn't once take his eyes off the heavens. Neither did Doctor Otoka's attention falter for even a moment over the next two hours. "…and after we buried Kurenai-sensei's Chuunin subordinates, we returned home." His words fell silent.

Ayumi's face showed the passionate feelings the story had sparked within her. "That was nearly three months ago. How did you become a nuke-nin? Tsunade and the others wouldn't allow it." It was strange how comfortable she felt referring to the Hokage by name. She almost felt like she knew Naruto's family and friends, from how Naruto had spoken of them. The doctor had been completely enraptured. It was a story almost too incredible to believe, yet she was compelled to. She could now understand why the blond had rescued the snow-nin. It hadn't been to gain a hostage.

Naruto's eyes finally turned away from the stars and to the woman who sat nearby. He could see that she genuinely wanted to know. "I'd like to think you're right about that…had I given them the choice."

Furasshubakku no Jutsu! (Flashback Technique)

The creature looked at the group around the small fire, large eyes taking in every detail.

A blond-haired figure was the only one awake, obviously on watch. Perfect.

The creature moved forward, increasing in speed. Reaching its target, it bunched the muscles in its leg and leapt.

Thud.

Naruto looked down at the small toad that landed near his feet. Smaller than he was used to anyway. However, the colour gave it away. Of course he had heard it moving around, but had not known it was not a more typical toad. "What can I do for you?" He kept his words soft. There was no point in waking his sleeping companions.

The toad simply blinked at first, before inclining its head in the direction from which it had come. "Please come with me, Naruto-sama."

The Jinchuuriki stood. He had no reason to distrust the summon creature. They were his summons after all. He was surprised by the respectful suffix, but did not comment.

He followed as the toad hopped away from the fire. He could hear well enough to know there was no danger to his comrades. He could also hear the steady breathing of the group, so he knew they were all asleep.

The two very different figures moved just out of sight of the camp, beside a group of boulders that had been left behind by a river long since gone. If anyone awoke, he could quickly return before anyone was worried and they would not see the toad. He knew that the toad did not want to be seen. Why else would it have wanted to leave the camp-site?

Naruto knelt down to the orange and brown amphibian. "I assume Erosennin sent you?"

The toad opened its mouth, but it made no sign of speaking. Its mouth remained wide open.

Naruto heard a wet sound and a grunt, causing him to look around in confusion.

When he turned back to the toad, he was taken aback. He had seen some wild things, but this was bizarre.

A hand stretched out of the toad's mouth. The hand became an arm and then a shoulder. With further wet noises and the apparent stretching of bone and flesh, a figure appeared before the astounded Jinchuuriki.

Naruto looked upon the form of his perverted sensei. "That was…nauseating." He didn't see even the flicker of a smile on the older man's face, only a moment of surprise at his appeared. It was a bad sign. Then again, the fact that the man had come to meet him when he was due to arrive home the next day, combined with the apparent secrecy from the rest of the rescue group, made him begin to worry. "Erosennin?"

The white-haired man took a deep breath and turned to the toad from which he had appeared. "Thank you, Gamanakashi. You can go now."

The small toad disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya saw the questioning look. Of course the blond was wondering if he was going to all the trouble to travel unseen, why would he not need to return the same way. "Kage Bunshin." His blond student nodded acceptance. "I have bad news, gaki." He seemed to hesitate. "I won't play around. You've been framed for the murder of Yamanaka Inoichi."

Naruto felt as if he'd been taken a hit to the stomach from Tsunade, except this hurt more. "What?" He couldn't even raise his voice. He didn't even notice the Toad Sannin place a hand on his shoulder and push him gently into a sitting position.

Jiraiya sat down next to his student. It was a humbling sight, to see such a strong warrior hit so hard. "Somehow Danzo got pictures of the damage to Inoichi's body after…the incident, before the old man organised having his wounds healed. He managed to get cell and blood samples. The cells showed a unique form of necrosis caused only by Youkai chakra. There was also blood found in Inoichi's wounds that was not his own. It was yours." No one knew how the Youkai chakra had gotten there, since it was technically the Yamanaka's own technique that had done the damage. Naruto's blood had mixed with that of the clan head when he had been trying to save his life. "The old man was forced to tell them everything."

The blond Jinchuuriki could see by his mentor's expression that the Sandaime's confession hadn't had the desired result. "And?"

The Sannin shook his head. "Danzo has been dealing in deception and deceit before Orochimaru was even born. He's a master. It didn't help that it had been covered up at the highest level. It already painted a bad picture. Danzo built upon this and spun a web of lies that managed to ensnare the council. He claimed your skill level was not natural and that you must be under at least partial influence of Kyuubi. For every argument sensei and I had, he had a counter-argument. Danzo is many unspeakable things, but an idiot he is not. He has been planning this for some time. Probably since Inoichi was…killed. He listed off your skills, victories and even your mission reports. He made you sound as formidable as you in fact are. He claimed that a kage bunshin, henge and a genjutsu would have been enough to trick your team."

Naruto looked confused. "They think I can perform genjutsu good enough to fool Kurenai-sensei?" The very idea was absurd.

The older man snorted. "Damn idiotic, but the trouble is…… there's no way we can prove you aren't that skilled, since you are in most other fields. When the old man told him about it, Danzo made it sound like your confession to your team in Wave Country was designed to turn Ino against her father, so she wouldn't question the genjutsu you supposedly put her under when you supposedly kidnappedher from the hospital. He likened your actions to Orochimaru's and Itachi's before they become nuke-nin. He played on their fears and Inoichi's brother's grief. Eventually they began to swallow the lies, conveniently forgetting everything you have done for Konoha."

The blond young man looked at his sensei with hurt and anger in his eyes. "They didn't need much convincing, did they?" His tone spoke of how serious he was.

The Sannin's face became filled with determination and intent. "Naruto, the old man, the Nara and Inuzuka sided with you straight away. They believe in you. Tsume nearly went for Danzo. The old man's teammates, Koharu and Homura, also sided with you. They've known Danzo long enough to know he has little interest in justice. But…"

A sad smile formed on the blond's features. It was good to know that that not the entire council was against him. "But……"

The white-haired man frowned. "But… it wasn't enough. The Aburame and Akimichi were a disappointment, refusing to vote without more evidence. I don't think the Akimichi wanted to come between the Nara and the Yamanaka. The Aburame…well you know how they are. The rest of the council members fear you as the second coming of Itachi, that if you'd killed Inoichi, what is to stop you taking out all the clan heads? Hell, in light of your past treatment, they almost expect you to wipe out half the village. Gaara's behaviour in the Chuunin exams didn't reflect well on you, nor did your use of Kyuubi's chakra in the second exam." The Toad Sannin had seen Naruto flinch at certain points. Unfortunately it got worse. "The thing is, gaki, they can't exile you, lest Akatsuki or Orochimaru get their hands on you. They can't imprison you because you have too many powerful allies within the village." The Toad Sannin found he couldn't look his most recent student in the eye. "A movement was made for your execution, Naruto, and was seconded by the majority."

A deep breath later and Naruto looked his teacher with an expression devoid of hope. "So what now, sensei?" Addressing his teacher so formally was a sign of how seriously the blond Jinchuuriki was taking the situation.

The hermit looked up into the foliage of the forest. "That's up to you, gaki." He turned back to his student. "You know you're friends and family will stick by you. We can fight this."

Naruto looked at the ground, the blades of grass swaying in the midnight breeze. He knew what it meant to go down the road his sensei spoke of. "Ojisan has warned me about Danzo before. We both know he's willing to go much farther than this. He's already set the wheels in motion and can't back down. If we take him on, who knows who will be targeted next, or how. Danzo isn't above assassination. He might even use this to instigate civil war." He simply shook his head.

The Sannin knew there was no point pretending it was otherwise. There was no doubt that Tsunade would go against the council tooth and nail for Naruto. She would most likely threaten to step down, and mean it. His parents and the friends he had made would stand by him. It could become a very chaotic dispute, possible escalating into actual conflict. One side would consist of those loyal to either the Hokage, or who saw the truth of the injustice being done to Naruto, perhaps including the Inuzuka and Nara if they were willing to go that far. The other would be the remaining clans and their supporters, and those who saw Naruto as little more than a demon incarnate. He couldn't be sure how the numbers would fall, but it would be messy regardless. It was only a possibility, but a very real one.

"I can't let that happen, sensei." As much as they continued to hurt him, he wished no harm on the village and its citizens.

Jiraiya had not been expecting Naruto to agree to fighting, possibly dragging the entire of Konoha into the fray. It would go against everything he stood for. "Tsunade and I could leave with you and your parents. I expect many of your friends would come too. I have trusted friends in Grass Country."

The increasingly sombre blond simply glanced at the older ninja. "And leave Konoha to suffer Danzo's sovereignty, while all those I hold dear are made nuke-nin? No."

The Toad Sannin had known the answer already, but he had wanted Naruto to know that he wasn't being abandoned in his darkest hour. "Then there is really only one thing you can do."

Naruto couldn't believe how fast his world has been turned upside down.

---

Naruto held on to his mother so tightly he had to be careful he didn't hurt her. He could feel the hot tears soaking into his jacket and it pained him that he would be the cause of more. He wished he could take the time to hold each of his precious people in turn and savour their presence.

He turned when the Hokage stepped forward and her warm smile made him feel sick to his stomach with guilt.

"Mission success." The Slug Sannin's voice wasn't arrogant or boastful, only happy.

When his mother and Tsunade embraced. He took a breath in, the air smelling sweet and welcoming. It was getting harder for him by the moment.

Controlling his features into a believable smile was torture, but no one seemed to notice.

He took a step forward, concentrating on getting out his next words. "It's good to be ho-" He was almost glad when the ANBU appeared at that moment. He wasn't sure he could have finished the last word without choking.

The lead ANBU spoke to him, and Naruto thought he detected a hint of regret in the man's voice, one that only he caught. "Hatake Naruto, you are no longer authorised to step within the boundaries of Konohagakure."

For a moment, stunned silence filled the area around the northern gate.

Naruto smiled sadly at the ANBU. They had done well to get there before anyone else. Despite appearance, their job was to safeguard him and everyone else from any unexpected surprises. He inclined his head to the squad of ANBU, without verbalising his gratitude. No doubt the former Hokage had organised events so that the ANBU would not get in trouble, probably through some 'miscommunication' of orders. Still, they were taking a risk.

To Naruto, his imminent actions smacked of cowardice. Of course Naruto had made it simultaneously better and worse at the same time. He could have told the others, but he hadn't been able to. The fox-boy wouldn't have been able to bear it if they had begged him to stay and fight, or let them go with him. He wasn't sure he was strong enough to refuse. So he'd taken the easier road and not told them. He felt like he was betraying them. It was the reason he had been so desperate to embrace his beloved mother, because who knew when he would next be able to hold the woman who had cared for, and raised, him. Still, it was hard for him to do what needed to be done. He was tempted to enter the village and face the music, even knowing it meant his death. That was assuming he could control Tsunade and the others and prevent a civil war, which would not only lead to many deaths, but would also mean the village would be vulnerable to attacks from the other villages.

Several mouths opened to protest when a massive burst of chakra began to kick up dirt and wind around their owners, forcing them to put their arms over their faces.

Everyone heard the road crack and were hit with a concussive wave as something literally tore through the air in the midst of the group.

When the dust began to settle, a small crater could be seen in the road. Coming from the fissure, was trail of fractured road, which their eyes followed to the horizon. Whatever had caused it had been travelling at inhuman speeds. Tsunade was the only one of them who could match such speed, but she had yet to understand what had happened.

That was when everyone realised that Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

If anyone had thought to look closely, they would have seen sporadic drops of moisture either side of the trail. It hadn't rained for two days.

The pink-haired mother looked around in confusion and growing distress. "W-What is going on?!"

Furasshubakku Kai!

The doctor couldn't stop the few tears that escaped her ash-coloured eyes as they gazed upon the child, for that was what he really was in her eyes. "You gave up everything."

Naruto shrugged one shoulder slightly. "In a village of ninja, civil war is a brutal affair. I wouldn't forgive myself if my precious people were hurt because of me. And though I know Tsunade would never risk the civilians, the same can't be said for some of the older war veterans in the council. Who knows how many would be in the crossfire. Women, children……" He looked both angered and resigned at the same time. "But perhaps it is for the best. Akatsuki and Orochimaru would think nothing of crushing Konoha and everyone I care about to get at me." He looked away, a little ashamed by the pain he felt and was having trouble keeping from his face.

The doctor woman couldn't argue the point. The boy before her wouldn't be the reason for the war, but he would be the catalyst. This 'Danzo' was just using him as an excuse to attempt a coup.

Naruto moved his arm to rest on his knee. "But you're wrong, doctor, I didn't give up everything. Konoha...my precious people….they are everything."

The tearful doctor used the heel of each hand to wipe her eyes. "What have you been doing all this time?"

The fox-boy pulled a small booklet from one of his trouser pockets, throwing it to the doctor.

Ayumi opened the book and saw a list of nuke-nin on every page, the occasional one with a black cross through the picture. She looked up. "You've been hunting other nuke-nin." Such an action would be making things more difficult for him, making even more enemies.

The blond-haired young man nodded. "It's the only thing I can do to help Konoha." His loyalty to his home had never swayed.

"Do you think you can ever go back?" The dark-haired woman thought it too sad for him never to return home.

The blond Jinchuuriki moved his hands in front of him and looked down. "One day. When I'm strong enough." He didn't expand on his meaning.

Ayumi stood and moved closer to the young man, sitting on the deck, her back against the outside of the princess's cabin. "You seem exceptionally strong already."

Naruto clenched his fists slightly. "I can't use my chakra properly."

The young doctor continued to probe. "Is it a permanent condition?" She would admit to knowing almost nothing on the chakra network, being mostly irrelevant when treating non-ninja.

The whiskered face formed a scowl. "It shouldn't be. I should have made some progress in re-learning to control it." In the passing weeks since he had fled Konoha, he had been meditating and trying various chakra control exercises. Even onboard the ship, he had been trying to adhere small pieces of paper to his skin."

The doctor pushed her glasses up slightly. "Is it physical….or perhaps psychological?"

The blond head turned to the doctor, his face showing that the thought had not occurred to him. "Psychological?"

Ayumi nodded. "I was once involved in a medical trial involved in limb replacement." She saw the confusion on the young man's features. "I know that med-nin can accomplish this already, but in regular medicine, it's still only experimental. Anyway, one of the biggest roadblocks many patients hit was not the body's rejection of the limb, or anything else physical. Many of them subconsciously couldn't accept the foreign body part as their own. They were subconsciously stunting their own progress in adapting to the new limb." She saw understanding begin to dawn on the fox-boy's face. "Your body was twisted and bent by the will of another for sinister purposes. You weren't allowed to grow into it. You went to sleep in a child's body and woke up in a man's. It is only natural that part of you would resent that."

Naruto pondered those words. If he allowed himself to be honest, he hated that Orochimaru had decided he could play god with his life, but he also hated that he had been forced to be more like the demon inside him than he ever wanted. He had become some sort of….Hanyou (Half blooded demon). It had been unpleasant but acceptable when it had been temporary and he could choose to transform, but now that wasn't his decision any more. He also realised that it was this – as well as having left his home, friends and family – that had left him feeling disheartened. On some level he had resisted mastering his own more plentiful and more potent chakra, because if he did, it meant that he had accepted what he had become…but that was what Tsunade had done. Tsunade herself was no more or less demonic than himself, Kyuubi not withstanding, and she did not seem troubled in the slightest by her demonic traits or tainted chakra. It was only years of hating Kyuubi and fearing its influence on him, that caused him such apprehension. He supposed it was to be expected. Sometimes even he forgot that he was still only a child. He just had to accept that he would never again been entirely human. If that was the case, he was going to take it like a shinobi, nuke-nin or not.

So involved in his thoughts was the young Jinchuuriki, that he didn't noticed the female doctor already walking away. She turned her face halfway toward him before she disappeared down the steps, a satisfied expression on her face. "I'm glad you've seen sense, Naruto. Good night."

---

Yukigakure no Sato was truer to its name than any other hidden village, for no outsiders knew of its location. Even many of those that dwelled within were only vaguely aware of its location, outside the fact that they were in it.

Almost ironically, there was no snow within the village.

It sat inside in what could not be described as an underground cave, but rather an immense subterranean cavern.

The reason for the lack of snow was the steaming lake of salt water the sat within the confines of the village, heated from deep within the bowels of the earth. Beside that same lake was a small group factory-like structures, from which issued several pipes which disappeared into the dark depths of the water. A desalination plant, providing hot water and artificially cooled water to the village, as well as a geothermal power plant.

High above the lake, the cavern was lit by a nebula of crystals which adorned its roof, producing a fair imitation of sunlight, albeit more muted than the real thing.

The buildings of the village consisted of the same grey material as the walls of the cavern itself, in a process which had provided both raw building materials and even more space within the cavern. The majority of structures consisted of only one or two floors, built in a surprisingly traditional manner.

There was one notable except, however. A white spire which sat at the rear of the cave, against the wall itself, furthest from the steaming salt-lake.

There was only one window in the structure, which could be seen at the pinnacle.

If one was to get close enough, they could see that the window was actually a dozen feel high and three times as long.

One would also see someone standing on the other side. A middle-aged man with white hair and matching robes. No jewellery or symbols adorned either himself or his outfit.

The white-haired man stared out from behind the window, down at the village below. "You failed."

The room behind the white-haired man was sparsely furnished. In fact a simple stone desk, left its natural grey, was the only piece of furniture in the room. A few papers sat on the surface of the desk, but the room was otherwise uncluttered.

In the middle of this bare room knelt two men, one larger than the other, who both struggled not to shake at the third person's bland voice.

The smaller man glanced at his larger comrade, who gave him a slight nod, as if agreeing with some unspoken question. "Yukikage-sama, our enemy was inhuman."

A small frown formed on the face of the only person standing in the room. Even though they had failed him, the two before him were not rookies. They were clearly intimidated by the blond man of which they had spoken. "What happened to your teammate?"

Nadare looked like he really did regret his teammate's fate. "The nuke-nin killed her."

Neither he nor Mizore had seen Naruto run off with their teammate and assumed she was dead.

The older ninja remained in thoughtful silence for nearly a minute before answering. "My daughter's death is….regretful." He had no particular attachment to his daughter, but she had been a strong kunoichi. "Our village's special relationship with Doto Kazahana is too lucrative to risk with further failure. You will head out again immediately. Sanuske will be your new team leader."

Nadare's blood seemed to run freeze in his veins. "S-Sanuske?!"

Beside the smaller Jounin, Mizore wasn't faring much better.

The Yukikage smiled to himself. This was the punishment he was dealing out for the two Jounin's failure. "You should feel honoured. Sanuske is, in some ways, more important to the village than even myself."

Mizore knelt lower but raised his head. "Of course, Yukikage-sama. It's just…."

"I am well aware of our young Jinchuuriki's reputation." The Kage's smile became more obvious as well as a little more sinister. "You had both better tread carefully."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyuki already felt contempt for the day as soon her the lids of her eyes opened.

She moved around her room mechanically, performing her ablutions and changing into her costume.

Her hand reached for the door handle, but she hesitated.

She didn't remember much about the events of the previous day. She vaguely remembered the ship's doctor saying something about her suffering shock.

How was she still alive?

An image flashed in her head of an iceberg cracking almost beneath her. It was only for a moment and then her memory was once again a jumbled mess.

Had her bodyguard somehow lived up to his word? It seemed impossible, but she could think of no other explanation. Still, it could only have been luck.

Satisfied with her reasoning, Koyuki finally opened the door. She was just in time to see her bodyguard launch himself over the side of the ship.

The princess come actress, come princess again, was surprised to find herself running to the starboard side of the ship and looking down. As soon as he did, she decided she had finally gone mad. There was no way that there could be several hundred copies of her bodyguard running behind and alongside the ship.

"Sorry if I startled you." The voice came from immediately behind her and she spun round. It was the same blond man who had just jumped overboard. His slit, blue eyes showed a small amount of concern.

Koyuki just stared in confusion and then her face became neutral once more, just as it always did. "I don't want to know." With that she proceeded to walk away.

Naruto watched her go, feeling both annoyance and relief. Her personality was abrasive, but she didn't seem too traumatised by the previous day. He shook his head and began to walk across the deck.

He glanced at his clones that were henged to look like film crew. It was no small relief to be able to be in more than one place at a time, once again.

He'd made a break through with his Kage Bunshin the night before and as he had predicated his control had come along in leaps and bounds. Give it a day or two - nearly two years in clone time - and he'd be able to safely use his higher level jutsu. A day or so after that, Rasengan, and soon after that, he would be able to use his medical skills and eventually the technique he had learned from Tsunade. If he was lucky, he would have mastered his control once again by the time they reached Snow Country. He had to admit it was easier because of his previous experience in perfecting his chakra control. It might have felt like cheating, but he was only regaining control he had previously attained.

For the first time since he had reluctantly abandoned his home, he felt that things were beginning to look up.

---

Doctor Otoka watched the scene before her in awe.

Large hands moved above the chest of the unconscious snow-nin and a green light shone brightly, bathing the room in its eerie light, casting quicksilver shadows upon the ceiling. She could almost imagine that she could hear the sound of ribs knitting back together. "Incredible…" Her voice was a mere whisper, but earned a smile from the blue-eyed young man.

Naruto was glad for the silence as he concentrated on healing the wounds before him. His chakra control still took a good amount of concentration, but it would improve with time. Before long he had finished healing all injuries but the one on the patient's head. The most significant one. He let out an uncharacteristic sigh as he moved his hands to the woman's head. "Now the hard part."

He closed his eyes to focus on what his chakra was telling him. He examined the damage for over twenty minutes before he finally opened his eyes and spoke. "There's a web of damaged tissue spreading out from the point of impact. I can heal most of it, but some of it is already scarring and I cannot reverse it."

The doctor frowned. "Any idea what has been affected?"

Naruto shook his head. "By pure chance, it seems to have mostly avoided critical areas. Still, there is no telling the effect. Even after I heal her, she might not wake up."

Ayumi nodded. "There's one way to find out."

Naruto placed his hand on Fubuki's forehead, his chakra pervading all the way to the back of her head. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard a procedure. He was only going to speed up her natural recovery, rather than control it. He didn't rush it, as he didn't want to shock her system. If he healed her too fast, she might suffer an epileptic seizure as the damaged pathways attempted to re-establish themselves too quickly.

The dark-haired doctor moved closer and watched the unconscious woman's face for reaction. Even a pained expression would be an improvement. She was nearly taken aback when two green eyes were suddenly revealed, staring back at her. The meeting of green and grey only lasted a moment before the previously injured woman launched herself forward, knocking the doctor over.

The snow-nin made a beeline for the door and slammed it open, before vanishing from the room.

Naruto formed a seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

One blond ran after the pink-haired woman and one headed toward the doctor, offering a hand.

Ayumi took the hand and pulled herself up. She followed the second blond as he too headed from the room.

The scene the doctor arrived to was of the pink-haired woman running from one side of the ship to another, obviously avoiding the crew members. When she hit the barrier of the starboard side, she turned around and faced the man who had chased her.

The woman looked terrified. "What's going on? Who are you?"

Naruto could hear the snow-nin's heart hammering inside her chest and the slightly metallic scent of her sweat as adrenaline pumped into her system. "You don't remember?" It was entirely possible that she had lost some of her memory, given the damage to her brain. He concentrated on her heart rate, the chemicals in her perspiration and the dilation of her pupils. It was unlikely that she had been able to think up a lie this fast, but he would know if she did. Unless she could lie as well as Kabuto, but he doubted that.

The frightened woman shifted her weight to her right leg, as if preparing to bolt. Her forehead creased in apparent confusion. "I don't even remember who I am." She shifted her weight again, but apparently she wasn't completely healed as she was hit by a sudden wave of dizziness and she tumbled backward over the railing.

The recently awoken woman felt herself falling and she opened her mouth to let out a terrified scream, only for it to close with a jolt when her arm was suddenly anchored. As the sound of the waves came from beneath her prone form, she looked up into blue eyes that seemed to radiate not only kindness and concern, but also reassurance.

Naruto loosened his grip on the wrist held within his hand, just enough to make sure he didn't hurt her. He effortlessly pulled the snow-nin back over the railing and onto the deck. As soon as her bare feet touched the deck, her legs buckled and she fell against the blond-haired young man who had rescued her. Her palms lay flat against his chest, her form held up by a strong but gentle arm. Now almost certain that he meant her no harm, she leant the side of her head against his chest and tried to slow her breathing. The bite of the cold air seemed further away. As her breathing slowed, she was suddenly aware of how close she was to the man and that she was only wearing a thin gown. She quickly pushed herself further away, but didn't let go of his hand. She felt dizzy again, but it felt different to the sensation that had preceded her fall, and she felt warm all over.

Naruto smiled as comfortingly as he could. "Let's get you somewhere a little warmer."

The suddenly meek woman nodded, allowing herself to be guided across the deck toward the steps.

---

The woman sat by a cast-iron wood-burning stove, basking in its warmth, her feet on the stool on which she sat and her arms around her legs.

The doctor, who had introduced herself as Otoka Ayumi, had insisted that she be clean, dressed and comfortable before any explanations.

The kind doctor had found her some clothes to change into after she had scrubbed up. She wore a simple light-grey, long-sleeved and form-fitting t-shirt and a pair of dark grey trousers. A white woollen, sleeveless jacket added an extra layer of insulation. She'd brushed her hair and managed to cover up the bare patch over a slightly scarred head-wound. Most of the hair over the area would grow again, or so she had been told. Doctor Otoka had arranged her hair so that it sat in a splayed mound at the back of her head, held by what almost looked like two wooden chopsticks.

She felt much better now. She was warm and comfortable and though she was anxious to have all her questions answered, she felt able to relax with the doctor and the blond man who had waited outside while she had gotten ready. They had been nothing but gentle and understanding with her since she had woken up. The doctor sat off to the side, out the way, while the blue-eyed man sat on a stool in front of her.

Naruto found it to believe that the amnesiac woman must at least have been in her mid-twenties, if she had been say sixteen when his father had met her all those years ago, but he realised that she had no idea how old she was. "Fubuki. That's your name. We don't know your family name."

The woman, now known as Fubuki, frowned. "Does that mean we aren't….friends, Naruto…san?" She had assumed that the blond had been at least that much to her since he had been so kind and he definitely did not look like a doctor. She had even entertained the notion that he was more to her than that. Now she shifted uncomfortably and felt a little less secure.

Of course Naruto picked up immediately on Fubuki's worry and said the only thing he could think to help. "It just means we weren't friends until now." He watched the small smile dawn on the woman's face. It bothered him that he would shortly be taking it away. "You're a ninja of the Yukigakureno Sato."

Fubuki's mouth fell open. "A ninja?!" She saw the blond's eyes crinkle in amusement and she moved her hand to the back of her neck, a little embarrassed. "Are you a ninja too?"

Naruto nodded. "I am, but I'm not from Snow. In fact I know almost nothing about it. I'm…" He hesitated and the anguish on his face was visible to the two women, though only the doctor understood it. "...originally from Konohagakure."

The green-eyed woman's brain processed what she had been told. "Our villages are allies?"

The Jinchuuriki shook his head. "No, but neither are they enemies." That much was true. They were really too far apart to be either friend or foe.

Now Fubuki asked the question she had half been avoiding. "What happened to me?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

Naruto wasn't sure how best to begin. "You and your comrades were in a battle."

Fubuki's eyes widened. "Comrades? Are they alright?" She may not have remembered them, but that didn't stop her from being concerned.

This was the first part Naruto was dreading. "I believe they are both okay." Not that he really cared. His next words are what concerned him. "I'm afraid they left you behind."

The snow-nin hugged her legs tighter. "W-Why?"

Naruto saw her distress. "Cowardice and self-preservation." He imagined they decided to flee before he had even released the exploding tags.

It was unsurprising that Fubuki took little comfort in his words. "Who were we fighting?"

Now came the really hard part. Naruto knew there was no way to put a gentler spin on this. "Me."

The pink-haired woman jumped up, nearly falling over with the stool and she was about to run again when a pair of hands clasps her shoulders. They didn't hurt her, but the grip felt unbreakable.

Naruto looked down into fearful green eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you." His words were simple but immediately reduced her fear to nothing.

Fubuki became aware of the strength and power that seemed to emanate from the blond. She had no doubt that if he wanted to, he could break her like a twig, but he chose not to. He couldn't have wanted information from her, since she had none to give. That left her with the single reason that he had been kind to her for unselfish reasons.

The doctor decided it was finally time for her to speak. "Naruto here saved you, Fubuki-san."

The woman in question turned toward the doctor, the grip on her shoulders being released, before looking back and up into the deep blue eyes of the man in front of her. "You did?" She was probably more confused that ever. "If we were fighting you, you must have been the one who injured me, so why save my life?"

Naruto looked up as his eyes seemed to become less focused, as if he was seeing something the other two couldn't. "I remembered that life is precious, even that of my enemy. You were no longer in a position to be of any danger, so I brought you onboard so you could be treated."

Fubuki remained silent. She wasn't sure why, but something didn't seem add up.

The other woman in the room moved closer to the confused kunoichi and put her hand on her shoulder, bringing the other woman's attention to her. "What Naruto doesn't want to tell you is that one of your teammates used an attack on him that would have killed you too if Naruto hadn't intervened." The doctor had talked to Naruto several times since that first night. He seemed to benefit from using her as a sounding board and he was pleasant company. She knew what had happened on the iceberg.

Naruto frowned. "But it was the backlash of the technique I used that caused you to injure your head. That is my responsibility."

The pink-haired woman began to look worried. "Why were we fighting?"

Naruto decided it was her right to know, even if she didn't like it. "Your team was trying to kill someone I was protecting." He didn't bother mentioning the necklace. It wasn't the major issue here, at least not to him.

Fubuki felt her heart sink a little. "I see." She took a deep breath. "Does this ship have a brig?"

Whatever Naruto had been expecting, it was not this. "Excuse me?"

The pink-hair covered head nodded. "You're obviously a good person. That means you're the 'good guy'. My comrades and I were trying to kill this person you are protecting. Unless they're some terrible human being, that makes me the 'bad guy'. If my memory returns, who knows what I'll do."

Naruto began to understand her reason for asking the question. "We don't know you weren't a good person. It's not that simple."

Fubuki looked up with serious eyes. "Yes it is." She picked up the stool that had fallen to the floor and sat back on it, slumped into herself. "I'm glad I don't remember who I am…….."

---

The aged film director watched the scene being enacted before him. As always, Yukie's performance was flawless.

The last few days had certainly been unusual. Everyone on board the ship was aware that the captured snow-nin had apparently lost her memories. Half of them believed it, but half of them were more than a little dubious. The crew avoided her, but without difficulty, as she made an equal effort to avoid them. The only two people that the pink-haired woman spoke to were the ship's doctor and the blond nuke-nin. From what the old man could tell, the kunoichi spent almost all her time with the bodyguard.

The nuke-nin himself had become a point of even greater interest. There were suddenly clones of the blond appearing and disappearing in a pattern known only to him. Several nights in a row, some of the lighter sleepers in the crew had been woken by explosions of some sort that had sounded like they were somewhere out at sea. The director himself had investigated and found a multitude of blond carbon-copies running about the water around the ship. Some of the nearer ones had done only just that, while others had seemed to be fighting, while still others – further away than the others – performed a variety of jutsu. The director had only seen a handful of ninjutsu performed in his life-time. He had actually hired a Konoha ninja to act in one of his films. A job to them was just a job. A contract was a contract. Still, he could tell that the techniques he had seen were on another level to the Chuunin he had employed.

He lived in interesting times indeed.

---

Naruto looked out across the frozen harbour. It was mesmerising the way the snow made everything look so peaceful.

In honesty, he was surprised they were staying. When, only hours ago, Asama had confessed he had been waiting for years to bring Koyuki to this country, and manipulated the director and crew, Naruto had expected the director to order the ship be made ready for departure back to Fire Country. Instead the old man director had been rather excited by the prospect, even as the princess had shown nothing but distain for the idea.

The young Jinchuuriki a frowned. The way the princess acted, it was like she didn't care about the people here. She had given up years ago.

A look of determination spread across the whiskered face. He promised himself that he would change that.

He looked to his side to a pink-haired woman. She pretty much refused to leave his side. It didn't bother him. He knew that she was counting on him to stop her if she suddenly 'turned'. What was interesting was that she had unconsciously started using chakra to warm her body, making her thick cloak almost redundant. Naruto himself was still dressed in only his vest, being his only spare top, making him stand out more than ever. "Let's go, Fubuki. We're behind Koyuki."

The kunoichi hesitated for a moment. If she was going to escape, she couldn't think of a better time.

It wasn't that she felt like a prisoner. She didn't mingle with the crew for obvious reasons, but Doctor Otoka and the large nuke-nin were always friendly. She was treated better than she had any right to expect. What worried her was what she might do if her memories returned. She had no real opinion of, or attachment to, the princess she had learned that she had been targeting. For obvious reasons, they had not gone near each other. At any given time, either the princess or she had a clone for company/protection, but she wasn't always sure which way it was.

In the end, she simply didn't want to betray the kindness of the blue-eyed shinobi. In a world she had forgotten, he was the only thing that anchored her to it.

A few paces ahead of the motionless kunoichi, Naruto turned around. "Is anything wrong?"

The woman in question took several quick steps to catch up. It seemed her feet had answered the unspoken question.

---

They convoy had been travelling for some time now, each hour indistinguishable from the next.

Fubuki watched the young Hatake intently. He looked like he was sleeping. The gentle rocking motion of the snow-traversing vehicle was surprisingly soothing and the sound of the engine was a low hum. No doubt similar conditions had caused a number of the travellers to fall into slumber. The seats on which each of them sat were big enough for them to lie down, even if not stretched out.

Fubuki watched as Naruto's eyes opened, and his hands came together "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A moment a clone of himself sat beside him.

The kunoichi was startled by the sudden action. "What is it?"

The original opened the door, letting a burst of ice-cold air into the vehicle. He turned to look at the startled pink-haired woman. "Stay with my clone. Do whatever he tells you." He promptly jumped out of the moving vehicle. She watched out the window as the blond formed another seal and shouted words she could not make out, but could guess. Dozens of blonds ran ahead of, and behind, the vehicle. She wasn't sure what the original Naruto was doing, but if she had a clone with her, undoubtedly the others would go and protect Koyuki, the doctor and the rest of the convoy.

---

Koyuki wasn't sure if she was sleeping or awake. The waking world and the dream world were both nightmarish to her. Tired eyes watched the white world go by. It had been the same for hours. She could not tell how much time had passed, with nothing to interrupt the monotonous flow.

She was completely caught off guard when the door to her vehicle swung open and the familiar figure of her bodyguard climbed inside. "What are you doing here?!" She instinctively pulled the covers of her bed over her.

The blond didn't seem affected by her tone or actions. "My job."

---

Ayumi watched Naruto – or a clone - approach her vehicle running, and keeping pace with it. She caught his eye and he acknowledged her with a nod.

She could tell by his whole demeanor that he was on guard.

In the short time she had known him, she believed she had learned enough to tell when he was worried, as he had been when helping to clean and treat Fubuki those few days ago. She could tell he was worried now.

She also noticed that he stayed closer to her vehicle than the one ahead or behind. It was comforting to know that he thought enough of her to be more concerned for her than the average crewmember, but she hoped she wouldn't be forced her to witness an example of how far he would go to protect his friends.

---

Naruto saw the vehicles at the front of their convoy begin to slow, forcing those behind to do the same. He soon ran ahead of the group and saw why they had stopped. The same reason he had abruptly left Fubuki's company.

There was a wide step between the cliff edge to his left a snow-covered rocky ridge to his right, the latter of which rose sharply further on. There was currently a figure standing in the distance ahead.

Though normal eyes would have not been able to make out any details, Naruto's could make out the person quite clearly. It was a man.

He was average height and build, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties. His short brown hair was slightly spiky, but unremarkable. He wore a light blue robe and trousers, so pale it was almost white, almost in the style of a traditional Tai Chi users clothing. For the average person, he was severely under-dressed for the weather conditions. He wore no obvious weaponry. His blank facial features were reminiscent of the Hyuuga. That wasn't the only similarity to the Hyuuga. His eyes were completely white. Whiter even than any Hyuuga. They were the colour of the purest snow.

Naruto halted his run as he turned toward the crewman standing by the side of the lead vehicle. "Get the convoy to go back, until you're nearly at the tunnel. Now." He didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to. He turned and headed toward the figure.

After several minutes, the blond stopped walking, now a hundred feet from the other person, the rocky ridge to his right having given way to a high cliff face. The width of the plateau had halved.

In the background was the noise of several engines as the convoy moved some distance away.

When the mysterious character finally spoke, his voice was that of a gentle tenor. "Now I understand why Mizore, Nadare and Fubuki failed."

The blond Jinchuuriki didn't respond to the comment. "Hatake Naruto."

The stranger seemed polite at least as he responded. "Yuzumi Sanuske."

Naruto made sure to school his features. "Which one do you contain?"

If the stranger was offended by the question, he did not show it. "Gobi." He seemed in no rush. "And you hold Kyuubi." It wasn't a question.

Naruto wasn't surprised. The musky scent he produced no doubt smelled at least a little of fox, detectable even at a distance by a sensitive enough nose. "I suppose further talk would be futile?"

Sanuske's response was a barely perceptible nod.

A gust of wind suddenly swept over them, carrying a few errant flakes of snow. The second it stopped, the brown-haired Jinchuuriki made his move.

Naruto allowed the other Jinchuuriki to make the first move, as he had no idea what to expect. Still, he was surprised when his opponent raised his arm into the air and he felt the ground beneath his feet move.

A spire of white ice erupted from the ground at a diagonal, kicking up a cloud of snow and ice before it smashed into the side of the cliff. A four-foot wide lance of white now blocked the width of the plateau.

Sanuske's expression never changed. "Your speed is impressive."

The airborne snow settled and revealed an unharmed blond man standing with his arms still crossed, standing a little back and to the side of the ice-spear.

Naruto looked at the ice that now stood from the ground. He closed the distance between himself and the column of ice almost instantly, raising both fists.

The fox-boy had yet to test his super-strength technique, but when the ice was obliterated into shards that whistled as they tore through the air toward the Gobi vessel, he knew he had mastered it once again.

The two vessels lost sight of each other as ice fragments filled the space between them.

Sanuske watched impassively as his own ice bore down upon him.

The sound of ice hitting the ground and the cliff side lasted a few seconds.

As the debris settled, Naruto saw a jagged wall of ice – roughly his height - standing directly in front of the other vessel. As he watched, it crumbled to reveal his opponent, unharmed. There was a difference; however, in that a white aura now whipped around the Gobi vessel. Its violent appearance countered the Jinchuuriki's calm exterior.

Naruto had not expected the fight to end that quickly. It seemed his enemy had a technique similar to Gaara, but with ice instead of Sand. He doubted Sanuske needed ice or water in the immediate area to form the attacks. There was ice on the ground, but it had not been enough to form that first attack. He could only assume that at least most of it had been formed from water vapour in the air. If he had to guess, he would say that using the snow on the ground as a catalyst made the technique less chakra intensive for his fellow Jinchuuriki. It was also likely that, like Gaara, Sanuske did not require seals to control his element. He didn't doubt that the white chakra made the brown-haired snow-nin stronger and faster, similar to when he had been subjected to Kyuubi chakra in the Forest of Death. Interesting.

The Gobi vessel gestured with both arms, his fingers splayed outward. A dozen more columns of ice shot from the ground beneath the blond ninja.

Naruto jumped high while forming a series of seals and took a deep breath. ""Katon: Jao Ensatsu Kokuryuha no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Killing Wave of the Black Dragon technique) The spires were moments from converging on him and he breathed out.

Sanuske watched the birth of a massive black dragon. It curled around its wielder, the chakra-hardened ice managing to puncture its ash hide, but failing to persist through the super-heated core. Billows of steam enshrouded the dragon and ice. He waited.

Suddenly a blur broke from the cloud, running alongside the cliff face. A large ball of blue chakra spinning in one hand.

White eyes locked on their target. A chain of ice spires shot out of the ground, each one slamming into the cliff face in turn, and each one missing their target by mere inches.

Still some distance from the other Jinchuuriki, the blond shinobi launched himself from the rough stone surface, heading straight for the Gobi vessel.

This time, Naruto watched as the ice wall appeared, forming from the very air itself.

Surprisingly, he didn't hold the hand out in which his attack was located, but his other hand.

Naruto released a pulse of chakra just as his left hand hit the ice. There was the sound of ice cracking, but amazingly the ice didn't shatter. It seemed this Jinchuuriki's ultimate defence was exponentially stronger even than Gaara's. It seemed that the stronger tailed beast imparted in turn more strength to the Jinchuuriki.

Not giving up, he slammed his spiralling attack forward, as the cracks in the ice already began disappear. "Odama Rasengan!"

The sphere hit the ice, but made slower progress than Naruto expected.

The ball was halfway into the wall when spikes of ice suddenly shot forward from its surface and pierced his chest and arms.

The large Rasengan faded away and Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke.

The wall of ice once again vanished and Sanuske watched the last of the steam - from earlier clash of techniques - dissipate. Its departure revealed his opponent crouched on the wall, a rapidly spinning mass of white chakra held in one hand, his other hand supporting the arm at the wrist. The ash and fire dragon was no more, but each ice spire had been cut down to half their length.

Naruto wanted to end the fight before the other Jinchuuriki had the chance to perform any kind of transformation. He didn't want the film crew and actors to get caught up in the large-scale battle than would ensue. He thrust his hand out, toward the Gobi vessel. "Futon Rasengan: Kazeshishou no Renseimoui!" (Wind Release Spiralling Sphere: Drilling Fury of the Wind Master)

A blinding pulse of chakra flashed through the air, straight at the brown-haired Snow-nin.

The white chakra around Sanuske pulse and expanded, a tail forming behind him. It was only the first level of his tailed state, but it granted him a huge boost in speed, strength and chakra. Still, as he jumped aside far faster than any ordinary Jounin could manage, the attack passed only inches from his body. The layer of hardened ice that formed on that side to protect himself, was shredded off by the mere proximity of such a powerful technique. The ground beside him was penetrated by chakra attack, which ripped into the earth and rock like a hot knife thought butter, creating a fissure five feet wide, emerging from the lower cliff side and continuing into the depths of the canyon below. The Gobi vessel was surprised to suffer several deep gashes to his side, blood beginning to leak out. He panted as his own narrowed eyes met blue, and held one hand out. "Touketsu Yorokobi!" (Frozen Requiem)

Naruto began to move as smaller spires erupted from the partially destroyed ice-spears, but his last technique took a second to recover from. The branches of ice formed faster than the main trunk, smaller branches forming from them and smaller branches still from those. They were upon him even as he tried to escape.

The Gobi vessel held the largest wound on his side. He managed a pained grunt of satisfaction seeing the explosive growth of his ice-spikes, not unlike watching the centuries-long birth of a forest in mere seconds. The leading edge was only inches in front of him, such was its size.

Within the forest, Naruto's breath caught as eight lances of ice speared his shoulder, stomach, thigh and chest. The pain and cold were enough to break his concentration, but it returned like a sledgehammer when he realised something was wrong. Very wrong.

---

Koyuki was on edge. Something was going on. Their convoy had stopped, backed up, and her bodyguard had not spoken again since getting in the vehicle. The muscles in her legs kept tensing, as if they wanted to run of their own accord. That didn't seem like a bad idea, but she knew that her bodyguard would not let her.

She heard distant shouts and heavy impact noises, bringing back memories and feelings she tried to forget but could not.

Adrenaline began to flood into her system as her heart began to thump in her chest. Panic flooded her mind.

Minutes passed as the tension continued to rise, when out of the blue, her nuke-nin bodyguard vanished in a puff of smoke.

Once it cleared, the princess realised she was alone.

It wasn't a conscious choice as she reached for the door handle and, a moment later, jumped into the snow.

---

Fubuki was not sure why her fingers were twitching. It seemed like instincts she had no knowledge of were coming to the forefront. Neither she nor the man, well clone, opposite her spoke. They were listening and watching for any signs of trouble. The amnesiac woman was worried as she listened to the sounds of fighting. "Are you - the real you – okay?"

The clone's gaze turned toward her. "Though the boss gets my memories when I dispel, we aren't linked like that, but the boss will be okay. He's o-" The rest of the clone's words were never realised as it vanished in a puff of smoke.

Fubuki tensed and her hand reached down to her hip for something that was not there. Her battle instincts were kicking in.

Quickly opening the door, she landed on the cold ground. She heard footsteps in the snow ahead of her, louder than she might have thought, and quickly fell to the snow realising that it wasn't as cold as she expected. Then she felt it, an energy flowing through her body, keeping her warm. She had no idea how she was doing it, nor did she have any idea why she was in the position she was or why her hearing and vision seemed to have improved since she had begun to think of danger. It seemed there was a part of her mind that remembered being a ninja.

Before she was aware of what she was doing, the pink-haired woman's hands formed shapes she didn't recognise or understand. "Yuki Usagi no Jutsu!" (Snow Hare Technique) Fubuki dived head-first into the bank of snow to her right and disappeared from view. It was a technique created years ago, after one lone snow-nin had been observing a group of artic hares that had tunnelled into the snow to huddle for warmth when the ground was too hard to dig. In reality; however, it was like nothing a hare could do. Chakra was used to melt the snow ahead the snow-nin. The water created from the melting snow was manipulated around the user and frozen again to sustain the tunnel's structural integrity, preventing collapse that might give the ninja's position away.

The pink-haired woman quickly crawled under the snow. She could not see, but she could hear the hurried footsteps pass her by. She travelled the distance faster than most civilians could run. After a moment, she broke the surface for a fraction of a second before disappearing once again. She analysed what she had seen. There were only two more vehicles ahead, and in front of that she could see what almost looked like trees, except they were white. The brief glimpse of sunshine twinkling from the white limbs revealed them to be made of ice. They filled the width of open ground ahead of the convoy. There was also a small crowd of film crew not so far ahead, among which stood her doctor friend.

Fubuki knew that the man who had saved her life was somewhere in that 'forest', though she couldn't see through its mass. She also surmised that he was at least hurt since his clones had vanished, though it was a conclusion her mind had reached on its own. She wasn't sure what course of action to take. There appeared to be no enemy nearby so she broke the surface of the snow and headed toward Ayumi, but she remained alert.

Wasting no time, she interrupted the man who was speaking to the doctor. "What's going on?"

Ayumi had quickly exited her vehicle when the blond outside had vanished in smoke. She had spoken urgently to others that had seen the battle. "Naruto is fighting." Her voice was laced with the worry she felt. She didn't know much about Jinchuuriki, except what the Kyuubi vessel had told her, but it sounded like the enemy could very well be one. That made him very dangerous.

The assistant director, who had been in the lead vehicle waved his arms almost manically and proceeded to describe the fight up to the point that the explosive-like growth of the hardened ice-spears had cut off his view.

Fubuki stared at the obstacle before her and back to the doctor. She had no idea if she could fight, but she owed the man who was somewhere within that mass of ice. She was about to take a step forward when a crewman ran up from the direction she had come.

"Director, Yukie has gone missing!" The crewman was breathing hard from both the exertion and panic.

Everyone was surprised when the director didn't acknowledge the fact his lead actress was missing, staring through the crowd.

Fubuki's and Ayumi's eyes followed his gaze to the iced-over train tracks that had been revealed by the passage of the convoy. The ice was melting.

Asama knelt down to the tracks. "It's chakra. There is a small amount of chakra flowing through the rail and melting the ice." The princess's manager stood up abruptly. "Everyone run quickly! It will be all over if we get caught!" Before anyone reacted, the middle-aged was already running over the snow-covered ridge to the right of the convoy.

Fubuki watched as the bespectacled man disappeared. She was painfully aware that Naruto might be injured or worse, but she couldn't ignore any new threats. That was when it hit her. The footsteps she had heard had been the princess's.

Now she wasn't sure what to do. She could save the man who had saved her life, or save the woman who she had previously targeted. Even though he was in battle and possibly injured, Naruto was still a powerful ninja, and the princess was just a civilian. Still, she could not bring herself to make a decision.

Ayumi had already become aware of Fubuki's returning ninja instincts. The speed with which a knocked over cup was caught, before it hit the ground. The strength shown in picking up a heavy water barrel for the medical bay. Of all of them here, she was the only one who could fight. "Find and protect the princess, Fubuki." She wasn't sure she liked her own command, but she knew that would be what Naruto wanted. From everything she had heard, she knew that much for certain.

After a moment's hesitation Fubuki nodded, before she turned and began to run back toward the tunnel through which they had passed earlier.

---

The chakra-hardened ice offered little resistance to Naruto's blades of wind. He quickly sliced through them all. As soon as the ice impaling him was cut off from their chakra source, they began to melt due to his body heat. He used chakra to keep himself from falling, as the ice had been hard enough to penetrate the rock behind him, literally pinning him to the cliff face. Soon red water poured from his wounds, which were already clotting. He could actually feel the tissue regenerate, a warm sensation. In less than ten seconds the wounds were almost healed.

Naruto descended, jumping ice-branch to ice-branch until he reached the cold ground.

He watched as the 'forest' began to shrink back, revealing the other Jinchuuriki. In moments, there was no sign of any ice attack bar the red patch on the ground behind Naruto.

Opposite the Kyuubi vessel, Sanuske frowned. He had certain 'senses' with his ice and he had felt the ice penetrate his opponent's flesh. He had also felt the ice being severed, but had not realised that blond had managed to heal. That was why he had made no attempt to make a follow up attack. Sanuske himself had great stamina and could take great damage, but even he could not heal like the Kyuubi vessel could.

Naruto formed a single seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The puff of smoke was soon dispersed a hundred clones hurried back toward the convoy. He knew they could come under attack at any time. He stayed put, ready to defend his clones' exit.

Sanuske frowned. It had been a long time since he'd had a challenge. He had not taken the fight as seriously as he should have and now he was injured. It wasn't fatal, but affected his fighting. If he used 'that' form, his already injured body would be dangerously strained. It was time to take this seriously. "Hyou Yoarashi!" (Hail Night Storm)

The sky above the two Jinchuuriki seemed to darken, as if night was falling.

The young Hatake heard the sounds millions of projectiles tearing through the air. He quickly activated his chakra shield and held it just above his head. Instantly his arm was vibrated violently as hundreds of impacts were made against the glowing surface. All around Naruto, he could see egg-sized chunks of ice smashing into the ground. Where they hit the nearby cliff face, he could actually see pieces of stone brake off. Though the projectiles might have been enough to bludgeon an average shinobi to death, he knew they would have only caused him bruising, though severe. Still, as he felt his clones disperse, he realised that hadn't been the point of the technique. His clones were all destroyed, unable to take the damage he could.

He knew now that he was just being distracted and became even more determined to end the fight. He just hoped that technique had not reached as far as the convoy.

Sanuske saw the blond abruptly accelerate, much faster than before, running with a raised fist. He almost took a step back when his barrier came to his aide. He heard a thud and the distinct sound of his ice cracking. He was taken by surprise when a blond blur came from either side of his barrier and attempted to punch again, causing a further two barriers to rise as the first collapsed. Now twin thuds and cracks were heard and then four blonds appeared. Only two seconds after that attack began, there were eight blonds and his ice was having a hard time keeping up. The powerful snow-nin reached out two arms downward, before they seemed to break an invisible object. "Aisutate: Touketsu Tatsumaki (Ice Shield: Frozen Tornado)

The four ice shields shattered, where upon they were caught by an invisible force and swept anti-clockwise. A powerful and deadly half-sphere of white caught the clones and the subsequent puffs of smoke were sucked into the swirling dome.

Naruto had jumped out the way, suffering lacerations on his right arm, which healed as he watched. It seemed this Jinchuuriki had more control of his shield than Gaara. If the blond had to guess, he would say the technique was only a precursor. If those spinning chunks of ice, which were still speeding up, were released… well the film crew would not be far enough back to survive.

---

Koyuki ran. She didn't care where. She didn't care that she had no food or water. She didn't care that a few hours in the cold would cause hypothermia. She just ran.

She could see the end of the tunnel in the distance and she headed toward it like it was a life-line. With each step, she felt a little safer. So intent was she, that she didn't hear a second set of footsteps in the snow. Nor did she notice the melting ice on the train tracks.

"Koyuki-san!" A female voice called out from behind the princess.

In a panic, the dark-haired woman spun round and slipped, falling into the snow. That was when she felt the warmth of the ground. That wasn't right. She watched as a shady figure became a recognisable one. "You!" She pushed herself along the ground, away from the figure. "Get away from me!"

Fubuki didn't wince and neither was she surprised by the other woman's actions. "Koyuki, we have to get out of here. It isn't safe."

Koyuki ignore the snow-nin's words as she scrambled to her feet and ran toward the distant light, which suddenly seemed to go out before being replaced by another. A distant mechanical thrum reached her ears. "T-Train!"

Fubuki was once again unsure how, but she knew what a train was. She didn't even think twice as she grabbed the arm of the very woman she had previously tried to harm.

The princess was surprised but didn't get a chance to act before the other woman swung her onto her back and began to run.

Fubuki pumped her legs as hard as she could, all the more effort for carrying a passenger. She was painfully aware that the noise coming from behind them was getting louder. She saw the other end of the tunnel in the distance and it seemed like a pin-prick of light in the dark. It seemed so far away.

Sparkles of light became visible around the two women as the light source behind them began to illuminate the surrounding ice.

Fubuki was spurred to speeds unknown to non-shinobi. She panted hard.

Koyuki held on tight. "How is this possible?"

Fubuki didn't respond. She concentrated only on her and her passenger's survival.

"It's useless, no matter how hard you try! It's all over!" The grip of the princess became almost restrictively tight on the other woman.

Fubuki felt an emotion that, for all she knew, she had never known. Anger. The actress/princess seemed almost eager to die. Well she had no intention of letting that happen. "I won't!"

The noise of the train had become deafening and the light in the tunnel was almost blinding as their eyes struggled to adjust.

Fubuki felt her lungs burning and her legs trying to stiffen, but she ignored them. The tunnel was getting lighter up ahead. "Let!"

The pink-haired kunoichi nearly tripped at the sound of a horn, but pure determination kept her going. That and the ever-so-near, but ever-so-far, tunnel entrance ahead. "Him!"

The ground vibrated so much that it felt like an earth-quake. Fubuki focused on putting one foot in front of the other as fast as humanly possible, or preferably faster. She could almost sense the front guard at the head of the train, as if it was reaching for them. The entrance of the tunnel was so close, she could actually make out the world beyond it. It felt almost like it was trying to catch them as they seemed to fall. "Down!"

Fubuki jumped.

---

In the centre of a maelstrom of snow, ice and chakra, stood a grimacing figure.

It was getting harder for Sanuske to control his chakra due to the pain. It might not have been visible, but he could feel his technique becoming unstable. If he risked the second half and stayed, he could very well injure himself severely.

Outside the dome, Naruto backed away, but his eyes managed to catch the slight slowing of icy debris. What was going on? He had to think of something fast.

Sanuske began forming a set of seals, his current technique slowing as he released most of his chakra from it. He hated running, but promised himself that next time would be the real battle.

Naruto could finally makes out the blurry image of his opponent, though his voice was drowned out by the wind caused by the whirling ice. He braced himself just in case and watched intently as the Gobi vessel's image became clearer. The end of Sanuske's shoes turned white, quickly spreading up his ankles, legs, chest and arms. In moments it looked like a statue of white stood in the middle of the vortex.

Suddenly the dome pulsed slightly and the fox-boy realised he had to act now. He gathered to himself a great deal of chakra and manipulated it with hand seals. "Futon: Daitoppa no Jutsu!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

The dome lost stability.

The wind technique and the explosion met head-on, in a fearsome struggle of power, but the chunks of ice were not entirely free of chakra, continuing their orbit, spiralling outward.

Naruto watched as the 'statue' of his opponent was broken into a torrent of flakes by the head of his wind technique, carried away by the strong gust. He could not see much else through the strong wind, even as it faded, and could hear even less.

Most of the ice was stopped by the powerful wind, but it was not expansive enough to block all of it. Chunks of ice actually came around behind him, due to the residual chakra in the technique, placing him in the path of their collapsing orbit.

An unknowing Naruto had no chance to brace himself against the barrage of icy projectiles that swept into him.

Naruto was thrown high into the air, disoriented and spinning wildly. When he finally managed to stabilise his trajectory, he was just in time to see the cliff edge pass by under him.

---